Accountant Willie Oosthuizen wanted a rough-and-tumble, simple-to-fix, fun-to-drive, affordable vehicle for use on the family farm near Potchefstroom.

Unable to find one he liked on the open market, he turned to building one himself: the Farm Rover, or ANT.

Oosthuizen says the ANT is a tribute to the well-known British Land Rover Series II from the 1960s.

Oosthuizen built his first vehicle prototype in 2012, with the first production model assembled this year.

The ANT is a kit car, explains Oosthuizen, which means it is available as a set of parts from the manufacturer, with the buyer then assembling it into a functioning car.

Usually, with kit cars, many of the major mechanical systems such as the engine and transmission are sourced from donor vehicles, or purchased new from other vendors.

However, Oosthuizen builds the chassis himself, as it ensures a more study vehicle.

The chassis only is sold at roughly R80 000, while the entire kit car (completely built) is sold at R175 000.

The buyer can select the colour of the vehicle.

The standard two-seater ANT comes with a roof – or without – as well as an optional canvas cover or canopy for the back.

Creature comforts are sparse inside the vehicle – true to the 1960s Land Rovers – with a basic instrument cluster and durable ripstop fabric on the seats.

The back of the vehicle features two metal benches.

“It is possible to fit the vehicle with classical Land Rover instrumentation imported from the UK,” says Oosthuizen. “We can also fit air-conditioning.”

The vehicle’s wheel base is 2 400 mm, with the total length 3 570 mm.

The vehicle is 1 340 mm wide.

The engine is a Nissan 1.4 l petrol engine, although a Toyota diesel engine is also available.

Oosthuizen is currently working on lifting the ANT’s suspension a few more millimeters, to ensure easier use on farm roads.

“The ANT has been homologated and can be used on the road,” says Oosthuizen. “However, I consider the vehicle best suited to farm or beach life.”

Oosthuizen is also in the process of developing an electric ANT. This vehicle will be a full battery electric vehicle, and will feature technology from German component supplier Bosch.

“This vehicle will be ideally suited to game viewing,” notes Oosthuizen.

The price for this unit will be an estimated R325 000. The 71 hp vehicle will have a range of 180 km, with a top speed of 160 km/h.