If you’d have asked me what name my Land Rover Series 3 would adopt, I doubt that ‘Dorothy’ would’ve been high on the list. It’s not the sort of name you’d expect for a near-50 year old diesel-chugging Land Rover.
But somehow she assumed ‘Dorothy’ and it’s stuck ever since.
Aside: she’s actually named after Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, because she goes on amazing adventures?!
So, while wasting time on YouTube, I was fairly surprised to discover another Dorothy in the classic Land Rover world – it’s not exactly a common name these days. Clearly this video needed watching.
It turns out that in July 1946, 15 year old Dorothy Peters went looking for a job at The Rover Company (‘Land Rover’ as a company, didn’t come about until some years after). And she landed herself a job in the Service department.
Fast forward many, many, years later and she’s got a vintage black and white photo of her and some work friends standing around a Series 1 Land Rover (back when it was new)…
HNX 331.
What’s bit bonkers about that, is the guy she shows the photo to actually owns HNX 331. What re the chances?!
And HNX 331 is no. 16 off the production line. OK, it’s not quite HUE 166 territory, but the 16th Land Rover ever made is still damn special, right?
It might be a pristine classic Land Rover, but it’s not too precious to be put through its paces on the ‘Jungle Track’. So Dorothy gets taken out and bounced around the Jungle Track in the Land Rover she’s pictured standing next to, nearly 80 years ago.
I don’t care what anyone thinks… that’s a special moment. A special Land Rover moment.
It’s not a long video and there’s no hardcore off-roading, no oil and spanners, and no overlanding. But it’s got that feel-good vibe to it and it put a smile on my face.
So that’s two Dorothy’s I know of in the Land Rover world. I bet there are more.
Find that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyN0ZCp4pcw
Old Landys Rule!
Cheers, Phil.