Land Rover Fact #119

Memorable Early Land Rover Conversions:

Hovercraft, Golfball Tester & Milking Machine???

Pictured above, the 1962 Hover Rover built by the Vickers-Armstrong Company, a most unique Land Rover Hovercraft conversion. 

By JOSEPH V. KUCA

From the earliest days of inception in 1948, Land Rovers have been uniquely versatile vehicles.

So, it's small wonder that right from the start these wonderfully capable vehicles became the focus of many diversified interests from the outset.  This interest spawned a natural outgrowth in specialist conversions for the vehicles.

During the 1950's and 1960's a great many specialist conversions were to be seen, so many in fact that Solihull opened a department to deal specifically with conversions, the Special Projects Department.  Basically the department's aim was to oversee and review third-party conversions of Land Rovers to ensure that the various bodies and special equipment being outfitted wouldn't compromise the intergrity or safety of the original base model.

Later on, the department morphed into the Special Vehicle Department which not only reviewed third-party conversions, but actually offered some of their own, in-house, applications as well.  Fire, ambulance, police, search & rescue, as well as military modifications, made-up the bulk of the conversion work then as it still does today.  In the really early years, however, strictly speaking, this wasn't necessarily the case. 

Some of the more interesting, or oddball, applications of the early days done-up by third party converters included: a hovercraft, a golfball tester and a milking machine!  An interesting melange of applications indeed, one which yet again proves the Land Rover to be a most unique and versatile platform.

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