The British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, is set to hold its Classic Land Rover Show on Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7.
Now in its third year, the Show will include a large and varied collection of historic Land Rovers from clubs and private owners alike, but also some notable – if rather rare – rivals of the earliest Land Rovers. That’s because the Show’s organisers have issued an open invitation to all Austin Champ and Gipsy owners to display their cars for free through their club, with a view to creating a display that shows off some of Britain’s lesser-known utility vehicles.
The Champ was Austin’s answer to the American Jeep; a multi-purpose, four-wheel drive vehicle intended for military use, built from 1951 until 1956. Although it saw active service all over the world, the Champ was ultimately outmoded by the original Land Rover Series 1. The Gipsy was Austin’s response in 1958 and was a vehicle which looked remarkably similar to its Solihull counterpart. It remained in production until 1968, when British Leyland brought the two rivals under the same corporate roof; Land Rover won out as BMC’s off-road and utility brand and has remained a household name ever since.
If you own one of these rare vehicles and would like to display it at the Classic Land Rover Show, the British Motor Museum would love to hear from you. If you can help, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01733 353378 and we’ll pass your details on to the team at BMM.
