Land Rover might have invented the civilian utility 4x4 – and arguably the luxury 4x4 – but it was somewhat late to the lifestyle market: While Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Jeep had offered powerful short-wheelbase automatics for a while – and even Suzuki was tapping the lucrative potential of fun-loving mud enthusiasts with fun names and lurid decals – Land Rover continued to tie its customers to oil-burning manuals.
Well, it did until the release of the 50th Anniversary model, which was fitted with a petrol V8 AND an automatic gearbox.

It was also only offered in the short-wheelbase 90” chassis and upgrades included the North American-spec rear step/towbar, air-conditioning, unique badging, and an external front roll-cage provided by none other than Safety Devices.
‘S586 EAB’ is one of those rare and highly prized vehicles – but made even better.
Finished in a wonderful shade of mid-blue metallic and mechanically refreshed, the engine has been enlarged to 4.6-litres and it sends its p...