Land Rover Worx: Where classic Landys are reborn

It is fascinating to discover new people or companies that collect or restore cars - often hidden completely off the beaten track and in areas you would never expect. We head to the Helderberg area, visiting two brothers who specialise in early Land Rovers. 

Words and images: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

While visiting a collector the other day he mentioned that his Land Rover Series II would be going to Land Rover Worx for a complete restoration. Unaware of this company, I asked for more information, and here I am, a few weeks later, pressing the button at the gate before driving to their farmyard located outside Gordons Bay and very close to Sir Lowry’s Pass.

• Find a classic Land Rover for yourself here.

On first appearances it may look a little rough, but I quickly realise that the type of work coming from their yard and their small two-car garage is quite impressive. It is a family-run business, which the brothers Stefan and Joshua have been slowly building up purely from a love of cars. It was only later that they developed a more serious interest in early Land Rovers.

There are several old Landys parked in the yard, some being from the first series, while there are a number being worked on and also those that are being completely stripped and restored. Joshua has been learning about bodywork and painting over the past four years and is now responsible for that while Stefan focuses on the mechanical side. 

The start

Stefan shares their journey: “For us it is about the camaraderie that comes along with these cars. Our clients always become friends, and we are often able to phone them up when we need a Landy for a certain task. We would rather send them 30 photos to show what we are busy with than simply phone them up and say a car is done. We also try to make the client feel part of the process during the restoration.”

Stefan is also quick to point out the effort it takes to restore one of these cars. Once a car has been restored, working on, or servicing them is easy, as it has been completely rebuilt. However, some of the cars they receive have been standing in a shed or garage for 20 years or more, and then to loosen one bolt can take a serious amount of time as such parts are often completely rusted. “As they say, you are always one broken bolt away from turning a 5-minute job into a 5-hour job!”

Starting this restoration business was by no means easy, though. “My grandfather drove Land Rovers on his farm and I remember that rather vividly as a young boy, especially what these 4x4s were capable of. Those trips to the farm and seeing these Landys work got stuck in my head. I worked in the retail market for years, but decided that was not for me. Eventually I bought a Land Rover from a guy who had one in his backyard. Two days later we got it running. I was hooked and just wanted to repair and build cars. We then focused a lot on the classic American cars. When we moved to the Cape we had to start all over. I found and bought a Land Rover, but it was a basket case and needed a complete restoration. One thing led to another and soon we had ten Land Rovers!”

Learning the craft

Over the years Stefan has learnt what works and what doesn’t in terms of the business. In the early days panel work was sent away, while that is now done at their premises. Today, nearly the entire process is completed in-house, with only highly specialised work, like machining of parts, being outsourced.

“We rarely sell parts, as we know we might need them in the future. There are obviously parts that you can’t buy anymore, so in the past we sometimes had to buy another Landy to complete a restoration. It might sound over the top, but you really need to keep track of what you have and where you can find parts.”

“For example, look at this green 1958 Land Rover we restored. Some parts were remanufactured by hand to make it exactly like the part should be. There are also a number of companies in the UK that are fantastic with supplying parts for these classics. However, Series 1 parts are very expensive and also rather specialised. Then there are also companies supplying parts that could work on a Series 1, but which wasn’t manufactured from the get-go specifically for a Series 1. This make them rather tricky cars to work on at this stage.”

During my visit I see two late Series 1 Landys from 1958 that Stefan and his brother are currently working on. 

“We basically serve three different types of customers in the market. One, the enthusiast who knows his Land Rovers and every little detail from where a nut and bolt should be, to the engine and gearbox information. They are great to work with as they want their Land Rovers to be according to the book. And that is how we would like to restore and maintain these cars. Two, those interested in the “Jeep lifestyle”. These owners are not too concerned about originality but it must look right and it must be useable. Lastly there is the old-timers group. These guys might have inherited a car and now they want to pay what people paid 30 years ago for the same type of job.”

It is quickly evident that the team will try to use original parts where possible. If a part can be repaired and used again, that is the route they will take as simply replacing parts is not first on their agenda. That way Land Rovers are kept as original as possible. “In my opinion that adds value to the car and it is also proof that 'the car stood the test of time'.”

One of the most interesting Land Rovers is the business’s very own Series 1. It is called Scruffy and it is a 1953 model. It is made up from a variety of parts from different Series 1 models. “Scruffy drives and looks rather cool and believe me, people love the way it looks. Some of these cars have so much character, you don’t want to take that away from them.”

It doesn’t take long to realise that Stefan appreciates the story and history behind a car and desires to keep that intact as far as possible. You can’t help but yearn for one of these compact off-roaders after visiting a place like this. It is not only the looks, but also the pure adventure these 4x4s offer. In the near future we’ll take one of these classics for a drive, a Landy that is currently undergoing a full restoration. 

Visit Land Rover Worx’s website here.