Cook on the Wild Side gastro-wagon
The 'Gastrowagon' is the Series II 109" Land Rover (HEB 170X) converted into a mobile kitchen - complete with an upturned-boat sleeping roof - for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Channel 4 series A Cook on the Wild Side. Restored by John Brown 4x4, it is now displayed with the Land Rover Heritage Collection.
History
A Cook on the Wild Side was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's television debut, a Channel 4 series (two runs, aired 1995 and 1997) in which the chef travelled Britain foraging and cooking as he went. For the first series a 109" Land Rover was built into the 'Gastrowagon': the rear carried a fully kitted cooking station with two-ring gas hob, water-fed sink, fridge, oven and even an ice-cream maker under a weatherproof canopy, an upturned boat on the roof doubled as a sleeping bunk, and a camera frame on the bonnet allowed filming on the move.
The base vehicle is a petrol 109" - the Land Rover Heritage Collection describes it as a 1965 Series II 109 with the 2.25-litre petrol engine, while Bonhams catalogued it in 2020 as 'c.1982' after its HEB 170X registration; its chassis number (25108476B) is consistent with a 1960s Series II, so the registration appears to be a later issue. After filming ended the truck faded into obscurity and was rediscovered in poor condition.
Classic Land Rover specialists John Brown 4x4 restored the Gastrowagon to 'like new' condition with its conversion intact, and Fearnley-Whittingstall signed the bulkhead after completion. It was sold at Bonhams' December 2020 MPH auction at Bicester Heritage for 28,125 pounds including premium.
The vehicle is now displayed at the Land Rover Heritage Collection's Somerset base - fittingly near Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage HQ - where it is held on loan under the collection's Exhibit Loan Scheme as exhibit SCR-01.
Registry record
- Manufacturer
- Land Rover (The Rover Company)
- Manufactured
- c.1965 Series II 109 donor (Bonhams catalogued it as c.1982); TV conversion for the 1995 series
- Modifier / coachbuilder
- John Brown 4x4 (restoration; original TV conversion builder undocumented) ↗
- Engine type
- 2.25 L petrol inline-four
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Status
- preserved (restored)
Catalogue data
- Record kind
- Named model
- Model line
- Series II
- Wheels
- 4
Base catalogue fields are exported from the Difflocked game. In-game physics values are arcade tuning, not certified historical measurements, and are deliberately not shown as specifications here.
Sources & citations
Researched sources
- Cook on the Wild Side Gastrowagon (exhibit SCR-01) ↗ — Land Rover Heritage Collection (accessed 2026-09-10)
- 'ex-Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall' c.1982 Land Rover 109" 4x4 'Gastrowagon', chassis no. 25108476B (sold 11 December 2020, GBP 28,125) ↗ — Bonhams (accessed 2026-09-10)
- Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Gastrowagon (HEB) ↗ — John Brown 4x4 (accessed 2026-09-10)
- A Cook on the Wild Side ↗ — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09-10)
Catalogue references
- https://www.lrheritagecollection.org.uk/the-collection/vehicles/scr-01 https://www.lrheritagecollection.org.uk/the-collection/vehicles/scr-01 ↗
Development reference notes
Cook on the Wild Side gastro-wagon · HERITAGE-FLEET-REFERENCES.md
Fold-out kitchen panels; raised roof structure; bonnet camera frame. Reference: https://www.lrheritagecollection.org.uk/the-collection/vehicles/scr-01
Drive it
This vehicle is playable in the Difflocked racing game.
RACE THE COOK ON THE WILD SIDE GASTRO-WAGON ↗Registry record updated 2026-09-09T20:06:32.134Z · status: researched