Women’s Overland Himalayan Expedition — Series I 109

Antonia Deacock’s No Purdah in Padam describes a Rover demonstration pickup obtained at a reduced price, with a canvas rear cover, double cab roof, front winch, bumper fuel cans, bonnet spare and a second spare behind the cab. The three women drove from England to India and back in 1958, leaving the vehicle at Manali while continuing on foot. The original book’s Austrian camp photograph and a surviving close front-quarter expedition photograph establish the metal truck cab, separate dark tilt, riveted door frames, visor, small Union Jack on the wing and low front-door expedition lettering. These photographs show Series I bodywork; the queue provisionally labels it Series II. This model follows the photographed body and preserves the queue wording as research history. Registration is not established and is not invented. Neutral grey-green body and dark canvas are approximations from monochrome photographs. A shared period capstan represents the documented bumper winch; its exact mechanism is obscured in the available photographs. Interior spare and fuel reserve are retained within the covered bed.