4x4 Magazine - August 2022 by Assignment Media Ltd

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BRITAIN’S BEST ALL-MARQUES 4X4 MAGAZINE FOR 40 YEARS! PLUS Isuzu D-Max tested in down-to-earth Utility form

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THIS OR A DEFENDER?

The ‘unattainable’ Jeep that could be yours for the price of a mid-range 110

PLUS: Mountainous off-road memories from the late, lamented Trophée Cevenol Ultra-rare Defender 90 rebuilt – and a lot more besides

£4.99

Epic laning in the NorthumberlandCumbria borders

AUG 2022

VW Half-Track Fox: one of the rarest off-roaders of all time 4x4 Cover Aug 22 AKSM.indd 1

04/07/2022 23:19

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August 2022

CONTENTS

‘Arctic Trucks’ conversion is now available directly create an AT32 of your own from any Navara from

48 38

2 | AUGUST 2022

Contents Aug.indd 2

4x4 05/07/2022 10:14

64 BIG SAVINGS WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE! A copy of 4x4 normally costs £4.99 to buy at the shops. So why not pay just £8.00 to have FIVE issues delivered to your door instead? Mad not to! 4x4 Scene: News, Products and More… 6 8 8 10 12 16 18 18 20 20

Land Rover Thefts Surrey Police uncover cache of stolen Defenders Polaris RZR New models promise turn-key racing ability Ford Ranger Raptor brings its Pride to Goodwood Electrogenic Full EV conversion for agricultural Defenders Odyssey Challenge Round 2 goes down to a penalty shootout… ARB Esperance roof tent promises style and ease of use Mopar New soft-top options for current Jeep Wrangler Clarke Welding kit designed for DIY use RollnJack An easy way to remove detachable hard-tops comes to Europe Hella New range of Black Magic LED products

Driven 24 28

Range Rover Velar Svelte SUV perfectly suits plug-in power Isuzu D-Max Utility Entry-level double-cab feels close to a premium model

Every Month 4 64 66 80

Alan Kidd Great engineering is a constant in the off-road world Subscribe Get ﬁve issues of 4x4 for just eight quid Roadbook A sensational route in the Cumbria-Northumberland borders Next Month G-Wagens old and, er, older, plus a wading-tastic roadbook

Features 30 32 38 44 48 52

Arctic Trucks The triumphant return of the Nissan Navara AT32 VW Half-Track Fox How a unique T1 van became a 12-wheeled snowmobile Restiﬁed 90 SV Rare Defender reimagined as a Mahker masterpiece 90 SV or Series I Classic Landies in an old-time face-off from back in the day Jeep D-Coder Stunning Gladiator you could own for less than you might think Daihatsu F10 Throwback to our ﬁrst meeting with the original Fourtrak

Travel 56

Trophée Cevenol Memories of an extreme trail run in the south of France

66 Northern Roadbook are sharp rock Caution – there as you climb the steps to negotiate

Step

hillside Step 40: Turn left off the main embankment track, dropping then plunging down the straight into a water trough (right)

Step

12.3 41

Abbey Strata Florida

8.75

track to the left Take the rocky track the main Cat A

Step

38 13.1

10.9 Step

– allowing you to 2015 on’

More rock steps, water trough

Step

followed by a long

There’s a couple of huge water troughs after the junction

13.1 Step

11.7 Step

16 11.8 Step

17 12.8 Step

18 12.8 88 | JANUARY 2020

It’s a steep, sharp climb up and over a bigger track – you can’t see ahead over your bonnet to start with

Caution over a steps as you short set of rocky drop down the hill

15.0

Step

4212.6

Step

Look out for you cross the the waymarker as ford

15.2

13.4 Step

Join the Cat A

track

You may find yourself driving a river bed along for a while…

13.65 Step

track Drop off the main the gate and immediately before trough water into yet another

14.7 Step

to clear these axleneed a bit of momentum right is much bigger to the Step 37: You might warned, the drop-off twisters – but be than it looks here

4x4

46 14.9 4x4 JANUARY

2020 | 89

4x4 Contents Aug.indd 3

AUGUST 2022 | 3

05/07/2022 10:14

4x4 Tel: 01283 553243 Email: enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk

Alan Kidd Editor

here’s an article in this issue of 4x4 about a rare old Land Rover 90 that’s just been restored, and modified a little, into a modern interpretation of a timeless classic. The owner decided to slam it by an inch rather than doing what I’d have done and taking its suspension the other way, but it’s no less of a masterpiece for all that. For me personally, though, seeing it was a little reminder of how old I’ve got. Back when I was starting out in this game, one of the first news stories I covered was Land Rover launching this fancy new version of the Defender with nice paint, alloys and so on. And now, that same vehicle is a rare old classic that’s getting restored. Hey ho. It’s not as old as the Half-Track Fox, though. An extraordinary snowmobile based on an early Volkswagen T1 van, this too has just been restored (and again the results are to be found in these pages), but this time it dates from before I was born. The builder, an Austrian by the name of Kurt Kretzner, spent years turning a T1 into a vehicle that could be driven up mountains in the middle of winter. It turned out not to be a commercial success, so today it’s no more than a unique curiosity. But it’s also a tribute to the skill and imagination of the sort of engineers who continue to make the off-road scene what it is. Just look at the last few issues of this magazine. We’ve covered a guy who built his own fun buggy out of a rusty Discovery. A guy who created a whole new car brand because the fleet of Series III work trucks he was trying to maintain kept falling to bits. A vehicle built from parts lying around the yard which, more than 20 years later, has just won its class for the third time in one of Africa’s toughest off-road events. A guy who carried out his own 6x6 conversion. A concept Jeep built as a tribute to those down-home engineers who bobtail their trucks to make them better in the rough. And so on. More than anything else, if the 4x4 scene is about anything (other than the vehicles and the things you can do in them, of course), it’s about engineering. Times have changed a lot since I was that young reporter knocking out a story about

4 | AUGUST 2022

Edline Aug.indd 4

Brilliant engineering is a constant in the 4x4 scene the blingy new Defender 90 SV (it was all transfer levers and live axles back then, but the march of the independent wishbone has been relentless and, in particular, what was once analogue has become ever more digital), but one constant has been the brilliance of the independent engineers whose work has yielded so many great machines. Another of my earliest jobs was to report on a new TVR-engined racer built by comp safari legend Tim Marsh – that was coming on for 30 years ago, and the top of the off-road engineering game had been operating at that standard for many years even then. During that time, new vehicles have been getting more and more complicated and a constant moan I’ve heard from people has been ‘no-one’s going to be cutting those up and off-roading them in 15 years’ time.’ The P38 Range Rover was a classic case of this. What this shows is that within the offroad world, people tend not to believe that the engineering standards of the day will be able to evolve at the same pace as what the manufacturers are putting out. As it turns out, the P38 now looks pretty old-school and people have long since been cutting them up. The electronics are horrible, but the vehicle itself now looks pretty basic. When it comes to electronics, though, it’s probably fair to say that no-one expected the independents to be able to bring EV technology into the off-road world. Yet the number of conversions for old-shape Defenders is spiralling upwards. I’m not sure I would want to mess with my own 90 in that way, at least not yet. But my respect for engineering that’s gone into these vehicles knows no bounds. Maybe there’s a young car hack somewhere who’s just done a story for his website about Electrogenic’s new EV conversion for agricultural Defenders (also in this issue), and he’s no idea that in 30 years’ time, he’ll be seeing one of those old trucks getting restored and looking back fondly at the engineering of old. His website probably won’t still exist – but the vehicles will.

Web: www.totaloffroad.co.uk www.4x4i.com Online Shop: www.toronline.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/totaloffroad www.facebook.com/4x4Mag Editor Alan Kidd Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Olly Sack, Gary Noskill, Marcus Tee, Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Brian Hartley, Tom Alderney, Joe Clifford, James Watts Photographers Harry Hamm, Steve Taylor, Richard Hair, Vic Peel, Paul Cowland, Tomasz Jarecki, Shelagh Ballard, Pete Robain Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Manager Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 553244 Advertising Production Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 553242. Prices for 12 issues: UK £42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW Surface £54; ROW Airmail £78 Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of 4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org 4x4 is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House 1.08, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

4x4 04/07/2022 23:22

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NEW 4X4S

Investigation underway after Surrey Police uncover hoard of stolen Land Rovers

olice in Surrey are seeking the rightful owners of several stolen Land Rovers, following a ‘forensic recovery’ of the vehicles from an isolated ﬁeld in Runnymede. At least ﬁve Defender 90s and 110s were found at the site near the village of Lyne. They were recovered in various states of destruction – one Td5 90, which had been reported stolen some three and a half weeks previously, was yet to be stripped for parts, however a 110 was recovered which had been reduced to little more than a chassis.

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In the middle of the destruction, one of the most dispiriting sights to behold was a 90 which had just rebuilt by Retro Defenders in Harrogate. It had been reported stolen from Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor in early May – little more that two weeks before the recovery operation. During that time, it had been stripped to a rolling chassis and its rear tub, with Exmoor seat runners and wood-lined ﬂoor, dumped in the weeds. A small amateur tool kit was also found at the scene – as well as an engine crane.

While the second-hand parts market is a vital part of the Land Rover scene, owners need to be in no doubt that if they buy items from unknown sources, they are actively encouraging the trade in stolen vehicles. Of course, they also need to be aware that at any time, in almost any place, their Defender might be the next to suffer this fate. Surrey Police is seeking information about suspicious activity in the Lyne area, and would also welcome tip-offs as to the identity of those involved. You can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111,

or massage the Runnymede Beat (Surrey Police) page on Facebook quoting reference P22102852.

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14/03/2022 17:32

NEWS

Ultimate Polaris RZR on the way to UK dealers

olaris Off-Road’s latest RZR Pro R and RZR Turbo R are on their way to dealers in the UK. The vehicles, which were first launched last year, have now been confirmed for Europe – with the latter model offering the additional option of homologation for road use. The vehicles promise ‘unprecedented power, strength and control straight off the showroom floor’ for customers who might previously have modified their RZRs. The 181bhp Turbo R has a 925cc four-stroke twin combining strong low-speed torque for use on extreme terrain with powerful acceleration and straight-line speed for fast track work. The RZR is already a popular choice among comp safari drivers looking to use a side-by-side utility vehicle instead of a traditional 4x4, and this will do nothing to change that. Down below, a strengthened one-piece chassis and safety cage

THE DACIA DUSTER got a facelift last year – and now it’s going to get another. The Small SUV class winner in our 2022 4x4 of the Year awards is being updated as part of a range-wide move to adopt Dacia’s new brand identity, which will see it gain the company’s revised ‘Link’ badge in the emblems on its grille, rear panel, roadwheels and steering wheel.

provides sturdy mountings for a suspension set-up featuring dual front A-arms and tubular trailing links with remote-reservoir Fox shocks. This delivers 27” of travel up front and 28” at the rear, where Polaris describes the system as ‘a massive step-change in performance and strength from its predecessors.’ The vehicle has a 96” wheelbase and a 74” track, promising stability and steering control in equal measure, and all-round disc brakes with three-pot calipers mean it should pull up every bit as smartly too. ‘Passionate off-roaders are reinforcing their stock chassis and suspension,’ said Polaris boss Steve Menneto, ‘often spending thousands of dollars to make

their machines stronger. RZR Turbo R brings that next-level strength straight off the showroom ﬂoor.’ With vehicles just starting to arrive in the UK, prices for the new RZR Turbo R are yet to be conﬁrmed. However the RZR Pro R starts at £34,999 plus VAT, so you needn’t expect it to be the cheap alternative to anything.

The vehicle also gains a new Monolith Grey colour on its roof rails, skid plates and door mirrors. The new look applies on all vehicles ordered from now on, with ﬁrst deliveries expected to arrive in the days following its global debut at October’s Paris show.

Rainbow-themed Raptor sets out to show there’s more than one way to be tough AT THE RECENT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED, Ford became the latest manufacturer to show its support for LGBTQ+ equality by presenting the Very Gay Raptor. Based on the all-new vehicle due in showrooms towards the end of summer, this is ﬁnished in rainbow colours over a gold sparkle base. As well as runs up Goodwood’s hill and off-road courses, the vehicle hosted a series of ‘Tough Talks’ in support of the LGBTQ+ community starring rugby legend Gareth Thomas.

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NEW 4X4S

New low-cost Defender EV conversion from Electrogenic is aimed at landowners and agriculturalists

ELECTRIC LAND ROVER DEFENDERS are big news – and they normally come with even bigger prices. But Oxfordshire company Electrogenic says its new drop-in conversion kit can pay for itself in four years of typical use – then play its part in keeping the vehicle healthy well into the future. The conversion, which was developed in partnership with automotive experts at Cardiff University, comes as a kit designed to be installed by a qualiﬁed mechanic. It includes an electric motor developing 120bhp and 173lbf.ft – roughly comparable ﬁgures to the Tdi and Td5 engines in most Defenders whose age now might make them suitable

candidates for the work. A 52kWh battery pack is installed under the bonnet, which Electrogenic says will allow ‘100-plus miles of range on-road and considerably more when driving off-road or around a farm.’ As this suggests, the kit is aimed at a very different kind of Land Rover to the millionaires’ lifestyle machines most normally associated with electric conversions. Electrogenic says it is intended for the agricultural sector, with 18 months of testing having recently been completed at Worthy Farm, home of the famous Glastonbury Festival – where, coincidentally, Greta Thunberg recently made a surprise appearance in her ongoing campaign for sustainable living. The Electrogenic kit comes equipped as standard for 7.5kW AC overnight charging via a Type 2 connector, however a faster set-up can be speciﬁed as an optional extra.

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Vehicle Wiring Products

Very unusually for an EV, Defenders equipped with this kit retain their original manual gearbox. The motor is bolted to the existing clutch bellhousing so all five gears remain, as of course does reverse – as well as the full-time four-wheel drive and high and low range provided by the transfer case behind it. ‘Off-road ability is improved by the fitment of the electric motor,’ says Electrogenic. ‘With readily accessible torque and linear power delivery, it is effortless to drive even in demanding off-road scenarios. Dual-stage regenerative braking enables ultra-controlled, brake-free off-road descents. ‘Towing capability is also enhanced by the electric motor’s instant and abundant torque.’ Following its year and a half of testing about a number of 90s and 110s at Worthy Farm, Electrogenic estimates that the conversion can be worth ‘at least £6000 in fuel costs over the course of an average year of on-farm use.’ The powertrain is also designed to be 100% maintenance-free, meaning further savings on servicing costs (as well as the associated down-time) – so with a target price of £24,000 plus VAT, the conversion can pay for itself in less than four years. ‘The electric powertrain is designed to… operate happily for decades,’ continues Electrogenic, ‘while the batteries are similarly robust: good for 200,000 miles or more, giving owners total peace of mind.’ Company co-founder Steve Drummond also points out the benefits of instant heat on cold mornings and time saved on regular trips to fill up with fuel – and that removing diesel from a farm’s fleet can help it meet its sustainability targets. ‘This new electric conversion kit is a really exciting development for us,’ commented Drummond. ‘We do high-specification conversions for road-warriors, but this kit is all about giving landowners an economic, sustainable option. It’s easy to install and uses Electrogenic’s proprietary technology. ‘It gives Land Rover Defenders an affordable new lease of life, reducing running costs while enhancing performance and drivability around the estate. It future-proofs the traditional Defender, readying it for decades of reliable, sustainable service as we enter the age of low-carbon agriculture.’

We supply a comprehensive range of wiring products for repair, modiﬁcation or complete rewire to your vehicle

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THE LEADING LAND ROVER AND RANGE ROVER 4X4 ENGINE REBUILD SPECIALISTS ENGINE REBUILDS & SERVICING ELECTRICAL REPAIR WORK HEALTH CHECK GENERAL REPAIR WORK AIR CONDITIONING REPAIRS OLDER & CLASSIC VEHICLES

www.4x4enginerebuilds.co.uk Electric vehicles have often tended to post poorer towing limits than the traditionally engined equivalent. However Electrogenic says the ‘instant and abundant’ torque from its conversion will positively enhance the Defender’s abilitity in front of a trailer

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MOTORSPORT

Tight at the top as competition hots up in the 2022 Odyssey Challenge Words: James Watts Pictures: Tomasz Jarecki

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he Viking 4x4 Club travelled west to Buildwas, near Telford, for the second round of the 2022 Odyssey Challenge. Sponsored by Llama 4x4, this was just two weeks after another major winch event and

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MOTORSPORT two weeks before yet another, so the organisers were concerned that numbers might be a worry – however their planning and hard work was rewarded by an excellent turnout of 24 vehicles. Buildwas’ terrain features a ravine which is the ideal place for setting out a winch challenge. Even when the ground is dry, it remains very boggy down here. The ravine is very tight and steep in places, too, putting a lot of strain on the vehicles. Despite this, there was a good variety of punches – some nice and easy, some nice and diﬃcult! Each event in the Odyssey Challenge series also features a mandatory special section; for this event, this took the form of a trials course with European-style rules dictating a 500-point penalty for every cane knocked over. This forced competitors to balance speed with accuracy. Many of the teams had to take several shunts to get round without penalties, while others were very fast. About half the ﬁeld picked up penalty points, which made for very interesting results. Trialling was of course the lifeblood of off-road motorsport back in the old days, when farmers would turn up on a Sunday to

compete in their Land Rovers. In today’s winching environment, a lot of the cars you see taking part are purpose-built bespoke spaceframe specials – however this even saw a good selection of Landies giving it a go, which was great to see. The Viking 4x4 Club prides itself on never losing touch with the grassroots and is always welcoming to newcomers. It’s brilliant to see some older cars still on the scene – not least because they’re a reminder of where it the scene started all those years ago. Holly Evans competes in one such Defender-based truck, along with co-driver Zac Dambraukas. She bought it late last year and this was only her second ever event. The ﬁrst was February’s Nightmare Challenge, where she had a great result – and she looking set to repeat the trick on this occasion. That was until about halfway through the day, when the team had a small mishap. All competitors put massive trust in their equipment, in particular the ropes they rely on when getting to punches and pulling the car around. Holly had a rope snap – as they often do, but she was unlucky in that it happened when lowering down a hill to a punch. The car sustained some damage as a

result, bringing their day to an early end – by the time everyone else finished, they were already planning the fixes that will bring it back better and stronger. We will see them again soon! Round 1 winners Simon Ward and Leigh Jefferies were among the favourites going into this event and sure enough they were going very well indeed for most of the day, picked up nearly every punch to fill their first card and get started on a second. But they disaster struck when, on one of the hardest punches, they had a roll and ended up with their vehicle on its side. While it was there, with the engine still running, oil found its way into the air intake – and by the time they got back to the service area, the damage was done. Unable to cure what was now a poorly running unit, he had to call it a day. Scott Haines and James Watts, also in a Defender-based vehicle, were also doing well – until around midday, when they broke a CV joint. In an effort to keep running, they went off-site to get spares, losing a lot of precious time – but it was worth it, because they managed to fit a replacement part and get back out there for the last two hours of the event.

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MOTORSPORT

Mat Bain and David Burton, meanwhile, who always do well at these events, suffered a very unusual problem when they collected as old wire fence that had been lying in the bottom of a bog and became completely tangled up in one of their front wheels. Having struggled in the mud to cut it free, they finally managed to get to the pits where they could wash the area down and see what was actually going on. When they did, they discovered that the fence had damaged a brake caliper – all fixable, but an unexpected and very unwelcome waste of time. Rob Curling and Paul Hitchman needed to stop for a bit of maintenance too, having to refit a belt which they lost early in the day. Worse was to come when they broke their rear winch housing, rendered the winch useless, but they battled on with just their front winch to pick up some more points. In what must have been the most entertaining part of the day, Clerk of Course (and star photographer) Tomasz Jarecki lent a helping hand when one of the competitors

needed to get out of the competition for a return to the pits. The problem was that this meant winching themselves on to the main track – which is where Tomasz’ truck was parked, so he allowed them to use it as an anchor point. Next thing you know, Tomasz’ truck is stuck in a bog and needs rescuing. So he gets out… and immediately sinks up to his knees. Various other competitors jumped in to help rescue both vehicles – once they had finally finished laughing… No-one was laughing at Richard and Lianne Evans, on the other hand, who were there for their first ever event – something every club should always welcome. They were nervous and also tired, as they had just finished building their car the night before, and a few small

teething issues were to be expected. Even with a branch knocking off their power steering hose, however, they had a great time – and got 18 punches, which is a very respectable score on your ﬁrst time out. So respectable, indeed, that a score of 2532 points meant Richard and Lianne ﬁnished third in Class 1. Georgie Smith and Will Baker came second with 3292, but the winners – even after their dramatic mishap – were Holly Evans And Zak Dambraukas on 3818. Considering this was only Holly’s second ever event, and that they missed a good chunk of the day, to win their class was an amazing result. In Class 2, Paul Curling and Andrew Rossiter dropped a clanger during the day when they ran out of

fuel – but they still managed third place on 3266 points. Rob Curling and Paul Hitchman didn’t let the small matter of a broken winch get in their way, taking second on 3759, but Johnny and Tracey Johnson completed nearly all the punches to lead the others home on 5107. The scoring was close throughout the field in Class 3, with third place going to Craig Allignton and Tom Wilson on 7675 points. A much better result for the pair after their small disaster at round 1. Challenge teams always fight to the very end and that’s what Mat Bain and David Burton did after finally untangling themselves from the rogue fence; with 9488 points, second in class was their reward. This did leave them to ponder what might have been, however. Because in one of the closest finishes in the history of the Odyssey Challenge, they ended up tied on punches with Scott Haines and James Watts. These two had their problems to work through too, but having done so it came down to the teams’ scores on the timed special stage – the Viking 4x4 Club’s equivalent of a penalty shoot-out. Scott and James had completed this a little more quickly – meaning they sneaked into first place by a mere 50 points. By such fine margins are fates decided at the top end of the challenge game!

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04/07/2022 21:35

We currently stock O.E. propshafts for many 4x4 models, but we are proud to have also spent time developing our own “Extreme” range. For the majority of 4x4 vehicles we can offer an upgraded propshaft option, whether you need greater angle, longer splines or larger torque capacity (which may give increased potential life-expectancy). Why choose “Extreme?” Wide Angle Operation - Double Cardan Joints - Heavy Duty Universal Joints Upgraded sliding assembly - Higher Torque Capacity - Heavy Duty Tubing

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AUGUST 2022 | 15

05/07/2022 16:50

PRODUCTS

Stylish and easy to use Esperance roof tent from ARB now on sale through Britpart dealer network

e don’t normally think of ARB as being given to flights of florid language. So when the company describes its new Esperance Roof Tent as ‘drawing heritage from the beautiful beaches and crystal-clear waters of one of Western Australia’s most renowned coastal environments,’ we were prompted to take a look and see what they were on about. Turns out Esperance is a town on the south coast, about 450 miles from Perth, and when you look at pictures of the place you basically want to go there and stay forever. Turquoise waters lapping beaches of pearly white sand where kangaroos bask in the sun – it’s that kind of vibe. A place for surfing, swimming, scuba diving and just generally loving life amid a landscape from a dream. You can definitely tell why ARB decided to name a roof tent after it. The whole outdoorsy thing goes well with the tent’s design, too. It’s not the sort of old-school variety that you might associate with a Troopy doing battle with the Canning Stock Route, but a sleek, slim, modern hard-shell design that’s compact and light in weight. ARB says its design brief for the Esperance was to create a goodlooking tent with lots of features and ‘quick and effortless’ set-up and break-down times. The result was a unit with an internal telescopic ladder, gas strut assisted opening

and a closing mechanism needing only three push-lock ratchet straps. The tent opens up to a size of 1520mm long, 2000mm wide and 1200mm high, with all of that available inside for bedding. It comes with a 4cm thick, highdensity sponge mattress with a washable quilted polyester cover, and features a ‘stargazing moonroof’ as well as three zip-up windows with midge-proof mesh screens to help manage airﬂow.

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Stainless steel hardware is used throughout, the cover is made from 200GSM fire retardant poly cotton and the fly screen is removable 210D fire retardant canvas. The cover and fly have water heads of 2000mm and 3000mm respectively. Inside, you’ll find a variety of stowage pockets for shoes, keys, toiletries and so on. There’s also a dimmable LED light with concealed wiring – as well as an external strip light to help you find your way around in the dark. Nobody wants to meet a hungry snake while answering a call of nature, after all… The Esperance Roof Tent weighs in at 56kg dry and can accommodate up to two adults and a child. Weight limits are 500kg in the tent itself and 150kg on the

ladder, but ARB says your vehicle’s roof bars must have a load limit of more than 75kg and be a minimum of 760mm apart and a maximum of 40mm in height. You’re looking at a top speed of 68mph with the tent in place, too. Not that this should come as any hardship at all, especially if you’ve done the obvious thing and taken your Esperance tent to hang out in Esperance itself. People say off-roading is about having fun in the slow lane: here’s proof that on a good expedition, the best bits come when you’ve stopped altogether. As usual with ARB, customers here in Britain are able to get these tends through the Britpart dealer network. To ﬁnd out more, head for www.britpart.com.

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PRODUCTS

Mopar unveils Sunrider Flip Top and and opaque fabrics for current-model

SPECIALIST 4X4 VEHICLE DISMANTERS JEEP - LAND ROVER SPECIALIST 4X4 VEHICLE DISMANTERS AND MOST MAKES AND MODELS JEEP LAND ROVER QUALITY GUARANTEED USED PARTS AND MOST MAKES AND MODELS QUALITY GUARANTEED PARTS SOME OF THE VEHICLESUSED WE HAVE RECENTLY DISMANTLED: SOME OF THE VEHICLES WE HAVE RECENTLY DISMANTLED:

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2014 RANGE 2016 2006 JEEP 2011 ISUZU ISUZU ROVER SPORT 4.4 D-MAX 2.5 DIESEL WRANGLER TJ RODEO 2010 2015 Mitsubishi V8 Jeep DIESEL 2016 ISUZU 2014 RANGE Cherokee KK Outlander 2.5 DIESEL ROVER SPORT 4.4 D-MAX V8 DIESEL

JEEP 2007 LAND 20152010 RANGE 2012ROVER CHEROKEE MK4 DISCOVERY 3 2.7 ROVER EVOQUE MITSUBISHI ASX 2015 Range Jeep KK 2.8JEEP CRD 20072016 TDV6 2010 LAND ROVER Rover Evoque Renegade CHEROKEE MK4 DISCOVERY 3 2.7 KK 2.8 CRD

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2014 2010 JEEP CHEROKEE MK5 MITSUBISHI L200 2020 Ford KL 2.0 MULTIJET 2014 JEEP Ranger CHEROKEE MK5 KL 2.0 MULTIJET

2008 HONDA 2013 TOYOTA CRV 2.2 CDTI HILUXGrand 2006 Jeep 2008 HONDA Cherokee CRV 2.2 CDTIWK

2006 NISSAN 2006 JEEP 2006 JEEP GRAND 2015 LAND 2004 JEEP CHEROKEE WK PATHFINDER 2.5 GRAND GRAND 5.7 V8 HEMI ROVER DCI 2020 Jeep Land2006 Rover NISSAN2015 Nissan 2006 JEEP2018 GRAND DISCOVERY CHEROKEE WK CHEROKEE WJ 2.5 X-Trail WK PATHFINDER WranglerCHEROKEE JL Discovery Sport Charlton Recycled Auto Parts SPORT DCI 5.7 V8 HEMI Vehicle Recycling Centre, Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow, Cambridge, SG8 7HZParts Charlton Recycled Auto Tel 01223 832656 Vehicle Recycling Centre, Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow, Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk Cambridge, SG8 7HZ PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK Tel 01223 832656 Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK

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TRADITIONAL JEEPS AND OPEN-AIR MOTORING go together like, well, two things that go together really, really well. Even hard-top Wranglers have come with all sorts of lift-out panels and so on. The latest variation on the theme is the Sunrider Flip Top from Jeep Performance Parts. This is a fabric panel which is installed into the factory-fit hardtop and can be folded back ‘for an enhanced open-air driving experience.’ Although it’s not officially available over here in the UK, the Flip Top shouldn’t be outwith the wit of man to get hold of across here. It comes ready-to-install with mounting rails and hardware included, and the panel itself is made from ultra-premium black twill fabric of a kind commonly used on high-end luxury cabrios. ‘We specifically developed the new Sunrider Flip Top for Hardtop for Jeep Wrangler owners who want to quickly and easily embrace the outdoors,’ says Mopar’s Mark Bosanac. ‘There is nothing like the open-air freedom a Jeep can offer on the road or on the trails,’ adds Jeep Vice President Jim Morrison. ‘With this innovative new feature, our passionate owners will have yet another way to enhance their open-air experience.’ The Sunrider Flip Top is priced at $895. You’ll need to import it yourself, however, as it’s only on sale in Jeep’s local North American markets. • IF THE OPEN AIR EXPERIENCE really is what you want, Mopar’s Jeep Performance Parts Sunbonnet is even better. This is a premium-grade, mildew THE MIG135TE WELDER FROM CLARKE is designed to be ideal for DIY enthusiasts. It has a non-live torch and turbo fan, allowing prolonged welding at full power, and comes complete with a face shield and 390g of CO2 gas, making it something of an all-in-one starter kit.

4x4 05/07/2022 17:22

PRODUCTS

Sunbonnet fabric roof screen in mesh Jeep Wrangler

and fade-resistant mesh fabric top which attaches to all four sides of the Wrangler (or Gladiator, as seen in the picture below) to protect its occupants from direct sunlight when running topless. There’s also a stouter version of the same thing available, made from a more durable, high-quality soft-top material. In this form, the Sunbonnet ‘provides a modest amount of rain protection, plus shade and wind protection.’ It’s available in any colour you want so long as it’s black. Prices for the latter Sunbonnet, which is probably more useful in UK conditions, are $200 for the 2-door Wrangler and $250 for the 4-door. In each case, it’s made exclusively for the 2018-on Wrangler JL. If it’s the mesh version you’re after, this is available for both Wrangler models as well as the Gladiator, priced at $150 right across the board. The unit’s case has a hinged side door providing access to the wire reel and gas bottle, and power selector switches allow for easy use. It’s supplied with a full instruction manual and promises to be ready to go straight out of the box. The MIG135TE is priced at £323.98. It’s available from www.machinemart.co.uk.

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RLG Tyres

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AUGUST 2022 | 19

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PRODUCTS

RollnJack arrives in Europe promising quick and easy hard-top removal for last three generations of Jeep Wrangler THERE ARE LOTS OF GOOD THINGS about owning a Jeep Wrangler, but one of the very best is being able to go off-roading in the fresh air. This is even the case if yours is a hard-top – because the hard-top in question is designed to be removable. Removable it may be, however – but easily removable it’s not. Or at least it wasn’t, until the RollnJack lift showed up. This is a portable, lightweight device for lifting away the Wrangler’s roof. ‘The Jeep life should be about the time you spend in your Jeep, not struggling with your hard-top,’ says European importer Racko, which promises that the job will take less than a minute with the RollnJack on your side. This goes up to ten minutes if you include the time taken to assemble the unit. But it can be broken back down similarly quickly, whereupon it stows away neatly in a 125 x 53 x 33cm box – meaning you can take it with you on your travels, keeping your Jeep’s hard-top in place for journeys to and from your off-road heaven of choice and opening yourself up to the elements for the good stuff. Rather than lifting the hard-top from above, the RollnJack slides in underneath and supports it from below on ﬁve foam pads. You then lift if up using a winding handle on the main upright;

ﬁnally, using a pair of steering handles and the castors on which it’s mounted, you roll it away from the vehicle with the hard-top still attached. That’s all very well, you might be thinking, but what if the Jeep in question is lifted? The answer is that they’ve thought of that. The RollnJack has a range of motion from 56” to 86”, so a vehicle would have to be on a very serious lift indeed for it not to work. Said vehicle will be any JK or JL with the jack in its standard form. However you can also buy optional support posts to make it suitable for the older TJ Wrangler – as well as the current

Ford Bronco, should you happen to own one of the handful in the UK. Want to know more? If you own a hard-top Wrangler, of course you do. The RollnJack is priced at about $750 in the US, which gives you some idea of what it’ll cost you here; you can ﬁnd out more about it by visiting info@ rackosports.com.

Black Magic range from Hella brings a new level of style to the LED lighting market HELLA’S BLACK MAGIC SERIES of LED products has been winning awards in the USA. And now it’s available over here. Robustly built and featuring dustproof and waterproof housings, these units are specially designed for off-road applications. They’re available as Cubes, Lightbars and Mini-Lightbars, providing up to 15,000 lumens of illumination. The Black Magic design includes a specially developed reflector to ensure evenly spread illumination and a thermal management to maintain performance and efficiency by dealing with changes in the ambient temperature. Available in flood or spot patterns, the lights can be mounted in various ways to suit your vehicle – vertically, suspended or integrated into the bumper or grille. You can get them in any colour you want, too. So long as it’s black. To find out more, visit www.hella.com/offroad.

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4x4 05/07/2022 17:22

Ford Ranger Big Brake Kit Ad - Jan 2020 - UK.pdf

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For the discerning driver who is particular about how eXtreme Brake Kit. The braking results are staggering with the inclusion of a larger 6 pot caliper design, high tech TrakRyder eXtreme kevlar ceramic pads mated with a 10 slot dimpled and geomet coated larger diameter rotor. Bigger braking surface means bigger stopping power. With the fitment of the all new Pedders TrakRyder eXtreme brake kit, independent Australian Engineering tests reflected an average improvement in braking distance by up to 14%.

Features: • Stainless steel braided hoses. • 10 slot and dimpled TrakRyder geomet coated rotors 14”/356mm diameter (OE 11.85”/301mm). • TrakRyder eXtreme Kevlar Ceramic low dust brake pads. • TrakRyder eXtreme 6 pot design caliper brackets and bolts. • 6 Pot, 2 piece aluminium forged calipers. • High grade alloy steel brake pad insulators. • Stainless steel pistons.

Specialising in Suspension solutions since 1950 For further information go to www.pedders.co.uk or please contact your local Pedders experts.

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* Independent Australian engineering test results proved that at 100kmh the TrakRyder eXtreme Brake Kit system upgrade stopped on average 11m sooner than original distances are reduced by 21%. This kit is suited for 18” wheels or larger. Further details available in store and on our website. Suits Ford Ranger PX & PXII Models.

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4x4 AWAITING JEEPEY AD CONF 3pp Scene Products Aug 22.indd 21

AUGUST 2022 | 21

05/07/2022 17:22

4x4 TYRE EXPERTS & OFF-ROAD SPECIALISTS Alloy and steel wheels for van, car, SUV & 4X4

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BUY TWO OR MORE TERRATOURA A/T TYRES TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING A 4X4 EXPERIENCE DAY WITH OFF-ROAD RALLY LEGEND AND BRITISH CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPION, EDD COBLEY. Enjoy an exclusive off-road adventure behind the wheel of a Land Rover Defender, equipped with Terratoura A/T tyres and accompanied by Edd Cobley in the beautiful grounds of Rockingham Castle. See in store for details or scan the QR code to enter.*

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06/06/2022 21:48

Silverline 4x4 is an off-roader’s perfect partner!

ilverline 4x4 is making rapid progress on its journey to become one of the most respected 4x4 conversion centres in the UK. The wheel and tyre expert is positioning itself as a partner for all off-road lovers, offering solutions for vehicles of all sizes and capabilities. Specialising in wheels and tyres for every kind of 4x4, the Warwickbased centre boasts the best brands under one roof. One call to Simon

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and the team is all you need to find out what solutions suit your vehicle. Its wheel and tyre packages are among the most impressive to be found in the UK, in terms of both price and genuine quality. Rather than selling on price, Silverline 4x4 advises on the right solution for each vehicle they see. Centre manager Simon Mepstead said: ‘Our services aren’t like conventional automotive centres in so far as our products aren’t viewed

as distress purchases. We always remain competitive, but price isn’t the overriding factor as much as finding the specific solution for our customer and their vehicle.’ Silverline 4x4 is the only garage in the UK to stock the critically acclaimed Unigrip tyre range – starring the Unigrip Lateral Force and Road Force tyres, which are available in sizes ranging from 15” up to 20”. Meanwhile, the Bridgestone Dueler M/T 674 tyre is a rugged new

product which is mud-focused but drives really nicely too. It’s a great all-round performer – so if the split between all-terrain and mud outings is around 50/50, this could be a perfect tyre. And of course not to forget our full range of the superb Davanti Terratoura! For more about Silverline 4x4’s services, call Simon and the team on 01926 490002 or visit www. silverlinewheels-tyres.com

AUGUST 2022 | 23

05/07/2022 17:42

DRIVEN

RANGE ROVER VELAR P400E Plug-in electric power makes Land Rover’s most elegant vehicle smoother than ever – as well as creating a premium SUV with planet-friendly credentials to go with its award-winning style

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ELECTRIC PROPULSION HAS PROGRESSED through the Land Rover range at a breathtaking pace, with almost all of the company’s engines now including at least some sort of mild hybrid technology. But it’s the company’s plug-in models that are making the real difference, offering as they do the opportunity to polish off a typical diet of everyday driving duties without burning any fossil fuel at all. The Velar is among the more recent additions to the PHEV line-up, having arrived early this year with the now-familiar P400e powertrain. This combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a 17.1kWh battery and 48-volt motor to develop a combined 404bhp and 472lbf.ft. We tested the vehicle in S form. Listing at £61,770 with this powertrain, it’s the second up in a run of four trim levels and it gives you everything most reasonable people could ask for – lots of luxuries, lots of media, lots of safety and no small amount of off-road driver aids. The latter doesn’t include low range, but there’s a long list of high-tech alternatives including Terrain Response; this model has coil springs, however, so its ground clearance can’t be hiked upwards the way it can on air. It does as standard, at least. Our test vehicle was equipped with an extensive range of options including the £1755 Dynamic Handling Pack, which includes Electronic Air Sus-

pension as well as Adaptive Dynamics, Configurable Dynamics and All Terrain Progress Control. A major upgrade both on and off the road, then – and previous experience has shown that despite the lack of low range, the Velar is still a competent performer in muddy conditions. Not that that’s what people buy it for. This is The Elegant One in the Range Rover family. Well, they’re all elegant in their own way but, whereas the fullfat Rangey is a lord of the manor and the Sport is a pro footballer, the Velar is David Niven. One doesn’t strive for elegance, nor is it thrust upon one; elegance comes from within. And the Velar is indeed very elegant within, too. Leather is standard on the S model, but for an extra £1105 ours was trimmed in a combination of suedecloth and premium textile in Light Oyster and Dapple Grey, and thoroughly fine it looked too. There’s a lovely simplicity to its layout, with crisp horizontal lines on the dash and a pair of classy looking multi-function screens removing the need for any unsightly buttons or switches. Most of all, the colour combination is bright, classy and slick without coming across as being wrapped up in its own importance. There’s a subtle Union Jack element to the pattern of the perforations in the seats which you might never even notice, and the textures and finishes throughout complement each other delightfully. During the first half of last year, our first experience of a Velar P400e was aboard a left-hand drive model with a horrible black and blue treatment which ruined it completely, but this time it was a perfect example of good a modern Land Rover can look and feel. Rear-seat passengers get to enjoy it in plenty of room, too. And if you need to carry large loads, those seats drop close enough to flat for a major Ikea visit not to end up in disaster. The tailgate aperture is a little arched, but that should only be an issue if you’ve chosen the wrong Land Rover to use for shifting furniture around the place. Getting behind the wheel, the drivetrain system has EV, Hybrid and Save settings, allowing you to prioritise electric or petrol power or combine both. The idea is that you can choose to run emissions-free around town or, on a long motorway journey, conserve the battery to use where it will have the most worthwhile effect. This works well enough as a way of managing your vehicle’s efficiency. But in terms of performance, it doesn’t really matter which mode you’re in – it will always be extremely responsive on the throttle, leaping to attention the instant the pedal goes down. Even if you’re already bowling along at a good pace, it will still pick up speed without any hesitation. It has the handling to match, with well controlled body movements giving it a poise that goes with its typically Range Rover level of grip. Torque Vectoring is standard on the Velar, adding yet another level of control in corners, and as well as cruising on the motorway with a wonderfully planted stability it’s very smooth and fluent on urban roads. Obviously, it runs about town in EV mode with that eerie silence you expect from an electric vehicle. The engine is very quiet too, however – so

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DRIVEN

much so, in fact, that there’s not a lot of difference in the drivetrain’s refinement wherever the power’s coming from. There’s precious little to hear when the engine kicks in, and certainly no vibrations to feel. The 2.0-litre unit sings out when you give it the boot, but it’s not a nasty noise – and once again it’s very well muted when you settle to a cruise. This does, however, serve to highlight that there’s rather a lot of road noise at speed, and a good bit of wind noise too. It’s the same story around town, where the absence of engine noise lets the road in. The optional air suspension helps here, damping out some of the thumps as you run through pot holes and over cats eyes, but there’s only so much it can do. Another option on our Velar was 21” rims and 265/45R21 tyres; Land Rover has got a long way beyond the point where low-profile sidewalls equate simply to high-profile fussing, but obviously less rubber means more work for the suspension and you do hear and feel it coming up into the cabin. Off-road, as we mentioned above the Velar is more at home in rough and muddy conditions than its suave appearance and slick dynamics might have you expect. The hybrid powertrain is largely well suited here, too – though because the petrol engine is so very refined, the feeling of easing your way over the terrain in almost complete silence is one you can enjoy even if the battery is as flat as a pancake. Obviously, however, the electric motor delivers torque in a way no internal combustion engine ever can, so it feels utterly effortless at low speeds –

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even when you’re scaling sharp crests or longer, steep hills, the vehicle’s ability to fight gravity without needing to raise its voice never fails to come as a surprise. We did find, however, that when you reach the crest at the top of a climb and back off, it seems to pick up speed for a moment before the hill descent control kicks in to bring it back. Maybe we’re just too used to the sort of engine braking you get in a basic old diesel, but the feeling was enough to be alarming at times. Would this stop us from buying a P400e? No, because we wouldn’t be buying it to go off-road in. It’s nice to know that when you’re spending £69,310 (the price as tested) on something with a Range Rover badge on its bonnet, it does actually make a fist of living up to what those two words have come to mean, but we’d think it’s also quite nice to know that your own personal example of what this much money gets you will never have to prove it for itself. For almost everyone who buys a Velar, its image is what matters. That’s no criticism, and the vehicle answers that call superbly. And for almost everyone who buys a P400e, what really matters is being able to drive to work, school or the shops on nothing but electric power. Either that or they don’t care about anything other than avoiding a huge tax bill. But used correctly, this has the potential to be a tremendously economical SUV – and one which sets itself apart from the crowd by dishing up some genuine off-road ability to go with its wide-ranging off-road skills. In every way, the Velar PHEV is a definitive example of a modern Range Rover.

4x4 04/07/2022 23:11

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AUGUST 2022 | 27

05/07/2022 16:47

DRIVEN

ISUZU D-MAX UTILITY Our 2021 Pick-Up of the Year has previously come over most convincingly in mid-range form; does the entry-level version continue this trend and be best of all, or is it a work truck too far?

WHEN ISUZU LAUNCHED THE CURRENT D-MAX, it did so on the back of the massive popularity its predecessor had achieved at the down-to-earth end of the market. The old D-Max never managed to mix it with the likes of the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi L200 for lifestyle appeal – but for farmers, builders and utility users, it was an absolute winner. One goal the company’s UK importer set for the new model was to carve out a bigger share for itself at the top end of the double-cab market. But of course the D-Max also needed to watch its back in work-truck territory, where the Ranger and Toyota Hilux are forever poised to take advantage of any slip-ups. Following the vehicle’s introduction last spring, we tested the mid-range DL20 and top-spec V-Cross models – and concluded that as before, the D-Max becomes less convincing the higher up the market you go. We’re

leaving out the specialised AT35 there – it’s a story all of its own – but the corollary of that should be that the entry-level Utility model is the most convincing of the lot. It’s certainly very authentic. It’s available in Single-Cab and Extended-Cab form but we’ve got the Double-Cab here, with the same extremely spacious second row of seats that becomes standard as you move higher up the range. These are trimmed in a stout, hard-wearing fabric and you plant your boots on rubber rather than carpeting, so this is a truck which, if you’re careful where you aim it, can be hosed out after a hard day’s work. However it’s also a truck with what may be a surprising amount of premium kit. You get air-conditioning, cruise control and lumbar adjust as standard, as well as Bluetooth, DAB and an exceptional range of safety aids. Higher-spec models may add things like chrome, leather, alloys and a fancier media system, but we’ve long argued that a few well chosen items go 90% of the way – and the equipment on the D-Max Utility is very well chosen indeed. You could spend your life aboard one of these without ever feeling like you were missing out. This has become particularly true just recently, as Isuzu has added a locking rear diff as optional equipment on the base-spec version of the D-Max. This was previously limited to the DL20 and

Cabin is trimmed in hard-wearing materials that will live with a lifetime of hard use. Wipe-clean seats and surfaces mean you don’t need to worry about climbing aboard in muddy clothes, and rubber ﬂooring allows you to hose it out. Yet it’s in no way sparse; even in Utility form, the D-Max has air-con and cruise control, as well as DAB, Bluetooth, lumbar adjust and an excellent suite of safety kit. It’s almost like being aboard a premium truck in disguise

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DRIVEN

above, which seemed odd to us as the Utility is at the very least just as likely to be used in conditions that would need one, so it’s good to see Isuzu plugging that hole in the range. The wheels being locked together are shod with 265/60R18s, which sounds like a taller wheel and lower sidewall than we’d want, but this didn’t result in any ride issues on the road. Nor did it hinder the D-Max’s tractability in sloppy conditions, which remained excellent even on standard tyres. If off-roading is indeed your thing, an advantage of the Utility is that it’s not equipped with the low-slung side steps that appear higher up the range. On something with such a long wheelbase, these are an accident waiting to happen, so unless you really need them for climbing aboard you’re better off without. Something else that recently became available on the Utility is automatic transmission, however the vehicle we drove was a manual. It’s a good, precise box which gives you all the control you want in an old-fashioned, mechanical way; hill descent control is fitted as standard, but if you know how to drive off-road you should never need to engage it for as long as you own the vehicle. Ours didn’t have the locking rear diff, but we know from experience on other D-Maxes that this can make the difference between easing your way over an obstacle or having to hit it so hard you’re barely in control. This is particularly the case when you’re running unladen and the back springs are trying to hold up a tonne that’s not there. Nonetheless, even with the rear wheels free to spin independently of each other it’s still capable of picking its way of tight, technical ground under an impressive level of control. It’s agile, manoeuvrable and, with the manual box allowing you to decide things for yourself, extremely tractable. On the road, too, the six-speed manual unit helps you get the best from the 1.9-litre engine’s 164bhp and 265lbf.ft. We’ve previously found the auto box in the D-Max to be prone to lengthy, hesitant shifts, however the manual has a nice mechanical accuracy to it and is very well matched to the turbo-diesel lump, whether you’re hauling it around on torque or short-shifting your way to what is a surprisingly sprightly performance around town and on fast A and B-roads alike. It’s nicely refined at speed, too, though the suspension does fidget a little on rough surfaces. It rides with good com-

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posure and body control nonetheless, though, and handles well in fast and slow corners alike. All of this is the case for any D-Max, but in the case of the Utility it’s worth mentioning again first because being manual-only (when our test vehicle was first registered, at least) means you’ll get the best of the vehicle by default, and second because when you’re buying a base-spec one-tonner you don’t necessarily expect it to have the same road manners as a tarted-up range-topper. As it is, this version of the D-Max makes an extremely strong case for itself, both as part of the range and in its own right. If you’re in the market for a lower-spec double-cab, all the options left in the market are very good ones – but the D-Max Utility certainly bears comparison with its rivals. If you’re in the market for a D-Max, meanwhile, your instinct might be to cast your eyes higher – however if you look closer to the ground, you might find that the vehicle tested here is all the truck you’ll ever need. If the sales figures since the D-Max was launched are anything to goby, the new model is doing a sterling job of helping Isuzu push into the lucrative lifestyle segment at the top of the pick-up market. But no way is the company taking its eye off the ball when it comes to work trucks. The Utility Double-Cab is one of those vehicles that gives you everything you do want and nothing you don’t. But most of all, what it gives you is all the ability you’re ever likely to need.

AUGUST 2022 | 29

04/07/2022 23:20

Nissan Navara AT32 returns to the market as Arctic Trucks launches new direct conversion service for existing owners and operators

BACK WHEN NISSAN WAS STILL bringing the Navara to the UK, the Off-Roader AT32 model was a serial winner of the Best Off-Road category in our annual Pick Up of the Year awards. Built by Arctic Trucks, a company renowned for its exper-

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tise in creating extreme versions of mainstream 4x4 vehicles, it was enormously capable – and very, very cool. The latest version of the Navara is no longer available in the UK. But Arctic Trucks has announced that it is now making the same conversion available directly to existing owners – allowing you to create an AT32 of your own from any Navara from 2015 on. And best of all, the work remains fully approved by Nissan Europe – meaning the balance of your Navara’s 5-year, 100,000-mile warranty will remain intact after it’s been done. The AT32 conversion is carried out on an individual basis by Arctic Trucks’ own team of experienced technicians at the company’s new facility in the Cotswolds. It’s available on all body styles, transmissions and grades of the NP300 / D23 Navara. Upgrades to the base vehicle include Arctic Trucks wheels with all-terrain tyres, performance suspension, underbody armour and re-engineering of the body and bodywork, the latter finished with Arctic Trucks’ widened flares. The Navara is well positioned to make the most of the Arctic Trucks conversion as a locking rear differential was fitted as standard across the range. In addition, most models were coil-

sprung at the rear – something which remains very unusual in the pick-up market. Options including a front diff lock, snorkel, Arctic Trucks spare wheel/tyre, Arctic Trucks side steps and more are also available. Peter Smith, Managing Director of Arctic Trucks UK commented: ‘With customers unable to cycle into the latest Navara version, now not available in Europe, these new conversions provide a fantastic opportunity for them to refresh their existing vehicles with a full and proven solution endorsed by Nissan Europe, while enhancing both their looks and capabilities.’ The AT32 conversion is normally priced at £6000, but at present Arctic Trucks is offering an extremely hefty discount – making it yours for a very, very tempting £4000. If that’s got you thinking ‘where do I sign,’ you probably won’t be the only one. So head straight for arctictrucks.co.uk to book your build slot.

4x4 04/07/2022 23:24

NISSAN NAVARA AT32 ARCTIC TRUCKS CONVERSION The cool and capable Arctic Trucks Navara AT32 conversion has been developed and engineered to handle challenging landscapes with ease, while displaying a distinctive presence and authentic performance that is noticed everywhere, whether on or off-road. Conversion by experienced Arctic Trucks technicians Now available directly to all Nissan Navara 2015> owners Retains full remaining Nissan GB warranty alignment

Core conversion elements: • Arctic Trucks re-engineering to bodywork • Arctic Trucks widened flares • Arctic Trucks underbody armour • Arctic Trucks Bilstein suspension • Arctic Trucks dual valve alloy wheels • 265/70 R17 all-terrain tyres • Arctic Trucks badging and detailing • Arctic Trucks mud guards • Core Options (additional cost): Arctic Trucks side steps, snorkle, front differential locker and full-size spare wheel and tyre

LIMITED TIME OFFER: 1/3 rd OFF! £6,000 £4,000 ORDER YOUR INDIVIDUAL CONVERSION AT: www.arctictrucks.shop/products/nissan-navara-at32-conversion-kit

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04/07/2022 23:24 15:33 04/07/2022

The right stuff for the white stuff

If you were an engineer looking to build an off-road vehicle in 1950s’ Austria, you too might have hit on the idea of convering a Volkswagen T1 into a sort of ATV. That’s what Kurt Kretzner did – and the vehicle he created as a result has just emerged, fully restored, after 37 years in the doldrums Words: Tom Alderney Pictures: Volkswagen

t’s often said that if you live in a mountainous region such as the Alps, you don’t really need a fully fledged 4x4. Of course, winter brings its challenges – but unless you specifically want to go off-road, an all-wheel drive version of an everyday car will do the job as well as anything else. That’s where vehicles like the Fiat Panda

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4x4 and Volkswagen Golf Country came from. Armed with a set of snow chains, there’s nothing short of fully blocked roads that will prevent vehicles like these from getting where they need to be. That’s what makes them a common sight in parts of Europe where, for much of the year, ‘off-roading’ is not so much about recreation as just getting from A to B. But what if you also need to get to C? In fact, what if you also need to get to D, E and everything the whole way to Z? That’s the problem an Austrian engineer by the name of Kurt Kretzner set out to solve way back in the late 1950s. Land Rover and Jeep were already very well established by this time, and Japan’s motor industry had moved confidently into the postwar era with

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’At first, I had a look around. But I couldn’t find the vehicle I was dreaming of. So I decided to build it myself’ the arrival of vehicles like the Nissan Patrol and Toyota Land Cruiser But what Kretzner needed was something more like an ATV – a vehicle that could scale mountainsides which were covered in yards-deep snow. His solution lay in another iconic postwar vehicle – the Volkswagen T1. A keen skier, Kretzner had spotted that there seemed to be no vans operating in the mountains that were easy for anyone to drive but which could climb up to the highest Alpine meadow. ‘An ideal helper for everyone,’ he wrote. ‘Mountain hut keepers, hunters, foresters, doctors, maintenance engineers for skilifts, TV and radio masts, pipelines and the like. ’At first, I had a look around. But I couldn’t find the vehicle I was dreaming of. So I decided to build it myself.’ Kretzner spent more than four years designing what would become known as the Half-track Fox. Starting with a standard T1 Bulli, he converted it from two to four axles – the front two steering

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Top: Propulsion came from a half-track unit of Kretzner’s own design, with rubber blocks attached to an rrangement of aluminium teeth Above: During a four-year restoration at Volkswagen Classic Vehicles, the vehicle was dismantled entirely and its bodywork stripped, dipped and full repaired

AUGUST 2022 | 33

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the vehicle on dualled tyres, while the chain-driven rears turned a unique set of rubber tracks. ‘The new, ideal, easy-to-drive Half-track Fox that lets you safely and comfortably master all diﬃcult terrain,’ says Kretzner’s promotional literature. ‘Snow, sand, stony ground, mountain meadows, small streams and woods can all be driven through in this vehicle.’ Rather than using a skidsteer system of the sort that remain common on ATVs even now, he saw the half-tracked set-up as a positive virtue rather than a compromise. The record books are unclear as to what happened to Kretzner’s project. However the vehicle in these pictures is believed to be one of two Half-track Foxes that were built in the period up to 1968 – after which production came to an end. What means is that this is one of the rarest off-road vehicles ever built. The only known

survivor, it was built in May 1962 and shipped to Vienna – where, after a brief spell of operation in standard form, it entered Kretzner’s workshop to be transformed. Despite the power-sapping conditions in which the vehicle was designed to be used, Kretzner stuck with its original 1192cc flat-four engine. A higher-compression version of the air-cooled Typ 122 unit first introduced in 1953, this produced 34bhp and around 60lbf.ft. These figures translate into a top speed of about 21mph. As Volkswagen itself observes, the Half-track Fox ‘was thus only slightly slower than the member of the animal kingdom from which it got its name.’ Mounted on 13” wheels, the tracks were made from aluminium with 2cm thick rubber blocks bolted through the outer skin to provide traction

and prevent damage to hard road surfaces. This arrangement was Kretzner’s own design. Each wheel was fitted with a brake, while an automatic limited-slip differential was fitted to help distribute the engine’s torque evenly however deep the snow might get. Up front, the axles were fitted with dual 14” tyres featuring an aggressive tread pattern, an arrangement which provided flotation as well as bite. The set-up allowed a turning circle of less than 10 metres, giving the vehicle exceptional manoeuvrability to go with its immense traction. Thus this was a vehicle whose fitness for purpose is clear for all to see. Yet for whatever reason, Kretzner failed to turn it into a sales success. Thus it was almost completely forgotten about – until this one fell into the hands of Volkswagen Classic Vehicles (VWCV).

ed ast

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4x4 04/07/2022 23:07

Its route to restoration was a circuitous one. Following its final public outing in Vienna, which was in 1985, some half a decade later it was bought by Porsche Automuseum Helmut Pfeifhofer in the Austrian town of Gmünd, which proudly boasts of being the only private Porsche museum in Europe. It rested there for several years before passing into the hands of the German-based Bullikartei e.V. – a society of T1 enthusiasts who, in 2005. began a project of their own to restore the vehicle. Despite the amount of expertise and knowledge in the club, this was tripped up by the logistic difficulties of its members being spread throughout Germany. So in 2018, they admitted defeat – and the Half-track Fox became part of the VWCV collection. Here, the aim was clear from the start: for the vehicle to run once more. And if Volkswagen’s own in-house classic vehicle operation couldn’t do it, you’d have to fear no-one ever would. With the running gear removed, the T1’s 60-year-old bodywork was stripped of paint, repaired, given a cathodic dip coating and repainted in the largely original shade of matt orange. Kretzner’s intention when it was new was to make it as visible as possible in the countryside – and seeing it against a snowy background, you can’t disagree that he succeeded. Restoring the mechanical side of a vehicle is relatively simple for experts of this calibre, but with classics there’s often the added necessity to keep it as original as possible. While this was very much the case with the unique running gear, inside the cabin the team was allowed to let its imagination run riot. ‘There were no onerous specifications,’ Volkswagen explains. ‘Wood components in beech and pine were individually adapted to the space inside the Half-track Fox,

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and practical tool holders installed.’ A gently modern interpretation of the vehicle’s functional past, then – and carried off in materials with a suitably authentic Alpine feel. Like so many things over the last couple of years, VWCV’s project to restore the Half-track Fox had to negotiate lockdown along the way. But at last, earlier this year the vehicle was ready to tackle its ﬁrst snow-clad mountainside in more than a quarter of a century. And once again, it proved its ability, setting off uphill with a degree of ability that prompted onlookers to observe

that the driver was more likely than the vehicle to chicken out. VW Classic Vehicles has as its motto the words ‘Erinnern. Erleben. Erhalten.’ The phrase, which means ‘Remember. Experience. Preserve,’ is the guiding principle for all it does. It’s probably true that after all this time, few people outside the enthusiast T1 community would have remembered the Half-track Fox. But with its preservation now assured, a good many will now be able to experience it – and having done so, this extraordinary off-roader will surely never be forgotten.

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the

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Where it all began

The history of the Land Rover Defender goes back a lot further than just to 1993. But that was the year when Solihull dipped its toe in the lifestyle water with the 90 SV – and things have never been quite the same since. This example of what is one of the rarest Defenders has just been thoroughly restored – and given a unique range of updates at the same time Words: Joe Clifford Pictures: Paul Cowland 38 | AUGUST 2022

4pp VERSION Mahker 90 SV.indd 38

4x4 04/07/2022 23:26

‘Kurt coveted his friend’s Land Rover for the best part of 20 years. He watched it take on all those idyllic activities – but he also saw it beginning to look worse for wear’

or somebody who owns Fast’n’Funded, a finance company which helps enthusiasts fast-forward their purchase of a dream classic or supercar, Kurt Bradbury had to cultivate a great deal of patience before finally being able to buy his own dream vehicle – this incredibly rare 1993 Land Rover Defender 90 SV. Finance wasn’t the issue; it was availability. As the first model produced by Land Rover’s new Special Vehicles (SV) department, this toe-dipping exercise into the emerging lifestyle market was granted a modest production run of just 90 units. Nevertheless, the model was deemed a commercial success, which encouraged Land Rover to produce subsequent projects by the thousand. This means that the 90 SV is widely recognised as one of the rarest of all Defenders – and it marks the start of a works tradition that recently served up the latest Defender V8 Bond Edition.

The original owner was an old friend of Kurt’s who had served in the Army and was a confirmed Land Rover enthusiast – as indeed many ex-service personnel tend to become in civilian life. Known to many as either ’Hutch’ or Jimmy, he bought the Defender brand new back in 1993 and appeared to have specified every optional extra, from front driving lights for the A-frame nudge bar to the distinctive Range Rover five-spoke 16” alloys. Jimmy was well aware that his limited edition 90 SV (in case you were wondering, it’s #23) was special and he had no intention of parting company with it. After moving into Jimmy’s neighbourhood in the early Noughties, Kurt coveted his friend’s Land Rover for the best part of 20 years. He watched it take on all those idyllic brochure activities: days out at the beach, ferrying members of the local football club to away matches and so on. But he also saw it beginning to look worse for wear. So

every now and again, Kurt would gently remind Jimmy that he’d be delighted to take the Defender off his hands if ever he wanted to sell it. Jimmy never did relinquish ownership of his prized Landy. However, following his death at the age of 82 in January 2020, his widow Tina recognised that one of the best ways to honour her late husband’s memory was to pass responsibility of this now rather sorry-looking vehicle to somebody who had always shown a fondness for it. Naturally, this wasn’t the route to ownership that Kurt had anticipated, but he willingly took on the task of restoring the 90 SV on behalf of his friend. Having examined its MOT history, Kurt initially thought the Defender’s condition issues were fairly superficial and that a couple of days with a Land Rover specialist was all it would need to become a half-decent daily driver once again. However, the deeper he delved into it the more Kurt realised that it needed some much more

The original 200Tdi engine has been comprehensively reconditioned – with a variety of trick bits warming it up to the tune of an extra 50bhp or so. The mods include uprated Bosch injectors, a performance turbo from Turbo Technics, a 2.5” bore turbo-back exhaust, an LOF clutch and various goodies from AlliSport , among them a header tank and fullwidth radiator/intercooler

4x4 4pp VERSION Mahker 90 SV.indd 39

04/07/2022 23:26

serious, investment-level help – the sort of expenditure that can only be justified by man-maths and rarity. Talking of figures, Kurt was wise to recognise that his skill lies in financial services rather than mechanical nous. So he commissioned Land Rover expert Dave Lea and his highly regarded team at Mahker/4x4Fabrication in Shropshire to handle the restoration. This left Mr Fast’n’Funded to take care of the resulting invoices, the bottom line of which has not been disclosed as it remains an issue of matrimonial security. Mahker started by removing the body from the chassis and reported that the underlying structure was in such poor condition that there was nothing

to be done other than for it to be condemned. This meant that one of the first major outlays was to source a new, fully galvanised Marsland Chassis and OEM bulkhead, both of which were triple-coated for posterity. As well as renewing every single nut, bolt and bush, the suspension arms, A-frame fulcrum and drivetrain were thoroughly refreshed. This included rebuilding the front and rear axles and replacing the Defender’s original open differentials with torque-sensing Quaife LSDs to maximise traction. Translating that torque to the ground is the task of some outsize 265/75R16 General Grabber all-terrains (believe it or not, when the SV was new Defender 90s still came as standard on 205s) which keep a stranglehold on the original but freshly restored alloy wheels. But now things are going to get controversial. A 90 doesn’t need a suspension lift to go on 265s, but many people combine them – however Kurt’s choice was to gently negate the extra height of the tyres’ sidewall with a 1” drop in ride height, courtesy of Mahker’s own lowering springs. These are allied to a set of Fox Performance Series 2.0 shock absorbers which, together with a heavy-duty rear anti-roll bar and 1” spacers, give the Defender greater on-road composure and endow it with something of a Tomcat vibe in its silhouette. We’ve seen modded 90 SVs on big lifts and 35s, and jolly good they look too, but here’s a reminder that the comp safari image is a cool one too.

Talking of image, every panel of the body was either replaced or restored and meticulously repainted in the original Caprice Blue Metallic, a shade which according to Land Rover lore is unique to the 90 SV. Similarly, to maintain the model’s aesthetic, the contrasting wheelarch ‘eyebrows’ were repainted and the full exterior cage was sandblasted and powder coated. The twotone look is further enhanced with black chequer plate wing tops, a swing-away spare wheel carrier and boxy stainless steel side rails instead of the original twin tube runners. Purists may also tut at Kurt’s decision to fit a non-standard Puma bonnet. But that small (and reversible) aftermarket indulgence is balanced out by the fact that he managed to track down a new old stock OEM soft-top, another component that is bespoke to the 90 SV. The original brochure informs us that the top is a two-tone cotton weave but its rarity makes us think it’s actually fabricated from unobtanium. The desire to create a restomod-style Defender is also seen under the bonnet. Importantly, the original 2.5-litre 200TDi engine block has been retained so its serial number matches that shown on the VIN. But its internals and ancillaries have been thoroughly updated and breathed upon to extract a little extra performance – about 50bhp, in Dave’s experience. Apart from having the block honed and decked and the crank ground, every other engine internal is new. The head, meanwhile, was similarly treat-

Kurt’s choice was to negate the extra height of the tyres with a 1” drop in ride height, courtesy of Mahker’s own lowering springs allied to a set of Fox shocks

4x4 4pp VERSION Mahker 90 SV.indd 40

04/07/2022 23:26

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The 90’s seats were fully restored, stuffed with memory foam and retrimmed in leather. The dash-top, centre console and steering column have all had the same treatment too, and the original wheel has made way for a Momo unit sitting on an Optimill quick-release boss. Wooden flooring has become all the rage on high-end Defender rebuilds, and this 90 SV gets a classy looking hardwood treatment finished off by its creator’s logo

ed to an all-new valve train after having been ported and re-faced. That additional flow capacity is put to excellent use by the inclusion of an uprated Turbo Technics blower with variable geometry to increase the engine’s response and broaden its torque curve. It breathes through beautifully TIG-welded boost lines, with the charged air being managed by an oversized AlliSport radiator/intercooler combination spanning the full width of the grille area. Additional cooling is provided by an integrated electric fan instead of the original viscous set-up, primarily because this solution doesn’t draw its drive power from the crank. Further AlliSport products create attractive bright spots within the neatly arranged engine bay. Beneath the surface, a set of oversized Bosch injectors were plumbed in to ensure there’s plenty of juice to maintain the optimal combustion ratio, while spent gases are efficiently evacuated through an aftermarket turbo-back exhaust system with a 2.5” diameter. And to ensure the engine’s pent-up energy is efficiently transferred, an uprated LOF clutch provides the mediation between flywheel and transmission. Inside is arguably where the greatest change has taken place. And you can forgive Kurt for wanting to exchange the 90 SV’s tired cloth seats and pragmatic waterproof covers for upholstery that is more reflective of the vehicle’s neo-classic status – especially when the roof is detached and passers-by can get a good look-in. So the original metal frames of the front seats and rear benches were restored, stuffed with memory foam padding and trimmed in a dusky

4x4 4pp VERSION Mahker 90 SV.indd 43

shade of Sandhurst blue leather. Tasteful fluting gives them additional structure and a luxurious visual flair. Even the centre console, the top of the dashboard and the steering column surround have been tastefully covered in hide. The steering wheel itself is a Momo Prototipo unit, and it is connected by an Optimill quick-release boss for extra security. After approximately 18 months with the Mahker crew, Kurt finally took delivery of his 30-year-old yet ostensibly brand new Defender. Having been instrumental in helping many other enthusiasts get into their dream cars through Fast’n’Funded, he was finally able to experience that same rush for himself. He is as delighted with his 90 SV as Jimmy no doubt was back in 1993. But in a delightful turn of events, it turned out that Jimmy was able to enjoy one last ride in his Defender 90 SV. Tina had arranged for members of the Cheshire regiment to join her in a modest procession to honour her late husband when his

ashes were interned in Sandbach Cemetery, and Kurt was privileged to escort the urn to that final resting place. It was a touching moment, one that reminded the family of the good times they had enjoyed together. Yet it also provided comfort in the assurance that new motoring memories are now going to be created aboard Jimmy’s muchloved and now fully restored Defender.

AUGUST 2022 | 43

04/07/2022 23:26

Separated at Birth? Back when the Defender 90 SV was new, someone from our office managed to persuade Land Rover that it would be a good idea to let him pit one against his slightly knackered Series I on Solihull’s legendary Jungle Track

ne of the most remarkable features of the Land Rover is the amazing similarity between the very oldest examples and those rolling off the line all those decades later. Perhaps nowhere is this more visible than when comparing the Series I with the lifestyle special from 1993, the 90 SV. Crazy? Not quite. The standard Defender station wagon, whether in 90 or 110 form, features acres of plate glass and a stance that positively towers over the earliest models. But the SV, with its folded hood and roll cage, is distinctly reminiscent of all those black and white pictures you see of Land Rovers from the 1950s. Look through the gleaming new paint job and past the trendy upholstery, and a lot of Solihull traditions are there to be seen. So in many respects it still looks the same. But what about performance? Surely the new 90 would wipe the floor with earlier offerings, leaving only a glowing tail-light and glimpse of metallic green-over-blue? The answer? Give it a try. We happened to have a 2.0-litre 86” Series I from 1955 lying around, and

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3.5pp VERSION. 90 SV v Series I.indd 44

the people at Land Rover happened to have a 90 SV that hadn’t yet been shipped off to the dealership that was presumably rubbing its hands

at the prospect of receiving it. It would be rude not to… Now, the people at Land Rover weren’t going to let the 90 out of

their sight. Not a problem, we’d take the Series I to them. They had the famous Jungle Track for us to play on, after all. But what was a bit of

4x4 05/07/2022 16:28

a problem was that with the 90 SV literally waiting to be loaded on a transporter later that day, we weren’t to get it muddy. Fortunately, large parts of the Jungle Track resembled a jungle in name alone. So with plenty of man-made obstacles to take on, we set out to test our theory that despite all the mechanical odds, the back-breaking seats and the brush-painted bodywork our little Series I would win through. As theories go, most of the guys back in the office said it was stupid and doomed to failure. But, well, we couldn’t resist. There’s a distinct and pleasurable inverted snobbery

4x4 3.5pp VERSION. 90 SV v Series I.indd 45

derived from pitching underdogs against the high and mighty, and a very definite satisfaction to be had by squeezing every last drop of ability from a machine rather than simply throwing a hydraulically assisted switch and having it all done for you. It’s a pleasure whose appeal will resonate with anyone who’s driven an early 4x4 of any kind, be it a Jeep, a Land Rover or something Japanese – a small, light vehicle with leaf springs, a modest engine and nothing in the way of power steering or modern driver aids will always make you work for it offroad, but nothing matches the sense of achievement you’ll get from it.

So there we were at Lode Lane. The sun was out (for the first time in weeks) but the ground was sodden, meaning there was no end of lovely mud for us to… avoid, at least in the 90. Behind the wheel of the Series I, though, we stopped to engage low range and four-wheel drive then its skinny tyres started cutting their was down through the thick clag to find traction in the firm ground down below as we picked our way gingerly yet unfalteringly to the top of the Jungle Track. The occasional chirp of wheelspin slowed us down, but we never lost our grip altogether. The 90’s minder wasn’t about to lose his grip, either. Not in the mud, because he didn’t take that route in to the Jungle Track, but of the vehicle itself. His job was to enforce a preservation order more stringent than the one on St Pancras, and since a large security barrier stood between us and freedom we didn’t much fancy the consequences of not doing what we were told. So we started casting about for a route, finally picking one featuring opposing side slopes and an exit across twenty or so railway sleepers. The first step was to swing the Series I over a series of humps so, having walked them first to try to pick a suitable line, I engaged low second and edged forward, feeling my way and expecting at any moment to become powerfully and permanently stuck. Pushing forward, the skinny steering wheel swung wildly for a moment between my loosely gripping fingers. But the Landy’s momentum carried her onwards and, avoiding the ruts, she gained some smoother, scrubby ground and all was calm. But now the ground was set to become rougher. My right foot hovered over the accelerator as the

Series I scaled up a sharp crest – only for the engine to do all the work for me on tickover, hauling itself up and over with surprising ease. The vehicle was now leaning to the left at a pretty severe angle, with me inside straining to keep in my seat. It doesn’t have any belts and the squabs are completely flat, so lateral support was provided by little more than my clenched backside! But then suddenly we were down and level again… only then, almost as suddenly, for the ground to throw us over to what must have been 45 degrees to the right. And this time, she was having none of it. Despite me keeping my feet off all three pedals, the front end began to slide downhill. I steered into it and applied slight pressure on the throttle pedal, and for a brief moment she gained traction – but then she hesitated and all was lost again. Maybe I had given it a little too much on the way up, reacting the whole way to what felt like an impending stall, but it was a lesson learned. We drove out at the end of it, after a battle to keep the Series I under and kind of control; it was messy, but we were through. Now for the sleepers. These were arranged at intervals of a few feet for twenty yards or so — just the kind of obstacle that stops a stubby little leaf-sprung Land Rover in its tracks. You can’t simply chug over them as you would in a coiler – at least, not unless you want to suffer concussion at the hands of the roof. Fortunately, and despite the amount of standing water elsewhere, the sleepers were quite dry. The Series I climbed into the first of

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Let me make it clear: I adored that Series I. But in comparison, driving the 90 SV was like a breath of fresh air them, again in second low, and we were off. The effect was like being in a boat on a stormy sea, causing it to pitch and roll until I felt as though I was about to be violently sick. The steering wheel lashed viciously from side to side, too – in today’s world of modern 4x4s with damped steering, you don’t always think about keeping your thumbs to yourself, but this would have broken anything that got in the way of the spokes. And then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped. I was clear, and the Series I had made it. I opened

the door, lurched out and went staggering off to the waiting 90 SV. Let me make it clear: I adored that Series I. But in comparison, the 90 was like a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, everything was where you’d expect to find it; my fingers were wrapped around a fat, grippy steering wheel, my posterior was cossetted in an excellent seat and the low rumble from under the bonnet sounded as though it was ready to carry me across the Sahara. I slid the transfer lever across to engage diff-lock, pushed it gently forward into low range and just like that, away

we went. I didn’t even have time to wonder when someone would next do that (would it be months, years, decades before this SV next went off-road…?), because the Tdi engine needed nothing more than just to be started up and the hills before me were shrinking as if cowering in fear. It was so, so easy in comparison. Brand new tyres helped, of course (those on our Series I had seen better days at this point), and the fact that I wasn’t slipping across the seats several feet at a time meant I wasn’t having to use the steering wheel as a grab handle and pulling it the truck course in the process.

Little details make all the difference. Details like seat belts, and indeed actual seats. Details like being able to tackle a side slope without sliding so violently to one side that you end up using the steering wheel as a grab handle. The Series I was wonderful for all that, but this comparison really brought out just how much Land Rover learned about covering terrain between the two vehicles’ respective eras

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3.5pp VERSION. 90 SV v Series I.indd 46

4x4 05/07/2022 16:28

The textbooks suggest the best action on a side slope is to allow the vehicle to ﬁnd its own way. You can steer into any slides, and wind in a little power if necessary, but with a lump like the Tdi there’s hardly any need. Just keep hold of the wheel in case it grabs the ground and sets off up hill, and you’re in business. Minutes later, I cleared the humps and the sleepers were staring me in the face. This time, I was more than prepared. Second gear, foot down and we shot across them, with the springs absorbing everything. No thrashing wheel, no lingering feelings of queasiness, just smooth, assured progress. It was marvellous to drive these two vehicles back to back. Our brief

4x4 3.5pp VERSION. 90 SV v Series I.indd 47

tinker with the SV proved that it is a superb vehicle – a fabulous ﬁrst foray into the lifestyle market for Land Rover, but primarily a modern Defender 90 and what a wonderful thing that is. We wanted more time, more freedom – we wanted to take it home and keep it! But we did get to keep the Series I, and that’s hardly a poor substitute. And our little session on the Jungle Track proved our theory – the old 86” really IS is as good as the 90 SV. As good, that is, at providing sheer seat-of-your-pants entertainment. Two very different examples of Land Rover’s ﬁnest – and between them, a perfect reminder of the similarities between every one of Solihull’s oldshape motors.

AUGUST 2022 | 47

05/07/2022 16:28

THE DA WINCHY CODE Jeep builds a concept Gladiator off-roader with a difference – the difference being that Words: Marcus Tee Pictures: Jeep

ome of the concept vehicles Jeep builds every year for the Moab Easter Safari are ﬂights of fantasy, one-off creations you could never hope to

own. But others are designed to use the event as a shop window for what the company’s customers can do with a deep enough wallet. The D-Coder is an example of the latter. It’s a Gladiator, so from a British perspective you’re already looking at personal imports only. But

4x4 3pp Jeep D-Coder.indd 48

04/07/2022 23:09

a spending spree in the oﬃcial accessories catalogue can score you one exactly like it

what makes it special is the array of more than 35 accessories Jeep has ﬁtted from its own Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) ranges. Jeep even describes the D-Coder as ‘a rolling catalogue of factory-tested and factory-backed items available for customer purchase.’ The

4x4 3pp Jeep D-Coder.indd 49

accessories are painted red to contrast with the Gladiator’s black bodywork, and each of them is labelled with a QR code linking back to the Mopar and JPP web shops. Hence the name. This is seewhat-money-can-buy stuff and no mistake. So, what can your money buy?

The Gladiator rides on 37” BFGoodrich KM3 Mud-Terrains, which are wrapped around a set of JPP’s own 17x8.5” ﬁve-spoke beadlock rims. Despite the size of these things it only sits on a 2” lift, supplied by JPP and featuring Fox shocks. Up front, a Warn winch is mounted on a threepiece modular Rubicon bumper, which is also home to a pair of 7” LED off-road lights. Further heavy metal comes in the shape of heavy-gauge JPP rock rails along the sills, which are augmented by more of the same protecting the truck bed aft of the rear wheels. JPP also supplied a set of tubular doors, which never fail to make a vehicle look cool. The D-Coder is powered by Jeep’s 3.6-litre Pentastar petrol engine, warmed up by a Mopar cat-back dual exhaust. The engine breathes in through a JPP snorkel and also runs a Mopar cold air intake system to keep its oxygen levels up in hot climates – we’d say that’s more relevant in Nevada than it is in Northumberland, but with the way things are going with the weather this summer we’re not so sure. What we deﬁnitely are sure about is that Mopar’s mesh sunbonnet is very cool indeed – basically, it’s a way of driving in the open air without being in the glare of the sun. Also very relevant in Nevada, and indeed everywhere – as

AUGUST 2022 | 49

04/07/2022 23:09

is a windscreen that’s three times stronger than standard, which is the proud claim made by JPP’s Gorilla Glass. There are yet more LEDs either side of the screen, too, in the shape of two TYRI 5” lights mounted in JPP A-post brackets. Inside, there’s more fun with red-on-black contrasting colourways. The seats are trimmed in Katzkin leather and the pick-up bed is finished with a spray-in liner; additionally here, there’s a low-profile Thule cargo basket mounted on a set of Mopar bed rails. Stainless steel pedal covers might be considered a bit fanciful, but elsewhere it’s all good and practical with all-weather floor mats throughout and sill guards for all four doors. Not the sort of stuff that gets you to the top of the trail, perhaps, but definitely the sort of stuff that lets you set out in the morning with the security of knowing that getting there won’t make an ugly mess of your nice Jeep.

50 | AUGUST 2022

3pp Jeep D-Coder.indd 50

And this is a very nice Jeep. Better still, it could be YOUR very nice Jeep. Not this actual one, obviously, but Gladiators already in the UK are typically listing for about £60,000 and even with all this kit shipped and fitted you should still be able to bring it home for the sort of money that wouldn’t get you anything more than a mid-range Defender 110. Talking of which, if you don’t mind the steering wheel being on the wrong side we recently saw a left-hand drive example of one of those James Bond fanboy Defender 90s which a UK dealer had pre-registered so they could offer it at… take a deep breath… £215,000. You can laugh or you can cry, but either way let us present you with the choice of that, or a Jeep identical to this one here but with something like £130,000 left over.

Tough one, isn’t it? The D-Coder might not be one of those flight-of-fancy concepts Jeep likes to come out with at Moab. But it could be your own personal flight of fancy instead – and at the sort of price which is becoming frighteningly close to sounding like a bargain.

4x4 04/07/2022 23:10

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BARNSLEY Pontefract Rd, Barnsley, S71 1EZ 01226 732297 B’HAM GREAT BARR 4 Birmingham Rd. 0121 358 7977 B’HAM HAY MILLS 1152 Coventry Rd, Hay Mills 0121 7713433 BOLTON 1 Thynne St. BL3 6BD 01204 365799 BRADFORD 105-107 Manningham Lane. BD1 3BN 01274 390962 BRIGHTON 123 Lewes Rd, BN2 3QB 01273 915999 BRISTOL 1-3 Church Rd, Lawrence Hill. BS5 9JJ 0117 935 1060 BURTON UPON TRENT 12a Lichfield St. DE14 3QZ 01283 564 708 CAMBRIDGE 181-183 Histon Road, Cambridge. CB4 3HL 01223 322675 CARDIFF 44-46 City Rd. CF24 3DN 029 2046 5424 CARLISLE 85 London Rd. CA1 2LG 01228 591666 CHELTENHAM 84 Fairview Road. GL52 2EH 01242 514 402 CHESTER 43-45 St. James Street. CH1 3EY 01244 311258 COLCHESTER 4 North Station Rd. CO1 1RE 01206 762831 COVENTRY Bishop St. CV1 1HT 024 7622 4227 CROYDON 423-427 Brighton Rd, Sth Croydon 020 8763 0640 DARLINGTON 214 Northgate. DL1 1RB 01325 380 841 DEAL (KENT) 182-186 High St. CT14 6BQ 01304 373 434 DERBY Derwent St. DE1 2ED 01332 290 931 DONCASTER Wheatley Hall Road 01302 245 999 DUNDEE 24-26 Trades Lane. DD1 3ET 01382 225 140 EDINBURGH 163-171 Piersfield Terrace 0131 659 5919

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Model Capacity exc.VAT inc.VAT 7938KG 20SPS12 907kg £89.98 £107.98 inc.VAT 25SPS12 1134kg £124.99 £149.99 CAPACITY IN STOCK £80.39 £119.98 CAR TRANSPORTER £173.99 £227.98 LASHING £251.98

PG3800A Provides essential home, garage and roadside inc.VAT assistance Integral work light 910 /JS1100C £286.80 include air compressor Long life battery £346.80 £382.80 FROM ONLY .95 DOUBLE £682.80 £89 DOUBLE EXC.VAT

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32212 4x4 (full).indd 4x4 AD(68) Spread.indd 30 1

29/04/2022 05/07/2022 13:03 16:36

82 19 CE SIN

ARCHIVE STORIES FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF OVERLANDER 4X4

Daihatsu Fourtrak Road Test by Brian Hartley

A rose by any other name? The Daihatsu’s pleasant face emerging from the weed-packed hollow that claimed the rear lens as a sacrifice There are few sounds that please me as much as that of a really big diesel engine pulling hard and piling on the horses. Conversely, the grunt of a miniature version noisily trying to justify its very existence has all the attraction of a death rattle to my sensitive ears, my oft-stated belief being that any diesel engine less than 6 cylinders and 5.0 litres is fit only to be called a donkey engine or fitted to a boat! With this kind of background, it was hardly surprising that I was somewhat dismayed to find that the Daihatsu demonstrator vehicle I was to have for the next few days was

52 | AUGUST 2022

3pp Daihatsu F10.indd 52

a diesel. To cap it all, I had planned to use the vehicle to attend the launch of the Northern agent for the Malcolm Cole Peugeot turbo-diesel conversion for the Range Rover! ‘Diesel reek’ was obviously going to characterise the weekend, so I gritted the journalistic teeth and made a mental note to stock up with aspirin on the way home. Whether or not Stephen Kitchen noted the raised eyebrows or not, I don’t know. His obvious enthusiasm for the little diesel was beginning to get infectious anyway. His Leeds Daihatsu Centre is a newcomer on the scene, starting in May (just like

Overlander itself) and carrying the full range of Daihatsu cars and light commercials as well as the company’s 4-wheel drive range. Stephen confessed to having been bitten by the off-roading bug (which of course gave me the lead in to have him signed up on the spot for 12 months’ subscription) and has had the good sense to go practising with the demo motor under the auspices of customer demonstrations. A general chat and then off into the Leeds traﬃc with less than 30 seconds’ familiarisation. This lack of time is a common fault of mine

but it also showed up a pleasing feature of the Daihatsu. It was an easy motor to drive; everything was where you would expect it to be and worked as you would naturally expect it to work without needing an A-level in maths. Starting her up outside the garage confirmed my worst fears. The starter engaged with a resounding thunk and sturdily whirled the engine round, finally resulting in that diesel rattle as we fired up. My eyes rolled to the heavens and off we went. Not five minutes later, I had completely forgotten that I was driving a diesel as I jockeyed for the

4x4 04/07/2022 23:08

David and Goliath. ‘When I grow up, I want to be an earth mover’ inside lane on a large roundabout, easily outpacing a kamikaze Transit driver and storming away in second gear until the injector pump governor brought me back to reality as it mechanically curbed my excessive zest… I’d not driven a diesel like this before! The model I was driving was a SWB F50 V Hard Top with the 2.5 litre 4-cylinder diesel. The only non-standard items it sported were a radio, bull bar and fancy stripe job. I always enjoy those first 10 miles in a strange vehicle, finding out what everything does or doesn’t do and generally forming your first impressions, to see how they compare with your ideas a thousand miles later. The controls were all easy and impressive, especially the fourspeed gearchange which was as smooth as silk and wouldn’t have been out of place in a sports car. The ‘one-stick’ two-speed transfer box control lever matched its partner in every respect, the changes being light, easy and positive. The high to low range change is easily done while on the move.

Oodles of Power Once on the move, the engine never gave any clues to its diesel origin, sounding more like a throaty petrol engine. No knock, no vibration, just oodles of power and a willingness to rev up to the governor that was as remarkable as it was smooth. At 70mph, reasonable conversation levels were possible and there was still just enough left in reserve to push you up to an indicated 78mph where power ran out before the governor came in.

4x4 3pp Daihatsu F10.indd 53

Instrumentation was very pleasing to the eye, consisting of four 2” round instruments covering fuel, water temp, charging circuit and clock; all in a central panel, with heater controls and large warning lights below. Switches were a little haphazardly placed but positive in their actions. High backed reclining seats were very comfortable with a multitude of seating variations and the carpeting, vinyl door trims and padded fascia top provided just enough relief from the painted interior to stop it looking bare and harsh. Door-mounted rear view mirrors were excellent but the pendant wipers hanging from the top of the screen left two large unswept areas of glass during the inevitable rainy session. There are inward facing seats provided for four in the rear but, except for the shortest of journeys, only children or masochists would willingly partake of the experience, even though maximum use is made of the space available by hanging the spare wheel on the unequal sized rear doors. The diminutive Daihatsu could be thrown round corners with gay abandon, its only drawback being a very choppy ride due to the fairly stiff springing and very short 79.5” wheelbase. I’m always saying that style is very much down to personal taste, so I shall limit myself to coyly saying that apart from its snazzy spoked wheels, 15” tyres and plastic wheelarch flares, I could not bring myself to like the looks other than the front, which was pleasing and businesslike. The side and rear view invariably brought a miniature bread van to mind, the corrugated panels

helping to make it a more Gallic than Japanese affair!

Effective Ground Anchor The off-road part always seems to come last, and this was no exception. I already had 400 road miles on the clock by the time the wheels touched real Mother Earth and despite the fact that they were mainly hard and fast motorway miles I was still a bit disappointed at the 24mpg from what was a large engine in a lightweight machine. However, I would happily believe Stephen’s claim of 29-30mpg on normal round town work, even using its performance to the full. Off-road, the short wheelbase came into its own, tackling my little cross-country circuit with ease, its lack of suspension travel being eas-

ily overcome with a bit of velocity to take it over the axle twisters. The apology of a transmission guard consisted of a small plate bolted to the gearbox crossmember, facing rearwards and downwards, a position which made it a highly effective ground anchor spade when backing off humps. The mechanicals were nice and straightforward. Live axles front and rear with semi-elliptic leaf springs, forward-facing shackles at the front and telescopic dampers all round. Power assisted disc/drum brakes with a transmission handbrake, manual ball and nut steering, closed swivel housings, freewheeling hubs as standard and a chassis that can aptly be described as sturdy. I will confess here and now to never having driven an 80” Land Rover in anger across country but, being of an imaginative nature, I am convinced that the Daihatsu is a modern version of that most revered off-roader. (Before you all start sending poison pen letters, note that I never said better!) Its abilities are excellent, the only real niggle being a lack of visibility, particularly rearwards, due to the van configuration. So far in my off-road testing career I have yet to return a motor in exactly the same condition as it arrived, my only consolation in this instance being the fact that it was the precise area that I had predicted would be a weak link. The back light clusters are mounted below the rear body, with the exhaust pipe even lower than that. Sure enough, within minutes of getting low range warmed up, an ominous tinkle from the rear marked the demise of the offside light lens and a severe case of kinked exhaust.

Nice ‘n’ neat. Functional dash arrangement with single lever operated fresh air vent in the centre

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Like many makers these days, Daihatsu are giving an 8-year corrosion warranty via the ‘Protectol’ process, a necessary safeguard when you consider the all-steel integral body. Something that worried me as much on the Jeep Renegade as it does on this vehicle is the repair costs on all steel bodies when subjected to the rough and tumble of the off-roading life, especially if the bashed panel is left to rust for any length of time.

The snugly fitting diesel. The 2.5-litre diesel is a big engine in a small vehicle but is still easy to work around. One of the most complex bits of the equipment was the key-controlled engine stop Both are items that would regularly suffer in this way whenever a bit of the hard stuff was negotiated. Having said that, I couldn’t see where else the lights could be mounted but, thankfully, that’s Daihatsu’s problem not mine.

A nice, beefy towing hook was fitted on the front though the rear attachment looked very flimsy, but they did give the final touch to convince you that the Daihatsu is intended to be taken wherever the driver has the skill or nerve to try it.

My first real taste of a modern, small, high-revving diesel has meant having to recant yet another of my long held opinions. This engine could never be classed as a ‘donkey,’ or fitted to anything other than a fast boat! It does, however, prove how far behind British makers of small diesels have fallen in the race to make diesel engine ‘civilised’. Without digressing too far from my subject, it is pertinent to note that British Leyland have had to use a Japanese Isuzu 3.9-litre engine in their Australian assembled Land

Rovers in order to have a credible diesel alternative to the Toyota Land Cruiser. Mated to the Range Rover box, it has received rave reviews from the Australian 4x4 mags – but Europe will have to stick with the 2.25 diesel. Back to my little bread van. A nice motor to live with, easy to start and only noticeably diesel for the first two minutes after warm-up. A nimble and gutsy little off-roader, limited very slightly by the diesel’s lack of revs in some cases but helped by its copious torque in others. The road tyres are the biggest limiting factor. Without wishing to lay myself open to accusations of chauvinism, and definitely not trying to belittle the motor, I think most women would like the Daihatsu for its neat, precise appearance and feel. It is easy to drive and the fuel consumption shouldn’t pinch anyones purse too tightly – nor should a list price of £7000 as tested, especially as discounts are normal! I almost had a lump in my throat as I left her on the forecourt…

The ‘bread van’ look – well, there has to be a backside to everything. Note the vulnerable rear light clusters and exhaust pipe, number plate, floodlights, odd sized rear doors and ‘like it or loathe it’ rear panel designs

54 | AUGUST 2022

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CEVENNES UP The Trophée Cevenol was an annual trail-ride in southern France which used to attract

his is the story of one of Europe’s greatest long-range off-road events. A green lane run, if you want to call it that – but with a level of severity that it used to attract some of Britain’s best winch challenge drivers. Three days of epic boulder fields, breathtaking climbs and harness-hanging drops amid the most spectacular wilderness scenery of the Ardeche. The Trophée Cevenol was one of three classic large-scale events organised by France’s Grands Randonneurs Motorisés (GRM) back in the nineties and noughties. One of them, the Mille Rivières, will celebrate its 32nd running later this year; the third, the legendary Croisière Blanche, died a death a decade and a half ago after being targeted by quasi-environmental fanatics, with the Cevenol itself lasting just a couple of years more. The GRM continues to run three randonnées to this day, with the Mille Rivières augmented by the Alta Rocca in Corsica and the Traversée de Champsaur in the High Alps. For off-roaders of a certain age, however, the appeal of the Trophée Cevenol would be hard to replicate. We met Brits there who did no other off-roading all year round; they drove highly modified Land Rovers as their everyday cars and it was just for this event. Laning, trialling, playdays, none of it interested them: the Cevenol was their hobby and their holiday. When you see the sort of terrain the Cevenol used to offer in abundance, you can understand why they wouldn’t bother. Fundamentally, this is an event that offered massive climbs and descents, extreme rock fields, fabulously expansive mountain scenery and long-distance offtarmac driving on a scale that’s hard to comprehend. We took part in 2005, behind the wheel of a very special Jeep Wrangler, and during the course of three full days and a prologue we covered less than 200 miles. That’s how slowly vehicles travel when there’s so much extreme terrain to be negotiated.

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Words: Alan Kidd Pictures: Pete Robain

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swarms of UK off-roaders – to what was an undisputed highlight of the 4x4 calendar

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We did the Cevenol in a convoy of two Wranglers which were, at the time, among the most highly evolved Jeeps on the UK scene. This was the TJ’s last full year in production and though we didn’t yet know it, Ruby III was a taste of what was to come with the arrival of the JK. It was built with ARB Air-Lockers in both axles – though teething troubles put the rear one out of action from the prologue stage onwards. Still, at least the brakes worked. To start with… A bit about that Jeep. Back in 1996, the press office at the company’s then-importer Chrysler Jeep UK decided to modify a Cherokee turbo-diesel for extreme off-roading. Project Rubicon, as it was known, was such a success that a second followed, in the shape of Ruby 2 – this time a TJ Wrangler Sport. Both these vehicles included a lot of bespoke parts, but when new importer DaimlerChrysler came to build Ruby 3 (this time a Wrangler Sahara auto) it followed more of a bolt-on approach. By now, the aftermarket had caught up with demand in the UK and with business booming, it was able to throw the whole catalogue at creating the sort of Wrangler few people in the UK had ever seen.

And the 2005 Trophée Cevenol was its shakedown event. With me at the wheel. Survive that, and it would be able to survive anything. First, though, came the inevitable big session on the autoroute. Driving in tandem with another modded Wrangler owned by Jeep’s UK importer, we razzed down through France to the accompaniment of an ever-present whine from its TeraLow rock-crawling transfer gears. This wasn’t enough to make everyday conversation hard, though – and with its standard-fit hard top and aircon, Ruby III was actually far more civilised than I had dared to expect. Signing-on at event HQ was very civilised, too, with the organisers handing out glasses of red wine. We’re not sure they’d still be doing

that these days, what with the prologue stage following on straight afterwards. This featured a couple of hours of relatively easy-driving forest tracks… followed by a rock-strewn hillside we were only able to conquer with the aid of a handily-positioned marshal and his winch. Not what you might have been expecting from a newly built Wrangler with loads of good kit on it, but what’s that we were saying about this being the vehicle’s shakedown event? As we prepared to take on the rocks, the sound of a straining air compressor and an overpowering smell of gas announced that the rear Air-Locker wasn’t coming out to play. We’ve used enough of these things to know that they’re very

reliable. They’re not a five-minute job to fit, though, and with the Cevenol coming up Ruby 3 was built in a hurry, so the mood of the group was that this was one indeed of those things that can crop up first time out. It was also very much that getting the axle apart wasn’t going to be happening until the Jeep was back home, however, so I was now faced with the prospect of tackling the following three days with an open rear diff. At this point, I’ll mention that my co-driver was Jeep’s PR manager at the time, Nick O’Donnell. He did cringe slightly at what his new car might end up looking like after the punishment it was about to take, but he kind of rubbed his hands in anticipation, too. Your idea of a PR

This is the sort of track that would be the highlight of the day on most lane runs, but on the Cevenol it practically counted as a liaison section. With TeraLow rock crawling gears in the transfer case, we found that there was a huge gap between high and low range – meaning we ended up taking even quite rough tracks like this at a pace that was highly entertaining if rather exhausting

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There are certain rules about French randonnees. One is that there’ll be a couple of old boys in an old vehicle and while all the lads in their heavy-duty off-road weapons are making it look hard, they’ll make it look easy. Another is that at any given point on the route, a small army of quads and motos is apt to show up at high speed and they’re stopping for nothing. This includes ropes and winch cables. Most of all, every bit of technical terrain is heavily populated by expert spotters, all of whom have an opinion on everything and you’re about to hear it. Concentrating on your line is made so much easier by a dozen loud voices, all competing against each other and all telling you something different. If you’ve got an actual spotter, expect someone to come and stand in front of him, and every time you turn your wheel expect it to be met with loud outrage by the 90% of onlookers who wanted you to do something different professional is unlikely to include a triumphant roar of ‘dog’s bollocks!’ as you bounce to the top of a steep, lumpy hill with the engine screaming for joy, but that’s Nick: great at what he does and he loves it, too. And how could you not love a job that means getting paid to do the Cevenol? Steep, loose, rocky climbs on parched ground covered in sandy soil are tricky enough at the best of times; toss in a freak overnight downpour, and you’ve got a recipe for chaos. Oh yes.

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Despite it all, both our Wranglers held their own among a group of vehicles which in many cases were significantly more heavily modified. For obvious reasons, Ruby III struggled a bit on a couple of hills that the other Jeep conquered (with the front diff locked and the rear open, the last thing I wanted to do was overdo it on the loud pedal) but no end of really tough terrain was despatched with confidence. An interesting observation here was that vehicles on really aggres-

sive tyres, principally Simexes (these were the days when Simex meant Simex), struggled in places where less extreme BFG Mud-Terrains and the like prospered. That would be BFG Mud-Terrains aired down to about 15psi but still, you get the picture. It looked as if the sharp, angular tread of the more mud-biased tyres was stopping them from moulding themselves over the rocks the way the BFGs could, meaning that in some places, competition vehicles were failing where less

overtly aggressive machinery was able to prosper. Taking things to extremes, we got chatting to a couple of French guys in a Willys that had an old Peugeot diesel in it. The pair managed to coax it through stuff that floored everyone else. Might ain’t always right; light, on the other hand… Aside from this, there were the usual tales going round of broken halfshafts and centre diff locks from the Landy-riding Brits we spoke to. Nothing proved impossible to

04/07/2022 23:14

repair, though – apart from our rear locker, obviously. Later on the second morning, a vehicle some way behind us rolled off the saturated track and ended up needing to be winched out of the undergrowth. Prior to this, we’d pulled over to give way to a bunch of angry Belgians in three Land Rovers and a Toyota Land Cruiser who had honked, revved their engines and shouted at us for doing things like stopping to take a look at the track ahead and spotting each other down the gnarly bits. This is a common problem on roadbook events, though contrary to popular belief it’s not down to impatient foreigners – we pulled over to let a number of Brits go roaring past us, too. The answer is always that if someone’s faster than you, you should let them through. Yes, the guy at the briefing kept saying you all need to drive slowly and the clown in your mirrors is going like a refugee from the Dakar, but you’re there to have fun, not to make a point like some puffed-up wannabe cop. And however irritating tailgaters are, it’s a LOT more enjoyable

once the queue has sorted itself out and you’re left going at your own pace with your team-mates. It’s remarkable how quickly, in a field of a hundred or more vehicles, you can find yourself alone in the wilderness, enjoying the off-road experience at your own pace. This is what keeps people coming back to events like the Cevenol. You don’t often get the chance to attack terrain of this severity as part if an A to B route, and especially not without the security of the controlled circumstances being compromised by an endless stream of marshals telling you what to do. It’s the ultimate green lane trip – unbelievably scenic, unbelievably challenging and already set out so you know the route ahead is going to be okay. Hard as hell, perhaps, but possible. A perfect example is the tough, uneven climbs which are a regular part of the event. To varying degrees, these are a serious test for vehicles and drivers alike – but rather than being presented as set pieces, they’re simply another part of the route. Memorably, a river crossing on day one was followed by a road crossing – the twist being

that the climb off the road was over a savage and deceptive series of rock steps. When our Wranglers rolled up to the scene, a long-wheelbase Merc G-Wagen was hanging off the side of a sheer drop after its driver made the mistake of relying too much on his diff locks. A yard or two more would have sent him crashing backwards over the edge and back down on to the road; by the time a rather startled local woman in a Peugeot came to a goggle-eyed halt at the roadside and craned out of her car to watch, the Merc was being winched to comparative safety by a couple of Dutch guys in a 90. Just to prove that there ain’t no justice in the world, the 90 then rewarded its poor owners by blowing its clutch. But as tarmac-to-oblivion experiences went, even that was tame in comparison to what we found the following morning. A lengthy on-road liaison section was followed by a short, easily drivable track… leading to a rock face so steep that when I put the Wrangler’s front wheels on it, decided I couldn’t get any further and signalled for a winch, no-one could see my gestures as they were obscured by the bonnet. A marshal told me that someone had actually managed to drive the thing in a 90, by using bootloads of power and ‘tacking’ across it… well, all I can say is that if they’re up for doing things like that, I hope they’ve got a good roll cage. As I’ve explained, all this happened 17 years ago. And when you look into the history books, you tend to find the names of those who are no longer with us. Names like Bob Cooke, a former editor of this magazine and one of the nicest blokes ever to write about off-roading. Bob was an ever-present on these events, and he was the man behind the wheel of the other Wrangler in our convoy. At least, he was until my winch-signalling efforts came to naught and everyone started wondering why I was sitting there apparently not doing anything. Next thing I know, Bob’s at the window. ‘Al baby, what’s happening?’ ‘Only way this is getting up here is on a winch.’ ‘You can drive that, go on!’ ‘If it was my own car…’ ‘Can I give it a try?’ This was aimed at me, but Bob might as well have been asking Nick. Nick

who was sitting there next to me in front of this ridiculously steep wall of rock, very much not wanting his precious Wrangler to be rolled into a ball of scrap but now in an impossible PR position. You simply cannot say no in a situation like that. So he said yes… He got out first, though. And so did I. And Bob did give it a go, and he got a mightily impressive halfway up but then one of those unlockered rear wheels lit up and it all started to go sideways, and the people watching from below scattered as the Jeep lurched sickeningly sideways, a wheel began to lift and for a moment we were on the verge of disaster. Fair play to Bob, he got the auto box into reverse in a flash and got it stable again, and then he was on his way back down under as much as control as was possible given the ludicrous gradient. As he got out, I tried to guess whether it was he or Nick that had just had the bigger brown-trouser moment. I was right, anyway. The only way Ruby III was getting up that slope

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was on a winch. The marshal at the top of the rock face seemed to be more interested in watching than getting involved, so we ran its rope out to a stout tree next to him and Warn’s finest made the rest of the job look easy. Happy days. But what’s this? A trickle of brake fluid down the nearside rear tyre signalled that something had gone wrong. Quite how it happened was a bit of a mystery, but the brake’s back plate had been twisted to death and the components within the drum had come apart. And with that circuit out of action, the vehicle was clearly not in a position to continue any further. I could already picture the conversation Nick was going to have with the workshop… First, though, we had to return to the road and figure out what was going to happen next. With no

knowledge of what might be ahead of us, this meant heading back down the same rock face. Bob was still behind the wheel at this point after I had played winch donkey, and with his trademark devil-may-care laugh he went for it… and, somehow, to a chorus of squeaks and groans as the Wrangler protested at what was going on, he coaxed it back down to earth. Hats off to him. I speak as the driver who took the other Wrangler down – and even with full brake power it was still the scariest thing I’ve ever done in a vehicle. That’s what the Cevenol was like. Scary as hell at times, but incredibly exhilarating for all that. It was certainly easy to see why people used to go back time after time – and indeed why there were those who used to think nothing of spending an entire year’s off-roading budget on

travelling to France to take part. Times change, sometimes for the better, but it’s hard not to look back at the era of the Cevenol and the Croisière Blanche and feel as if these days, something is missing. There used to be a real buzz around the off-road scene in the run-up to these events – and though the top challenge teams continue to travel abroad for competitions, for most of us it the greatest of the

French randonnées have never been replaced. Maybe it wasn’t the safest way to shake down a newly modified vehicle – but between the terrain, the landscape and the sheer experience of taking part, the Trophée Cevenol really was long-range off-roading at its finest.

Past and present editors of this magazine make the most of the break after our Wrangler’s rear drums stopped play. Bob Cooke (in the Jeep cap) was a legend among motoring journalists – good-natured, unflappable and a great storyteller, and he loved off-roading. Like the Trophée Cevenol itself, he’s very sadly missed

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ROADBOOK

CUMBRIA & NORTHUMBERLAND

Views without end on a sensational variety of high-level rights of way USING OUR ROADBOOKS Our roadbooks guide you through the countryside on a mixture of surfaced and unsurfaced roads. The tracks we use are public rights of way, either Byways Open to All Traﬃc or Unclassiﬁed County Roads, all commonly referred to as green lanes.

NAVIGATION

We’ve deliberately made it as easy as possible to follow the route, using a mixture of instructions, tulip diagrams and grid references. We normally only include junctions at which you have to make a turning or don’t have right of way, so stay on the main road or continue straight ahead unless we tell you otherwise. You’ll ﬁnd a guide to using grid references on the legend of any OS map. Our aim is for you to be able to do the route without maps, whether paper or online, but you should certainly take a set with you.

SAFETY

The notes on thee pages advise you of how suitable the route is for your vehicle. These are just guidelines, however. We’ll warn you of any hazards or diﬃcult sections, but the nature of any green lane can change quickly. Wet weather can make a huge difference to the conditions underfoot, and what’s wide open in winter can be tightly enclosed and scratchy in summer. The responsibility is yours! Our roadbooks are designed to be safe to drive in a solo vehicle. We do recommend travelling in tandem wherever possible, however. The risk of getting stuck can be greater than it appears – and even the most capable of vehicles can break down miles from anywhere.

RESPONSIBILITY

Irresponsible driving is a big issue on green lanes. In particular, you must always stay on the right of way. Never drive off it to ‘play’ on the verges or surrounding land, even if you can see that someone else has; doing so is illegal and can be tremendously damaging. This kind of illegal off-roading is a key reason why green lanes get closed. If you see others doing this, they are NOT your friends. They’re criminals, and you are their victim. If it’s safe to do so, ﬁlm them in the act and pass it to the police.

Elsewhere, let common sense and courtesy prevail. Keep your speed down, be ready to pull over for others and show the world that we are decent people just like them.

ANTIS

Anti-4x4 bigotry does exist, but it’s less common than you’d think. By and large, it’s limited to organisations who just want to get the countryside all to themselves. These organisations are beyond being reasoned with, but it’s rare to encounter real hostility even from their rank-and-ﬁle members. If you’re friendly towards the people with whom you share the countryside, the vast majority will respond in kind. There are always bad apples, but no more so than anywhere else. Likewise, most local residents will accept your presence if you’re driving sensibly. What suspicion you do encounter is likely to be from farmers worried that you’re there to steal from them, so be ready to offer a word of reassurance. Once satisﬁed that you’re not after their quad bikes, their mood will lighten.

DO…

• Keep your speed right down • Pull over to let walkers, bikers and horse riders pass

• Leave gates as you found them • Scrupulously obey all closure and voluntary restraint notices

• Ensure you have a right to be

there. We research the routes on our roadbooks very carefully, but the status of any route can change without notice Be prepared to turn back if the route is blocked, even illegally If you ﬁnd an illegal obstruction, notify the local authority Stick absolutely scrupulously to the right of way Always remember that you are an ambassador for all 4x4 drivers

• • • •

DON’T…

• Go in large convoys: instead, split into smaller groups

• Drop litter. Why not carry a bin bag pick up other people’s instead?

• Go back to drive the fun bits, such as mud or fords, again

• Cause a noise nuisance, particularly after dark

• Get riled up if someone challenges you. Be ﬁrm but polite, stay calm and don’t let them turn it into a ﬁght

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ROADBOOK The roads around the border of Cumbria and Northumberland are popular with bikers and sportscar drivers, but the landscape in this majestic part of England really deserves to be seen from the slow lane. And this route includes a variety of byways and unsurfaced roads whose panoramic views are a reminder of what makes green laning so special. Note that the first part of this roadbook overlaps with the last section of another route we did in December 2021 – put them together and you’ve got an absolute monster of a day on the lanes!

Pictured is our latest project truck, the Isuzu D-Max GO2. Although we struggled to find an insurance company that would cover our Isuzu – especially when we were using it for green laning and off-roading – we finally found Adrian Flux, a specialist insurance broker that not only covers green laning and off-roading, but also covers unusual vehicles like modified and classic 4x4s. And they do all this at an affordable price – get a quote from them by calling 0800 085 5000.

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ROUTE GUIDE

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TYRES

OS MAPS

Westgate (NY 908 381) Melmerby (NY 615 373) 63.0 miles / 5-6 hours Wide open hills and moorland Steep hills; Loose, stony ground; Surface water; Isolation; Other users; Road traﬃc, potentially going at race speeds Landranger 86 (Haltwhistle & Brampton) Landranger 87 (Hexham & Haltwhistle) Landranger 91 (Appleby in Westmorland)

Step

NY 908 381

Start outside the Hare and Hounds, on Front Street in Westgate. Zero your trip with the pub to your left and set off heading west on the main road

WEATHER LOW BOX SOFT-ROADERS SCRATCHING DRIVING DAMAGE

Step

0.0

2.2

Step

0.0

Rookhope

Step

Should be ﬁne on a road tread, but not if it’s a low-proﬁle SUV size Avoid in deep snow or fog Strongly recommended Suitable for chunkier models Shouldn’t be a problem Needs general ground reading and sharp awareness of road hazards Shouldn’t happen if you’re sensible

NY 892 406

3.1 Step 4: The relict mining landscape of West Rigg Opencut is well worth a look just before you join the ﬁrst lane of the day

0.5 Step

0.9 68 | AUGUST 2022

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NY 910 392

This is just after you’ve passed West Rigg Opencut (a series of mine workings with an info board by the road) on the right. It’s a fascinating place to pause and learn a bit about the way mankind has shaped the landscape around here

4x4 05/07/2022 17:47

Step 6: The turning is fairly easy to spot after you’ve passed Middlehope Lodge on the left. This lane is impressively good at collecting surface water (far left)…

Step

3.9

1.95

Step

13 Step

ZERO TRIP

4.4

2.0

Step

1.2

6.85

Step

10 11

Caution over the main road as you turn right then immediately left for Langdon Beck. Note that there’s a village shop in front of you, and public toilets to the right!

15 It’s a very narrow turning between the buildings. You’ll see a Ford sign as you turn

1.6 Step

Fork right towards the Lakes and Dales Co-op which you’ll see ahead of you

Step

Alston B6277

NY 813 350

It’s easier to spot than you expect – there’s a road sign in advance warning of a road on the right, and it’s on its own in otherwise clear ground

10.1 There are stepping stones to the right of the crossing It might still be too deep even if you can see them but if you can’t, it’s deﬁnitely a bad idea

Step 16: There’s a long section of road liaison before this junction, but it’s easy to spot. There’s nothing else around it – and it’s that rarest of things, a green lane that’s signposted in advance

1.7 Step

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HARTHOPE ROAD

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Step 18: As you go through the gate and see the descent stretching out ahead of you, you’re at the highest point in the entire English road network Step

Immediately after the gate, follow the main track up the hill

When you get to the gate, you’re at the highest point on the entire English road network

23 6.05

Step

12.7

9.55 Caution – traﬃc shouldn’t be moving fast as it’s in a village, but this is a busy A-road

ZERO TRIP

14.5 Step

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ZERO TRIP

Hexham Allendale Whitfield Carrshield

20 9 9 2

Step

25 2.1

When the road splits, stay on the main one – which, rather oddly, turns into a B-road here

Ropehaugh 34 Coalcleugh 412

Step

11.3

Step

This is in Allendale village – it’s a tight turning back over your shoulder

5.0

10.4 Step

Step

Whitfield 7 Ninebanks 4 Limestone Brae 112

Caution – it might not look like it as you approach the junction, but this is a major road

7.05 4x4 05/07/2022 17:47

Step

NY 775 549

7.2 Step

28 29 9.3

Caution– this is tight over your shoulder on to a major A-road

ZERO TRIP

9.75 When the main track swings hard right, follow ahead through the gate on to a less distinct stone track

7.3 Step

Step

31 1.95

The right of way becomes less distinct as it crosses the moor - look for the grass tracks dead ahead

Step

SPRING LANE

Extreme caution – this is very tight back over your shoulder. Start indicating and slowing well in advance, and use the verge to your left to swing wide – while watching for traﬃc overtaking you as you do so Carrshield 5 Ninebanks 112 1 2 Ouston

NY 777 520

2.65 Step

33 2.95 Step

Mohope

NY 773 517

OX DROVE

The climb quickly becomes steep, rough and rocky, and stays that way for about half a mile

3.0 Step

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Step 41: Turn left through the gate into Clinty Brow Farm. It’s a rough road until you get to the top of the hill, then is turns into a track

Step

NY 736 498

Caution - this is a main road

5.6 Step

37 38 5.95

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Caution – it doesn’t look as if you’re approaching a junction, but you are

6.2 The surface gets steeper and rougher towards the bottom of the hill – basically it’s a sea of rubble

5.95 Step

Step

ZERO TRIP

6.65 This is immediately after Step 37

Step

NY 740 474

Turn left through the gate into Clinty Brow Farm

2.3

4x4 05/07/2022 17:47

Step

At the top of the hill, the rough road turns into a track

Step

2.35

3.45

Step

3.0

3.5

43 Step

NY 748 465

This is immediately after Step 46. At the end of the bridge, turn hard right on to the track – a drop-off in front of you means there’s no room for swinging wide as you do so

Caution – the track gets steeper and rockier on the way down the hill

3.3 Step

Take it easy through the farmyard

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Step

Caution – this is a busy A-road

3.95 Step

Step

51 5.9

Turn right then follow the road through the centre of Alston

Step

5.55

6.1

Step

50 5.8

Fuel on the right

Penrith A686 Brampton (A689)

6.3

Brampton

1934

NY 712 463

Caution – traﬃc coming from the left has right of way as you turn across the road

THE WARDWAY

Step 58: The turning is opposite a big gravel layby on the right. It’s through a gate that’s so narrow, you need to swing wide to avoid hitting it

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4x4 05/07/2022 17:47

Step

6.7 Step

Caution – this is a major road

Step

58 3.0

Step

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ZERO TRIP

8.95

8.15

8.4

Extreme caution – this is a major road, and you’ll have to crane to see what’s coming from over your shoulder

OX DROVE

Renwick Gamblesby

7 11

NY 647 418

When you see the radio masts ahead of you, start looking out for a big gravel lay-by to the right. Your turning is opposite it, through a narrow gate – so narrow that you’ll have to swing wide. NB the gate itself is a rusty piece of scrap with sharp bits that are perfectly placed to rip your tyres open

Shortly after another narrow gate, it feels like you’re about to drop off the edge of the world. You’re not, but it’s still deﬁnitely a good idea to get into low range

3.95

DECEMBER 2021 | 77

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Step

It’s steep and rocky as you descend

4.0 Step

61 4.05

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Step

62 4.15

Caution round the right-hander at the bottom of the steep hill – there’s a big hole right in the middle of it

Step

63 4.45

NY 628 411

Turn left (not dead ahead through the gate opposite you) then immediately right on the road. Take care as you emerge – there’s little visibility to the left, and this is a busy A-road

4x4 05/07/2022 17:47

Step

This is very soon after the start of the track

Step

4.5

6.85

Step

5.7

7.6

Step

5.75

7.75

67 6.6

Look out for the skid risk warning sign as you approach. There’s a hard left-hander after this, then immediately you’re turning right on to the track in the middle of a hairpin. Safe to say any other traﬃc on the road will be ﬂummoxed by what you’re up to

66 Step

NY 626 393

70 Extreme caution – it’s a steep climb up as you reach the junction. Listen out for bikes approaching in max attack mode – visibility is okay to the right, but anyone coming round the corner to your left with their knee down is going to hit you amidships like a missile Penrith

10 A686

Step

71 7.9 Step

72 9.15 Step

Step 68: The track is almost impossible to spot, so you need to be watching for the landmarks that come before it. It drops away steeply to start with but soon levels out

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Appleby

Fork left off the main road for Ousby and Culgarth then immediately arrive at the Shepherds Inn for the end of the route

9.2 AUGUST 2022 | 77

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Step 40: Tur n left off the main track, embankment dropping dow then plungi n the ng straight into a water trough (right) rock Step n – there are sharp

71 34

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ROADBOOK: Shropshire’s brilliant lanes, great13views and sensational fords 13 Step

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13.4

11.7

Step

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11.8

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Articles inside

VW Half-Track Fox How a unique T1 van became a 12-wheeled snowmobile

90 SV or Series I Classic Landies in an old-time face-off from back in the day

Restifi ed 90 SV Rare Defender reimagined as a Mahker masterpiece

Arctic Trucks The triumphant return of the Nissan Navara AT32

Alan Kidd Great engineering is a constant in the off-road world

Electrogenic Full EV conversion for agricultural Defenders

Odyssey Challenge Round 2 goes down to a penalty shootout

Range Rover Velar Svelte SUV perfectly suits plug-in power

ARB Esperance roof tent promises style and ease of use

Land Rover Thefts Surrey Police uncover cache of stolen Defenders

Isuzu D-Max Utility Entry-level double-cab feels close to a premium model