The first road going Land Rover ever built was found abandoned in a barn and Richard Hammond drove it to one of the most hostile environments on earth
Published on Apr 14, 2026 at 12:12 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Apr 14, 2026 at 7:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Richard Hammond was given the chance to talk about and explore the story behind the very first Land Rover, the one that was driven across Mongolia and the Gobi Desert after being brought back from the dead.
A 2,000-mile journey across inhospitable terrain like that would kill most modern vehicles, but the Land Rover was unfazed.
It just powered right through.
Not bad for a vehicle that spent around 50 years abandoned in a barn.
Richard Hammond might be the world’s biggest fan of the Land Rover Series 1
Richard Hammond’s love for Land Rover is well-documented.
Hardcore fans who have been reading his columns, watching his videos – even outside of Top Gear and The Grand Tour – will know about Hammond’s love for the brand.
Specifically, Hammond loves the Defender and all the models that preceded the Defender, especially the Series I.
And you don’t have to go far to find further proof.
Literally the last video posted on DriveTribe is dedicated to Hammond’s Series 1, which he’s now decided to restore… after two decades.
Better late than never.
The story behind the very first Series 1 ever built
In a much older video, from August, 2023, also on DriveTribe, Richard Hammond talked about the very first production Land Rover ever made.
Known as JUE 477 – or ‘Jue’ – the first Land Rover disappeared from the public eye for nearly five decades.
It was eventually rediscovered, in terrible shape, in a barn in the UK.
The vehicle was actually bought by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, owner of INEOS and Manchester United, and it was eventually restored.
Years later, a specialized team drove it across Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, over some of the toughest terrains in the world.
That’s further proof that not only were these vehicles built to be unkillable, but they can also be brought back from the dead.
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After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
