When it comes to Vehicles I Saw In Traffic posts, I do my level best to ensure that only cover machinery that I’m pretty sure will be worth sharing with the whole world. It takes something pretty cool to make me cross the street, even cooler to warrant troubling Hooniverse with it.

Now, there are probably a hard core for whom the 88″ Land Rover I reported on Monday isn’t quite awesome enough. For those discerning readers, and anybody else to boot, I offer this; which is so cool I may have to put on an extra layer and go click the thermostat up.

The Forward Control, or FC, was an attempt at producing a versatile commercial vehicle based on the 109″ Land Rover chassis, with the cab pushed right the way forward to increase the size of the load bay. Typically they were fitted with the 2600cc six-cylinder petrol engine or the two and a quarter litre diesel.  And they were great. And that’s all I have to say on the matter.

Except for the fact that it’s criminally tragic that Land Rover can’t offer anything like this today. Yes, you can get a Defender panel van or hi-cap pickup, and very nice they are too. But a go-anywhere delivery truck isn’t on any kind of menu whatsoever.

This particular example sends me a little bit giddy. The delirium began when I saw it from a few hundred yards away and was only 90% sure I knew what it was, but the doubt rapidly evaporated as I hurried towards it, holding up the traffic to grab a few shots.

Then, when I got home, the giddiness notched up a few more steps when I ran the plates to confirm a bit of ID. The “A” suffix registration plate denoting 1963 manufacturer was confirmed as accurate, and then as I scrolled down to the bit that declares engine size, I saw that magical number, 3500.

Of course, that number read in the context of Land Rovers means Rover V8. The old Buick 215, it’s in there, resting ready to pull some stumps, all the while making a glorious noise. 

I definitely want one of these in my collection, to park next to my Unimog. All I need to complete the collection is, er, all the cars.

[Photos Copyright 2014 Hooniverse/Chris Haining]