Okay, whose climate-controlled underground garage has this thing been stored in for the last five decades?
Because this 1963 Series IIA looks like it was just unboxed from a G.I. Joe special collection, ready to barrel down rocky roads and thwack its way through young branches as it beats a fresh path through the woods.
It’s owned by an auto journalist Basem Wasif, who by Jalopnik’s assessment “looks like he’s having a great time driving it.” You can tell at a glance that the work throughout was completed with utter care, its details revealing themselves the same way they do in a well-made garment: quietly.
The look for this restoration (by Petrolicious) was not the glossy, boxy beasts we’re used to seeing in our feeds. Instead, it’s got stock-beautiful integrity. Minimal badges or branding, nothing too precious and everything geared to preserve the fun of the machine. At just 77 HP, it’s not the most powerful car, but it’s easy to work on and fun to drive, a true enthusiast’s rig, made to be taken off road (not too far off road, though, mind the stopping power). As Wasef says, “it’s an adventure to drive.”
Learn more about the process through the footage (which is glossy) and photos the team captured for the project’s release in the video below.
All images from Petrolicious
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
