Here’s a sight I didn’t expect to find; a vintage Land Rover sitting pretty in a middle-class neighborhood not far from my home in San Salvador. Not that finding old cars is that rare in this city, but rather, its condition was what surprised me. Instead of having the junky state of most of my finds, this one’s shape belongs to the kind of collectible I could see in an upper-class residential area.
But well, all for the better, right? And I’m glad the local middle class is getting the hang of this vintage car-preserving business.
These photos come from a couple of years ago, but the last time I drove by the area the Land Rover was still there, looking just as nice.
I haven’t had the chance to talk much about the presence of British cars in this region, being that so few of them remain. But the British did have a small presence around here in the mid 20th Century (as old photos will attest), but most of it had faded away by the ’70s. Except for Land Rovers; those were plentiful.
It’s not strange that Land Rovers were the most popular British products in these lands, considering the state of local roads and the importance of agricultural work. Even a few Range Rovers trickled in just before the civil war started in ’79.
However, I can’t recall the last time I saw any old Land Rover; other than this one. That it’s fairly well put together shows some kind of major commitment by its current owner.
Regardless of the passing of time, the brand does have a legacy around here. After the end of the civil wars in the 1990s, Rover returned to the region. Here’s a lot of ’90s (?) Defenders, parked in the Ministry of Housing.
We’ll close with this final image featuring the Land Rover and its, let’s say, unintended offspring. Not that I can trace a direct line between any of these modern CUVs/SUVs to the Land Rover, but the whole ‘go anywhere while hauling stuff’ idea behind the old original does inspire the segment to some degree or another.
Related CC reading:
Cool vehicles but so impractical for regular use and bloody expensive in this country, unlike the UK. That’s a nice long body one.
These were the ones I remembered seeing as a kid. The later ones where they moved the lights to the fenders never quite looked ‘right’. Then Toyota moved in with maybe 90% of the Land Rover’s ability but added reliability to the mix. The rest was history.
Is there any local significance to the grille adornment?
Ah, yes. The added badge is the old logo of the local Classic Car Association (Asociación de Carros Clásicos) that existed in the ’90s and early ’00s. They’ve regrouped under a different name in the last few years, and their members support some of the local car shows that have been happening in the city in recent times.
Nice ;
When I lived in Guatemala City there were more than a few rich folks who kept pampered vintage cars, didn’t really drive them much .
Uncle Bill had a SWB Land Rover in the early 1960’s it was dead nuts reliable, I think because he was a sailor and knew how bad things can get when the power fails underway .
-Nate
When I think of Land Rover, I think of the one shown in the classic comedy movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy”.