A parking lot is a parking lot—unless it’s the Summit Racing parking lot. On any given day or time, the lot outside a Summit Racing store can turn into an impromptu mini car show, depending on who’s stopped by the store. On Wednesday, we often share a notable parking lot find—another benefit of being powered by Summit Racing Equipment.

Land Rover Series 3, Low Front

(All Images/OnAllCylinders – Paul Sakalas)

The Land Rover was born in the years immediately following World War II. Taking a page out the Willys/Jeep playbook, the Rover company saw a need for a rugged, agricultural vehicle that could bring Britain (and the rest of western Europe) back to economic stability.

The Land Rover Series 1 delivered.

The original Land Rover “Series” models (as they would come to be known) shared many characteristics with the early Civilian Jeeps, including four-wheel drive, a power take-off for farm equipment, and a soft top.

But curiously, the Land Rover Series’ most distinctive feature—its aluminum body—came by sheer necessity. Steel was in short supply after the war, so Rover made use of peacetime surplus aluminum. In fact, the paint Rover used to cover the early-production bodies was leftover military aircraft paint.

Land Rover Series of any generation are hard to come by here across the pond, which is why we were so happy to see this one recently in the Summit Racing parking lot in Tallmadge, OH near Akron.

This particular “Landy” had a handful of off-road upgrades too, including a light bar, winch, and skid plate.

We’re far from experts on guessing years for post-war British trucks, but we think this is a “Series III” version, given its grille and headlights.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t track down the owner to ask them for an exact year, and we weren’t able to see under the hood…err…bonnet to determine the engine.

If you’re a Landy expert and can give us a more accurate year/model, chime in below in the comments section.

After Series III, the 90, 110, and Defender models were born, moving the iconic off-roader more upscale, where it would find success in the luxury SUV market—a far cry from the utilitarian, function-over-form ethos of the original Series Rovers.

Still, the iconic hood-mounted spare and mesh grille easily earn Land Rover Series models a spot in the off-roading hall of fame.

Land Rover Series 3, Driver Side Front Land Rover Series 3, Passenger Side Rear Land Rover Series 3, Grille Land Rover Series 3, Front Land Rover Series 3, Driver Side Rear
(All Photos/OnAllCylinders)

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Author: Paul Sakalas

Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.