If you are unsatisfied with the depth of mud-holes your Series Land Rover can drive through and would like it to be even less comfortable on pavement, then we have just the vehicle for you!
A rare Cuthbertson-conversion tracked 109 is going to be up on the auction block this weekend in the UK. This unstoppable beast of a contraption is expected to sell for no less than 50,000 quid when the hammer falls at Bonhams Auctions.
The vehicle was converted by Cuthbertson not long after it was built in 1958. The tracks are 12-inches wide and have 40 steel shoes each. At the end of each axle, there is a sprocket fitted which drives the tracks.
This model has the factory fitted 2.25 petrol engine. Though it is road legal, at more than eight-feet high, it seems more suited to wade through rivers and marshes.
Apart from the tracks, the vehicle appears otherwise more or less stock. This one apparently has been fitted with power steering.
With the track fitted, the top speed is just 35mph. So not something you want to take anywhere you’re in a hurry to get to. Unless of course, you need to wade through a marsh to get there.
The full history of this Series II 109 is unknown but it spent time in Norway and Germany before returning to the UK last year.
About 15 Cuthbertsons were built and this model is believed to be the only running one in the UK.
Bonhams will be selling the Cuthbertson Land Rover at its Goodwood Revival sale on September 9, with a guide price of 50,000 to 60,000 UK Pounds.
A spokesperson for Bonhams said: 'The Cuthbertson Land Rover is one of the most unique and eye-catching examples. It is one of very few survivors and is surely the ultimate off-road vehicle available. It's believed to be the only version in the UK, and would make a brilliant addition to any collection of weird and wonderful vehicles."
It was restored in 2000 and is exempt from road tax and MOT. According to the auction house, "178 UYU is in full working order”
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James A Cuthbertson Ltd, founded by James Archibald Cuthbertson in 1936, was an early manufacturer of rubber tracks.
The engineer became known for his ability to swap out wheels of heavy duty vehicles and replace them with tire tracks so they could be used for a variety of other means, such as snow plowing.
Cuthbertson Land Rovers were used by the British Forestry Commission for negotiating swampy land and it is also thought the British Army drove them through booby-trapped parts of the world. There were even some Series One Cuthbertson conversions, though we are not aware of any surviving ones.
According to the company's website, Mr. Cuthbertson worked with the governments of the UK, Canada, and the USA. He worked on the underwater pipeline from Britain to France to supply Allied vehicles after D-Day.
The company, based in Biggar, Lanarkshire, continues to operate to this day in Agricultural and General Engineering as well as designing and manufacturing winter maintenance equipment, which is used by Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.
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