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Churchill's Landy to be auctioned

Winston Churchill's custom-made Land Rover, an 80th birthday gift to the late statesman, is to be auctioned.

The 4x4 was made for Churchill, British Conservative politician and statesman during the Second World War. He took delivery in November 1954, six years after production started, and the vehicle was fitted with an extra-wide passenger seat to accommodate "the man who loved to lunch”.

It also has a special wooden box believed to have been Churchill's brick-laying tools. It could attract bids as high as the equivalent of R607 000 at auction in October.

CAR HISTORY

The Landy was used by Churchill on his 120ha Chartwell estate in Kent, south-east England and, almost 58 years later, still only has 19 300km on the clock. It will has a logbook and road-tax disc bearing Churchill’s name.

Auctioneer Jeremy Curzon said: “We expect a lot of interest in view of Churchill’s position as the foremost statesman of the 20th century.”

The vehicle was passed on to Churchill’s son-in-law, the Christopher Soames, when Churchill died at age 90 in April 1955. It was then bought for R1600 in a farm sale in the early 1970's by a man called Norman Mills. He asked one Frank Quay for help to get the Landy home but ended up selling it to him when Quay identified the original owner.

The Quay family used it to tow their horse box for some years before they stored it in a shed.

The car will be auctioned on October 20 through Cheffins auctioneers in Cambridge, England.
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