Daniel Craig’s Land Rover Sells For $56,000, Handwritten Note Included

1959 Land Rover 109 Series II

BringATrailer

James Bond could also be ceaselessly linked with Aston Martin, however Daniel Craig apparently has room in his storage for one thing significantly slower, squarer and muddier.

A 1959 Land Rover 109 Series II pickup previously owned by Craig and his spouse, actress Rachel Weisz, bought Thursday on Bring a Trailer for $56,000 after 35 bids. Earlier within the public sale the truck had been sitting at simply $15,000, making it look, briefly, like one of many cheaper methods to purchase a automobile with real 007 cred.

It’s no film prop, although. The long-wheelbase Land Rover comes with a handwritten word signed by Craig and Weisz confirming that the truck belonged to them together with a signed portrait of Craig as James Bond. “We sell it with great sadness. Please take care of it,” the couple wrote.

There is one element that’s a tad embarassing, although – Craig calls the truck a Land Rover Defender. Technically, it isn’t. This Series II was in-built 1959 and Land Rover didn’t start utilizing the Defender identify till 1990. The Series II itself arrived in 1958, ten years after the unique Land Rover debuted on the Amsterdam Motor Show.

The truck is a 109, referring to its 109-inch wheelbase, and has been repainted in traditional-looking Bronze Green. It rolls on 16-inch metal wheels with aggressive-looking Cooper Discoverer tires, and carries the form of gear that makes trendy luxurious SUVs look barely fru-fru – a bonnet-mounted spare, rope winch, canvas mattress cowl, facet steps and fender-mounted mirrors.

Inside, issues are agricultural. There are three particular person seats throughout the cab, now trimmed in tan vinyl, together with sliding home windows, easy Jaeger instrumentation and trendy three-point seat belts on the surface seats. The odometer reveals about 3,800 miles, however the vendor says that determine is inaccurate and the truck’s precise mileage is unknown.

Power comes from a 2.25-liter gasoline inline-four rated at simply 77 horsepower and 124 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a four-speed handbook gearbox, dual-range switch case and a RoverDrive overdrive unit. Recent enhancements included a Carter carburetor, digital ignition, rebuilt leaf springs, alternative generator and engine seals.

Seventy-seven horsepower sounds lawnmower-sized by 2026 requirements, however velocity was by no means the purpose. Early Land Rovers have been designed as easy, sturdy working automobiles, and the formulation turned so enduring that the essential household line survived for many years and ultimately developed into the Defender.

The public sale, regardless of the worth not being astronomical, attracted a great deal of consideration. Bring a Trailer recorded greater than 16,600 views and 1,350 watchers earlier than the hammer fell.

The $56,000 gross sales end result lands it in respectable collector-car territory moderately than celebrity-car lunacy. J.D. Power at the moment locations common retail worth for a 1959 109-inch two-door utility round $52,700, although situation and specification can transfer values significantly.

The Craig connection more than likely didn’t flip this previous Land Rover into an Aston Martin-priced trophy. It did, nonetheless, give an enthralling British truck a backstory that can be tough to prime in dialog. Want one in all your individual? Want to promote one? Click here.