Norway Says This Beautifully Restored Land Rover Series III Is Illegal

Filmmaker Kasper Høglund lives and works out of his '74 Series III

Photo by: Kasper Høglund/YouTube

By: Jeff Glucker

Jan 8, at 3:00pm ET

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Kasper Høglund restored a 1974 Land Rover Series III, documenting the entire build.
Norwegian authorities halted registration, saying the vehicle is no longer the same due to the frame swap.
Despite full documentation, bureaucracy has parked the truck and disrupted Høglund’s work.

Restoring any old vehicle takes time, patience, a bit of blood, a fair amount of swearing, and lots of learning along the way. Norwegian photographer and filmmaker Kasper Høglund went down the path of vehicle restoration with his now-beautiful 1974 Land Rover Series III. But the Norwegian government just stopped him in his tracks.

According to Høglund, someone who has been following his video series reported the truck to the government. The reason? That person claims that since Høglund swapped to a new, rust-free frame, it means it is no longer the same vehicle he started with.

Høglund has documented his restoration journey, and it's been a joy to follow along. He represents the everyman wrencher, so I've loved watching his progress as I, too, am arms deep in a project of my own. And watching Høglund's methodical approach to getting this Series III into proper shape has been inspiring.

He's done all his work in what appears to be a cold garage. The gearbox has been rebuilt, the body fully cleaned up, and all of the nuts and bolts are in better shape compared to when they left the Solihull plant. But because of the chassis swap, Norway says the Series III is a no-go. At least at the moment.

Høglund says the chassis is an unmodified replica of the original. He has the required supporting documents, as well. In fact, his build is incredibly well documented, and he's shared everything he's been asked about with the government.

But bureaucracy takes time, sadly. For now, Høglund has to park the truck. That's a problem, as the filmmaker prepped it so he could live and work out of it. It's part of his livelihood. Hopefully, the situation sees a positive resolution soon, so all that wonderful work doesn't go to waste.

What do you think?

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Motor1's Take: It's wild that someone watching that series would think Høglund did anything deceptive. His goal was to restore an iconic old machine, while also learning everything about it that makes it tick. Additionally, keeping an older car on the road is far better than letting it sit and rot somewhere.

I hope someone in the Norwegian government comes to their senses, rubber stamps his registration, and lets Høglund get back on the road.