By Alastair Lawson

BBC News



Darjeeling's Land Rovers have stood the test of time despite old-age and overloading

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The north-eastern Indian hill area of Darjeeling is renowned throughout the world for the quality of its tea.

But now Darjeeling is being noted for the quality of another of its enduring assets: a collection of Land Rovers driven by locals for the last 50 years.

Many of the vehicles have been used and abused for the last half-century without locals being aware of their value in the West.

Experts say that some used as taxis could be worth in excess of $38,000.

Taxis

"Darjeeling is a Land Rover lover's dream," says expert Les Roberts.

"Some of the long-wheel base models being driven around the streets of the town are series one vehicles manufactured in the UK in between 1956 and 1958.

"Only around 100 or so exist in Britain, and only around 500 worldwide. Of these only a few are in working order, which is why they would be worth so much money in the West."

We did not realise our Land Rovers may well be valuable collectors' items

Darjeeling Land Rover driver Suman Gorkha

Yet it seems the owners of the Darjeeling Land Rovers may be unaware just how valuable their vehicles may be.

"We use them as taxis to earn a living," said driver Suman Gorkha.

"Obviously we keep them well-maintained because they provide us with a living, but it has never occurred to us that outside of Darjeeling they could be worth a lot of money."

Experts say that the vehicles were exported to Darjeeling throughout the late 1950s.

Mr Roberts - who writes for Land Rover Monthly - says that they are not seen much in India apart from the hilly areas of the north-east.

'Consumer society'

Old foreign vehicles are a rare sight in India because of import restrictions imposed by successive governments in the years following independence.

Land Rovers were allowed to be imported because they were classified as commercial vehicles rather than cars.

The series one long wheel base vehicle is a rare sight today

Mr Roberts says that the explanation for their longevity is because they are well maintained by capable local mechanics.

Many have new engines and some have been specially adapted to take fuels other than diesel and petrol.

"In India the consumer society culture is not so strong, so the vehicles are not discarded as soon as they break down as perhaps they would have been in the West," he said.

"Another important factor is the lack of road salt and agricultural chemicals which damages the bodywork of so many of the vehicles in the West.

"It is often said that 75% of Land Rovers manufactured are still on the road," Mr Roberts said.

"In India they are kept going by a combination of knife and fork mechanics using Land Rover spare parts - or pattern parts - which are copied and are therefore far cheaper.

"There is no reason why these vehicles cannot go on for ever."