Gendarmerie Belge 80

Belgium came out of the war policing with American Jeeps, and by 1951 they were finished. That year the Belgian authorities arranged a supply deal with the British to replace them, and the gendarmerie's share of it was a fleet of Land Rovers painted in Blue Piletta — the dark blue-grey that gives this vehicle its character and, in the absence of a paint code, its name.

The cars were left-hand-drive export 80-inch models, delivered into Belgium through Minerva, the Antwerp firm that was also building Land Rovers under licence at Mortsel for the Belgian army. A 1953 car carries the 2.0-litre (1,997 cc) petrol four that had replaced the original 1.6 for the 1952 season.

The police fit is all on the outside and easy to read: painted coats of arms and force markings on the doors, a spotlight, a flashing blue light on a short mast above the windscreen, and a jerry can on the body side. Inside there is a rear bench seat, a police radio and a medical kit mounted on the door — a patrol car equipped to be first on scene rather than to chase anybody.

One documented survivor is chassis number 5502, used by the gendarmerie from 1953 and carrying an older restoration in good condition. It was offered at Bonhams without reserve on 18 June 2024 and sold for €21,840 including premium; it was driven the 200 km to the auction house's storage facility beforehand without trouble.