4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY NAMED MODEL · 1961
NAMED MODELSpecial · Expedition & CampersUnited Kingdom

Barbara Toy’s Dormobile.

Barbara Toy’s 109-inch Dormobile, registration 5751 WD, used on her 1961 Sahara journey described in The Way of the Chariots.

Sources & evidence
BASE VEHICLESeries II 109″CONVERTERMartin Walter Ltd (Dormobile)IN SERVICE1961OPERATED INUnited KingdomPRODUCTIONOne expedition vehicleLAYOUT4 wheels · 109″

The record

Toy’s third Land Rover carried a Dormobile lifting roof and expedition equipment. This model depicts the closed travelling configuration, with luggage above the cab sun sheet, a bonnet spare and paired front can carriers. The right-hand carrier carries the two-line registration 5751 WD. The supplied brief specifies no Dormobile interior furniture.

The photograph establishes the fittings and tonal contrast but not the exact paint colours; deep bronze green and a light brown roof tarpaulin follow the reviewer’s colour instruction, with exact paint shades representative. Rear roof equipment and small grille badges are included; badge inscriptions are not legible in the reference. The Series IIA 109 identification and 1961 journey are documented in the biographical source. Toy was a British-based Australian-born writer; her expedition destinations are not treated as operator countries. The specific conversion location and build date remain unconfirmed.

Specification

MANUFACTURERRover Company
MODIFIER / COACHBUILDERMartin Walter Ltd (Dormobile) ↗
MANUFACTUREDBuild date unconfirmed; 1961 expedition
PRODUCTION RUNOne expedition vehicle
OPERATED INUnited Kingdom
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINESeries IIA
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE109″
CATEGORYSpecial · Expedition & Campers

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Barbara Toy — biography and 1961 expedition ↗accessed 2026-09-16SOURCE
  2. 2Barbara Toy expedition photograph ↗accessed 2026-09-16SOURCE
  3. 35751 WD with bonnet spare, front can carriers and cab-top expedition luggage ↗Photographer unconfirmed; image hosted by Atlantic British / RoverPartsIMAGE
  4. 4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Toyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Toy ↗REFERENCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-16T10:25:02.607Z · status: researched