How to figure out the year of manufacture for a Land Rover Series 2A?
- Nick Rumpff
- Nov 20, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: May 18

Early Lard Rovers were shipped out to Australia in containers, referred to as completely knocked down (CDK) and assembled locally. According to posts on aulro.com the early series models were assembled at a number of locations across Australia; Melbourne - Regent Motors, Brisbane - Annand & Thompson, Sydney - Grenville Motors in Sydney, Perth - Faull's Motors and Champion's in Adelaide. From 1956 onwards Rover Co Ltd contracted Pressed Metal Corporation PMC) to build Lan Rovers in their factory in Enfield in Western Sydney.

ID plate and year of manufacure
My S2A has the PMC id plate on the firewall and the identification plate with the vehicle number which should match the chassis number. The first 3 numbers identify the model and specification and the remaining numbers and letter signifies a year range. There is a handy tool for Series Land Rovers called CalVIN where you can enter the vehicle number and find out what each number and letter mean. Model: Land Rover, Series IIA
Body type: Basic or Station wagon
Wheel base: 88in
Engine: petrol
Model years: 1962-1971
Destination: Completely knocked down (CKD), right-hand drive (RHD)
To find the exact year you have to look a bit further at the combination of the chassis, engine, gearbox and axle numbers. Many cars have had replacement parts fitted over the years so you have to do you best to triangulate the numbers based on the closest combination.
Chassis Number and year of manufacture
Prefix: 243
→ Indicates: 88” wheelbase, petrol, RHD, export (Australia)
Suffix: Likely A (early 1964) or B (late 1964 onward, minor design updates)
Example Format: 24312345A or 24345678B
Engine Number
Prefix: 241
→ Indicates: 2.25L Petrol, Series IIA
Note: The engine number may not match the chassis exactly, but a close numerical range suggests originality.
Example Format: 24156789
Gearbox Number
Suffix B or C most likely for 1964
Suffix B: Standard for early 1960s
Suffix C: Includes updates but still partial synchromesh
Example Format: 241xxxxxC
Axle Numbers
Not prefix-coded like chassis/engine, but stamped directly on:
Front axle: RH side near spring seat
Rear axle: LH side near spring seat
Original axles typically matched to chassis at factory and support 88" petrol spec (4.7:1 ratio)
Where to find the numbers
Component | Location |
Chassis Number | RH rear spring hanger & bulkhead |
Engine Number | RH side of block below the head |
Gearbox Number | RH side of gearbox casing |
Axle Number | On axle casings near spring seats |
Land Rover FAQ has a nice table summarising the the changes to Series 2A models and the corresponding relative suffixes.
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