The country's oldest Land Rover is hitting the road once again, embarking on a 1800km journey in the name of heart health. <!--break--> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> The 1948 Land Rover Series I, just the 20th to be made worldwide, will leave Dunedin this morning, heading for its new home in Auckland. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> Owner and research scientist Julian Paton said the journey, Drive 4 Hearts, doubled as a fundraiser for the University of Auckland's Manaaki Manawa _ Centre for Heart Research, of which he was director. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "All my life I've been trying to find old Land Rovers and this is the oldest Land Rover in New Zealand," he said. </div> <div> <a class="p-smartembed" data-onecms-type="image" data-onecms-id="contentid/1seyqox2lr9jr4qz50c" polopoly:contentid="contentid/1seyqox2lr9jr4qz50c" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-attr-f="21:9" data-attr-align="center" data-attr-caption="Professor Julian Paton, of Auckland, with a 1948 Land Rover he bought in Dunedin. Today he will begin the 1800km drive to Auckland to raise money for heart research. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-embed-img-alt="Professor Julian Paton, of Auckland, with a 1948 Land Rover he bought in Dunedin. Today he will..." href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/1seyqox2lr9jr4qz50c', $action:'view', $target:'work'})"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/1seyqox2lr9jr4qz50c/image.jpg?f=21:9&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3"><span class="captionwrapper" style="display: block;">Professor Julian Paton, of Auckland, with a 1948 Land Rover he bought in Dunedin. Today he will begin the 1800km drive to Auckland to raise money for heart research. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON</span></a> </div> <div> Prof Paton would not be drawn on how much the vehicle cost, but said it was very valuable. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "That vehicle sailed through compliance because it's in such good condition, </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "That's because it's been under cover for 30 years and then the previous owner, Peter Marr, and he needs a shout out, [has] done a fantastic, sympathetic restoration on the car." </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> Prof Paton was looking forward to exploring the country, albeit at a suitable pace, he said. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "It's 77 years old and any vehicle that's that age can throw up problems.&nbsp; </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "So we have a modern [Land Rover] Defender with it that's full of parts and a lot of my tools such that we can do roadside repairs."&nbsp; </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> He hoped to raise $300,000 to fund research into a "revolutionary" new heart valve for use in children with rheumatic fever. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "It's an embarrassment that New Zealand, as a developed country, still has rheumatic heart disease," he said. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> If a child's damaged heart valve was replaced, the substitute was often made of metal or from a pig or cow and did not grow with the child. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> The centre would research an alternative valve made from a patient's stem cells, seeded on to a 3-D model of their heart. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "Once we've got the heart valve grown, we'll implant it into the child and because those cells originated from the patient, it will not be rejected," he said. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> Mr Marr, of Dunedin, said he was pleased to see the vehicle contributing to a good cause. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "I had some quite big offers from overseas and I did not want to see the car go overseas," he said. </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> "That fact that an old vehicle can help promote something like that is just amazing."&nbsp; </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> <div> <a href="mailto:ruby.shaw@odt.co.nz">ruby.shaw@odt.co.nz</a> </div> <div> &nbsp; </div> </div>