Land rover 101

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

-Helen Keller

A scenic landscape with a lake, mountains, and a cloudy sky. There is an orange SUV parked on rocky ground near the lake. A large gear icon with the word 'VEHICLE' in bold orange letters overlays the image, with an orange border around the picture.
An orange off-road utility vehicle with large tires against a background of green trees and grass, with a man leaning out of the driver's door.

The Truck

The original “orange” truck was born out of my long time love of the Land Rover marque. Looking for something larger with more carrying and towing capacity I ended up importing this vehicle into the United States from the UK. It stayed green for a bit- but eventually my signature orange color was applied- and thus began my journey in big orange trucks.

Inside the cab of a Land Rover 101, showing a steering wheel, dashboard with gauges, a mounted laptop, communications equipment, and a spare tire in the front windshield.

The CAB

The most notable difference inside the cab of this truck was the fact that it was a right hand drive vehicle. It took a bit getting used to shifting with my left hand (especially since the gear shift is literally nearly 4 feet long but in the end I barely notice anymore the difference between right & left hand drive vehicles.

Being a former military truck the cab was fairly spartan- not super comfortable - and quite frankly assembled from a scrap bin of other Land Rover models of the time.

Quick FAQs ON the Land rover forward control 101

  • Former British military vehicle

  • Less than 3000 were produced all between 1972-1978

  • 3.5 litre Rover V8

  • 4 speed LT95 gearbox, full time 4 wheel drive

  • 101 inch wheel base

  • Center mounted winch for pulling either direction

  • Top speed 65mph

  • 8-10 miles per gallon fuel economy

  • Center diff lock with selectable low gears

Land Rover 101 Forward Control vehicle with rooftop tents, ladders, and camping gear in a wooded area.

The Rigs