54 minute read
Letters to the Editor
ENTHUSIASTS / SPREADING THE WORD
Send submissions to: editor@roversnorth.com
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Dear Rovers North,
The Sightings contest has been a family favorite for decades, and with my 4 daughters living across the country, they have taken to sending me sightings of Land Rovers when they spot them. The grandkids are being indoctrinated into the details of Land Rovers, so your job looks secure for the future!!
David Ducat Lebanon, CT
[We’ve run Sightings ever since the earliest days of publication, and it remains as much a fan favorite of readers as it is for the extended Ducat family. -ed.]
Dear Rovers North,
It’s rare to have twins in my shop! The first Land Rover (top photo) was sent to me by the owner, and he and his grandson drove it back to PA a couple of weeks ago. The second one (bottom photo) is of the original owner who brought it here 10 years ago; when I completed the restoration recently, he wanted to see it before it went off to its current owner.
Lanny Clark Colchester, VT
[Thanks for sharing your superb restorations with our readers -ed.]
Dear Rovers North,
The Summer/Fall 2021 edition of Rovers Magazine has an article by Chris Holewski on Bill Cooper’s collection in NJ. Could you send this photo to Bill? I think he’ll find it interesting. The article mentions 4 Pinkies in the US. Do you know where the others are?
Cheers, Chris Marrison Garrison, NY Dear Rovers North,
The attached photo was taken on the first day of school, Fall, 2021, for Juliet and Pierce Hyams with “Winston,” our 1970 IIA.
Also, I had a ‘66 IIA that you guys helped me with back around 1994. The kids’ favorite car was our 1999 Discovery II, “Red Rover,” in which they each came home from the hospital in Fairfax, VA. “Winston” recently came to us from a friend in Alexandria, VA, all the way to Louisiana where we now live.
Professor L. Collier Hyams Natchitoches, LA
First, thank you for selecting my submission for the “Coveted Mug” in the Summer/Fall 2021 edition! I was stoked to see my name in the Winners List!! I’m looking forward to drinking coffee from it and driving my Defender around Aldie, VA.
Second, while reading that issue of Rovers Magazine, in the Letters to the Editor section, I saw the picture of a white Series Landy spotted in Malibu, CA, with the notable “BUDAWG” license plate. Amazingly, back in June while on vacation in California, I saw the same truck and snapped the pic below; it’s a cool classic and it seems the owner is a regular (or business owner) at the Malibu mart. If you haven’t been to this spot, it’s a must-do when visiting Malibu. Every day is a car show, with exotic cars and trucks from every genre and period in the lot.
Thanks for making a great magazine and providing exceptional service for Landy enthusiasts!
Frank Cardamone Aldie, VA
[Congratulations on your winning Sighting and for your recommendation for a Malibu visit. Sometime during a frigid winter month in New England, I’ll try and take up your suggestion. -ed.]
Dear Rovers North,
It’s funny what my subconscious captures as I age. I noted this a year or so ago, but – again, age – promptly forgot it. Until now.
Last night I was watching The Meg on Prime. It’s a rollicking Jason Statham flick, one where he doesn’t really do any beating up of people. It’s set around a futuristic, new underwater research facility. Being underwater, it, of course, has doors. This movie stars Li Bingbing, Ruby Rose and Jessica McNamee, yet I noticed the door hinges. You might recognize these hinges – are they yours? Are you Hollywood suppliers now? And what’s next? I’m going through pics of the International Space Station now to see what they’re using as hinges.
Lyndon Nolan Boise, ID
[There are some secrets we cannot share. Mum’s the word. – ed.]
Dear Rovers North,
While traveling in Tuscany, I enjoyed seeing this most unusual fire truck at L’Eroica in Gaiole. I asked to take a photo and the fireman immediately agreed to pose for it. I thought your readers might enjoy this.
Ken Gummerson Baltimore, MD We are first timers here. We so much enjoy your magazine.
We are new-ish Rover owners (1969 109 Series IIA) and also new-ish subscribers to Log & Timber Home Living magazine. These 2 interests intersected in the June/July 2021 issue of Log & Timber – see attached photos! Excited to see a Rover featured in the *centerfold.*
We'd love to join the Mug Club :)
Laura & Carmin Kalorin Raleigh, NC
[You’re joining thousands of “old-ish” enthusiasts in your love for the Land Rover and Sightings. Congratulations! -ed.]
Dear Rovers North,
Here is a photo of our 1960 Series II from a Wheels and Wings event in Millville, NJ. Thanks for a great magazine. I really enjoy reading it.
Gary Dalgleish Millville, NJ
Irecently met with Alan Koslowski, the Rovers North warehouse manager, to catch a glimpse into the inner workings of Rovers North. Alan oversees all of the warehouse shipping and receiving, from UPS and FedEx to tractor-trailer freight.
With shipping supply chains off kilter due to the pandemic, driver shortages and rising shipping costs, Alan’s work is crucial in keeping shipping charges as low as possible while making sure that each part is packed, crated and shipped correctly, Alan Koslowski so each item reaches its destination undamaged and on time.
Alan’s appreciation for his team was apparent when I asked him to tell me about a bigger-than-expected delivery that had just arrived.
Alan has been working for Rovers North for about eight years, having stepped into the role of Warehouse Manager about two years ago when Steven “Nelly” Nelson retired. ““Nelly” was with Rovers North for 20 years,” said Bridget Bailey, the Rovers North Administrative Contact, “and although we could never replace him, Alan has done a fantastic job of stepping into the position, organizing and motivating the Warehouse team in both pick/pack and in truck freight, and has worked diligently to make sure our shipping and handling costs are as minimized as possible, which in turn allows us to pass those savings along to our customers and minimize increases as the market value of every aspect rises.”
I asked Alan about the transition to his new role. “When Andrea and Mark approached me, I was like, absolutely!” he replied. “I went from working with about 350 people at my other job down to about 30.” He chuckled. “The personalities here, from the team members and the owners, are out here with one goal. When you come into a company like this, and when you see that the people who built it are right in the front of it all, working it and not just sitting up in an office, you respect the people you work for a lot more. This is not just a team, its really like a family, and that’s how people treat each other here.”
“Andrea and Mark encouraged me to stretch my capabilities and trusted me with significant responsibilities. I really appreciate working for them; when you wake up in the morning and you look forward to coming to work, that’s a big deal.” “It’s kind of funny, I was never really an automotive kind of person” he added. “I'm more of a hands-on, hammer and screwdriver kind of guy.” He laughed. “With all the parts we handle I'm definitely learning a lot, which I enjoy. I used to do chocolate. So I went from chocolate to Land Rovers. Definitely a big difference!” Alan’s hands-on capabilities are evident in his overseeing of all the careful packing and crating that must be done before each part ships to its new owner. Some items require the building of a special crate to make sure they arrive safely and undamaged.
From Chocolate to Land Rovers
By Erin Menut Photos: Zack Griswold, Gavin Kiker
“When it comes to warehousing, the key is having a good control of the parts, inventorying the parts, proper warehousing of the parts. And just movement - making it flow, right from picking to packing, to your packing materials, to going right out the door. You want to make sure that your customers are satisfied. You can’t just sit there and say, we have this part, but when you go to its stocking location, its not there. So, inventory control.”
As we are chatting, two of the Rovers North dogs come racing into the room, barking and playing. Alan adds, laughing, “And dog control.”
The dogs are definitely part of the Rovers family.
I asked Alan if he drives a Rover. “I would like one!” he smiled. “It's down the road. I mean, when you see some of the ones pulling in here from some of the customers, you're like wow. I'd like to have that in my driveway!” We both laugh. “Yeah, it's in the forecast. And then we've got them all parked out back too.” I couldn’t agree more: it's fun to look at the parking lot!
I wondered if there was anything Alan would want the Rovers Magazine readership to know about.
“When I listen to some of the sales guys here on the phone, its just like I said, they care. They do their best. Here, if you call in and order, or you have a question, you’re going to get the same person over and over,” Alan noted. “And if they’re out that day, you’ll get somebody just as qualified, and the knowledge is right there. They build a relationship.”
I asked about his vision for the next five years. “Wow. That's a tough one.” He replied. “From my perspective, I think we want to work on perfecting what we have. Things are working well, but there's always room for improvement. Just looking around and asking, what could we do better?”
When I asked Alan about what he does every day, his face brightened into a wide smile. “I just try to keep the atmosphere good and keep the flow going. Communicate with the employees and be open to their ideas too. That's important. They're the ones doing the work!”
“There’s a good understanding that everyone is recognized for the good job they do, so we let them know we're doing the best we can today, and tomorrow is another day.”///
Constant motion best describes the busy warehouse and shipping department at Rovers North
Daktari Lives
By Michael Kittell
Igrew up three miles from the Canadian border, the son of a mother who was a subject of the Commonwealth; thus began my love affair with English cars.
From my house, I saw daily-driver Austins crossing the border from Montreal, followed south by a parade of Aston Martins; the experience solidified my lust for British automobiles. When my older brother rolled into the driveway with a diamond-in-therough ‘56 Austin Healy 100 4M, I was hooked and looking away was no longer an option. During high school, a stint with Triumph TR3s and TR4s introduced me to rust and corrosion – and their effect on these fine British vehicles.
A desire to move closer to the mountains led me to a small town in north central Vermont and to the campus of Johnson State College. I reveled in the breathtaking views and enjoyed the happy people who also loved the great outdoors and skiing. The students brought with them a collection of rusted, well-seasoned vehicles to put on display amongst the more formal lawn art created before or after ski season. While accompanying a friend, a Filipina named Juliet, and her St. Bernard, named Ben, to the mechanic’s, the local authorities flagged her Volvo as “unsafe to drive” due to pervasive rust. Alfa Romeos and discarded, dismantled VWs littered the campus. Sometimes engine wear signaled the end of a car’s journey, but most often, due to Vermont’s long winters and salted roads, rust had the final say.
Word soon spread across campus about a guy called Mark in Westford who had vehicles from England that did not rust because they were made from aluminum. At the time, I had a Toyota FJ40 in stage one of deterioration. When the FJ40 was left on Martha’s Vineyard after it had its beach pass revoked for… maybe driving where maybe it shouldn’t have been, Mark’s legendary aluminum cars became more of a necessity, and I began a pilgrimage to find the fledgling Rovers North.
Who was this magician named Mark Letorney? When I arrived at a barn in Westford, many ex-military imports stood in the driveway of this rural Vermont farm property. I spotted a guy with black curly hair, a big smile and a farmer’s tan.
Above: Mark Letorney of Rovers North, sometime in the early 1980s
Above: Raising Rovers! Proper post and beam construction provided with Land Rover team
As I made my way around the beautiful post and beam barn, I spied a fleet Land Rovers. I was in heaven!
I quickly discovered that Rovers North had become a Mecca for Johnson State College students with rusted-out vehicles. My friend Judy showed me a photo of a Series IIA 109” flipped on its side next to a boulder in Colorado with her John Denver-looking boyfriend beside it. As she showed me the 8x10 glossy I noticed no rot on the undercarriage of the vehicle. I can only describe it as a revelation – Mark and Rovers North had uncovered the perfect vehicle for me – I was hooked!
1964 Series IIA from Cambridge, VT
It took a while, but in the early ‘90s, I found a ‘64 Series IIA with a snowplow for sale in Cambridge VT. I sold the snowplow, removed the hardtop and bought a khaki soft top and hoop set from Rovers North. I’d planned to store the Rover during the winter months, but when a girlfriend returned from Greece mid-winter and needed a vehicle, the hardtop went back on the Land Rover, and she drove it to work at the local newspaper every day for the rest of the season.
This same IIA ferried us to our wedding in Stowe, VT, as well as trucking many dogs to and from the Stowe River for swimming and doggie exercising. Throughout the years, I would go to a pickup window at Rovers North to buy parts (which surprises many Land Rover friends in the west who think of Rovers North only as a parts distributor). The sight of green and white Genuine Parts boxes always excited me more than the struggle to remove the old parts and install the new ones.
My move west precipitated the sale of the beloved IIA, as I didn’t want to drive it 2,500 miles across the country. Fast forward 20 years – I am now divorced and live on a 22-acre homestead in Montana situated on a long, winding dirt road whose conditions change with the seasons. To navigate the summer washboard roads and the winter snow drifts, I needed a versatile, solid vehicle: obviously, another Land Rover. I did a lot of shopping over six months and found many Santanas, but not so many North American Series. I wanted a IIA and finally found one that had lived in Oregon, made its way to Seattle and wound up with a guy named Boris in New Jersey.
Above: The Author’s new-to-him Series IIA and rebuild. Below: Micheal makes his home club Montana Rovers — shown here at an event in Yellowstone, WY
‘‘When I started up the rebuilt engine... it ran as smoothly as when it had left the assembly line.
I purchased the vehicle sight unseen (not recommended). With many parts from Rovers North and a rebuilt head from Sean Jones at Blue Ridge Rovers in Asheville, NC, I began my next Land Rover journey of putting it together and making it into a modern-day driver. In the construction industry, where I work, we’re taught to “only expect what you inspect.” With the head removed, I thought I might as well rebuild the 2.25 petrol engine. I tossed out the sacrificial New Jersey rings and replaced them with STD rings, honed the cylinder walls for the new STD pistons. I replaced the connecting rod bearings, changing the tappet guides and cleaned the burrs off the cam.
I bolted down the new, refurbished head and installed a new Rovers North exhaust manifold. My property sits at an altitude of 5,500 feet, so I used a Rovers North conversion kit to re-jet the Weber carburetor. After using the hand crank to build up oil pressure, I adjusted the valves and installed a new set of plugs. I also took the time to rectify the errors made by previous mechanics. The float in the gas tank had been installed backward, so it hit the side of the tank – no wonder it always read “empty.” The spring on the yellow, 4-wheel drive high range knob was also incorrect, such that the Rover would not come out of 4-wheel drive. With these fixes completed and a fresh Optima Yellow Top battery with a safety switch installed, the Rover was ready to go.
When I started up the rebuilt engine, it erased 40 years of my life. It ran as smoothly as when it had left the assembly line. I then moved onto stronger leaf springs and rock sliders. My Austin Healy-owning brother drove it on some notso-conventional roads and described it as having the torque of a bulldozer with the movement of a Swiss watch. A lot of phone calls to the techs at Rovers North and a lot of twoday parcel deliveries went into this rebuild.
I now have a Montana license plate that reads “DAKTARI,” honoring the 1960s television show of the same name whose protagonist drove a IIA. It has gathered attention locally, most recently from an Englishman whose father was a machinist for Land Rover in the UK. I belong to a Land Rover Club: Montana Rovers. This club has at least a few series Rovers that all have Rovers North parts and boxes in the back of them at the gatherings. Rovers North has kept a lot of these vehicles running and local clubs help keep Land Rover enthusiasts together. ///
Bob Owens, Jackson Hole, WY, grew up in the “one stoplight town” of Sonora, CA, and he thought that the “beautiful Sierra Mountains” would always be his home. Little did he know what path his life would take, or just how Land Rovers would help shape his life.
“As kids,” Bob recalled, “my Dad had two different International Scouts, a ’62 and a ’67. I can remember sitting in the back with a gas can for our small boat.” At age 15, Bob started working for a horse trainer, then as a gas jockey at a Chevron station. While attending California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo, he managed a service station, which proved very helpful as his daily transportation was a Bugeye Sprite. “I once had three Bugeyes! Your mental capabilities are questionable at one; when you own three, there’s no question,” Bob said.
The move from AustinHealey Sprites to Land Rovers came easily. “Between reading Hemingway or Born Free, the book or the movie, I knew of Land Rovers. In the early ‘90s, I found a ’60 Series II 88” Land Rover for sale, advertised by an Auto Trader in the Santa Cruz area, 150 miles from my home. It had no brakes and required a jump start, but I bought it. I rented a dolly and towed it home. Years later, my kids drove it to high school.
This opened the floodgates to a life with many different Land Rover models. “I bought different SWB and three or four LWB models, fixed them up and sold them. I found a Discovery I in Mexico. I’ve had two Defender 110s and an NAS Defender 90 in Arles Blue, which I had converted to automatic; it now lives in the Hamptons.”
In the UK, the Defender 130 could be configured in different specifications through Special Vehicle 2,035mm Chassis Cab Operations (SVO)
130 CHASSIS CAB 130 SINGLE CAB DROPSIDE
4,870mm 130 DOUBLE CHASSIS CAB 130 DOUBLE CAB DROPSIDE/TIPPER
5,170mm 130 QUADTEC 3
5,000mm
Sandy Owens with their dog Bella
Sandy Owens, Bob’s wife, “is into Land Rovers big time. We call them ‘Sandy’s Landys.’” Hers have included the NAS Defenders as well as a current, Supercharged Range Rover. Other family members and granddaughters have been equally captivated by the marque.
Eventually, corporate life with Sunoco moved Bob and his family to Philadelphia, where he served as CEO, but he never lost interest in finding the perfect Land Rover. At last, it appeared in Biloxi, MS – a nonrunning, 1988 RoW 130” with RHD. Bob flew south to look at it, then promptly rented a truck and towed it back home. It had a 3.5L V8 and a repaired bulkhead, with little corrosion on the chassis, but a bad fuel pump and a leaky gas tank. Bob called its RHD “too scary for today’s traffic.”
For the challenging task of this custom Land Rover, Bob turned to Eugene Smith, a skilled craftsman who has spent 40 years as a fabricator and custom car builder; Eugene now runs a small shop in the Philadelphia area. Together, they designed and engineered this special 130”. Bob admitted, “I’ve been working on cars long enough to know that I need to plan in advance and actually adhere to my plans. Then I get in the middle of the plans and violate all my rules.”
The 130” started out as a MoD rebuild, but Bob wanted more power, so first he bought a 4.2 engine and transmission out of a Range Rover Classic. As he intended to use the 130 at his home in Wyoming, he decided he needed even more power, and finally settled on a crate GM LS engine combined with a 6-speed transmission. For cooling, Eugene installed a custom dual fan, four-core radiator. Eugene could see that the original frame had a bend, so he ordered a new one from Rovers North, along with heavy-duty springs and shocks. First, he converted the 130” from RHD to LHD. He also swapped the rear drums
SVO Defender 130 Quadtech Fire Rescue Unit
130 CHASSIS CAB 130 SINGLE CAB DROPSIDE
4,870mm 130 DOUBLE CHASSIS CAB 130 DOUBLE CAB DROPSIDE/TIPPER
5,170mm 130 QUADTEC 3
5,000mm
Granddaughter Logan, age 2, thinks this is the best Land Rover ever!
for slotted discs and installed heavy-duty radius arms front and rear. Eugene’s fabricating skills allowed him to create mounts for a larger capacity fuel tank and a complete stainless steel exhaust system.
Outside the Defender, Eugene created a custom external cage and roof rack, fog and driving light mounts, a swing-out spare tire mount and a front skid plate. He fabricated the front bumper and winch mount and, at the rear, created a custom trailer hitch, rear skid plate and work lights.
Inside, Eugene installed a vintage heater and air conditioning unit, a custom dashboard he designed, allowing for air conditioning and heater vents, a Land Rover Td5 dash center from Rovers North, a Dakota dash cluster and a custom fuse box. There’s a raft of custom features: front door speaker pods, custom center console, rear underthe-seat toolbox, an air recovery system, a 12v DC to 110v AC inverter and heated seats front and rear, just to name a few.
Eugene described his shop as “a studio, as I mainly only do a few larger automotive projects a year. I mainly deal with fabrication; as a very small shop I can concentrate on modification/customization that weighs down larger shops. I have built many different types of cars, from Series Rovers to complete custom Ford Broncos.”
130 QUADTEC 4 130 QUADTEC 1
5,000mm 130 QUADTEC 2 130 HYDRAULIC PLATFORM-VM10.5
LADDER RACK TWO MAN BASKET 200kg MAX LOAD (N/SIDE ENTRY) 130 HYDRAULIC PLATFORM-TVM13.5 130 HYDRAULIC PLATFORM-VM14.5
What is it that Bob Owens likes about his Defender? “I have to say, that’s the toughest question of our interview,” he said.” I ask myself that when things are frustrating me when working on them from underneath the vehicle. It’s the iconic look, the design from 1948 onwards to the 2016. The new Defender doesn’t appeal to me as much. The new Range Rover Supercharged my wife has is remarkable, but its not the same as the older Defender.”
Bob mused, “I drove 2,100 miles in the 130” after all the work Eugene completed in Philadelphia. It was a pleasure to drive. You don’t see many Defenders, and when I drive it, I always get a wave or a thumbs up. It’s sure not logic!” ///
SVO Defender 130 Hydraulic PlatformVM14.5
130 CHASSIS CAB 130 SINGLE CAB DROPSIDE
4,870mm 130 DOUBLE CHASSIS CAB 130 DOUBLE CAB DROPSIDE/TIPPER
5,170mm 130 QUADTEC 3
5,000mm
130 QUADTEC 4 130 QUADTEC 1
5,000mm 130 QUADTEC 2 130 HYDRAULIC PLATFORM-VM10.5
LADDER RACK TWO MAN BASKET 200kg MAX LOAD (N/SIDE ENTRY) 130 HYDRAULIC PLATFORM-TVM13.5 130 HYDRAULIC PLATFORM-VM14.5
Thirtysomething
Story by Jeffrey Aronson. Photos: Jeffrey Aronson, Dave Sweetapple, Rovers North archive
Can you spot the Land Rovers?
t every large wedding, there’s a table at the periphery populated by relatives the family believes it must invite but wishes it could have culled from the list. Seated far from the head table, those distant cousins can barely see the head table. As a Land Rover enthusiast, I know how they feel.
For 30 years, every September, the organizers of the British Invasion have welcomed every marque of British vehicle to fields in Stowe, VT. This year, anoraks had the opportunity to see rarities like a Gordon-Keeble and an Alvis at the center of the show field
Where were the Land Rovers? Once again, far, far away. But it didn’t matter – the few dozen Series Land Rovers, Defenders, Discoverys, Range Rover Classics and an FC 101 entertained the nearly 1,000 attendees and drew outsized attention away from the highly-polished sports cars and saloons.
Over the decades, Land Rovers have provided much of the fun at the event. Rovers North once created an off-road demonstration course that piled hundreds
Aof eager passengers into Defenders, Range Rovers and – thanks to Tim Hussey – even a Camel Trophy Discovery, to show the off-road prowess of these vehicles. One year saw a trials course set up in full view of the show field. Another year, attendees watched a full match of Rover Polo, featuring teams of Series Land Rovers charging up and down the polo field in low range, whacking a beach ball with brooms towards a goal line. Then came the infamous Marque vs. Marque tug of war. With testosterone and estrogen flowing, the Land Rover attendees found themselves matched against the (original) Mini enthusiasts. Given how teeny you have to be to fit into an Austin/Morris Mini,
Aerial photo: @zaxlecesse and the Wedge Shop
2000 Rover Polo event
we boldly predicted victory – until we found ourselves yanked back across the starting line by delirious Mini owners. As we examined their lineup for WWE ringers, we found a MiniMoke churning up the grounds at full reverse throttle. A dozen of us lifted it in the air and carried it into the woods.
This year’s British Invasion had a more sedate atmosphere. For the Land Rover community, it meant we lined up by artificial designations: Series Land Rovers, Defenders, Military Land Rovers and Range Rovers. Discoverys seemed to be left out in the cold, but that didn’t stop Rhonda and Gregg Betcher, Franklin, VT, from clearly having a great time with their ’04 Discovery II. “We purchased it when we lived aboard our boat in San Diego,” noted Gregg. “After our first outing in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, we knew we wanted to do more backroad and off-road exploration.” With an iKamper X-Cover rooftop tent, a Whynter fridge, a 13-gallon water tank and a shower tent/portable toilet, they’re ready for overlanding. “We have a Rovers North Proline winch bumper in our garage, waiting for a 12,000 lb. Warn winch to arrive,” noted Gregg. The Discovery joins other Land Rovers (a Range Rover and an LR3) in the Betcher family fleet, but this Discovery II became the People’s Choice Winner for its class. Earl Moffat, West Stockbridge, MA, has a long history as a customer of Rovers North. He drove up in his Range Rover P38A, a model that sold very well for Land Rover but does not make many appearances at Land Rover events.
Belcher’s Discovery II wins People’s Choice Award for its class
Earl Moffat’s Range Rover P38A
Above: Steve Dick, Hyde Park, VT
The few Defenders ran the gamut in terms of kit. At one extreme sat Steve Dick, Hyde Park, VT, and his ’94 NAS Defender 90 (#1731), which he purchased new. For 23 years, Steve worked at Rovers North (to which he has recently returned); there his Defender gained a 300 Tdi engine to replace the original V8. The replacement motor now has about 270,000 miles on it. The Defender, now configured as a pickup, sports a personalized license plate (“D”) –only possible in a small-population state like Vermont.
Along with Steve, it was great to meet up with Rovers North’s Andy Lopez, Arthur Patsouris, Gene Schubert, Nick Cota and Nate Brooks. It’s always enjoyable to connect faces with the voices I hear on the phone.
David and Elaine Russ, Lyme, NH, sat at the other extreme in “Gadget,” their ’97 Defender 90 with a Cummins 2.8 diesel (its 4th engine swap), tuned for 168 hp, and a TREMEC 4050 transmission (its 5th) to handle the 310 ft lbs of torque. Inside, “Gadget” contains just about every bit of kit possible for a 92.5 inch wheelbase, from lockers and dual batteries to a Wilwood rally e-brake and a custom interior. David and Elaine also participated in the “Tailgate Competition” the following day, featuring refreshing fluids for people and machines. Rovers Magazine’s Dave Sweetapple, Brattleboro, VT, drove up in his trusty Defender 130 pickup, which drew much praise for its “working Rover” appearance. Noel Bishop, Fletcher, VT, shared the sounds of his ’86 RHD diesel Land Rover 110 Commercial with the appreciative crowd.
Above: Jeffrey Aronson, Andy Lopez Above: Gary and Susan Daniels
Gary Daniels, Allentown, PA, showed off a lovely ’50 Series I that had enjoyed 30 years under the same ownership in the UK. He had found it through Williams Classics in Conwy, North Wales, and thoroughly enjoyed sharing it with an admiring audience of British car buffs. Dan Foley, Fairfax, VT, brought his Bronze Green ’58 Series I that has delighted British Invasion attendees over many years. Parked near “Rickman,” my, ahem, patina 109”, the contrast in condition could not have been sharper.
Stuart Crisp, Plattsburgh, NY, shared his rare bird, a ’66 Series IIA Military FFR [Fitted for Radio]. The racks of receivers and similar gear reflected how far communication has come in 50+ years. “I’m missing only a couple of transmitter items,” noted Stuart: “they can’t be imported completed into the US as they share frequencies reserved here for some National Guard units.” (I’m pretty confident he’ll find a way.)
A most interesting Series IIA was driven from Stoneham, ME, by Derek Downes. His ’71 109” was assembled in Costa Rica. As it has a Dormobile top and unique seats – it may have left the Costa Rica CKD assembly plant kitted out as a camper! Derek, who has owned it for 6 years, found it in Costa Rica with a cracked block on the 2.25 diesel; it had been left outdoors with no coolant in cold-enough weather. He had a 200 Tdi installed and has driven it from Maine to Key West twice since purchasing it. As Derek is a homesteader, he has the perfect vehicle for his chosen life.
In sharp contrast to the lovingly restored sportscars and saloons, each with a pre-printed placard that read “Please Do Not Touch,” the Land Rover enthusiasts opened their vehicles for exploration – literally, in the case of Chris Velardi and “Kraken,” his ’75 FC 101 that won its class in the People’s Choice competition. Mike Capozza, Portland, ME and Pat Thibodeau, Leeds, ME, both demonstrated that DIY enthusiasts can produce majestic examples of Series IIAs yet remain generous in their willingness to share their vehicles with admiring attendees. Fans of modified Land Rovers owe thanks to Paul Memont, Methuen, MA, who drove up in his Range Roverpowered, much modified Series Land Rover. Paul created the Land Rover Hybrid & Modified Facebook group, which has now grown to 16,000 members worldwide.
My weekend with Rickman provided many surprises. First, it made the 230-mile trip without incident (although it took an additional hour above Google’s estimated drive time). Then, when I returned from getting my registration packet, I found that someone had carefully unrolled a shop towel in my front seat, found my pen atop the bulkhead, and wrote a love note to the 109”. Finally, it clearly garnered the sympathy vote as it won third (“third,” not “turd”) place in the People’s Choice class competition. The return of the British Invasion joins the All-British Car Show in Portland, OR [which enjoyed a tremendous turnout of Land Rovers -ed] and British By the Sea gathering in Waterford, CT, in celebrating – as safely as possible – Land Rovers and their enthusiast owners. Let’s hope that this revival can continue into 2022. ///
HorsesvsHorsepowerBy Jeffrey Aronson. Photos: Anne Morrison, Jeff Morrison
rom the earliest days of production, Land Rover presented itself as the perfect vehicle for the farm or estate – “The World’s MostF Versatile Vehicle.” The company saw to it that it had a presence at every major agricultural show in England, Scotland and Wales, and promoted Land Rovers heavily in rural publications such as Country Life. Those 80” wheelbase Series Is could not carry very much, but they could pull a wagon of most anything that far exceeded the vehicle’s weight – and they did, across most any terrain. The equestrian world took notice and, to this day, Land Rover reinforces its connection with the requirements of breeders, trainers, estate owners, horse farms and competitors. Jeff and Anne Morrison, Mt. Jackson, VA, along with their “All American mutt, Ernie” a herd of horses and a fleet of Land Rovers, live this connection on their Three Socks Farm.
Jeff Morrison was born and raised 13 miles away in Woodstock, VA. “I’m the tie to the area,” he said, “as my family owned the local Chrysler dealership. That business grew out of my great-grandfather’s Woodstock Garage, founded in 1926. That’s how I got into automobiles. Anne and I met at James Madison University and got married in 2011. I graduated with a major in Business Management and worked at the family dealership until its sale in 2019. The proceeds of the sale enabled us to buy our farm.”
Although born and raised as a “Chrysler guy,” Jeff wanted to move Anne “away from an old Jeep. After all, a Jeep cannot compete with a Range Rover.” He bought their first one, an ’04 L322, from a city owner north of Mt. Jackson. “The owner believed that the engine needed replacement after a blown head gasket. He had already replaced the radiator and water pump, and had lost interest in potentially spending tmore. But he didn’t want to junk it or hose someone on a sale, so he was very honest about its condition. In the end, it turned out to have only a leaking coolant temperature sensor.”
When it came time to look for its successor, “We shopped for months to find the right one. We bought an ’11 Autobiography sightunseen from Land Rover Denver through an auction. It had been a California car most of its life before being moved to Colorado. There did not appear to be any body or interior issues.” Yet buying anything sight-unseen can be a risk, and Jeff “had a moment” when the Rover first appeared.
Above: Jeff Morrison’s daily chores include driving a Range Rover L322
“When it arrived in Virginia, it barely drove off the rollback truck! It was smoking and running something awful. Happily, the issue was a stuck-open fuel injector. It’s a sublime experience to drive it, offroad or on-road. In my opinion, there’s nothing like a Range Rover on the road today. Anyone who rides in it understands why we have it. It has aged very well, and even after 10 years, it hangs in there really well. It’s beautiful from every angle. The design execution is very good, and the air suspension is fantastic – it makes the Range Rover as comfortable in the bog as it would be on Fifth Avenue.”
Anne calls it “the little black dress of vehicles!”
Jeff mused, “We loved the Range Rover experience so much that we shopped around for 6–8 months to help my mother find the right Range Rover Sport L320. We were fortunate to find one owned and maintained by an enthusiast. She loves it so much she’s considering a new one.”
Inner workings at The Three Socks Farm
When you own and operate a farm, though, you want the genuine farm vehicle – a Series Land Rover. The Morrison fleet has recently grown to include a ’71 Series IIA Hardtop. Jeff noted “it’s been a Virginia Land Rover for its entire life” – it had previously been a work truck on a peach orchard farm. “It looked pretty nice to start with, but I could see it needed a frame. So I ordered a galvanized one from Rovers North, along with a hoop set, Exmoor canvas top and tailgate to convert it to a soft top. I can’t wait to start on it!”
Anne laughs, “He’s into horsepower, I’m into horses.” She grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in Bedford, VA, “but we always had some horses. As a toddler, I was scared of them, but my mother made sure I got over that phobia early! I started taking formal lessons at age 10, riding English and participating in fox hunts. By the time I turned 12, I started showing more and I was hooked.”
“My first pony in 1998 was a bay named Alvin. We competed together on a regional circuit, and after college at James Madison University [another History major! -ed] I retired him from competing and he became my first lesson pony. Alvin taught many, many kids how to ride. We would go over colors and markings – he had a blaze and three white socks. He lived to age 26 and died the February before we bought this farm in October, 2018. The farm’s name is in honor of Alvin.
Parts support from Rovers North
The entrepreneurial spark that inspired Jeff’s great-grandfather to take a chance on himself so long ago also lives on in the Morrisons’ new dream. Jeff recounted, “The sale of the dealership enabled us to buy our farm. For the love of my dear wife and my admiration for her business, I wanted us to buy the property.
“It had been for sale for quite a while,” Anne recounted in a phone interview. ”It’s right around the corner from the first farm where I taught professionally. The previous owner had focused on importing Friesian horses as his principal business, but their market had dried up in the ‘09 recession. What spurred the whole thing was the neighboring property becoming available, so we ended up buying both adjacent farms. Most of the 45 acres is pasturage with small sections of woods in which we’ve created riding trails.”
While having the right space is important, building relationships is even more so. Anne’s care and consideration for both horses and riders shines through in her approach to running the farm. “We changed the focus of our equestrian farm from maximizing the number of horses we could board to developing close relationships with the owners and their horses,” she recalls. “While most of our clients are local to Shenandoah Country, we do have clients from as far away as New Jersey.”
Naturally, fairness is an essential principle in the Morrisons’ relationship. If Jeff can own two Land Rovers, then Anne determined that she could own three horses: “One is for lessons and the others are personal. JR is a 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Gemma, who fox hunts, is a 10-year-old Connemara/Quarter Horse mare and Tess, my lesson horse, is an 18-year-old Holsteiner mare.
It turns out, horsepower and horses go pretty well together. A Series IIA, a Range Rover and an equestrian farm – just the life that Land Rover envisioned when it designed and engineered its first models. The spirit is alive and well at Three Socks Farm. ///
After the New Wears OffBy Jeffrey Aronson Photos: Bob Steele, Bill Rickman III Over the decades, Bob Steele, Bon Air, VA, has owned over 30 Land Rovers, including Series Land Rovers, Range Rovers Classics, Range Rover L322s and even an LR2, but never a Defender –until June, 2020.
An architect in Robbin and Bob Steele Richmond, VA, Bob has been off-roading in all of his Land Rovers for decades. His Range Rover Classic, dubbed “Forge On,” became a staple at events run by the Rover Owners Association of Virginia (ROAV), for which he’s served as president, a board member and an active volunteer. Not surprisingly, he’s also been a staunch advocate for the Land Rover marque.
L-R: Matt Bigelow (Land Rover Richmond, Manager), and Bob Steele become one with his new 2020 Defender 110 L663
When the new Defender became available, Bob decided to take the plunge; his 2020 Defender 110 turned out to be the first one delivered in central Virginia. The pandemic and its worldwide impact on manufacturing and delivery delayed its arrival; his 110 arrived at its European delivery port in March, 2020, but didn’t make it to Land Rover Richmond until June 9. 25,600 miles and 15 months later, Bob and his wife Robbin remain delighted with their latest Land Rover.
No sooner did Bob take delivery than he and Robbin embarked on a 1,200-mile roundtrip journey to Nantucket for an extended vacation. In a phone interview, Bob recalled, “I was very grateful to Matt Bigelow and his Land Rover Richmond staff for prepping and delivering the Defender for our trip.” Nonetheless, there were oddball issues to sort out. The clock kept reverting to UK time and the text appearing on the center screen seemed to be one of the many East European languages. Apple Play would not work initially, nor would the personal recognition capability. Fortunately, the dealership managed to secure the software fixes. [Since then, Bob noted that the over-the-air updates have been seamless and no additional issues have arisen. -ed.]
“The many cameras, the ability to manually control gearing in low range and determine which lockers are engaged is sweet!” Bob noted. Robbin appreciates “the comfortable seats, the roomy interior with plenty of space for our dog and all of our gear.” “The fold-flat rear seats make for an incredible amount of space,” she recalls, “and the many charging/USB ports are also very handy. We love the open front dash and ability to stow things.” For Bob, “there is little doubt our base-level upholstered interior with no sunroof is perfect for us. I also appreciate the 6-cylinder P400
Summer on Nantucket, MA
Ingenium engine, the air suspension system and its ability to adjust automatically to so many driving and towing circumstances.”
“I could have sold a dozen of these on Nantucket,” Bob observed. “Everywhere we went, there were plenty of admirers. So many people took pictures and wanted to learn about it. No exaggeration – at least 100 people stopped to take pictures and talk to me about it. Locals drove from all over the island to see it. Word got out about it and each day people would be stopped in front of our rented cottage – many of these locals are die-hard Land Rover enthusiasts. The only negative comment I heard was about the ‘odd white box’ on the rear glass. Overall, there were rave reviews.”
Bob’s wheel and tire setup was 19” wheels shod with 32” Goodyear All-terrains. That made for interesting driving on Nantucket’s soft sand beaches. Bob noted that “the deep soft sand is a sore spot for the Defender. While it has close to 12” of clearance, the angle of the suspension arms extending to each corner become sand plows or anchors in soft sand. The undercarriage, being pretty much a flat plate, also causes the body to float in that deep sand. So, I sense deep, powdery snow might create the same issues. However, while I can point to that small design issue, the positives far outweigh that one flaw I could find in its off-road capability. I bet that 18” steel rims and mud tires would allow better tire coverage at lower pressure.” (Indeed, Bob installed 18” alloy wheels with 33” BF Goodrich KM3s and a 1” lift, and reports significant improvement. -ed)
On Bob’s next long trip, he trailered a Series Land Rover out west to meet up with the Oxford Across America team of David Short and Mike McCaig. (See Winter 2021 issue. -ed) If the trailer’s extra weight inhibited the Defender’s pace in any way, Bob never experienced it.
This past September, Bob and Robbin trailered their 24-ft Airstream – all 4,651 pounds of it – with the Defender from Virginia to Moab, UT, for the Great American Rover Rally (GARR). “I drove across Kansas in a major wind storm at 70 mph with a 30-mph crosswind,” Bob recounts. “The extra length and width, combined with the independent suspension, make it more like an American pickup in terms of trailering.
Above: Bob’s 110 and Ralf Sarek’s 90 towed trailers with ease.
Towing up steep passes, with their resulting descents, did not affect the Defender. Towing a load over the Rockies can be disconcerting, but I had no issues.”
It’s the off-roading at Moab that truly demonstrated to Bob the capabilities of his new Defender. “Over the nine days of the GARR, I learned a lot more every time I drove it. The preset control settings for off-road are good, but what really changed the vehicle for me was that I could program my own settings. I felt their settings demanded too many rpms, so I created new ones.”
If he could change anything about the Defender, what would it be? “I don’t like Land Rover’s concealed winch; it’s too low to the ground, and out east, it will get too muddy and wet all the time. I want to be able to see my cable spool onto the winch. Also, I wish the lower body panels (below the 18” mark) could be easily removed so as not to ding them up in more demanding off-road situations.”
Continued on page 35
Bob summed up this thoughts. “Land Rover has done a great job with universal appeal and marketability while meeting all the safety and emissions regulations of their different markets. In Moab, I was living the dream in 105-degree heat. The fact that this Land Rover allows us to drive across the country and tackle the most challenging trails – that’s a game changer. The new Defender is far better than I expected, and it’s allowed me to be able to go beyond my expectations.” ///
How I spent my Summer
By Jeffrey Aronson. Photos: Jim Koenigsaeker, Mike Blanchard, Michl Kallweit
Jim Koenigsaeker photographing in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Amboseli is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Biosphere Reserve. Jim Koenigsaecker uses photography to advocate for causes he is passionate about including the conservation of African wildlife.
Elephants in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. The Kenya Wildlife Service recently completed a national wildlife census that found 36,280 elephants which is an increase of about 2,000 since the last count in 2017
Jim Koenigsaeker, Sacramento, CA, grew up on a farm in Muscatine, IA. “We had a little green International Scout pickup on our farm,” he recalled in a phone interview. “My one channel on TV carried Wild Kingdom, so I came to like Land Rovers.”
He calls his ’65 Series IIA a “Frankentruck,” and has owned “parts of it” for 25 years or more. “I bought the ‘barn find’ RHD pickup about six years ago and swapped out a bunch of parts, including the motor, drivetrain and top. The Rover was a faculty vehicle shipped to the US for emissions testing, hence its ‘X’ plate. Another reason I like this Land Rover is that the factory had obviously build it from parts it had lying around, including a SWB Australian military chassis.”
Mark Twain once worked for the local newspaper in Muscatine, and Jim began in Twain’s footsteps as a newspaper delivery carrier on a morning and evening route. The newspaper was part of the Scripps Howard group, so it’s no surprise that Jim moved on from a paper route to the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. His career path took him to Washington, DC, where he covered the Clinton administration. “At the time, Scripps Howard was the second largest newspaper chain in the county,” Jim recalled, “so our seat in the White House Press Room was right next to the famous Helen Thomas.”
Twenty years ago, Jim said, “through serendipity and good luck, I fell in love again with Africa when I was invited by a friend to go to East Africa. I felt like I was in a Hemingway novel. Every generation has bemoaned how Africa has been ruined, but it’s still wonderful.” When he’s not there, his RHD Series IIA reminds him of his beloved East Africa, where RHD Land Rovers are commonplace.
Kenyan Park Rangers protect herds from poachers
Above and below: Jim’s RHD Series IIA 88”
Jim told remarkable stories of his service work through photography; my envy level went through the roof.
“I wanted to help keep [Africa’s] past intact, so I help with little philanthropic projects. Some DC friends have helped, as well as a motley crew of friends in Kenya. I stay on the grounds of the Karen Blixen Museum [See “Out of Africa” -ed.] - she grew up on the ranch with wildlife, but it’s now surrounded by the ever-expanding Nairobi. I actually thought of moving there, but family reasons have kept us in California.”
“I got really involved in wildlife technology, a sort of FitBit for a lion or leopard. We place a collar on a matriarch and that feeds data for her location. If she and her pride intrude onto farmland, we can deploy teams of rangers to track the apex predators and try to mitigate conflict with farmers. The collars are maybe $500 and a cheap cell phone will receive the data. Now you don’t need aircraft or a large infrastructure to track them. I serve with Masai friends, and Skype and cellular technology have worked quite well. Small-scale solar power has also helped with our work, as well as for life in general. Mobile banking has been a facet of African life for a long time.”
“The rapid response team of rangers are in Series Land Rovers and early 90s/110s – the Land Rovers just keep going. Every time I’m there, I’m always in a Land Rover; it’s my sidekick. Before the pandemic restrictions, my last trip was to Lake Turkana, a World Heritage site. I’m trying to document these world sites, as they’re threatened by the
Nile River dam in Ethiopia and its potential oil deposits. The Turkana people who populate the region live nomadically as they’ve done for centuries.”
“This past summer, I returned to Kenya and worked with the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Mara Elephant Project, the El Karama Conservancy and Safari Doctors. I always stay on El Karama when I’m in East Africa. I have been friends with the family that started that conservancy for almost 20 years. Bella Nicholson’s parents founded El Karama and she is married to Michael Nicholson, the head of Kenya Wildlife Service Airwing.” The trip involved an epic, 15-hour, mostly off-road drive over the Aberdare mountain range. “I did not see another vehicle from El Karama to Naivasha or from Narok to Marc’s camp on the Masai Mara,” Jim recalled. “The trickiest bits were getting to and from the remote camps in the bush in the darkness before and after long days of driving.”
Map drawn by Bella Nicholson that took Jim from his camp on El Karama to Marc Goss’ camp in the Masai Mara. It was a epic, 15-hour+, mostly off-road drive over the Aberdare mountain range.
“The highlight of the trip for me was photographing one of the last of the “Big Tusker” elephants, known as Craig, in the Amboseli National Park. Amboseli is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Biosphere Reserve. The Big Tuskers are elusive and rarely seen by tourists. And the rangers keep their locations secret to protect them from poachers. I spent two, very long, dusty, bumpy days in the bush looking for Craig.”
“Then, as the sun was setting on the second day, the clouds broke, giving me my first view of Mt. Kilimanjaro on this trip, and Craig walked out of a thicket. Usually wildlife is photographed from a distance with a telephoto lens because it is difficult to get close. But I wanted to photograph Craig at very close range with a wideangle lens to try and capture the feeling of awe you get when you are close to these magnificent creatures in the bush.”
“I have been fortunate enough to spend a fair amount of time with elephants in the bush over the years and know that they are incredibly intelligent and keen judges of character. They also make it very clear when they do not like something by rearing up and spreading out their ears as a warning. So I very slowly crept up to a few feet from Craig as he calmly continued walking along and eating. He seemed to be at peace, not upset with me at all. Needless to say, I stood in awe of this experience.”
I connected with Jim through his friend, Mike Blanchard, the Editor of Rust. Mike wrote that “Africa is his thing. I’m sure he will keep going back as long as he can. It’s a cliché, but Africa, especially East Africa, seems to get its hooks in people and keep pulling them back.”
My envy level has not dropped one bit. ///
[For more information on Jim’s service, visit www.Koenigsaeker.com and follow him on Instagram @jim_koenigsaeker -ed.]
