Patina is just rust. Isn’t it?
Rust, dents, scratches, mismatched panels and general wear and tear. These are the features that homeowner associations hate and do their best to get rid of on their streets.
I can’t remember the last time I paid attention to a car on the side of the road, caked in dirt or moss. In London they are a nightmare, especially the abandoned vehicles that take up valuable parking spaces and are general eyesores.
They’re also a sure sign of neglect: cars that have never been washed, repaired, or even cherished. We’ve all let our cars get dirty, maybe even for an extended period of time. But to have a blatant disregard for the condition of your car? That’s another story.
I could never feel comfortable owning a car with shabby paint and rust spots. I don’t even like brown paint on most cars, let alone rust peeking through the once beautiful finish. It’s a damn shame.
And yet, how is it that patina can be so damn cool?
A concours-level restoration is always impressive – the type of ‘better-than-new’ car that most enthusiasts dream of. Mint, all-original matching numbers vehicles are also fantastic. There is a charm to a car that has been preserved and maintained over decades of ownership.
But in a less traditional sense, a mechanically sound car with 50 or 60 years of “personality” is even more charming.
This Series Land Rover is a perfect example of this, especially as I’m writing this from the UK. There are pristine Land Rovers here, owned by museums, and there are also those that are barely holding on after sixty years of farming.
Many aren’t even road legal anymore, but that’s fine; they never leave the acres of fields where they have worked all their lives.
On the other hand, you have restomods: old defenders dressed up to emulate the latest models. Think James Bond-esque contraptions, LS-swapped V8 beasts or even 6×6 monstrosities roaming the streets of central London. Those are the worst offenders.
They will probably never see a muddy country road, let alone a farm field or forest path. In the meantime, this series is a well-traveled piece of automotive history, used as intended.
Look at the hand-drawn list of countries and dates on the bed cap. Are staggering.
This Land Rover seriously lived up to its name, traveling from the former British territory of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) to South Africa and through Africa to Morocco, eventually reaching Jerez in Spain via Gibraltar.
That’s a road trip of two years and three months, covering so many miles I can’t even comprehend it. The damn thing even reached the Seychelles! I’ve been there and it took me 13 hours with two planes. God knows how long it took on a ferry in 1961.
It would be a crime to change even one thing about the appearance of this Land Rover. He’s earned the right to wear his battle scars and legacy with pride: his paint, his rust and that iconic spare tire on the hood. I’m sure that kick got him out of trouble more than once.
Then there’s the 1967 Porsche 912E parked next to it, affectionately known as “Scruffy bastard.” According to a local advertisement, the 912, registered in Oregon, USA, was a matching numbers unit until 2009.
After a valve spring broke, it was parked, the engine and 5-speed gearbox were removed and the rest of the car was stripped. It made its way to Britain in 2019 as a rolling shell after its new owner, Gareth, discovered it as part of a large collection for sale in America.
While it may not have lived as storied a life as the Land Rover, it’s funny how something as small as breaking a valve spring can drastically change a car’s fate.
Without that break, the 912 might still be living a quiet life outside Junction, Oregon. Or if the owner had decided to keep it intact and tuck it away, it might have become a future “barn find” for an aspiring influencer to YouTube series in 2024.
Instead, it’s now with someone who dreamed of owning a short-wheelbase Porsche and isn’t afraid to make it his own. For many, a ‘patinated’ P car is sacrilege, but for Gareth it is a project he cherishes.
I may be a die-hard fan of clean paint, shiny wheels and a beautiful interior, but I have to admit: cars that wear their stories on their sheet metal always put a smile on my face.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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