A one-off 1998 Land Rover concept for a high-mobility off-road farmer's runaround: a centre-articulated space frame carrying the engine, gearbox and suspension of a scrapyard Subaru Sumo. The sole prototype (chassis DLR05) survives in The Dunsfold Collection.
The Farmer's Friend was built by Land Rover's development engineers in 1998 as a concept for a high-mobility off-road farmer's runaround — a machine to compete with the John Deere Gators and quad bikes then taking over farm transport. It was an unashamedly cheap skunkworks build: the team sourced a Subaru Sumo microvan from local scrap yards and repurposed its 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox, suspension and controls.
These were integrated into a custom space frame with a tiny open driving station and a distinctive pivot point just behind the driver, giving central articulation on top of sprung suspension at all four corners — a notably innovative arrangement for its era. The prototype was tested extensively at Gaydon, but the concept never entered production.
Carrying chassis number DLR05 and never registered for the road, the vehicle escaped the crusher because 'the development engineers had a bit of a soft spot for it', and it is preserved today in The Dunsfold Collection as a memento of Land Rover's experimental side.
CATEGORYSpecial · Prototypes & Custom, Special · Utility & Heavy, Special · Bonus vehicles
Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.
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