Land Rover 76LRFCG001 FC GS 1974 Trans Sahara Expedition.
The Forward Control or Land Rover 101FC was produced exclusively for the British Army as a gun tractor and was never made available as a civilian vehicle. It was designed to tow a field gun with a ton of ammunition and other equipment which would have been stored in the rear load space. Developed in the mid 1960s, production took place between 1972 and 1975.
For its first adventure, this Land Rover forward control is decorated as used by the expedition members of the Trans-Sahara expedition in 1975 under the leadership of explorer Tom Sheppard, then still serving as a squadron leader in the RAF. Three of the four vehicles in the team were fitted with a powered trailer drive and all of them were given military registration plates. Our model represents the fourth which was not fitted with a powered trailer and was registered 60 FL 38. The expedition plan was to make the first crossing of the Sahara Desert from west to east - a feat never achieved – with previous expeditions always making the journey from east to west.
Painted in dark green with a lighter green canvas back and lots of contrasting external silver trim, the vehicle features their west to east route across Africa on the two cabin doors printed in white, as well as a patriotic Union Flag to the side of the radiator grille. The Land Rover FC would have been a natural choice of vehicle to make the journey across the Sahara, unfazed by the heat and the dust!
