FIVE OFF-ROAD CAPABLE CLASSICS

ONE BARRIER to owning a collector vehicle is the amount of use it may get in order to justify the amount of money sitting in a darkened garage.

- CLIFF CHAMBERS

Plenty of Australian families already have 4WD dual cabs or SUV wagons for business or family transport and might not think that an early All-Wheel Drive would be fun to own as well. Hopefully, we can change some minds.

The whole idea of recreational off-road vehicles emerged decades ago, when ex-military Jeeps were sold off by the thousands and some were turned in to family fun cars.

Rover during the 1950s also found its agricultural 4WD becoming popular with adventurers or even families who enjoyed visiting isolated fishing spots.

Japan followed the trend; first with the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol then a range of lighter and more versatile models made by Subaru, Mazda and Honda.

The USA which spawned the RV (Recreational Vehicle) movement contributes a couple of models to our selection as does Japan, but we had to leave out some worthy candidates. From Britain there is the Range Rover, with Europe supplying the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Wagen or even the odd but effective Citroen 2CV Sahara. Which would you own?

LAND ROVER SERIES 1

HAVING SEEN the influence of all-wheel drive vehicles on both sides of World War II, British-based Rover Cars emerged from the conflict with a desire to build its own durable 4WD for agricultural and commercial use. Lots of early Land Rovers with their short (80- to 88-inch) wheelbase would be bought for military or private use, but it was the 109-inch version released in 1956 that generated most attention from private owners. These could be bought as a single-cab pickup or a Safari station wagon with seating for six people.