I’ve always wanted a Land Rover Lightweight Air Portable ever since I first saw one as a lad. Today I collected it! Its a bog standard 2.25 petrol model with a hardtop in NATO matt green. Designed to be carried in Hercules transport aircraft and dropped by parachute it is, as its name suggests, lightweight with an aluminium body and all the upper body can be removed, great for the summer. Driving it back round the M25 was an experience! My first action was to brim up the fuel tanks (it has two) one under each front seat, so you have to remove the sea cover and lift the protective cover before opening the tank which you can then just watch filling up…
Driving is a whole other experience, because the fuel tank is under the seat the seat is not adjustable in anyway and was apparently designed for someone considerably shorter than me so I find myself sitting very close to the wheel … which is the same as fitted to the QE2 having a full 6 inch play before the nobbly wheels actually move in any direction. I quickly learned that making a manoeuvre requires advance planning. The LWAP only has 4 forward gears, spaced about 6 inches apart, which leads to much searching and crunching although I am mastering it better now but its still too easy to ride the clutch. Its slightly (very) noisy, which is great if you are outside as it sounds very military, but renders the occupants profoundly deaf. Also it doesn’t go very fast, so I won’t rack up any speeding points, and since the seat belts appear to be made from body webbing that’s just as well.
Aside from the 1960’s ergonomics, its great fun! I can’t wait for summer.
