Classic LRM in association with
com
FIT FOR
A QUEEN
While travelling in Kenya, Richard Poskitt stumbled across four very different
vehicles, not least a remarkable Tickford Station Wagon with a special history
Land Rovers are all over Kenya.
The police use them, the military use
them and thousands are running up
and down the country every day.
The Kenyan’s love of the Land
Rover dates back to colonial times
when the British sunned themselves
in their East African Colony. The
Queen had one, a Tickford Station
Wagon, specially delivered during
her visit in 1952.
The Land Rover stands out as the
real African bush car by far. I am sure
you would rather be seen in a Safari
Land Rover in the Masai Mara on
an early morning game drive than a
Japanese lump of rust. It is the right
place for the Land Rover.
Four recently stood out for me
demonstrating how varied Kenya’s
Land Rovers really are – a specially
modified 2009 Defender and its
sister, a 2003 300Tdi Defender, both
kitted out for Safari Game Drives;
a Range Rover from 1984 which
competes in the perilous annual
Rhino Charge, and a unique example
once used by the Queen.
The Queen’s Land Rover is the
oldest Land Rover I have ever
seen, been in, or pushed. This is
a 1949 Series One (VIN Number
RO6200003) with a Tickford Station
Wagon body and is like no other
132 August 2009 LAND ROVER monthly
www.landroverorphanage.
by
Richard Poskitt
These days it’s an
armoured limousine,
but back in 1952 the
Queen, then Princess
Elizabeth, was happy to
bounce around in the
back of a Land Rover.
Land Rover. Just to be close to it
gives you a sense of its history, and it
has a good one.
I discovered this car while having
a VIP treatment service on my
Adventure Family Defender last year
at CMC.
It was just overwhelming to be
able to sit in it. Even the kids hopped
in. I have been unable to trace the
VIN number any further or gain any
access to old pictures, but it is totally
authentic. Its history should be quite
simple to confirm; all I need to do is
ask the Queen.
the Kenyan Royal coach
The story starts with the 1952 Royal
visit to Kenya and Treetops in the
northern part of Kenya. During the
visit of fantastic game viewing,
and beautiful banquets, Princess
Elizabeth went to sleep as a princess
and woke up the next morning a
different person. During the night
her father, George VI passed away.
She was the Queen of England.
It was decided that she should
return immediately to England to be
reunited with the people.
The Tickford had been shipped
over with a small number of other,
standard, soft top models, one of
which is still kept with the Queen’s
start your search for your old Land Rover
WRONG IDEA
n LAND ROVER went up
a bit of a blind alley in 1949
when they made an assump-
tion that some buyers might
want a Land Rover that was
more like a car and launched
a Station Wagon version.
n The body was built by
Tickford, known for their
work with Rolls Royce and
Lagonda and had a wooden
frame with seating for
seven people.
car at Land Rover Kenya. It was
this soft top Series One used by the
Royal party on that fateful morning to
escort the Queen to Nairobi, to return
home to her throne.
The Tickford roof is swayed back
toward the back, and the rear boot
door is split like the Range Rover.
The interior is basic, though not at
basic as the standard Land Rovers
of the time. Perhaps it’s what you
might expect a Range Rover would
be like if it was around in the 1950s.
The wonderfully designed spare
wheel cover is a joy, and the engine
is immaculate, and it still works.
Nowadays it is kept out of sight at
Land Rover Kenya where it is lovingly
looked after. There have been
an number of requests to have it
returned to the UK, but this would be

wrong.
This is
certainly a
piece of Land
Rover history and
it really makes you feel
patriotic when you sit in the
driver’s seat. It should stay where
it is, Kenya, the land where Land
Rover has a great history.
and so to the present...
As you can read on page 62, the
Rhino Charge has been around for
about 20 years and is set in different
locations every year. It is a challenge
not a rally and, apart from the fun
and excitement, its aims are to raise
money for Rhino Ark, which dedicate
themselves to protect one of the
Aberdare Conservation areas and
start your search for your old Land Rover
also construct
electric fences to
protect wildlife in the
national parks.
Large numbers of drivers,
navigators and runners
engage their wit, strength and
navigational skills to try to win
the beloved trophy each year,
and also bring in the most money
from their sponsors. Land Rover
has always been a strong winning
force in the Charge.
Each vehicle is extremely
strong, toughened up by the huge
modifications made by the teams;
suspension being one of the biggest
modifications made.
This 1984 Range Rover
with its original 3.5 litre petrol
engine has had its suspension 4 Queen Elizabeth – 1952
LATTER DAY LIMO
n Tickford Land
Above: You don’t get Rovers were well equipped
many of these to the compared to the standard
pound. Despite pleas Land Rover, having leather
for its return to the UK, seats, a heater, a one-piece
this exceptional Series laminated windscreen, a
One Station Wagon is tin-plate spare wheel cover,
staying in Kenya, which some interior trim and other
seems, historically, to options. Clearly a Land
be its rightful home. Rover fit for a queen!
n However, the Queen
was one of the few people
who could afford one. The
wooden construction made
the vehicles expensive to
build and tax laws made it
worse as the Tickford was
taxed as a private car, which
attracted higher levels of
Purchase Tax than the utili-
tarian Land Rover version.
LAND ROVER monthly August 2009 133
 Classic LRM in association with www.landroverorphanage.com

PUL AR OVERSEAS
PO 0
than 70
n Less ere sold, and it’s
w
Tickfords at all but 50 were
th
believ e d ese early
p o rte d . Today th ighly
ex h
agons are
Station W r and very few
fte
sought a to exist, mainly in
n
are know
us e u m s.
m
n You
can see
e
one at th
Gaydon
Heritage
.
Museum

This 80 is said to be the actual vehicle that the Queen travelled in from the
Tree Tops Hotel after she learned of the death of her father in 1952.

4 rebuilt by Jazz Cars in Nairobi.

The extra long custom made
shocks, springs and toughened
arms are robust enough to have
given it the strength for nine charges.
‘Team Six Pack’ were running
again this year in the Range Rover,
and hoped they could beat their
personal best of 15th position.
It wouldn’t be easy for them
with almost 60 other vehicles
participating.
Top: The Tickford
bodied Series One 80
inch Station Wagon is
truly unique in Land
Rover history. An idea
that was probably
ahead of its time in
austere post-war
Britain.
It’s not be the most comfortable
Range Rover either with its plastic
bucket seats and absolutely
nowhere for the other team members
to sit. They walk, or run, while the
driver usually gets over turned and
shouted at all day. The navigator will
have a tough day also. His job will
be to judge the best way to traverse
cliffs, ruts and deep, deep bush.
Obviously trying to avoid them as
much as possible, while also getting
shouted at by the runners. Sounds
like fun. Team Six Pack includes
N Malde, J Bharij,D Munene, P
Mutuku, C Soni and C Hill.
Driving a Land Rover into the bush
isn’t just for crazy people, of course.
Tourists with an eye on a somewhat
less demanding trip require a bit
more comfort. Which is where the
specially modified Safari Land
Rovers come in.
These extended Defenders are

134 August 2009 LAND ROVER monthly

start your search for your old Land Rover
 DEEP ROOTS
n Tickford
can trace
its roots back
to the coach-
building
firm of
Salmons
& Sons,
in Tickford Stre
et, Newport
Pagnell in the
1820s.
n Tickford M
otor Bodies
provided spec
ialist services
car-makers th to
rough the early
20th century, in
cluding: Alvis,
Aston Martin,
Aust
Hillman, Humbe in, Daimler,
r, Land Rover,
Lagonda, MG
, Rolls Royce
and Rover.
n David Brow
n (w
the owner of As ho became
ton Martin
in 1947 and La
gonda in
1948) bought
the business
in 1955. He co
nsol
his car manufac idated all
turing on the
Newport Pagn
ell site and
Tickford becam
e dormant.

quite remarkable. They are modified
to the owner’s East African Safaris,
specification, direction and design.
CMC Land Rover Kenya rebuilt
and extended the vehicles to allow
for a bigger and wider viewing
area, more comfortable seating
with ample room for legs, baggage,
cameras and standing around with
your head out of either of the two
huge roof flaps.
East African Wildlife Safaris has
had three of these vehicles made
over eight years and brought with
them a 300Tdi and a brand new
2009 Defender.
The colour is even chosen
specifically for Jock Anderson,
the director. It makes them stand
out from the more common ‘safari
green’. As you first see them it does
not strike you that they have been
extended, nor that they have a
military police colour. They don’t look
modified. But the moment you take a
second look you see that the roof is
higher, and that there is a whole extra
row of seats in the rear. They are not
the standard bench seats, but are
custom made for Jock to give his
clients luxury while in transit between
animal viewings.
So you sit down with your legs
stretched out, looking out of your
vast window, and think that there
must be an awful lot of work done to
make it good enough to be out in the
bush. In fact, not much is needed.
The length is made to get more
clients in, making it financially viable
without the use of a bus. There is no
massive change in the suspension.
Only twin shocks are added in the
rear for the extra weight.
There is no lift to counter the
ground clearance loss in the
extension. Jock believes it is
unnecessary. The tyres are the
standard ones issued with Land
Rover, not mud terrain, and there
is only one spare tyre. The most
important thing for these vehicles is
to be able to see out of all angles.
All the windows in the rear are
made much larger to allow for the
best visibility. The roof is raised up to
More than 50 years allow better accessibility inside, the
on from that fateful front windscreen is also made larger
day in 1952, Land and higher to allow the passengers
Rovers are still a in the rear to see out of the front
dominant force in without being hindered by the roof.
Kenya, used for many The roof itself is split with two
different reasons. hatches built in, both of which
Solihull vehicles, like can be sat on when opened. They
this brutally modified have railings around to grab while
Range Rover are the following wildlife or for attaching
backbone of the Rhino camera equipment.
Charge and, likewise, There is no fridge, but enough
the ‘traditional’ room for a cool box and the client’s
Defender is the only luggage. These Safari Land Rovers
vehicle to be seen in are all you need for that wild safari of
when one is on safari. a lifetime.
The only worry about changing to
the new version of the Land Rover
is the electronics. If they fail out in
the bush, then Jock believes he will
be unable to have a bush mechanic
help. So until the confidence builds
up, the 300Tdi is the vehicle of
choice in the far off bush.
The new vehicle is being broken in
on trips to the Masai Mara, and more
visited parks where help is
always at hand. LRM

LAND ROVER monthly August 2009 135

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