They don’t make them like they used to.
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The saying goes for just about anything, but in the case of Roger Eppleston’s Land Rover it’s hammered home.
Chances are, not too many cars that roll off a production line today will still be running over six decades later.
Mr Eppleston’s Land Rover ha spent nearly all of its life in Blayney, and is not just still running six decades after it rolled off the production line in 1955, but it’s going strong enough to be picking up awards.
He took the car down to the 70th reunion of Land Rovers in Kooma, where some 600 vintage Land Rovers assembled near the Snowy River, which is where Land Rovers were used from 1948 to construct the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
“There was a big parade down the main street on Sunday, lot of comments and a lot of people interested in original cars, it won its class in un-restored.”
Mr Eppleston said he’d “always been interested” in Land Rovers, had had spent six years and a “guesstimated” $15,000 fixing it up.
“I’m an old panelbeater and that’s my hobby.”
One thing he’s also interested in is where it came from. While Mr Eppleston has records of the car being sold in 1955, he doesn’t know who to.
He purchased it in 2008 off the Ridley brothers, who have both since died, and while they told him they purchased it in Manduama, he doesn’t know any details.
I’d really like to find the owner, being 1956 the person who brought it’s probably dead now but someone might recognise it or know it.
“There was a name on the guard but it was well-worn by the time I got it, might have been something like Armstrong but I’m not 100 per cent sure,” he said.
He said the car – which is a Series One – was released before regulation around car safety was made mandatory.
“The top speed is 40 mile an hour, it don’t have seatbelts but it doesn’t have to considering it didn’t have them when it came out.”
The car didn’t have indicators either, but Mr Eppleston installed them “for safety reasons”.
“I only drive it round this area… you’ve got to be realistic.”
If anyone does have any information about the car, get in contact with the Blayney Chronicle or email max.stainkamph@fairfaxmedia.com.au.