BACK in 2020, I wrote on these pages about the two surviving Stage 1 88in prototypes, both of which had just been restored by Dunsfold Land Rover. Four prototypes were built in total, together with a V8-powered ‘concept vehicle’ that was coincidentally built at around the same time at the company’s Drayton Road Vehicle Engineering facility. The concept vehicle survives in northeast England, while the other two prototypes ended up in the Middle East and have never been seen again.
These were followed by a batch of 24 vehicles often referred to as ‘production’ examples, allegedly ordered by the Jamaican Police. The enduring but unproven story is that the order fell through, and the vehicles were eventually sent to Rover’s agent in Trinidad and Tobago, Trinity Motors (H T Robinson) Ltd, where they were sold to local buyers. Stories have also emerged over the years suggesting that a few more might have subsequently been built for the same dealer.
The truth about these production Stage 1 88s remains elusive, but what is certain is that Land Rover enthusiasts across the globe are intrigued and fascinated by them. In the months following the appearance of the article in in October 2020, I was contacted by readers in the UK, continental Europe, Australia and the Middle East. Some offered additional information while others shared their theories, but two of those who got in touch live in Trinidad, and both own Stage 1 88s. Jakim Bidaisee is one of them, and it turns out that his father, Guptee, bought his example from Trinity Motors in August 1985.
