Jay Leno drives a army Land Rover

The newest episode of “Jay Leno’s Storage” is out and highlights an actual Chilly Warfare relic. It is a 1972 Land Rover Collection III that was utilized by the British army.

Present proprietor Alex Grappo, who beforehand introduced his Porsche 959 to the storage, explains that this Land Rover is a real “X-MOD” or “ex-Ministry of Defence” Collection III much like the sort that operated alongside the Berlin Wall.

Launched in 1971, the Collection III was the final of the Collection Land Rover fashions. It changed the Collection II that dated to 1958, which in flip had changed the unique Land Rover Collection that launched the model in 1948. After the Collection III, Land Rover briefly switched to 90 and 110 nomenclature (referencing wheelbase size) for its conventional fashions, earlier than rebranding them because the Defender.

Collection III fashions have been constructed with 88-inch or 109-inch wheelbases. This is without doubt one of the long-wheelbase fashions, and it is powered a 2.6-liter inline-6 engine. Land Rover estimated 70 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque, however Grappo considers these figures to be “optimistic.” What little energy there may be is routed to all 4 wheels via a 4-speed guide transmission. The Collection III was the primary Land Rover with synchromesh gears. 

Details about this particular automobile’s service historical past is scarce, however Grappo says his “greatest guess” primarily based on analysis thus far is that it was an FFR mannequin used as a radio truck. He factors out a small field on driver’s aspect entrance fender, which he says was used as a mounting level for communications tools.

A Land Rover of this classic could be a bit sluggish for contemporary visitors, however Grappo has taken the Collection III to Moab and confirms that it is the actual deal off-road. And it will get loads of consideration irrespective of the place it goes.