The Blairstown Brigade

The Blairstown

Brigade Text and Photography by Christopher Holewski

There are 23 acres in Blairstown, NJ, where Land Rovers thrive and flourish. Enthusiasts Bill and Patty Cooper own the land that houses a comprehensive representation of every Land Rover model.

Bill is a cheerful, happy-golucky example of the Land Rover owner/enthusiast. A current tally reveals that he has 17 Land Rovers housed in and around four garages on his bucolic property in Northern New Jersey — not including the vehicles of his fleet that are currently out at various shops for work he can’t manage himself. That’s not to say Bill fears getting his hands dirty; witness the ’51 Series I in one garage with its head removed to diagnose excessive oil loss.

Like many long-time enthusiasts, Land Rovers entered Bill’s life when, as a child, he watched Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and saw Series Land Rovers on safari in Africa and exploring other remote regions of the world. Then came the shiny issues of National Geographic, showcasing other gorgeous Rovers in similarly exciting locations. Collectively, they left the distinct impression that Land Rovers are made for adventure. Sure, he knew about Jeeps, but those were weekend playthings. If anyone wanted to go on a real adventure, they needed a Land Rover. As Bill said, “I’d grown up around all kinds of driving and off-roading. Jeeps and Broncos are fun, but for adventures, Land Rovers seemed the best choice.”

Above and Right: Bill Cooper and his ‘57 Series I Station Wagon

After owning a Jeep CJ7, a Toyota FJ40 and a Ford Bronco, in 1984, Bill finally got his hands on a ‘66 Series IIA 88” – one he still owns today. In its days as his daily driver, he took it on countless trips all across the US and Canada, visiting friends and family, as well as the occasional off-roading adventure with the R.O.V.E.R.S Club of Pennsylvania. All this helps explain why the Series IIA is on its second engine, second chassis and third time around the odometer.

Fast forward nearly 20 years to Bill’s current fleet of Land Rovers –which reads like the discography of a ‘70s band that you’d really enjoy seeing play live at a summer festival – with names like “King Bob,” “Huxley the FrankenRover,” “Solomon’s Yacht Yard” and “The Pink Panther,” just to name a few. To say it’s a treat to poke around Bill’s immaculate lot is an understatement.

Enter Huxley the FrankenRover, officially a ’57 Station Wagon, now heavily modified. Bill bought Huxley from enthusiast Peter Vollers. At first glance, it’s clear that something is different about this Series vehicle. It’s powered by a 3.5L Mazda turbo-diesel. It sits on deep-dish 16” wheels that carry 40” tires. From the bulkhead forward, it’s a 109”, but the remainder of the Land Rover is the original 107”. As we walk around the vehicle and look inside to see the mixture of new and old gauges, I can’t help but smile at the absurdity of it all — it really is an erector set come to life — the kind where you take all the best bits from a few different sets.

Bill reflects, “I don’t know what I admire most about the Series I’s, but the lines and engineering simplicity really captured my attention.” His first was an ex-MoD 1955 Series I (with a chassis number very close to that of the Oxford and Cambridge Land Rovers). His affection for Series I’s has not abated; he now owns six of them; two ‘51 North American spec vehicles, a ‘55 and a ‘56 ’86-inch and a rare ‘57 107” Station Wagon. Equally rare in the US is a ‘58 88” Series I in yellow, the color used by the George Wimpey Construction Company in the UK. “Back when the Rootes Corporation distributed Land Rovers in the North American market, they sent a batch of these uniquely painted vehicles through Canada and the Pacific Northwest,” Bill explained. “While common sights in the UK, they’re very unusual here.”

One example you read about but “never see in person” is Bill’s RHD 1967 Forward Control Series IIB. This model represented Land Rover’s effort to meet customer demand for a greater payload (3,360 pounds) on a 109” (plus an extra inch for the cab) wheelbase, accomplished by moving the entire cabin to the front of the vehicle. To accommodate the extra payload, the FC Series IIB came with a 2.6L sixcylinder engine.

Above and right: 1967 Forward Control Series IIB

Extremely rare 1968 Series IIA 109 “Pink Panther”

Another rare and interesting example is his “Pink Panther.” Often referred to as “the Pinkie,” this vehicle started life as a ’68 Series IIA 109”, and was modified as per British SAS specifications. Of the 72 originally built, only about 20 are known to have survived; and of those only four are in North America. After purchasing the vehicle from Jim Pappas via the Dunsfold Collection, Bill then set about hunting down and purchasing all of the accoutrements that would have originally been included with the vehicle; machine guns, smoke grenades, shovels, jerry cans and the like. Its one-ton axles absorb the extra weight of the kit, and its 9 x 16 tires (which resemble 36” tires) improve the ride over the usual sand tires, a “nightmare on pavement above 30 mph.” The “pink” in its name comes from the muted pinkish paint, said to camouflage the vehicle in desert conditions. A vehicle this heavy must carry a staggering 100 gallons of fuel between its main tank, three auxiliary tanks and eight Jerry cans! Fully loaded with its military kit and crew of three, it clearly taxed its 2.5L engine.

Above: “Off with it’s head!” Bill enjoys working on his Land Rovers

Bill likes to work on his own Land Rovers as much as he can, undertaking repairs and maintenance restorations on everything that doesn’t require a lift. Sometimes the results are faithful and sympathetic refurbishments, as demonstrated in the work he did on the Pinkie; at other times, they produce a “Frankenrover” like “Huxley.” And by the way, when he’s not enjoying his Land Rovers, Bill has worked with his company specializing in software for database design and marketing since late ‘70s. His wife, Patty, works in human services; together, they’re raising their Land Rover-loving daughter, Annie.

It’s hard to play favorites, but Bill noted “Of all my Rovers, a few are my go-to’s. One is my totally stock, patina-blue, ’51 Series I. The other is my 86” Series I, named Huxley. Then there’s my Series III, of which I’ve shared ownership with other NJ and PA enthusiasts over the years. The chassis is full of welds and steel plates, but I love it.”

Above: An impressive model collection

While Bill does own many Series Land Rovers, he’s not only a “Series Guy.” Just as one might say that the Land Rover brand has aged gracefully, starting out as a brilliant vehicle eager to bash through the woods and explore uncharted territory, then maturing in terms of comfort and refinement, that evolution is true of Bill. He’s grown with the marque and has enjoyed a Discovery I, Discovery II, LR3, LR4, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport Diesel, Range Rover Evoque and, at the time of this interview a 2020 Defender 110.

When discussing the wide range of Land Rover vehicles under his ownership both in terms of age and style, Bill sees a place for them all. He has tremendous respect and adoration for the old ones, but he also clearly appreciates modern Land Rovers for their comfort, refinement and ability to eat up the miles on a long journey across America’s highways. When asked about which vehicle he’d take on a trip across Africa, without a moment’s hesitation, Bill eagerly claimed he’d take a Series truck purely for its lack of complex electronics and his own ability to repair most anything in the field with a small set of tools. But in the same breath, he speaks highly of his new Defender as a daily driver and its significant off-road capabilities. That really sum’s up what Bill is all about: respect and love for all the vehicles in the Land Rover marque, from 1955 to 2021. ///

VERMONT ROVERS

PROPER PLACE / PROPER TRAILS

Story and photos: Dave Sweetapple Drone shots: Michael D’Amore Jr. generally overbooked, and obtaining passage is quite rare. After trying to book a fare for myself in March — for August — and seeing “Sold Out" on the Steamship Authority website, I figured that this trip would never come to fruition. Between April and July, I had many calls with the event organizers, Cooper Murray and Chris Fotta (and Chris’ fiancé, Chloe Benoit). Slowly but surely, the details of the event started to take shape. The “Vineyard Series" was set for July 30 through August 1, 2021. The organizers had somehow managed to secure approximately 40 spaces on the ferry (!) for round-trip passage to and from the mainland. The event itself didn’t involve any off-roading as such. It was more of a gathering of Land Rovers with people from all walks of life, drawn together by their love of these machines in a beautiful island setting. If only every ludicrous idea could have such great results! My wife Robin and I arrived in Woods Hole, MA, on Saturday afternoon in our 1995 Defender 130 for our crossing. The ferry had six or seven other Land Rovers onboard and we all knew where we were headed. When we debarked in the town of Vineyard Haven, our good friend and local resident, Leif Counter, was waiting for us on

the dock in his Series III 109. He took us on the scenic route to the old Katama Airfield in Edgartown, where the first (informal) portion of the event took place. Unlike the main Martha's Vineyard airport, this airfield is for the hobbyist flier, so it's very laidback with vehicles parking close to the planes. We arrived fairly early, but within half an hour, the whole parking lot was brimming with Series trucks and first-generation

ack in early March, I was contacted by someone who had what seemed like a ludicrous idea of hosting a Land Rover gathering on Martha's Vineyard over the first weekend of August, a.k.a. theB Middle of Summer. For those of you who are not familiar with Martha's Vineyard, it’s an island off the coast of Massachusetts where ex-presidents and movie stars have summer homes... and where Jaws was filmed. Every year, the island's population explodes from 15,000 yearround residents in the winter to 115,000 during the summer. Getting around can be quite hectic with overcrowding, traffic jams and people walking in the roads — but the biggest challenge is actually getting over to the island at all because of limited space on the ferries. The ferries are

Defenders. It was cool to see little planes landing against the backdrop of Land Rovers right at the edge of the airstrip. The milling began with show and tell over each other’s vehicles, add-ons, modifications and hopes of future projects. The airfield has a trendy little restaurant called the Katama Kitchen, which offers a variety of dishes and beverages. The whole vibe was a great, easy-going welcome to the island. There were many meet-ups and drives around the island that evening, due to a group thread created by the organizers. It put attendees in touch with each other to create their own adventures, with suggestions of things to do and see.

The Vineyard Series’ main event was held Sunday morning at Nomans Restaurant in the seaside town of Oak Bluffs. The parking lot was cordoned off for Land Rovers only, which wasn’t a problem as the gathering started hours before the restaurant opened. By 9am, the whole lot was full and I was in absolute awe to see so many Land Rovers in one place. Couple the number of Land Rover owners that live on the island with the ones from off-island, the number in attendance was an astonishing seventy-five trucks. Included were forty-three Defenders, eighteen Series trucks of mixed vintages and a sprinkling of older Discovery and Range Rover Classics. Of the forty-three Defenders that were present, sixteen of them were NAS Defender 90s, all meticulously polished for the event. I’ve been to other gatherings with impressive numbers of Land Rovers, but to see this many tightly packed into one place was inspirational.

The restaurant opened a little earlier to accommodate the captive crowd, which spilled into the large green space off the back of the building. The menu was perfect, with a little something for everyone (including a lobster roll for me). There was much catching up for old friends, and opportunities for the making of new friends. Shortly after noon, all the drivers headed back to their Land Rovers in the parking lot to gear up for the police-escorted parade. The Oak Bluffs Police Department blocked off the road for everyone to exit the lot, with another police car at the front of the line. The spectators along the route were enthusiastically waving as the convoy of aluminum filed past in an orderly fashion. Upon crossing the bridge into Edgartown, the line of vehicles was passed off to the Edgartown Police Department, whose members guided the group all the way through the crowded town, without regard for traffic sings, and brought the group out to South Beach. At the final beach destination, everyone parked and said their goodbyes, and many regrouped for smaller island-touring exploits for the rest of the weekend.

The Second Annual Vineyard Series event will be held on Martha’s Vineyard — same time, same place — next year. For continued information and contact, follow @vineyardseries on IG. ///

[Follow Dave Sweetapple on Instagram @VermontRovers and @RoversMag -ed.]

Warren Brown, an editorial cartoonist and Series I owner in Australia, graced our last issue with his reflections on the passing of Prince Philip. When we sent him a copy of that issue, he responded, “I’m just writing to thank you so much for sending me the magazine — and you were way too kind to both Mark [Knight] and me! It’s a terrific publication — I’d not seen it before but I enjoyed every page of it!” “I was telling a mechanic mate of mine about this cartoon. He thought it was hilarious and asked me if I’d draw one up for him. It’s hanging on his workshop wall. Better than the Louvre!” We agree, and hope that Warren will continue to share his considerable talents with his new American readers.

As you gaze at the photo below, likely with revulsion, bear with me – a Land Rover connection does exist.

Between 1975–1981, Triumph kicked out 114,000 of these TR7’s, and an additional 2,000 V8-powered TR8s. British Leyland owned Triumph and Land Rover [along with MG, Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Riley, Jaguar and other brands]. In its wisdom, the company moved Charles Spencer “Spen” King, a key engineer behind the Range Rover, to help Triumph design its last sports car.

Spen King gave the simple car a supple suspension with a lot of wheel travel (sound familiar?), and later would install the LT77 5-speed transmission (sound familiar?). In 1980, he helped put the Rover 3.5L V8 (sound familiar?) under the hood. The door handles, interior directional and wiper wands, to just name a few fitments, came right out of the parts bin shared with Land Rover.

None of this, however, could mask the effect of the controversial “wedge” styling by Harris Mann — the plaid seats and door cards, the all-plastic fascia, the massive “rubber” bumpers or the au courant popup headlights. In the words of Richard Porter, the author of Crap Cars, “If this car was a ‘Triumph,’ imagine what a failure would look like.”

Nonetheless, I’ve owned two TR7s over 17 years, my most recent being the ’77 coupe pictured here. On a June weekend in Vermont, it joined 20 other wedges, most of them TR8s, brought together by The Wedge Shop, Taunton, MA. Woody Cooper and his team have a wellearned reputation for injecting magic into Rover V8 and LT77 transmissions.

On my long Sunday drive back to Maine, I began hearing an unusual noise from the transmission when in 5th gear. Shifting down to 4th – a direct drive – reduced the noise considerably, which did not comfort me. By the time I reached far Southern Maine, my discomfort had increased substantially, and I pulled into a rest area to investigate. Underneath the car I saw a pool of fluid – never comforting. And I still needed to head North, in the opposite direction of help from The Wedge Shop.

That’s when Good Samaritan Jim Cronin, Kittery, ME, pulled up along side of me and offered me the refuge of his shop. A mere 5-minutes drive away, it allowed me to check on the fluid level in the transmission [same innards and pump as used in the Discovery I]. A call to our mutual friend, Matt Browne of Overland Engineering, produced a hand pump and some ATF (as well as the dire prediction that the transmission would likely need a rebuild). As the transmission had plenty of fluid, it became clear that a tow to The Wedge Shop in Massachusetts would be required. A call to AAA (a British sports car owner’s best friend) confirmed that my membership would cover the 100-mile tow and they would arrange it for the following morning. Thinking I was all set, Jim, a genuine car guy, offered to give me a 50 mile ride to a hotel in Portland. From there, I could take the one daily bus that goes past my ferry terminal, 80 miles to the Northeast.

All set? Not quite – actually, once I arrived in Portland, AAA said that a towing company might insist on my presence with the car, now 50 miles away! That prompted me to contact Land Rover enthusiast Ryan Swett, who lives aboard his boat in Portland’s harbor. Years ago, we had met on my island when he sold his Series IIA to a seasonal resident. Naturally we wound up at a bar exchanging stories of adventures and the mechanical challenges presented by our vehicles.

This day, when I asked Ryan if he knew of friends who might want to become a personal Uber, instead, he became a Good Samaritan and quickly drove me back to the fallen Triumph. Naturally, the tow truck driver said he didn’t need me present at all. So Ryan and I drove back to Portland, where I planned on catching a bus up the coast. Nope –

BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL Story and photos by Jeffrey Aronson

PROPER NOISES / PROPER VIEW

Ryan drove me the last 80 miles to catch my ferry.

Wait, there’s more. After the TR7 received a rebuilt LT77 transmission from The Wedge Shop, I needed to retrieve it. A bus or train trip south would take up most of a day. However, by private plane, the trip would take under 90 minutes from takeoff in Maine to landing in Massachusetts. The flight came courtesy of Good Samaritans Daniel and Suzanne Cross. I’d like to believe the gift of the flight arose from my gift to Daniel of a Land Rover off-road demonstration ride at the Washington Auto Show a few years ago — but it might have just been pity.

The moral of this story is, when I call for help, run!

This summer has witnessed quite an inundation of visitors to every corner of New England. Given the centuries-old popularity of Vermont’s Green Mountains and lakes, New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Massachusetts’ Cape Cod and Berkshires, the Connecticut and Rhode Island coasts, the summer population increase is no surprise. Yet when the boom reaches this Maine island, well, that’s a surprise. I was graced by visits from Land Rover enthusiasts David Short, Sterling, VA, the president of Rover Owners Association of Virginia (ROAV), and Bill Schofield, Shippack, PA, whose Pitch Enterprises specializes in Land Rovers.

With the new crop of vacationers and visitors came a new crop of Land Rovers. I’ve waved at three new Defenders, several LR4s and LR3s, a couple of LR2s, a Discovery Sport and even a few Range Rovers. My wave hand and arm have never been this busy. I’ve accosted each Land Rover visitor to determine whether they’re enthusiasts (Think of the stereotypical kids who greet cruise ship passengers in far-off places –that’s me around visitors in Land Rovers!)

Locally, there’s been a boom in Land Rover ownership, too. The Discovery II population has doubled from one to two. A Series III, owned by seasonal resident Scott Hamilton, returned quite handsomely refurbished thanks to the talents of Resurrected Rovers, Chocorua, NH. Paul and Sharon Mrozinski had previously owned a Series III and a NAS Defender 110, and returned to the Land Rover fold by importing a RHD Series IIA from the UK. With these additions, the island’s Series population stands at five. We can even boast of two [!] Range Rover Sport owners.

Can it be long before our per capita Land Rover ownership rivals that of Manhattan?

Kids adore Land Rovers, particularly the heritage Series and Defenders owned by many of us. The side view of a Series I might be the first sketch a child can accomplish when they first learn to draw (Unlike our Creative Director, Thompson Smith, I never progressed artistically past those flat sides.) Whereas kids earn a dirty look when they stand on the leather seats of the family car, they receive praise when standing on the seat squab of a Series Land Rover. The rear jump seats or benches draw kids in as effectively as a bag of Halloween candy. The jungle-gym nature of a Series or Defender bumper — the flat surfaces of the wings, the tire on the hood, the rear jump seats or benches — all make sense to kids as perfect places to clamber.

Recently, I parked my 109” in front of the EMS station on our main street, not realizing I had installed an impromptu play area. Parents walking to the ferry terminal, their kids in tow, found the youngsters transfixed by even a Land Rover as “patinaed” as mine. I gave the goahead to the parents that their kids could jump inside, ogle the all-metal dash, try each door and bench and soak in the experience. Hopefully, no one missed their ferry in the process. ///