4X4 Magazine - May 2023

4x4

NEWS • VIEWS • KIT • EXPEDITIONS • MODIFIED VEHICLES • GREEN LANING PLUS Giving it death in the all-new Ford Raptor

THE UK’S ONLY 4X4 AND PICK-UP MAGAZINE

BACK FROM THE BRINK

The story behind the redemption of a TV star car

4x4 of the Best: A quartet of 70-Series Land Cruisers

£4.99

Deep, wet action: our guide to 25 of Britain’s best fords

MAY 2023

Arctic adventure: a different kind of off-road expedition 4x4 Cover Apr 23 WITH SARAH.indd 1

07/04/2023 09:35

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06/04/2023 15:18 13:04 11/04/2023

THE WORLDS BEST ACCESSORIES FOR LAND ROVER

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11/04/2023 12:32

N O I T I D E P EX

Whether your idea of an expedition is an afternoon driving some local trails, a weekend off road and wild camping or a full-on trip across Africa, Terrafirma has all the accessories you will need.

From roof racks and ladders to spare wheel carriers and snorkels, from jerry cans and sand tracks to fridges we have it covered with this extensive range of expedition accessories.

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11/04/2023 12:40

ROOF TENTS AND AWNINGS ROOF RACKS AND LADDERS SPARE WHEEL CARRIERS RAISED AIR INTAKES EXPEDITION ACCESSORIES For more information visit www.terrafirma4x4.com email sales@terrafirma4x4.com

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11/04/2023 12:36

May 2023

CONTENTS

18

‘When you’re hammering it over rough ground with and the suspension doing all the work, you’re agog

36 42

2 | MAY 2023

Contents May.indd 2

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4x4 11/04/2023 12:36

46 EIGHT MAGAZINES FOR EIGHT QUID! Get 8 issues of 4x4 for just £8 – yes, you read that right, a quid each! That’s 68% off – and you get them delivered to your door. Madness not to!

4x4 Scene: News, Products and More…

6 8 10 11 12 14 14 16 16 17

Jeep Wrangler Upgrades and new variants on the way next year SsangYong Musso Revised range features new top-option long-bed model Ford Ranger New additions major on off-road ability Gaydon 75th anniversary celebrations at next month’s Land Rover show Jeep Seven stunning concepts unveiled at Moab Easter Safari LOF Hilux joins fitment range for heavy-duty clutches Davanti Alltoura H/T adds another option to the all-season SUV tyre market Nightsearcher Wide range of new LED products for 2023 Britpart Alcove accessories for ARB awning range Dirt Monkey Heavy-duty stealth rear bumper for Discovery 2

Every Month 4 46 80

Alan Kidd Real off-road vehicles are coming back into fashion Subscribe Eight issues of 4x4s for a franky ridiculous £8.00!

Next Month Our June issue goes on sale on 19 May

Driven 18

Ford Ranger Raptor First time out – and what a driving machine it is

Features 26 36 42 48 58 58 62 64 68

Jeep SOS The story of a Grand Cherokee, a TV show and a lot of welding Air-sprung 90 Building an extreme toy in the early days of a new technology Restified LJ Disastrous Suzuki reborn as the coolest 4x4 you’ve ever seen 25 Fords Our guide to some of Britain’s most interesting water crossings 4x4 of The Best Four great modded 4x4s. This month: 70-Series Land Cruiser Learn from the Pros How it's done when off-roading is your job Hidden Talents Challenge-built Cruiser with the axles from its big brother Winch Wonder Another challenge truck, this time turned into a pick-up Land What? Land Cruiser modified using parts made for Land Rovers

Our 4x4s 76

Project D-Max A little snagging… and a whole lot of light from above

Travel 70

the body sitting stable at how good it is’

Arctic Action On top of Europe in a fleet of very unusual off-road vehicles…

48

26

4x4 Contents May.indd 3

JANUARY 2023 | 3

11/04/2023 12:36

4x4 Tel: 01283 742969

Alan Kidd Editor

T

People have had enough of pretty, dainty crossovers

he day the letters ‘SUV’ were invented, it’s been said, was a dark one for the off-road world. It means different things in different markets (in America, where the phrase was almost certainly coined, things like the Hummer H1 and Jeep Wrangler are seen as Sport Utility Vehicles), but here in Britain those three letters tend to be interpreted as describing something that’s the opposite of the real thing. A soft-roader, in other words.

You can argue until the cows come home about which vehicles are and aren’t the real thing. That’s not the point, though.

The point is that a few years ago, it seemed as if SUVs were on the verge of taking over completely. They’ve become a phenomenon since the first soft-roaders appeared in the mid-90s, coming from nowhere to grab a huge part of the new car market. Traditional hatchbacks, saloons and estates have suffered enormously as a result. People carriers collapsed as quickly as they rose; most have either gone completely or reinvented themselves as SUV lookalikes. And of course, for every new SUV that’s come on to the market over the last 25 years, that’s one less proper offroad vehicle in the world.

But just recently, there have been more and more signs that people are turning back towards the real thing. Or if not the real thing, then at least vehicles that aren’t just all fur coat and no knickers.

I’ve spoken before about the recently coined cliché of the RUV (or RSUV); a 4x4 that can actually do it off-road without getting stuck in a puddle or breaking some sort of expensive component the moment a wheel leaves the ground. Joe Public is tired of cars that can’t walk the walk and now they want to be seen in vehicles with credibility. And with nice seats, big alloys, lots of multimedia etc, but the message is that no longer is it enough to chuck a load of spec in a car whose styling is, to put it bluntly, a sham.

The new Defender is commonly held up as an example of this new breed. So too is the latest Ford Bronco. There’s been talk of Audi building a vehicle to compete in this sector of the market, and if you look at the badge on the front of an Auto-Union Munga

4 | MAY 2023

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you’ll see that the brand does actually have some previous in this area.

Volkswagen, too, is reportedly getting ready to launch a rugged off-roader in 2025, in the shape of an all-electric machine with similar proportions to the old-shape 90.

Even SsangYong has teased a future model with a sketch of something that looks like a Wrangler on steroids. And when you look at the new Kia EV9, its styling is as butch as they come.

The message is clear. People have had enough of pretty, dainty crossovers and SUVs. They want authenticity. They want vehicles that look right and, of equal importance, that are right. The new 4x4 market might not be going back to the days of things like the Auverland and Rocsta (more’s the pity), but it’s heading towards the modern equivalent of that.

Electrification has opened up new ways of driving all four wheels, and the big trend in the car market now is towards vehicles which make the most of that to get places previous generations of soft-roader could only dream of.

It’s not electric, yet, but the new Ford Ranger is a case in point. We’ve had our first experience of the Raptor model in this issue, and a remarkable off-roader it is (now with a 3.0-litre engine and locking front and rear diffs, thank you very much), and Ford has also just announced a pair of hardcore variants which bridge the gap between this halo model and the rest of the range. The Tremor and Wildtrak X have lifted long-travel suspension, a wider track, rear lockers and heavy-duty steering, as well as additional high-tech off-road aids; in the case of the former, it’s based on the low to mid-range XLT, making it ideal for people to whom off-road ability matters more than image and cool toys, and unlike the Raptor both of them are classed as commercial vehicles so you can wave cheerily to the taxman while you head off to hit the trails.

I hope the new breed of Rugged Utility Vehicle will encourage more people to do just that. It does feel as if the 4x4 market is in its healthiest state for a long time.

Email: enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk 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 Design WW Magazines Tel: 01283 742970 Contributors Graham Scott, Olly Sack, Gary Noskill, Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Tom Alderney, Gary Martin, Mike Trott Photographers Steve Taylor, Richard Hair, Harry Hamm, Vic Peel Advertising Sales Tandem Media Tel: 01233 555735 Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 742969 Advertising Production Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Agency WW Magazines, 151 Station Street, Burton on Trent, DE14 1BG Tel: 01283 742970 Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 742970. 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, PO Box 8632, Burton on Trent DE14 9PR

© Assignment Media Ltd, 2023

4x4 10/04/2023 23:46

20th

Edition Is Out Now!

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11/04/2023 11:10

NEWS

Facelift for Wrangler focuses on

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NEWS

off-road ability

I

t won’t be coming here until the start of next year, but Jeep has lifted the lid on its first facelift for the current Wrangler. This promises new looks from a revised grille as well as further safety and infotainment tech and, most importantly, improved off-road ability.

Leading the charge, the Rubicon gains new options allowing it to be pre-modified for use with bigger tyres. These include 100:1 overall gearing in low range, as well as a new fully floating Dana 44 heavyduty rear axle (above) – and in the US, the vehicle can now be ordered with a factory-fitted Warn winch.

There will also be a new Rubicon X model with 35” tyres as standard.

This also gains an integrated offroad camera system as well as steel bumpers – the latter meaning it’s likely to join the long list of things we can’t have in Britain.

More likely to come here is the new Willys model (below), which appears to be a halfway house on the way to full Rubicon spec. This is equipped with 33” tyres, steel rock rails and a rear locker as well as heavy-duty electrics including

pre-wiring for towing lights. Crucially for the UK market, it will be available in 4xe plug-in hybrid form.

While the revised Wrangler looks broadly the same as the current model, its seven-slot grille has been tweaked to give it a new identity and there’ll be a wide range of new wheel designs to set it apart. Inside, too, the changes are modest but significant – the Uconnect 5 media offering promises to be faster and more powerful than the current system, and front and rear curtain airbags help make the vehicle safer to travel in. As always, the view from a sky-high driving position is the most valuable safety feature any car can have.

For the US market, the Wrangler will be available with the existing 2.0, 3.6 and 6.4-litre petrol engines, as well as the plug-in 4xe powertrain. Details of the European version are due to be announced in the last quarter of 2023; as the company moves towards full electrification across its range, our money would be on this mid-life update coinciding with the end of traditional petrol power as an option in the UK.

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11/04/2023 16:52

NEWS

Musso sheds the leaf springs as SsangYong refreshes its pick-up range with revised chassis specs and a new halo model

SSANGYONG HAS UNVEILED A REFRESHED MUSSO LINE-UP, with a revised chassis and a new Saracen+ halo model at the top of the range.

This replaces the Rhino, which ran for just under three years after being introduced in the first half of 2020.

Like the Rhino, the Saracen+ is a long-bed model with an extra 12” of cargo length. This is all in the wheelbase and rear overhang, meaning cabin space remains unchanged.

A major difference to the Rhino, however, is that instead of leaf springs the Saracen+ uses dual coils at the back, with independent double wishbones up front. This new, upgraded set-up is also used across the rest of the range, which

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retains the ability to tow the legal limit of 3500kg while also carrying its maximum payload of more than 1000kg.

Power continues to be provided by the familiar 2.2-litre e-XDi220 engine, now with 202bhp at 3800rpm and 325lbf.ft from 1600rpm. This is mated to a six-speed automatic transmissions on all variants apart from the EX, which continues to be the entry-level model in a four-strong range.

Spec highlights of the EX include air-conditioning, automatic headlights and wipers, DAB/ Bluetooth and a new design of 17” alloy wheels.

As you move up the range, the Rebel model adds faux-leather seats, both heated and ventilated up front, heated steering wheel, triple LED front

fogs, roof rails, side steps and an 8” infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as a rear-view reversing camera.

At the top of the standard-length line-up, the Saracen gains a black exterior pack, newly designed 18” black alloys, Nappa leather seats, power adjustable on both sides up front, heated rear seats, dual-zone climate cruise, all-round parking sensors and a 9.2” media system including navigation.

This also adds projection headlamps, an upgraded instrument panel, rear privacy glass and additional active safety features.

Beyond this, the Saracen+ mirrors the Saracen’s equipment while adding a greater payload and improved ground clearance. Its longer pick-up bed comes plastic lined to protect it when carrying heavy or abrasive loads; in SsangYong’s own words, it is ‘undoubtedly a must try for anyone looking for a capable utility vehicle.’

Prices for the new Musso range start at £25,140 on the road (but not including VAT) for the EX. Add the dreaded and you’re looking at £30,093.

The Rebel and Saracen push this to £29,140 and £32,540 respectively (or £34,893 and £38,973 including VAT), while the Saracen+ tops the bill at £33,790 – that’s £40,473 once the taxman’s had his cut. The only extra is metallic paint, which adds £575 plus VAT. At a time when the waiting lists on some models remain demoralising to say the least, SsangYong says it has stock available for immediate delivery.

4x4 11/04/2023 16:52

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09/02/2023 10:49

NEW 4X4S

Off-road spec at the fore for latest additions to Ranger line-up FORD HAS UNVEILED ANOTHER TWO VERSIONS OF THE NEW RANGER – with off-roading at the heart of their specification. The Wildtrak X and Tremor models, which feature long-travel Bilstein suspension, are available to order now with initial deliveries expected in August.

The Wildtrak X is based on the Wildtrak, obviously enough, putting it towards the top of the Ranger price list as a premium model for lifestyle customers. However the Tremor is based on the more modestly specced XLT – making it potentially the ideal model for people who want to make the most of its ability.

In each case, longer-travel springs give the vehicles a 26mm increase in suspension ride height. This is compensated for by a 30mm wider track to maintain stability on and off-road. Damping is by heavy-duty position-sensitive Bilstein units which Ford says will enhance offroad ability without compromising on-road performance.

On top of this, the trucks are equipped with an uprated heavy-duty power steering system – which is protected by a heavy-duty steel bash plate.

As well as boasting enhanced hardware, the Rangers are also specced with additional high-tech features designed to enhance their performance off-road. Trail Turn Assist uses brake-based torque vectoring to reduce turning radius by up to 25% in tight corners, while Trail Control maintains a selected crawl speed of up to 20mph by automatically managing acceleration and braking. Both these features have

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previously appeared elsewhere in the off-road market, but Ford is bringing them to the pick-up sector for the first time with these versions of the Ranger.

Further spec on the XLT-based Ranger Tremor includes extended wheelarch mouldings, cast aluminium side steps, exposed twin front tow hooks and a tubular sports bar.

Inside, the seats and floor feature water-resistant vinyl trim for easy cleaning, while an optional prewired switch pack in an overhead console has six inputs for equipment like winches and LED bars.

The Wildtrak X also has extended wheelarches to cover its wider track.

Extensive use of black exterior styling adds to the purpose inherent

in its higher, wider stance, and optional matrix LED headlamps are available alongside auxiliary lamps mounted in the grille. In the cabin, the seats are trimmed in Miko and Terra suede with contrast stitching and embroidered badges, and the infotainment system comes with FordPass 6 connectivity and Ford Pro owner services.

Both these versions of the Ranger are equipped with 2.0-litre diesel engines. In the Tremor, this develops 170bhp and 299lbf.ft; being based on the XLT, it ought to have a sixspeed manual gearbox, however Ford’s photos show it with an auto

shifter so this would appear to be available whether as a standard or optional feature. In the Wildtrak X, anyway, the box is definitely a 10-speed auto and the figures increase to 205bhp and 369lbf.ft.

Prices for the new models are yet to be announced, however the XLT starts at £27,350 plus VAT and the Wildtrak at £35,875. If you like the sound of the Raptor (and you should) but need a more cost-conscious Ranger, not to mention one that qualifies as a commercial vehicle, this added focus on the vehicle’s off-road capability will be very welcome.

4x4 11/04/2023 16:52

NEW 4X4S

Ninth Gaydon Land Rover Show gets ready to celebrate Solihull’s 75th anniversary LAND ROVER’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY IS BEING MARKED IN ALL SORTS OF WAYS. Some of them involve people spending astronomical sums of money on ‘celebration’ vehicles – while others, like the ninth Gaydon Land Rover Show, simply involve people getting together to enjoy Landies the way they do every other year. Only this time, the landmark anniversary makes it that much more special.

This year, the show takes place on 7-8 May at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire. It promises to showcase hundreds of Land Rovers from throughout the company’s history, including Defenders, Series I, II, IIA and IIIs, Discoverys and Range Rovers. Starring among these will be HUE 166, the priceless number one pre-production Land-Rover.

As it has in previous years, JLR’s own Land Rover Experience will be at the show, demonstrating the technology and capabilities of current Land Rover and Range Rover models over a series of man-made obstacles.

Visitors will be able to experience this from on board the vehicles as they’re piloted round the course by LRE’s professional instructors.

The hub of the show will be the Arena, where Dave Barker and his team of experts will provide live commentary as well as inviting owners, restorers, club members and enthusiasts to share their stories. Then on the Monday, there will be a special tribute to the 1948 Motor Shows at which the Land Rover (as well as the Morris Minor and Jaguar XK120) were introduced to the world.

The show organisers promise that this will be a great event for all the family – so much so that also on Monday, there’ll be a ‘Mini Me’ kids trial with small-scale vintage and modern Land Rovers touring around the show

arena. Children are invited to display their own ‘Mini Me’ Land Rovers, with all miniatures welcome. The Bank Holiday Monday will also feature live music from vintage singing trios My Favourite Things and The Barn-Ettes.

On top of all this, the show will feature a trade area for those seeking merchandise and spare parts. Camping will be available on the Sunday evening, too, with pitches available for tents, caravans and motorhomes alike, as a price of £25 when booked in advance.

Talking of advance prices, these are £14.50 per adult; £9 per child (5-16 years); £12.50 per concession; and £40 for a family. To find out more, visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk and look under the What’s On tab.

n o d y Ga r e v o R d n La Show2023 ay M 8 7&

all; over it s. Disc t s to ia le s u b r enth ’ll be a d Rove Rovers, you n a L ll l. for a ange rsona ekend erys, R and pe ate we Discov ars up close , im lt -3 u 1 e s Th rie ec ers, Se of thes Defend e hundreds th se

75

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Alternatively call us on 01926 895295

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4x4

6.5pp Scene News May 23.indd 11

*T’s & C’s apply, see website

includes weekend pass*

16/02/2023 29/03/2023 15:20 11:15

MAY 2023 | 11

11/04/2023 16:52

NEWS

Seven concept Jeeps, including four graduate from Moab’s Class of ‘23

T

his year’s annual Easter Jeep Safari at Moab saw the now-traditional clutch of concepts being unveiled to a doting audience of the marque’s most loyal fans.

That’s about 20,000 of them (Jeep has a lot of fans), who headed for eastern Utah to enjoy a weekend of four-wheeling amid a truly extraordinary landscape. And doting at Jeep’s latest concept.

This Easter saw a grand total of seven concepts. Four of them rolled in very quietly as they were all-electric, which has to be some sort of record.

To be fair, not all seven of the names this year are totally new to us. For example, the Magneto is now up from Concept 1.0 to this year’s Concept 3.0. As the more mathe-

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6.5pp Scene News May 23.indd 12

matically astute will have worked out, this means the first one was shown in 2021 and so this one is the third iteration.

Based on the Wrangler Rubicon, we’ve looked at it before and been impressed. Jeep seems to be viewing it as a rolling test bed but there has to be a market already for this all-electric rock-crawler – and given the utterly ridiculous performance figures of last year’s version (which had 625bhp, 850lbf.ft and a 0-60 time of 2.0 seconds), you’d think that even the most electrophobic of off-road diehards would struggle not to break into a smile. Hopefully they won’t keep on rolling it out to Concept 6.0 or something but will get it on a production line.

Second up is the Scrambler 392.

It is very green, which is faintly ironic

as under the bonnet sits a 6.4-litre V8 pumping out 470bhp and 470lbf. ft of torque. Guess that while Jeep wants to be all on-trend and XR about it all, the company realises it needs to be able to throw some red meat to its customer base as well as knitted tofu burgers. So it’s mostly engine, since it doesn’t have doors or the kind of weather protection you’d want in a rush-hour jam on the North Circular on a February evening. But who cares in Utah? The new air suspension though, that will work anywhere.

The Cherokee 4xe is Jeep reimagining one of its own vehicles, namely the 1978 Cherokee SJ, Jeep’s early attempt – in 1974 in fact – to fuse on and off-road chops into a vehicle that younger people would go for.

Actually, the new delivery of that

idea looks pretty cool, we think. It’s unmistakably retro but inevitably has two electric motors whirring away along with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Hot rod meets surfer chic, we like.

What’s next? Oh yes, the Wrangler Rubicon 4xe. Like you’d not notice it.

This one obviously wasn’t designed for the redneck red-meat eaters.

There’d be a terrible colour clash at the very least. It’s pink isn’t it. And magenta. And gloss patent black.

And, since they’re going all-in, the black patent leather dash has zipper trim with pink velvet underneath it.

Unsurprisingly, this concept comes with full electric power.

The Grand Wagoneer Overland is a concept that plays a bit safer. It’s aimed more at the cross-trekking community (do they dress funny?)

4x4 11/04/2023 16:52

NEWS

full EVs,

and is aimed at adventure combined with some luxury. And indeed speed as there’s a 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine making over 500bhp. Get there in a hurry and in comfort.

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe Departure goes the other way and tries to remove barriers between you and the great outdoors. Wonderful on a sunny day in Utah, less wonderful on the M25 or on an Oregon trail with a mountain lion competing with a bear to get in and get your food first. The Departure name seems to refer not so much to a lounge but to the approach and departure angles which should be pretty damn good.

And last but not least, the Gladiator Rubicon Sideburn seems to simply take a mash-up of models, films and hairstyles for its inspiration or at

4x4 6.5pp Scene News May 23.indd 13

least its name. There’s a 3.6-litre V6 engine plus a lift kit so this should be more serious off-road than its name suggests. There’s a trick load bed, lots of auxiliary lighting and

loads more goodies crammed in.

Are you not entertained?

We’ll be bringing you more about these extremely cool concept vehicles over the coming months. For

now, just check out that landscape, think about the Jeeps you could be going about in if only you didn’t live in Britain and try not to shed a tear.

The Moab the merrier.

MAY 2023 | 13

11/04/2023 16:52

PRODUCTS

Heavy-duty clutch for current Toyota Hilux Price: £280 plus VAT Available from: lofclutches.com THE LATEST ADDITION TO LOF CLUTCHES’ POWERSPEC RANGE brings the current Toyota Hilux into the ever-increasing fold of vehicles the company caters for. Suitable for models from 2015 onwards with the 2.4 and 2.8 diesel engines alike, it’s designed specifically for those which regularly tow or carry heavy loads.

Given the popularity of diesel tuning on pick-ups, LOF says this heavy-duty clutch is also ideal for Hiluxes whose engines have been breathed on – as indeed it will be for those given a hard life off-road. A clamp load of 40% over the original means more reliable engine braking in extreme conditions, too, and this is achieved without any noticeable extra weight in the pedal.

The 275mm diameter, 21-tooth clutch comes supplied as a full kit with everything you need for fitting it, including LOF’s own alignment tool. It’s backed by a two-year manufacturer’s warranty.

New all-season tyre from Davanti promises grip and longevity whatever the weather Price: Varies Available from: Davanti dealers IF YOUR DAILY 4X4 CHARIOT IS AN SUV RATHER THAN A TRUCK, and your choice of tyres is based more on longevity and all-year-round grip than the ability to self-clean its way through a bottomless pit of cloying mud, Davanti’s new Alltoura H/T 4-Seasons could be the one for you. The company’s first all-season passenger car tyre designed with SUVs in mind, this has a unique tread pattern promising ‘a perfect balance of performance, stability and durability.’

Davanti says the tyre balances the technical attributes of both winter and summer patterns – and that it will deliver leading performance in the process. Its tread block design was engineered for stability and durability under heavier loads, while deep longitudinal grooves and a large contact patch promise sure-footed grip in wet conditions.

In addition, it’s made with solid outer blocks for a precise response to steering inputs.

The result of all this is a tyre that’s grippy on wet and dry surfaces, even under heavy loads – and that’s not fazed if those surfaces are covered

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in snow and ice. The Alltoura H/T 4-Seasons is also Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certified, allowing it to comply with legal requirements in countries with winter tyre legislation. And it’s as good in the summer as it is the rest of the time, so there’s no need to put them in a hotel when there’s an R in the month.

‘Expanding the all-season tyre range at the start of 2023 is a great way to begin the year,’ comments Davanti’s general manager Peter Cross. ‘The Alltoura H/T 4-Seasons sits alongside the Alltoura 4-Seasons and Vantoura 4-Seasons, meaning Davanti Tyres now offers high-performing and economical all-weather solutions for commercial, passenger and SUV vehicles.

Also, thanks to the team’s incredible work to engineer a tyre with a tread pattern specifically for

SUVs and the ability to adapt to varying climate conditions, we have a tyre which is a leading benchmark for all-season SUV tyres.’

The Alltoura H/T 4-Seasons is available to purchase now, in a variety of sizes to fit wheels ranging from 16” to 19” in diameter.

4x4 11/04/2023 16:58

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Nightsearcher says its products are ‘continuing to push the boundaries of lighting technology’ and that it’s ‘designing and manufacturing premium, rechargeable and portable LED lighting solutions.’ New highlights in its line-up, all of which will be doing their best to back up these claims, include: • Kanga Star: A range of range high-powered work lights designed to operate from leading power tool batteries. These also have their own stock battery as E: info@whitecliff4x4.co.uk well as an AC mains power adaptor.

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FIRST THERE WERE ROOF TENTS. Then there were vehicle awnings. Now there are vehicle awning alcoves.

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Made from high-density 175gsm polyester ripstop canvas, the alcoves are fire-retardant and fitted with a durable multi-mesh mat allowing pegs and poles to be inserted. They’re made with reinforced corners, too, and are supplied with eight pegs for keeping your investment secure when the wind’s trying to take it away.

11/01/2023 17:23

4x4 11/04/2023 16:58

PRODUCTS

Wrap-around heavy-duty rear bumper for Discovery 2

THIS WRAP-AROUND STEALTH REAR BUMPER FOR THE DISCOVERY 2 is made from 4mm and 8mm structural steel. Manufactured by Dirt Monkey Off Road, it was designed to follow the curves of the original shape rather than sticking out at awkward angles.

Replacing the plastic original, the bumper is fully MIG welded and promises to combine the maximum strength with the lowest possible weight. Finished with a layer of zinc-rich primer followed by Dirt Monkey’s own hard-wearing industrial coating, it locates on the vehicle’s original chassis mounts and comes with E-marked light clusters featuring Stop, Tail, Reverse, Fog and Dynamic Sweeping Indicator functions. It’s sealed against water and dust ingress and also comes pre-wired with 900mm of insulated cable.

While many Disco 2 owners will fancy their chances with anything to do with spanners, Dirt Monkey suggests that the bumper should be fitted by someone with ‘a level of expertise’ – and a helper, too, as getting it into place is a twoman lift. A qualified auto electrician is recommended to wire in the replacement LED lights, too.

The good news is that they can do all of this for you, with a full fitting ser-4x4 Magazine_2023_May_4x4 Maer ATS Ltd_QP.indd 1 vice offered at the company’s premises in South Yorkshire. Even better news is that this is cheaper than having it delivered – and if you want to discuss making modifications to any Dirt Monkey product, they’re always happy to discuss that with you.

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| 17 MAY 2023 09/03/2023 15:15

11/04/2023 16:58

RAPTOR’S RETURN

The all-new Ford Ranger is on a mission to take over the double-cab market exactly the same way the old model did. Only this time, it’s being led into battle by the poster vehicle for premium pick-ups, the epic Raptor. And this time, the race-bred range-topper is packing heavier offroad and performance weapons than ever Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Ford

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I

n the real, workaday off-road world, the Ford Ranger is the most anticipated new vehicle of the year. Yes, even more than the Ineos Grenadier. The old model sold by the bucketload ever since coming to the UK in 2012 – and with its futuristic looks and mouth-watering spec list, its replacement has had the nation’s pick-up buyers on the edge of their seats ever since it was first unveiled.

Of course, if we’re talking about the real, workaday off-road world, there’s one particular version of the Ranger that doesn’t really compute.

The Raptor costs enough to make it more of a luxury toy than a working pick-up (it’s in Grenadier territory price-wise, in fact) and you can’t get your VAT back on it, so for 99% of Ranger buyers it’s the one they look at longingly and shrug.

Still, what a halo vehicle to have at the top of your range. Ford knows this, and that’s why the first part of its UK launch saw us driving a Raptor… with no other versions of the Ranger to be seen. They’re on their way, very soon indeed as we write this, but our introduction to the new big thing in pick-ups was to be aboard the big thing among big things.

Previously, the Raptor was only available with one engine choice, but in the new model this has doubled. There’s still a 2.0-litre diesel with 205bhp – but now, would you believe, petrol is back.

And it’s back in the Raptor we’ve got on test here, too, in the shape of a 3.0-litre V6 developing 292bhp and 362lbf.ft. Performance figures are 111mph and 7.9 seconds; economy, to stretch the meaning of the word, is 20.4mpg and 315g/km.

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Let’s park the latter figures for a while, lest they appear as an inconvenient deal-breaker before we’ve even climbed on board. The appearance of such a lusty, grin-inducing but undeniably juicy engine should remind you, if you needed any reminding, that the Raptor may be a Ranger but

it’s not a commercial vehicle. We’ve said before that people will buy one as their second or third car, the same way they might spend similar money on something like a Porsche Cayman S – the difference being that Porsche Guy takes delivery and immediately books a trip to the

Nurburgring, whereas Raptor Man gets set for a dune-bashing expedition to Morocco.

So, we’re not really here to give our first impressions on the Ranger as a work truck. We’re here to tell you how much fun you can have in the new Raptor. Inevitably, we’ll notice some stuff that will

The Raptor’s suspension is at the heart of its extraordinary talents off-road. It’s equipped with Fox shocks – on the 3.0 V6, as seen here, these are Live Valve units, while the 2.0 diesel runs a tuned version of the Position Sensitive dampers used on the previous Raptor. In each case, shock settings are tuned automatically via the drive mode palette

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‘The performance figures sound like quite a conservative estimate when you’re laying down lines at a T-junction with a lovely six-pot snarl filling your ears’

be the same across the whole of the range, but fundamentally we’ve travelled down to Slindon, near Arundel in Sussex, to get on board and give it death.

The launch event involved an hour or so on a variety of roads followed by a session at Slindon Safari, a huge old quarry that’s become probably the best known off-road site in the south of the country. As is the way of things on a weekday in Sussex, there’s only a certain amount we can tell you about what the Raptor is like on the road, but at least the almost non-stop heavy traffic gave us time to settle in to what’s certainly the most fancily designed cabin yet to be seen on a UK pick-up.

The highlight is an enormous tablet-style infotainment screen, whose vertical positioning puts you in mind of a Tesla. It’s very impressive and from what we could discern is easy to use, logical to navigate around and quick enough in its responses never to confound your efforts. As always, the graphics are down to personal taste, though to us they came over as being businesslike rather than elegant.

We’re not sure if ‘elegant’ is a word we’d use for the Raptor’s cabin in general, however impressive it might be. It’s exciting to sit in and has quite a convincing sporty feel, but the amount of different tones and textures adorning its various surfaces leave your eyes struggling to relax as you survey your surroundings. None of it is ugly or cheap looking in any way, but it’s not what we’d call

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coherent either. There’s clearly a large element of personal taste in that feeling, though, and hand on heart we’re not certain that it won’t go away when we spend more time aboard a Raptor.

What we can say is that there’s quite a lot of hard plastic in the cabin, particularly on the lower dash, door cards and floor console. It’s a reminder that while the Raptor might be a performance vehicle, it’s still a work truck deep down.

We can also say that the seats are good and comfortable, having initially been worried that they were going to be backache specials. The leather covering them feels more tough and stout than soft and supple, but they’re supportive in all the right places and, as is often the case with sports seats, they get more comfortable the longer you sit in them.

In the rear, whereas the previous version of the Ranger was a game-changer with the knee room it offered, this one is merely good. A six-footer will have their knees pressed deep into the recess in the seat ahead if it’s been adjusted for someone similarly tall, though at least they won’t struggle for headroom or a view through the window next to them. The rear is equipped with old and new styles of USB port as well as a 3-pin inverter, allowing you to plug in to the mains just so long as your device isn’t going to busting 400W (a limit which could have been chosen specifically with power tool battery chargers in mind).

So at first glance, the Raptor’s cabin is not unlike that of the old model – very well equipped and full of styling touches, but not quite able to disguise its underlying nature which is that of a workaday pick-up truck.

Driving it, on the other hand, is completely unlike your typical one-tonne experience. This is where the Raptor is built to excel, and that’s exactly what it does.

It’s not all about the engine – though those performance figures actually sound like quite a conservative estimate when you’re laying down lines at a T-junction with a lovely six-pot snarl filling your ears. In particular, this has gone to be one of the vehicles of any kind in which the various modes on the dial make such a big difference.

It’s never less than lively, obviously. But putting it into Sport mode feels like letting it off the leash, particularly when the exhaust note changes from a muted burble to an urgent rasp. It sounds joyous from inside the cabin, encouraging you to get on the loud pedal and make fun things happen.

Shifting into Sport also engages four-wheel drive, so Ford is here for limpet-like grip rather than tail-out naughtiness. The ride firms up too (not that it was ever spongy) and the steering sharpens – again, it’s never less than positive, but the power assistance and damping are dialled back a little to give you more feel, something that’s surprisingly evident as you get into the corners.

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Between all the various shapes, tones and textures, the cabin’s design doesn’t give your eyes much of a chance to relax. Quality is decent overall, albeit with a lot of hard plastic on the dash and floor console, but the vertically set media screen does its job very well.

Knee room in the rear seats is good if not exactly epic – it doesn’t change the world the way the old Ranger did when it was launched, but one six-footer can still sit behind another without either having to suffer We suspect the Raptor’s sports seats may take a chunk out of the available space, however, and that more workaday models will have more to offer in the back

As we mentioned, our all too brief test route included an infuriating amount of traffic. Where it did finally melt away enough for us to cut loose, the Raptor instantly demonstrated its potential.

A weekend in North Yorkshire or the Elan Valley would seal the deal, one suspects – certainly, it’s going to be a blast on A and B-roads in a way that no other double-cab can come close to matching.

Drop it into Comfort mode for the motorway and once more, that’s exactly what you get. It’s as stable as you like, with no need to mess about making constant micro-adjustments to the steering to keep it on line. There seems to be a good deal less in the way of less thumping and jolting from the suspension than we experienced in the previous Raptor, too. There’s only the slightest bit of buffeting from the wing mirrors to detract from its general level of refinement; you might agree that that’s only to be expected, since they’re about the size of a pool table. Engine

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noise and road rumble, meanwhile, are kept well and truly in the background.

In this mode, too, the lighter steering makes it a pleasure to drive around town. People who’ve never piloted a pick-up might think that sounds ridiculous, but the combination of a high driving position, palm-of-your-hand steering and instant get-up-and-go through a seamless 10-speed auto make all so easy. During tight manoeuvring, we found that while flicking the selector between drive and reverse, it was far too easy to throw it into park by accident, but this aside it never once felt like a handful during our brief first drive.

The same can be said of its off-road abilities.

These are divided into two parts – in standard Off-Road mode, which you use for basically everything, and then in Baja mode which you’d use in the frankly unlikely event that you found yourself with the opportunity to drive it flat out over rough terrain.

Since this is the Raptor’s calling card, we’ll start there. If you were to drive it like this on a green lane, you’d be fully deserving of all the trouble coming your way. To do so on someone else’s land, either you’re having a bit of a hoon or you’ve entered some sort of race.

If you’ve got your own land, fair play to you. Or, and to us this seems like the most likely scenario, you’re going to enjoy those trips down to Morocco where you’re going to base yourself in Ouarzazate and spend a few days heading into the northern edges of the Sahara with your mates to play in the dunes. As we mentioned above, to us this feels like the off-road equivalent of doing the ‘Ring thing in a sports car – and cliched though it might be, from behind the wheel it didn’t sound half bad.

That’s not just because we’re fans of Morocco.

Mainly it’s because in Baja mode, the Ranger is just staggeringly good. If you’re not used to competitive off-roading, flooring it on a loose

4x4 11/04/2023 15:59

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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).

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We didn’t think the day would ever dawn when we saw another petrol-engined pick-up in the world, but here the Raptor is with a 3.0-litre V6 whose 292bhp and 362lbf.ft gives it some real pace to go with its race-bred chassis. Obviously, no-one has managed to change the laws of physics in the intervening decades since the last petrol unit was lost from the market, so 20.4mpg is the bucket of cold water – but if you can wear that, your reward is a smooth and composed performance around town, effortless cruising on the motorway and no end of entertainment when you want it. The latter comes complete with a deliciously rude exhaust note, too, to give you even more to smile about

surface is something of an alien experience, but rather than sitting there spinning wheels it simply takes off.

After that, it’s a toss-up between its suspension and braking as to which is more astonishing.

Mainly, when you’re hammering it over rough ground with the body sitting stable and the wheel travel doing all the work, you’re agog at how good it is – but then you get on the anchors and pretty much straightaway you’re thinking that wow, this is even better. After that, as the engine sings away and you chuck it into corners with the confidence of a seasoned comp safari expert (which, God knows, we’re not), you begin to realise that actually you hardly need to be touching the brakes at all. Its suspension, and again its steering, really are that good.

Would it be pushing it to say that this is an out-of-the-showroom race car? It’s not going to compete with the Tomcats and Warriors of this world, obviously, but if I was Ford I’d be looking at putting on a single-marque series in standard production form.

That’s what makes the Raptor unique in the pick-up market. However it’s highly capable in

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everyday off-road conditions too. Drop it into low range and it follows the ground with great suppleness and flexibility – and while we didn’t bury it in deep mud (which of course is just a test of your tyre choice anyway), getting it to break traction takes some serious dedication. The 3.0-litre model has locking front and rear diffs (it’s just the rear on the 2.0-litre diesel) and they let it cover the sort of terrain you’d struggle to walk on.

In Britain, the main problem you’ll have is finding somewhere that lets you make the most of it without being in a constant sense of panic over what’s about to happen to your body panels – something that’s always the case with new vehicles, but even more so when they’re this capable and, of course, this big.

There are other things about the Raptor that are big, too. We mentioned its thirst, which according to the official figures measures up at 20.4mpg. That’s pretty fearsome, obviously, but after precisely three ours and seven minutes’ driving the gauge on the dash told us we’d managed to get that down to 13.8mpg. Admittedly, there was a lot of off-roading in that, and no small amount of heavy-footed silliness (just for the pur-

poses of research, obviously) but if you’re going to buy one of these things it’s not to drive like your granny, is it?

That’s why, despite the fact that we normally like diesels (and, it must be said, we haven’t yet driven the 2.0-litre Raptor), after this showing we’d recommend going the whole hog. The 3.0 V6 costs £58,900, so obviously it’s not a cheap toy, but that’s only £2400 more than the diesel – and as well as an extra ton of horsepower, give or take, you also get more up to date Fox shocks, a front locker (the diesel has just the rear), switchable exhaust note settings and steering wheel switches for the drive modes. Even if it were two vehicles with the same engine, that would be enough to justify the price.

The Raptor has always been something special in the truck market – not so much a truck at all as a truck shaped performance car. Now, more than ever, it has the performance to go with its image.

Whether it’s as a daily driver or a big boy’s plaything, this is one hell of a machine. If you’ve got sixty grand to spend on a truck, our advice would be to do it right – and from the driver’s seat, the Raptor gets it very right indeed.

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PHOENIX RISEN Buying an old Grand Cherokee you’ve seen abandoned in a field is a brave thing to do. But as the saying goes, fortune favours the brave – and just when Stephan van Niekerk’s Jeep was looking like a goner, he was blessed by a turn of events that saw it truck rise like a phoenix from the flames Words and pictures: Alan Kidd

R

escuing and restoring an old 4x4 that someone else has neglected can be a great way of getting your hands on an otherwise unattainable vehicle. If you’ve got the skills, the inclination, the time, the money and the equipment, the potential certainly is there to turn someone else’s trash into treasure.

Normally, it’ll be something with a Land Rover badge. Normally, but by means always. If you were to find an old Willys MB mouldering away in the corner of a farmyard, for example, you could certainly make something very special out of that.

But an old, unloved Grand Cherokee? That’s pushing it. An old, unloved Grand Cherokee whose previous owner used it for towing dead tractors around the place? Crikey.

You’d need to be brave to take a punt on such a thing. But Stephan van Niekerk is definitely brave – to a degree few of us can imagine, actually, having put it all on the line in Afghanistan – and

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The WJ-era Grand Cherokee was a capable bit of kit, but it’s not exactly immune from bringing pain into its owners’ lives. At least Stephan’s is powered by the 2.7 CRD engine, which has proved a lot more reliable than the older 3.1 diesel. The engine is basically unchanged, but the same can’t be said for the suspension. Here, Eddie Priscott from Allmakes ordered up an aftermarket kit from a Jeep specialist which proceeded to send him one that didn’t fit; the springs and shocks you see here are Allmakes’ own, and they give the truck enough lift for it to wear a set of 32-inchers (255/75R17s, since you ask) with pride

having seen a decrepit WJ abandoned in a field near his home just outside Taunton, he did a deal with the farmer and brought it home.

As they say, fortune favours the brave. But as they also say, discretion is the better part of valour. And Stephan was doubly brave because he actually bought not one but two WJs, the second of them costing him a not very reassuringly expensive £200, with the idea of building one good one out of the pair of them.

There’s a chance that instead, he ended up with twice the headaches. But here’s where fortune came in to favour him for his bravery.

His friend Ian knows about cars. And like many people who know about cars, he’s s serial watcher of shows like Car SOS. And, seeing the plight of Stephan’s Jeeps, he had an idea.

Next thing you know, a plot has been hatched.

Stephan takes up the story: ‘One of the Jeeps had turned out to be in better condition, so I was sticking with it. A friend of mine had said he was interested in the other one, then one weekend I had been away in Nottingham and while I was on the way home, my wife phoned to say he had been round and bought it. So I thought no problems, it’s a mate, all done.

‘Then my mechanic told me he had sent my Jeep away to get the PCB done. That meant there were valid reasons for them both disappearing, so I never smelt a rat.’

If you’re into these shows, by the time you read this you may well have seen the episode in which the Car SOS team transform what was a fairly knackered looking Grand Cherokee into the cool tool you see in these pictures. But just how knackered was it?

‘If you weighed up the cost of getting a workshop to put it back on the road, it would have been a scrapper,’ says Eddie Priscott of Allmakes 4x4, who the production team got on board to help make the project happen. They wanted to create a Jeep that would make a statement, as well as doing the job Stephan wanted which was to take his kids on green laning adventures.

By now, it was obvious that getting parts for the vehicle was going to be a big issue. Stephan’s Jeep had the later 2.7 CRD diesel engine but, as Eddie explains, US suppliers only cater for petrol models. Go looking for Grand Cherokees in scrapyards, meanwhile, and you’ll find plenty – but all with the same bits already broken.

Sand ladders, a high-lift and a spare wheel are typical residents of a slimline roof rack.

Stephan has had thoughts of taking the Jeep to Africa, so they might be making way for a tent at some stage. Either way, the Hella light bar is the one thing on here you can be sure will be used most frequently

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‘It needed loads and loads of welding underneath.

The floors were terrible, and we spent four days just on the arches’

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11/04/2023 16:12

On top of this, the truck was rusty. Well, it had been abandoned in a field. How rusty? Eddie says he found that five out of the six potential mounting points for rock sliders were rotten, so that’s a very. ‘It needed loads and loads of welding underneath,’ he says. ‘The floors were terrible, and we spent four days just on the arches.’

By the time Eddie first saw the vehicle, it was already in bits. It was minus its bumpers and lights, and Car SOS had taken away the axles to have them rebuilt. The plan was also to restore the steering and suspension, but beyond that there was a lot of talk about the direction the project should take. A roll cage and bucket seats were proposed – however with Stephan being a double leg amputee, getting into them would be a struggle, so they decided to scale it back on that score. Oh, and no roll cage was available for the vehicle anyway. If you’re used to going shopping for Defender parts, you’ll be starting to get an idea of the problem the team had taken on.

Eventually, anyway, the team settled on doing a build along the lines of the Grand Cherokees people do in the US. Not the ultra-spec rock crawlers you see at the top of the game, but the sort of trail motors an enthusiast might put together for trips out to Moab and the Rubicon.

For this, a +4” long-arm kit from Rough Country sounds pretty much ideal. So Eddie ordered one up… then it arrived, and the arms didn’t fit.

Eddie says he thinks the kit he received was for a Wrangler. As if they weren’t finding it hard enough to get parts. A quick look under the vehicle will show Terrafirma’s own logo on the shocks, which sounds like a classic case of it you want something doing…

You might assue that a massive company like Terrafirma will be able to wave a magic wand and make anything happen, but listen to Eddie talking about how he brought his part of the project together and it will become very clear that this was not some big corporate exercise in throwing TV

money at the problem. The bumper, for example, he sourced on eBay. From eBay, and in Poland.

The roof rack, too, came from the same site, thanks to a seller who had made one once and kept the drawings. But then it arrived, and guess what? ‘The 90-degree folds were more like 100 degrees,’ laments Eddie. ‘I had to take it to a fabricator I use, to have them put right. Only after that, we had it powder-coated.’

We mentioned the mounting points for the rock sliders earlier on, and of course before anything could be added the galloping rust had to be replaced with good metal. Having done that, Eddie took a set of his own Terrafirma units, intended for life aboard a Discovery, and remanufactured them to fit. Once again this is an illustration of the real-world nature of the project.

As for the snorkel, the one that ended up on the vehicle was the third that Eddie had bought for it. Even then, it was about as straightforward as trying to juggle chickens.

The front bumper was sourced on eBay, which says something for how hard it is to get parts for the Grand Cherokee.It’s home to one of Terrafirma’s own winches, as well as another Hella light bar. A leading feature of the vehicle is that it’s had the full Raptor treatment, with a light beige tint on the body panels contrasting nicely with the black finish on the grille, back bumper and wheelarch extensions

30 | MAY 2023

6pp Stephan Jeep.indd 30

4x4 11/04/2023 16:12

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32 | MAY 2023

4x4_Composite_May23.indd 32

11/01/2023 17:19

4x4 11/04/2023 15:07

Rock sliders are fine things, but they’re not normally as remarkable as they are on this Grand Cherokee. When Eddie examined the Jeep, he found that five out of the six potential mounting points were completely rotten – one of several areas in which the project turned out to require a staggering amount of welding

The actual snorkel they ended up using was intended for a 2.4-litre Toyota Hilux. Obviously. But that’s just the beginning. ‘The cold air inlet to the filter is behind the headlight,’ Eddie explains. ‘So you would need to do a whole new air box. Also, the inner and outer wing skins are only about one inch apart – and the inner wing is structural, and where you’d need to go through it is close to the suspension turret.

‘You could make it work, but it would take about two days. So the snorkel is a dummy.’ They do say that television is all smoke and mirrors, but actually this is just about the only thing about the Jeep that’s not what it seems.

That bumper has a Terrafirma winch on it, for example, and the company also did the wiring (and there was a lot of it) for the Hella LEDs adorning the truck’s bumper and rood rack.

It all goes together to make a Grand Cherokee that looks cool, purposeful and also pleasingly honest. We’ve seen these subjected to unbelievably big-budget builds, and the results can be spec-

4x4 6pp Stephan Jeep.indd 33

tacular – if not any more effective off-road than spending half as much on a standard Wrangler. Not that you want to be the guy with the bucket of cold water, because there’s no such thing as a bad project – but anyway, Stephan’s Jeep is an eye-catcher and an off-roader in equal measure, without either aspect of its character overwhelming the other.

A perfect example of this is the finish, was was done by the guys at Raptor. You know the stuff – a textured coating that’s verging on indestructible, developed with spray-in pick-up bedliners in mind but now increasingly popular as an alternative to traditional paint. It’s tintable, which of course means there are endless creative opportunities with it, and once your truck has a coat of it in place you can drive down all the scratchy green lanes in the world and brush rash will be a thing of the past. It’s on the Grand’s body panels, wheelarch extensions and grille… then when you pop the bonnet you’ll find it on the air box and engine cover too, with all the different elements going together to create a cool two-tone look.

And talking of cool things, one day a while after the two Jeeps disappeared, Stephan was away

on a mountain biking event with his friends. It’s a passion of his, and something he does to raise money for other wounded veterans (next year, he’s going to be cycling from Canada to Mexico via the entire length of the Rockies, which is a hell of an undertaking by anybody’s standards, in aid of the Adaptive Grand Slam charity). There was a film crew there watching the action, which apparently didn’t come across as being out of the ordinary, but then all of a sudden the whole scene turned into the Big Reveal, with the Car SOS guys appearing out of nowhere along with his Grand Cherokee – unrecognisable from the sad state it was in when he last saw it, and all ready to hit the lanes for those adventures with his family.

Having been medically discharged from the Army, Stephan has built a new life in which he mixes his fundraising with work as a motivational speaker, among other things encouraging people to be willing to seek help. Few things could be more motivational than his own story of positive thinking in the face of the unthinkable – and, while it’s hardly on the same scale, that’s kind of mirrored in its own way by his Jeep’s new life. In its own small way, this Grand Cherokee represents a refusal to accept defeat – and the importance of knowing when to send out an SOS.

MAY 2023 | 33

11/04/2023 16:12

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SOMETHING IN

Ian Grayston was only after a family car when, may years ago, he bought a new whole new world of driving fun – one in which he went on to create a 90 whose works of 4x4 engineering in the country at the time Words: Gary Noskill Pictures: Steve Taylor

B

ack when the original Discovery was new, Land Rover marketed it as a vehicle the whole family could go out in at the weekend and get muddy. It was a moderately fanciful image for what was, to most people, just the latest thing in cool cars, but if you were to go to an off-road playday in the early 1990s you would indeed find people doing it in the family Disco.

36 | MAY 2023

4.5 Grayston.indd 36

When Ian Grayston bought his 200Tdi Discovery way back when they were new, it was indeed just a car to him. But he wasn’t the kind of person to leave its ability unexplored for long. ‘As time went on,’ he says, ‘and I had a play with it, I became amazed at what it could do.’ As did so many people at the time.

But there was a problem. As there was for so many people at the time, etc. ‘It was too expen-

sive to be giving a really severe test. So I bought myself a Series IIA. I was soon hooked.’

Those were the days when a 200Tdi Disco was worth about ten times as much as a good Series IIA. It’s the other way round now, of course but this was then.

At the time, Ian had access to some private land on a railway siding where he could get the IIA flexing its cart springs. But of course there’s

4x4 11/04/2023 17:02

THE AIR

Land Rover Discovery. But having taken it off-road, his eyes were opened to a tough but unremarkable looks hid the fact that it was one of the most unusual

only so far they can go, and soon he was on the lookout for a coiler.

‘I sold it on for a 200Tdi 90,’ he continues.

‘It was a better vehicle all round but I wasn’t convinced that it was the best engine or the best transmission. After three or four new diffs and countless halfshafts, I was ready for a change.’

And what did he change? The gearbox, that’s what. From manual to automatic, would you

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believe. Oh, and the engine, too. And from that moment on, his 90 was transformed.

With no love at all for the 200Tdi, Ian wanted rid. And to replace it, he went looking for a good 300Tdi. ‘I was after a bit more torque at lower revs, and that’s the reputation of the 300Tdi.’ When he found one, it was in a Disco that had been written off as a Cat C loss. The engine and gearbox looked to be a steal, but as always when that happens there’s an inconvenient truth lurking around the corner.

‘I quickly realised that it wasn’t as good as I expected,’ admits Ian. ‘So I bought myself a reconditioned block and rebuilt the engine I had.

Next up, I had to graft it into the 90, so I went on to the forums asking for help – but I couldn’t get answers that made sense.

‘In the end, I just thought to myself that it couldn’t be beyond me, and set about doing it. It was a lot of work though, with new crossmembers needed, new engine mounts and the oil coolers to think about.’

After all this effort, it might not be too much of a surprise to learn that there are very few engine mods of any kind. The snorkel is an off-the-shelf item that’s been adapted to fit, but that’s about it.

Many people would have immediately been starting to think about bigger intercoolers and other performance upgrades, but not Ian. He’s happy with the 300’s performance as standard – though of course that may have something to do with the bullet-proof auto box bolted to the back of it.

This is the famously indestructible ZF4HP from the Discovery. Ian admits that he’s a bit rough on gearchanges, and that this was sending shockwaves along the transmission that were exploding diffs and shattering halfshafts.

‘The thinking was that the auto could compensate for my foot!’ laughs Ian. ‘If you grind to a halt, all you have to do is apply a bit more throttle and away you go. Besides, I lay pipelines for a living – and the plant around the sites is all driven by hydraulics. The advantage of sending the power through gradually is less wheelspin.’

So he changed the engine and gearbox, but that was all. Well, apart from the axles, which are also from the same Discovery. Oh, and he fitted the rear one with heavy-duty Salisbury halfshafts. And both of them with ARBs. By now, you’ll have got the idea. Not a lot about this 90 is standard. The suspension, for example, is, well, not standard.

Actually, ‘not standard’ hardly scratches the surface of how unusual it is. He used aftermarket trailing links to keep the Disco axle in place, but they kept bending so he made some of his own out of 6mm wall tube.

Even that, though, will hardly give you any idea of what’s coming next. ‘It seemed to me that buses and wagons have air suspension and it’s in Range Rovers, so it should be okay,’ he told us of his decision to buy an Ogden Air kit. ‘It wasn’t a direct replacement, though – I found it needed a lot of adaptation.

‘The axles’ tops had to be ground down, and there was a lot of work involved. The airbags are kept inflated by the biggest compressor for the kit, but I ended up getting another from Matt Savage so now I have two feeding the air reservoir.’

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Air suspension all round, combined with cranked rear radius arms made from steel tube with a 6mm wall thickness, yield what Ian estimates to be thirty inches of travel.

The former was fitted with much modifiation and now uses twin compressors, while the latter are home-made items replacing proprietory parts which kept breaking

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Front winch bumper is tucked in as close as possible to preserve approach angle. At the rear, a mid-mounted Husky pays out through an aluminium fairlead that’s a rare example of DIY casting

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Having decided that the rear crossmember was ‘a bit vulnerable,’ Ian didn’t replace it – he welded a 6mm girder to it. This, and mounts at the ends of the chassis outriggers, provide support for a full exo cage he made using 2.25” steam pipe A lot of work, then, but it was worth the effort. ‘I get thirty inches of axle travel. It’s so extreme that when I tried to test it with my high-lift jack, it didn’t reach high enough to get the other wheel off the ground. And each corner is controlled by its own rocker switch, so I have complete control.’

Lest that control should falter, Ian installed an external roll cage which he made himself out of 2.25” steam pipe. When we say external, it really is just that – while the body was off, he created a design that would fit completely around it. There are mounting points on the outriggers at either end of the rock sliders, and on a 6mm girder he welded to the rear crossmember; the only panel that’s pierced is the roof, where it’s bolted through to an interior diagonal brace.’

Further heavy metal comes in the shape of a winch bumper that’s tucked as deeply as possible

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into the front of the 90. Dirty great tangles of tube that protrude so far they need their own postcode might make a statement, but keeping it neat makes an approach angle to be proud of and that’s what mattered to him.

‘The front winch is an X9,’ Ian told us. ‘But I don’t think the brake holds ever so well. I’ll probably replace it with a Husky, which seems to hold better because it has a worm drive.’

He should know, because there’s a Husky hidden away in the rear. It’s mounted just behind the bulkhead in the load bay, well out of the way of mud and water, with its Dyneema rope routed through a ‘letter box’ hole in the floor, round a pulley and out through the bumper. Here, it pays out through an aluminium fairlead which is one of those things off-roaders come up with from time to time that make your jaw drop.

Did Ian machine it? Hell, no. He had a bash at casting. ‘It’s the third attempt, but it works quite well. It’s not hard on the Dyneema cable, and I wanted it to feed all the line towards a central point on the winch drum. It works… sometimes!’

That sounds like quite a self-effacing verdict on anything to do with such a comprehensively planned and put-together vehicle. Looking at Ian in action aboard his 90, he clearly didn’t build it to be looked at and admired, but to be an exceptionally capable off-roader – and he didn’t mind going about it in ways that might raise an eyebrow among traditionalists. The result? A Land Rover that certainly is worth looking at… not least because in its builder’s hands, whenever you see it it’s apt to be doing something that’s very well worth watching. It’s a far cry from that family Disco he bought all those years ago…

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Small but perfectly Legacy Overland is known for its restified Range Rovers, Land Cruisers and G-Wagens. As this Suzuki LJ demonstrates, there’s literally no end to the range of classic 4x4s the US outfit is capable of bringing back to life in a manner that far exceeds anything their original manufacturers ever envisioned Words: Graham Scott Pictures: Legacy Overland

B

ack when the planet was in its initial cooling phase, I used to work on 4x4 magazines. This was at a time when the pesky Japanese were administering a drubbing to ‘proper’ 4x4s from the UK and the US. This wasn’t universally popular.

And every now and then we on the magazine would drop the ball.

We’d let the word ‘Jeep’ go through attached to something else. Sometimes the capital letter didn’t make it either. Probably in the letters page someone would mention a ‘Vitara jeep’ and we’d miss it. But not for long.

Because in an opulent room somewhere various lawyers, kept in luxury for the express purpose, would get their heads out of the gilded trough and start squealing and snorting and stampeding in our direction with various legal letters and threats.

I think Hoover used to employ a similar herd of lawyers kept in clean straw at all times, but frankly we didn’t trouble them so much. But our trottered legal friends at Jeep were adamant.

Apologies, retractions and explanations and a fresh bucket of caviar for their trough.

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I was reminded of those happy days while munching a bacon sandwich and looking at the photos of this little beauty. Somehow they’ve managed to make a Suzuki LJ80 look more like a Jeep than a Jeep. But, just to forestall any Gadarene clattering of trotters down the corridor, this is definitely not a Jeep. It’s a Suzuki.

The ‘they’ referred to above is Legacy Overland, based indeed in the land of the Jeep. As you probably know, their thing is to find some beaten-down old-timer and restore it. Although that’s not the right word. Possibly there isn’t a verb for when you restore, rebuild, repurpose re-whatever a vehicle so far from its knackered state that it’s infinitely better than when it came out of the factory.

I mean, just look at it. It looks almost a perfect square from some angles, a small, bluff Tonka toy of a 4x4, suitable for adventure anywhere. Oh, what’s that sound? Right, this isn’t anything to do with Tonka toys we’d like to point out. Or Jeep. It’s all Suzuki out of Japan courtesy of Legacy Overland out of the US. Suzuki got it pretty right from the get-go when they launched the LJ80. In fact the first

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formed

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The LJ’s interior has a wonderful simplicity to it – even when it’s been totally remade and adorned with leather-trimmed sports seats. There’s a Pioneer head unit hidden away in the glovebox, which is not exactly the most convenient place but is definitely the right one as it maintains the plain, basic and completely analogue nature of the dashboard. There’s nothing plain about the system the head unit controls, though – there’s 1000 watts of power in that sub model was the LJ10, launched in 1970, but that had an air-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke engine measuring a mighty 359cc. I wouldn’t ride a motorbike with such a small engine but it meant the LJ fitted neatly into Japan’s Kei class, which offered tax advantages.

Seven years later we got the LJ80 with a rather more convincing 800cc four-stroke four-cylinder engine. That allowed the Suzuki to do a bit more with the four-wheel drive and two-speed transfer

case than previously, and brought it a legion of fans in the UK. One of them was Barry Sheene, Suzuki’s motorcycle world champion, who had one as one of his playthings, to help carry around his many other playthings to pubs and clubs.

This particular model looked like it was all played out when Legacy found it as a donor vehicle. Apart from anything else, it was painted a particularly unfortunate shade of green. And the rust-proofing was never that good to begin

with, so there was plenty of proof that rust will eventually win.

And the less said about the check-cloth seats the better. Mister Good Taste was clearly not at home when this thing was found and dragged into the light once again. But this is what Legacy Overland does, it brings things back from beyond the brink. In this case it was a long hard road back.

It started, as these things do, with taking things back to bare metal, to individual components, much like that Tonka toy, which this vehicle in no way resembles. It was a big job so the crew were galvanised into action and promptly galvanised everything they could see in the nuts, bolts, brackets, bits departments. This thing is built to last although, to be fair, it has lasted pretty well since it rolled off the line back in 1980.

One of the things that simply couldn’t last a day longer was that mutant green paintjob. Now it’s grey. Only of course it’s not. It’s ‘metallic intergalactic star dust gray’. Now that’s more like it even if Americans can’t spell grey.

And those rather dreadful check seats have gone too, to be replaced by a pair of sports buckets covered in leather. Only of course it’s not. It’s

If this were a simple restoration, that Warn M5000 would stand no chance of being involved. And you wouldn’t see anyone fabricating a custom bumper to mount it on either, obviously. Thanks heavens for Legacy Overland, then, because not only is this a beautiful old truck, it’s a beautiful new off-roader too

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The 800cc engine is original to the vehicle, but it’s been a long time since it looked this good. The springs are not original; they provide a 2” lift which, in conjunction with a set of 31x10.50R15 Cooper Discoverer STT Pros, gives the vehicle a lovely square stance.

Without an enormous amount of welding before the fun stuff could begin, none of this would have happened – you can see how clean and sound the footwells are now (below left), but rest assured it wasn’t always this way

‘hand-crafted vegan leather’. So it’s not leather, it’s something pretending to be leather like a big plastic model in a field pretending to be a real cow.

One of the things that make it look so square yet cool is the juxtaposition of the big wheels and tyres jutting out in a rather manly big-jawed sort of way. A way that intimates that steak will be on the menu and it had better not be lab-grown meat. They may be 15” steel wheels but they’re chunky in satin black, particularly when shod with Cooper Discoverer STT Pro Mud-Terrains. With custom-made flared wheelarches, they give the small but perfectly formed SJ a really rugged air that implies it really can go anywhere.

A 2” lift kit takes that capability that bit further, but powering the four-wheel drive and transfer box, far upstream there is still only the 800cc four-pot, albeit totally taken apart and put back together again. It’s a light vehicle but even so this isn’t going to match a V6 Jeep when it comes to

simply churning through the gloop. Although the Warn M5000 winch might come in handy at that point, fitted to the custom winch bumper.

However, the little rig gives the impression that it’s been restored and reimagined for something other than hardcore off-roading. When you’re stopped, the socking great light bar with four lamps on the top should help illuminate wherever it is you stop. And then there’s the sound system.

This isn’t the vehicle to go out into Nature and reconnect with the wildlife.

Well, it could be but only until the sound system is cranked up. That really does seem as though it was designed for a small concert hall, not a small 4x4. There’s 1000 watts in there, powering through a monster subwoofer and Pioneer speakers. The head unit, which is of course Bluetooth-enabled, lives in the glove box so the cockpit maintains that delightfully minimalist look where there’s very little to go wrong.

That’s partly the appeal here. As things like dashboards get more and more complex and electronic, a 4x4 with two dials ahead of the steering wheel, with nothing obviously digital, looks refreshingly simple. The levers on the tunnel need cranking by hand, as does the handbrake, and, yes, that’s a manual choke lever for the carburettor by the driver’s left.

The LJ80 was always a fun vehicle, light and frothy rather than heavy and serious. And this may be an extremely expensive rebuild but it seems true to that emotion. It’s a vehicle to make you smile and relax rather than getting all aggressive and materialist about the world.

And, just to reiterate, it’s a Suzuki. Not a Tonka toy. Not a Jeep. It’s an LJ80. Oh, hang one a minute, what does LJ stand for, anyone know? Ah, thanks. Apparently Suzuki called it that because it stands for Light Jeep. Damn. I hear the sound of trotters approaching fast…

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MAG

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The wetter the

Everybody loves a bit of water. Whatever kind of 4x4 you drive, anything from a big puddle to a bonnet-deep flood is capable of bringing out the big kid in all of us. And wherever you go in Britain, you’re never far from a chance to play.

There are more than a thousand fords on Britain’s roads, ranging from tiny seasonal splashes to epic coastal crossings which disappear beneath several feet of water at every high tide. Some are on surprisingly major routes, while others appear as a welcome surprise on little-used green lanes.

Aston Cantlow

Aveton Gifford

Warwickshire SP 132 594

Devon SX 683 567

An unclassified county road crosses the River Alne between Great Alne and Aston Cantlow – via a brute of a ford that’s long and deep and, in places, overgrown. Oh, and as you plough forward with water foaming up around your wing-tops, you won’t actually be able to see the way out until you’re well into the middle of the crossing.

This is not so much a ford as a tidal road. It even says as much on the OS map. At low tide, it’s just a concrete ribbon along the coastline and across an inlet in the Avon estuary, with a tell-tale line of poles either side of it to keep you on track once the water starts coming in. And when the water does start coming in, get ready for a treat. If you want windscreen-deep wading,

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better

Of course, really deep wading is incredibly bad for your vehicle. You can prepare it for action with a snorkel and raised breathers, but the sensible thing to do is to stay well clear.

But where’s the fun in being sensible? There’s a reason why you’re reading 4x4 magazine right now, after all, and not What Car? And that’s the reason why our guide to 25 of the most interesting fords in the country should get you reaching for the WD40 and planning to take your truck out for a swim… you got it… though of course the water glugging and lapping around your chassis will be laden with salt, so this really would be a uniquely reckless way to get your kicks.

Cotswold town has a surprisingly substantial ford. It’s deep and wide enough to be fun but not daunting, and a smooth gravel bottom makes it an easy drive in any 4x4.

Bourton on the Water Gloucestershire SP 169 204 Not what you expect in the middle of a bustling tourist trap like Bourton, but as well as Birdland, a maze and a model village, this picture-perfect

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Brandon Ford

Bucklebury

Northumberland NU 041 169

Berkshire SU 544 710

Aside from fords which actually take you along the river bed, this has to be one of the longest in Britain. It doesn’t so much cross the River Breamish as its entire floodplain, which in summer is a twisted field of stones and gravel.

When it’s been raining and the water level has taken a hike, the only thing you’re crossing it in is your dreams.

An enormously famous ford, and an absolute favourite among people wanting to destroy their posh BMW and Lexus saloons, this stands at the junction of two C-roads as they meet at the River Pang. One result of this is that there are two exits to the north; either way, a smooth concrete bottom means the only problem you’ll face is through sheer depth of water – which, at times, Bucklebury provides in abundance. As an added attraction, there are loads of byways around here – one of which also fords the river, just a short way to the north-west.

Brookley Road Hampshire SU 297 383 You don’t expect to find a ford in the genteel surroundings of Brockenhurst.

But here into the heart of the New Forest, traffic routinely splashes through a small tributary of the River Lymington at the end of a wealthy town centre road full of nice cafes, estate agents and art galleries. It’s not normally enough to stop your average Audi hatchback or Porsche convertible, let alone any kind of 4x4. But when the level rises after a lot of rain, it becomes a lot more interesting – and you’ll have the added entertainment of doing it while local children watch in delight and their parents look on disapprovingly.

Cheney Longville Shropshire SO 424 846 Both ends of this green lane look from the road like simple unmade tracks. Halfway along its length, however, when approaching from the south it passes beneath a disused railway bridge then abruptly lurches into a side slope which, most of the time, has a healthy stream of water running along it. That’s just the appetiser, though; when you get to the river itself, it’s a deep, wide plunge – through a pool of water whose exit on the north bank is uneven enough to pose a real challenge

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Corwen Carwash Denbighshire SJ 058 428 The name says it all. Near the lively little town of Corwen (which, conveniently, is close to the western end of the epic Wayfarer green lane), an unclassified road crosses the Afon Alwen via a wide, deep ford which has become a legend among off-roaders. So much so that there have been reports of people lacing the bed with barbed wire; a very fine argument in favour of eugenics.

Furneux Pelham Hertfordshire TL 437 285 An absolute legend among fords, this is a narrow, sunken, unsurfaced road that runs along a seasonal stream bed. In the summer, it’s simply a green lane with a few puddles, albeit big ones; after plenty of rain, on the other hand, it’s a windscreen-deep chicken run for the best part of a mile. Catch it at its best, and you won’t believe your eyes – but uness your vehicle is diesel engined, snorkel-equipped and breathered to the nines, you also won’t believe what a bad idea it was to poke this big, big beast..

Glancamddwr Powys SN 919 469 With there being so many big, long lanes in the area, this shortish track west of Llangammarch Wells is easy to overlook on a map. But right at its southern end, it crosses the River Irfon via a colossus of a ford. It’s wide enough to be get you going – and that’s before you discover how deep it is. Even when the water level is low, it’ll be bubbling up to the top of your bonnet – and when it’s high, if you’re foolhardy enough to take a risk you’re apt to join the long list of 4x4 drivers whose pride and joy has ended up taking a one-way trip downstream.

Haughhead Ford Northumberland NU 000 260 Normally, this is just a simple concrete-bottomed ford through the Wooler Water, just south of Wooler itself. When the river’s in spate, though – well, there’s a reason why the footbridge next to it is so high.

And if you’re not convinced, just check out the size of the boulders the river has carried there. Oh yes, and immediately downstream of the ford the river goes over a sheer waterfall. Not to be trifled with.

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Hawkhill Stones Northumberland NU 216 118 This is a shortish but quite deep river crossing on a byway near Alnwick.

There’s an easy rule of thumb about gauging the depth of the water before you cross – if you can’t see the stepping stones on the downstream side (which, somehow, are marked on the OS map), drive it at your own risk…

Kingston Deverill Wiltshire ST 851 372 This ford is, quite simply, an absolute colossus. Hidden away on an unclassified road, it’s long, wide and deep – even in dry weather, you’ll get a bow wave going. In the winter, meantime, it can pose a challenge even for vehicles with snorkels. A beauty.

Lingart Ford Lancashire SD 498 461

second, it’s over. But then your eyes adjust to the fact that ahead of you, the road disappears into a lake…

East of Garstang, Wyre Lane becomes, well, just the Wyre. When you get to the river, the track feels more like a sliproad – it simply disappears into the water, with no obvious sign of an exit opposite. That’s because Lingart Lane appears about 150 yards further south – to cross, you need to follow the river bed all the way, using your judgement, experience, luck, power of prayer or cheerful idiocy to keep you out of the deep bits. On the subject of which, while the river is fordably shallow most of the time, its level can rise dramatically – if the concrete apron at the base of the footbridge is under the surface, bashing on regardless is asking for trouble.

North Warnborough Hampshire SU 727 519 Half a mile from the M3, you come to the spread-out, low-lying village of North Warnborough. Following the road through tightly packed cottages, you cross a wide open field which leads you to a deep but quiet ford. Within a

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4X4

Cynghordy Llandovery Carmarthenshire, SA20 0NB Tel: 01550 750274 e-mail: info@cambrianway.com

The Leading Land Rover & Range Rover 4×4 Engine Specialists

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Green Lane Holidays in Mid Wales Family run guest house and self catering cottages with spectacular views, en-suite bedrooms, comfortable lounge bar and excellent home cooked food.

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11/04/2023 17:24

Latchford North Hertfordshire TL 393 205 There in one, here. The River Rib is normally a quiet looking babbling brook, but once it starts to rise it turns into a deep, fast-moving torrent. The tiny village of Latchford is accessed by two fords; the one in the main picture, would you believe, is the shallower of the two…

Latchford South Hertfordshire TL 387 201 …while the one to the south of the village is yet deeper. Even when the water level is low, this route in to Latchford is pretty gnarly, with a steep, sharp lip as you drop into the water. There’s a proper gravel surface on either side of the crossing, too. The crossing is via a natural pool, so it doesn’t get as fast-moving as the northern ford, but you’ll never cross here without hitting some serious depth.

Barwick Hertfordshire TL 385 188 A mile or so south of the crossings at Latchford, the road to Much Hadham (where yet more ford fun awaits) swings across a wide, firmbased ford. It’s nothing like as deep, but being on a sharp corner means there’s still plenty of opportunity to make a complete fool of yourself…

Peckledy Lane

Rake Lane

Shropshire SO 558 843

North Yorkshire NZ 776 066

Often known simply as Clee St Margaret, this is one of those epic fording experiences where rather than crossing a river, the lane simply runs along it. It takes quite a lot for it to become deep – but when it does, the deep, sunken trough you’re passing along means it’ll be very deep indeed, not to mention fast-moving. Once you’re out of the water, at its western end the lane crosses the corner of a field before passing alongside a group of farm buildings; at its eastern end, meanwhile, in the centre of the village there’s a tarmac road which also has a river running along it

This ford is something special for a number of reasons. One, it’s accessed via a green lane that’ll actually get you into low box, Two, it’s overlooked by a soaring viaduct on the famous North York Moors Railway. And three, if you cut the corner as you cross the river you’re going to sink.

Assuming you manage not to fall into the latter trap, just to the west of here is Egton Bank, another nice lane with a deceptive ford halfway along it. This time, it’s the presence of a trough near the eastern bank of the river which, for a moment, will fill your entire field of vision with nothing but water.

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Strata Florida Ceredigion / Powys SN 806 608 Strata Florida is surely Britain’s favourite remaining green lane. In fact, it probably held that honour even in the days before the rights of way network was decimated by a succession of corrupt and/or dishonest local and national governments. It’s a fearsome, wonderful monster of a trail, challenging and beautiful in equal measure – and it features a series of fords which, travelling from the west, culminate in a long, deep wade along the river bed at the confluence of two streams.

Much as this may make it sound like a playground for carefree fun, Strata Florida does need to be respected. When the water’s high, it has enough force to sweep a vehicle away – a fact that came home to roost in tragic fashion some 15 years ago when a teenage girl died aboard a Discovery whose driver chanced it while the river was in flood.

You need to show the other kind of respect, too, by sticking to the right of way and not leaving it to play in the river – something which happens all too frequently and has already led to calls for the lane to be closed. As if you need to do a thing like that to get your kicks on a trail which, even when the weather’s dry, is pure heaven for wet laning.

Redbournbury

Rhyd yr Abadau

Hertfordshire TL 119 107

Powys SJ 047 140

A welcome surprise in the unpromising setting of Hertfordshire’s thronging commuter belt, this is a brace of wide, scenic fords crossing branches of the River Ver. There’s an old mill next to the bigger of the two, which means that at weekends you’re likely to have an audience of families.

Halfway along a wide. gravelled track north-west of Dolanog, without warning the right of way strikes out to the north and starts to drop down a steepening hillside. At the bottom, it comes to an impressively wide ford whose stony surface means picking your route is all important. A few miles downstream from the dam holding back Lake Vyrnwy, its depth is well regulated and rarely varies – but there’s still a challenge here, because the climb up the far bank when travelling from the south is steep and very uneven, with a slippery axle twister that will put your technique to the test.

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Tarr Steps Somerset SS 867 321 This river crossing would make it on to anyone’s A-list. Running alongside a mediaeval clapper bridge across the River Barle in Somerset, it’s rough-surfaced and at times breathtakingly deep. The area’s popularity with tourists means you’re likely to have a delighted audience as you splash your way to the other side.

Thorpe Langton Leicestershire SP 743 929

Rusland Pool Cumbria SD 335 892 Two very different fords for the price of one – with a nice unsurfaced road thrown in for good measure. Best taken from east to west, the track first crosses a wide, shallow expanse of water before making landfall. But a few yards on, you come to the main event – a seriously deep, fast-moving stream which after heavy rain becomes impassable to anyone with a brain. At any rate, it’s impassable to all vehicles between 1 October and 31 May, as the route is subject to a seasonal TRO.

Towards the southern end of a lengthy but quite straightforward gravel track, this sizeable ford appears out of nowhere. It’s deep at the best of times – hit it after a lot of rain, and without a snorkel you’ll be thinking more than twice.

Warkworth Moor Northumberland NU 235 049 It may be shallowish and smooth bottomed but this picturesque route across the River Coquet, just a mile or so before it becomes tidal, is something very special. It runs across the top of a weir, below which there’ll often be children playing in the water, and to add to the fun it gives out on to a byway, albeit one suitable for everyday cars.

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t s e b e h t f o 4 x 4 el from the 4x4 world. representing a particular make and mod A quartet of great modified off-roaders the world of leaf-sprung Land Rovers This month: classic meets modified in

watch and learn

Y

ou have to wonder why there aren’t more Toyota Land Cruisers being used in extreme off-road circles.

When your choices include perhaps the most capable and reliable line of vehicles ever created, why would you go with anything else?

But brand loyalty is a funny thing. So too, in this sceptred isle of ours, is the effect of wrapping something in a Union Jack. And so for decade upon decade, Britain’s 4x4 enthusiasts have been so obsessed with one single manufacturer (see if you can guess which one we’re talking about) that for a long time, while Toyota was steadily taking over the rest of the world it didn’t even bother trying to sell the Land Cruiser here.

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Words: Gary Noskill Pics: Steve Taylor

Go to Africa or Asia, travel the Outback in Australia, watch the Rainforest Challenge in Malaysia, spend any length of time in the wild parts of South America, and before long you’ll have seen more Land Cruisers than you thought existed in the world. In fact, it seems like the only two places where Toyota’s 4x4 hero isn’t totally dominant are here in Britain and over in America. I wonder why…

Yet over on the far side of the Atlantic, there’s a hardcore group of Cruiser fans who’d never touch a Jeep. And it’s the same over here; Britain’s Land Cruiser devotees laugh at the notion of owning a Land Rover. Once you’ve got a truck that’s known for not breaking, they argue, why on earth would you trade down to one that’s known for exactly the opposite?

At this point, let’s introduce Andy Laban. He’s a professional mechanic and a qualified offroad instructor, so he ought to know about this stuff. And he does. And he drives a modified 70-Series Land Cruiser. And he takes it offroading at least twice a month.

‘I can’t get enough of driving the car,’ he remarked to us. ‘It’s like a drug!’

Being a spanner man, he’s able to do most of the work himself. This of course makes a huge difference to the cost of a project – as in, unless you’re seriously well off it means you can actually afford to go off-roading at all.

The result is that Andy’s truck has more mods on it than he’d have been able to make if he’d been paying someone else to do the work for him. And there’s another side to this,

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t too. ‘Because I’ve saved money by doing some things myself,’ he explained, ‘it’s enabled me to bring in the experts on other stuff.’

These experts include Jim Marsden, Pete Sylvester and Chris Ould. ‘Chris is a really talented welder,’ Andy enthused. ‘You only have to look at the quality of his work to see how skilled he is.’

Chris was responsible for the front winch bumper adorning the Land Cruiser, which was modelled on one that Andy saw on a Malaysian Rainforest truck in the pages of this very magazine. He took the photograph to Chris and within days the bumper had been made exactly as Andy imagined.

It features a massive recessed mounting plate for the front winch, which is a Goodwinch G12.

This is capable of pulling about 12,000lb on its steel cable and Andy reckons the Land Cruiser could actually swing from it like a pendulum. It’s a challenge to think of a situation in which this would be useful, but it would look impressive.

Actually, given the prodigious terrain-bashing credentials of the Land Cruiser, it’s a wonder Andy feels the need for any winch at all. He chose the vehicle after a bad experience with a TD5 Defender 90 on the grounds that it would offer greater reliability than the Land Rover. It also provides a much nicer driving experience on the road.

The Land Cruiser underwent some modifications in the hands of its previous owner, including a suspension lift of sorts and a Superwinch X9 that was bolted directly on to the standard front bumper. Andy’s first task was therefore to undo all of this work and set about making the changes that suited him.

This involved replacing the Hi-Lux suspension components that had been used to increase ride height with a +2” Old Man Emu kit. Extended springs and shocks are included in this bolton kit, and Andy has augmented it with a set of 2” mounts for the shocks, enabling greater drop-out. He is more than happy with the set-up following these mods, although he is currently toying with the idea of three-link suspension to give him more extreme articulation. ‘There was a Land Cruiser on the Croatia Trophy that had a three-link configuration,’ he states. ‘I think it could make things pretty exciting!’

The lifted suspension creates enough room beneath the arches for a set of 35x10.50R16

Like most of us, Andy needs to be costconscious with his off-road toy – which is exactly what the Land Cruiser is, as he runs it as a second car. But while a chequebook build is something we all dream of, he doesn’t see reality as a burden: ‘It’s fun to develop costeffective solutions to problems. It makes you appreciate the car a lot more than if you could just pay your way out of trouble.’

It helps that the Land Cruiser’s Japanese build quality means running repairs are kept to a minimum, and even when they are needed Andy says that the work tends to be pretty straightforward. A cam belt change, for example, takes around twenty minutes according to Andy. Moreover, he reports that undoing nuts on a Toyota is the kind of experience of which most mechanics can only dream. They twist off with no problem, he reports, and the same components can be used again and again because they don’t corrode… Land Rover owners, take note.

Engine-wise, this Land Cruiser is completely standard, though Andy has fitted a replacement lump since buying the car. Ironically, given the strength for which this 3.0-litre unit is renowned, a problem developed with the crankshaft.

When Andy opened it up, he found that the whole engine was on its last legs. ‘It obviously had a new head at some point,’ he explained, ‘but needed a lot more work even then. The fault was due to poor maintenance rather than anything inherent in the engine.’

He decided the best response was to source a new power plant and duly set about ringing around the breakers’ yards.

Keen to fit the right Toyota lump for his L-registered car rather than fiddle around with

‘It’s fun to develop cost-effective solutions to problems. It makes you appreciate the car a lot more than if you could just pay your way out of trouble’

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Simex Extreme Trekkers. These are mounted on a set of 16-inch steel modular rims which are fitted with 35mm spacers in order to recover steering lock and maintain the car’s stability.

In order to limit the amount of damage his off-road activities cause to the surface of the ground, Andy also runs a set of 255x85R16 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains for green laning and general use. ‘You can’t beat these for all-round durability,’ he explains. Moreover, they make for a much nicer performance on the asphalt than the Simexes.

Like many of the components featured on the vehicle, Andy saved money by purchasing the tyres second hand. He is proud of the fact that the car has not been developed with an open chequebook, as it adds to the challenge of getting things right.

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Front bumper was made from scratch by Chris Ould, using a photo of a Rainforest Challenge vehicle as reference. Its huge recessed mounting plate is home to a Goodwinch G12, which Andy reckons is so strong you could hang the truck from it

a conversion, Andy eventually found a 40,000mile unit for just £800. Given that he was able to fit it himself, this represents an extremely inexpensive engine transplant and it has given the Land Cruiser a whole new lease of life. You could say it is now back to being everything a Toyota should be in terms of reliability.

The rear winch set-up is a testimony to the advantages of custom-built modifications.

The bumper is a home-made component that incorporates light pods and a mounting point for the X9 that was originally on the front of the truck. It features quick-release bolts which enable him to remove the winch when it is not needed in order to ensure the truck’s departure angle is not permanently encumbered. Similar mounting points are located just inside the rear loading area, and this is where the winch is kept for the majority of the time. When Andy thinks he may need it in place, it’s a one-minute job to switch its mountings and he is then able to hit the trail with no fear of being caught out.

Not that there’s likely to be much call for self-recovery when Andy also has front and rear ARB Air-Lockers on his side. ‘You don’t realise how good these are until you’ve had them,’ he remarked to us; he wasn’t the first off-roader we’ve heard saying something like that, and he certainly won’t be the last.

Other typical extreme off-road mods include a Safari snorkel, with raised axle and gearbox breathers for deep wading ability, and a pair of Varta batteries to power the winches. The configuration here is rather unusual, because

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the G12 front winch is a 24-volt unit. As such, Andy wired the twin 12-volt batteries to a separate charger box; this combines the feed from each to produce a total output of 24 volts, which it then delivers to the winch. The box only cost about £110, Andy told us, so this was by no means a big-money job to complete.

Elsewhere in the sparky zone, Land Cruisers of this era were fitted with heavy-duty alternators as standard. So Andy saw no need to fit an upgraded unit. The cooling system is also completely stock and never fails to keep the engine bay at a steady temperature in a variety of conditions – even the hardest offroad use doesn’t shift the needle.

Perhaps more surprisingly, the vehicle is also still running on its original brakes. Well, four-pot calipers up front are all it should ever need, but even with 11-inch shoes the rear drums might

sound ripe for upgrading when what they’re trying to stop turning is a 35” Simex. The one mod he has made here is to fit Goodridge extended hoses to account for the extra height of the suspension.

Of course, another good thing about lifting your truck is that all its mechanical components are further away from the ground. As such, with the exception of the radiator skid plate that is integral to the front bumper design, Andy has not seen the need to spend any money on underbody armour. ‘I think the best form of protection is common sense,’ is his sagacious opinion. ‘If you think you’ll damage the car by taking on an obstacle, it’s probably better to avoid the obstacle altogether.’

Nonetheless, when we met him he was planning to reposition the fuel tank into a more central location where it would be less vulnerable. A welcome side-effect of this move would be to improve the truck’s centre of gravity, too.

This modification wouldn’t normally be possible, because the exhaust would be in the way. But Andy had already replaced the standard system with a side-exit set-up, with Chris Ould once again responsible for the welding – and as well as being less vulnerable, he said it had led to a significant improvement in performance, especially in second gear.

A side pipe is a common mod on off-roaders, but not many people think to fit brushed aluminium pedals. If you’re rolling your eyes, stop it right now: Andy said that these provide much better grip for muddy boots – and because they have holes drilled through them, they allow muck and grime to pass through.

These are the details you only think of when you know your subject inside out. And they’re the kind of thing that makes the difference between a good truck and a great one. And the fact is, very few people know off-roading the way Andy Laban knows it – and very few know more about how to prep a vehicle either.

And he’s one of the few who chose to do it in a Land Cruiser. Watch and learn

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4x4 of the best

hidden talents

S

ome people get into off-roading and head straight for a Land Cruiser, while others come to Toyota after finding their way through one or more other brands. This being Britain, those other brands normally include Land Rover, but John Abram was different. He owned a Suzuki SJ and Jimny, a Jeep CJ5 and a heavily

Words: Paul Looe Pics: Harry Hamm

modified Cherokee before taking this 70-Series under his wing.

A spanner man by trade, John wasn’t about to get scared by the prospect of beefing up an ageing truck. And he had plenty that he wanted to do to it, too.

The work included all the usual stuff like a big lift and big tyres, winch, snorkel, steel bumpers

and so on. But the Land Cruiser gained some deep-down engineered modifications, too – one of which is, beyond doubt, the one that makes it stand out in a crowd.

Actually, strictly speaking it doesn’t make it stand out in a crowd, because it does that anyway by dint of being a 70-Series – and because the really good stuff is hidden underneath it. By this

It doesn’t look particularly radical at first glance, but this is a 70-Series with a hidden secret – which is that it’s running on a pair of 80-Series axles. These are massively strong, being designed to carry a much larger vehicle with a much larger engine, and as well as having disc brakes at the back, plus bigger rotors up front, they widen the truck’s track and contain locking diffs. Result all round

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Above left: The front bumper is a pretty familiar design. Pretty familiar if you spend most of your time in Land Rovers, at least, because that’s what it was made to go on. John cut it down to size and lopped six inches off the front of the chassis to make the room required to fit it. The bumper carries a heavy-duty steering guard, as well as mounting a 9500lb Kingone winch Above centre: The 70-Series was originally powered by a rather nasty 2.4-litre engine. This was replaced in 1994 by the much, much better 3.0-litre 1-KZT unit, which is what you’re looking at here Above right: You’d be going some to smack this vehicle against the ground, such is its height and tidy shape. But if it does happen, it’s probably the ground that will come off worse we’re referring to a pair of axles from the vehicle’s big brother – the mighty 80-Series, marketed in the UK as the Land Cruiser VX and assuredly one of the best vehicles ever made.

These axles are monstrously strong. Fitting them on a 70-Series gives it the advantage of massive over-engineering in a critical area – as well as a wider track, disc brakes all-round and, best of all, front and rear diff-locks.

Talking to John at the time, he told us that the front axle went on quite easily but the rear was a bit of a mission – involving axing the shock and spring mounts off the 70-Series axles and welding them to the new ones, then modifying the panhard rod so that the wider axle would sit centrally.

‘It was one hell of a job,’ John told us. ‘I’m not sure I’d want to repeat it in a hurry!’ But despite this, he admitted that having lockers at his disposal completely changed the way he drove the truck. ‘I used to rely on articulation to get me through, he told us. ‘Now, with diff-locks in both axles, I can pretty much tackle anything, and wheel travel is much less of an issue.’

Be that as it may, one reason why he was talking to us about the 70-Series in the first place was that he had decided to sell it. This duly happened when a punter from London showed up with a plan to use it in big-time competitions.

To get it ready for hardcore action, its new owner added an interior roll cage and renewed the winch and suspension as well as critical service stuff such as suspension bushes, lubricants, cam belt and water pump.

Now it was all set, and away it went for its competitive debut in the legendary Transylvania Trophy. You’re up against some of the best hardcore off-road specials in this event, but the Cruiser made it through unscathed and arrived home in one piece, all ready for more.

But there was to be no more. For reasons we don’t know, having driven to and from Romania and taken on the worst of the country’s terrain in between times, the 70-Series was then squirrelled away in an underground car park – where it spent the next seven years.

We don’t know why its owner at the time did no more with it, nor why he kept in anyway… nor indeed why he finally decided to put it up for sale.

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But what we do know is that when he did, it soon became the property of Steve Carolan – who, by one of those coincidences we’ve come to expect, is a friend of John Abram. It really is a small world, isn’t it?

Steve had the vehicle serviced twice in a fortnight after collecting it, on the basis that after all this time it wouldn’t do any harm to be doubly careful. He had to change the tyres, too, as they had flat spots from being stood for so long – which is a bit of a sob story, because something else it had gained in preparation for that one outing to Transylvania was a brand new set of Mickey Thompson Baja Claws. Ouch.

These days, the Cruiser sits on 315/75R16 Cooper Discoverer STT Pros. That’s a good allrounder rather than anything hardcore, and as it suggests Steve doesn’t have any intention of taking it back into the competitive arena. Instead, it’s being used as a green laner – nothing like as taxing, but it’s being used and that’s what matters.

Because when so much has gone into creating such a fine truck, it would seem wrong for it not to be out there showing the world how it’s done.

Not that the world was in any doubt, of course.

But this superb 70-Series, surely one of the best in the UK, is at last back doing what John Abram built it for. Time passes, class endures…

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4x4 of the best

up to the challenge

N

ick Bolt got involved in the winch challenge scene way back before he was old enough to drive. His dad Chris, a long-time 4x4 enthusiast, brought the off-roading skills he’d learned as a Devon farmer to bear as a competitor with Challenge South West – and before long, Nick was learning the art of rigging a recovery.

But then Nick passed his driving test – and straight away, Chris proposed a role reversal, putting his son in the hot seat. ‘It’s amazing how much more you can see when you’re not in the driver’s seat,’ Chris told us. ‘We decided that it made sense for me, as the more experienced off-roader, to be in this position. Besides, it gives Nick a wonderful opportunity to hone his talents behind the wheel.’

Words: Gary Noskill Pics: Steve Taylor

And hone them he did, making immediate waves in national-level events aboard a tastily prepped 70-series Land Cruiser. Nick wasn’t just honing his talents behind the wheel at the time, either, as he was an apprentice at Devon 4x4 at the time, and the skills and knowledge he was picking up under the tutelage of Simon Buck allowed him to take the lead in what was a lengthy build process.

If you know about Devon 4x4, you can imagine what learning his trade there did for Nick’s sense of what can be achieved with a challenge truck.

So you won’t be surprised to learn that his first thought was to take an angle grinder to the Land Cruiser and convert it to a pick-up.

‘We got fed up with crashing the rear hardtop into trees and breaking the windows,’ says Chris. ‘So Nick thought it would be a good idea

Slimline front bumper went on board to support the truck’s single Warn 8274, whose only mod is that it runs an uprated motor to speed it up. The change to Plasma didn’t come until after our photoshoot – Chris and Nick must have been one of the very last teams to take part in a challenge event on steel cable

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lor

Above left: Toyota’s 2.4-litre turbo diesel was strong as an ox but about as refined as one, too. What it wasn’t was free-revving, and with 35” Simexes to spin that’s something it needed to be. That’s why what you’re looking at here is the 3.0-litre petrol engine from a Toyota Supra, which went in place easily and makes a huge difference to the truck’s driveability Above right: Standard class challenge regs meant no fancy diffs, so the Cruiser is seen here on completely standard axles. On some makes of vehicle, that would be a recipe for non-stop broken halfshafts, but even with a lively engine at one end and savagely patterned outsize tyres at the other they were comfortably capable of dealing with the shock loads to do away with it all together.’ When Chris was otherwise engaged one day, his son duly set to work on their pride and joy, creating one of the most distinctive Land Cruisers you’re likely to come across.

Nick left the vehicle’s wings and arches in place while removing the upper part of the rear body, welding in sections of 80mm steel box to strengthen the sides of the loading bay and skinning the floor in chequer plate. There are aluminium storage boxes in there too now, along with home-made waffle slots where the average pick-up would have a tailgate. Which helps.

‘Before we did the conversion,’ says Chris, ‘I had to open the rear door every time I wanted any extra equipment. Now I just grab it from the rear.

It makes life a lot easier.’

The first that Chris knew of it was when Nick sent a picture of the job to his phone. He was highly appreciative of what he saw, though, which, was just as well after all that.

And there’s a lot more to appreciate, too. Like what you find under the bonnet.

Here, the Land Cruiser used to be powered by a 2.4-litre diesel. Not a thing many people remember with any great fondness. A 3.0-litre Supra engine, on the other hand, now that’s going to raise a smile. In America, it’s a common swap

into the Toyota 4Runner, and it certainly fits easily in the Cruiser’s engine bay. Nick and Chris kept their manual gearbox by welding together the front half of a Supra bellhousing and the rear half of one from a Land Cruiser bellhousing, retaining the original clutch and flywheel into the bargain.

In Chris’ own words: ‘The engine transplant was much easier than we thought it would be. The petrol engine is a massive improvement on the 2.4-litre diesel that was in place. It’s a lot more free-revving, so Nick can use the gears to get over obstacles.’

Helping him in this regard is a suspension set-up running a lift of around four inches.

Rather than spending a load of money on an aftermarket set-up, Nick and Chris experimented with using front springs from an 80-Series Land Cruiser – which fit straight on and, being designed to hold up so much more weight, fetch it skywards a treat even under the weight of

the winch. At the rear, meanwhile, coils from a +2” kit achieve more or less the same amount of lift thanks to the weight reduction achieved when the body went under the knife.

The springs sit on top of completely standard axles, which Chris described to us as ‘pretty bullet-proof’. No small matter when you’re dealing with the sort of shock loadings a 35” Simex can deliver. Standard Class regs meant no fancy diffs, so when we say standard we’re talking about a pair of axles that’s literally factory original.

The regs of the day also meant no rear winch, so Nick and Chris were literally running with one

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11/04/2023 00:58

Left: The vehicle’s overall suspension lift is around 4”. It’s achieved using 80-Series Land Cruiser coils at the front and, here at the back, +2” springs and shocks – which make more or less the same difference Below: Replacing the original fuel tank with a Suzuki unit probably doesn’t sound like an obvious mod to make. But by doing this, Nick and Chris improved the Land Cruiser’s ground clearance in one of its most vulnerable areas

single Warn 8274. The winch did have an uprated motor, but that was all. For a while, Chris was even hauling a steel cable about the place – until it snapped, next time out after we’d done our photos, providing them with the perfect excuse to give Plasma a try. The number of people who’ve gone back to steel after making that jump can be counted on the fingers of one finger.

There might not be a rear winch but there’s a hefty 3x2” box section bumper there that could

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certainly take one. That goes with the slimline unit holding up the front winch, and along the sides there’s a pair of rock sliders protruding beyond the extent of the doors. The whole lot is wrapped in an exo cage made by Paul Leworthy at Zeal Steel, which allows Nick to lean it up against trees without trashing the cab. Another tidy mod is a Suzuki fuel tank, which the guys added to improve ground clearance.

Not many 70-Series Land Cruisers have made their way into the challenge scene, though you have to assume that that’s because so few ever came to Britain in the first place. Certainly, though, whatever the reason if you were to see Nick and Chris in action you’d wonder why more people didn’t give Toyota a try.

The quality of the work on the truck is extremely high and certainly bears testimony to Nick’s skill as a mechanic. He’s made a brilliant job of finishing the cabin, even to the extent of redirecting the rear roof gutters around the truck cab and fitting it with a sliding window – using a side window from a Defender 90.

Given that all of the work was completed in one of the Bolts’ barns, rather than in a fully equipped workshop, you’d have to say that it’s an astonishing job. ‘I was pretty pleased with the results,’ Chris laughs. ‘I think Nick is a fairly safe pair of hands when it comes to making modifications.’

He’s definitely not given to hyperbole – even if, in its bright orange coat of paint, there might not be anything understated about his truck.

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PUBLISHED 18 Nov 2022

Whatever your taste in Land Rovers, there’s one annual publication you can’t afford to miss. The Land Rover Yearbook is an eclectic blend of classics, modified motors, new Landies, product reviews, travelogues and more.

This year’s Yearbook includes a range of 90s and 110s that have been brought back to life with a twist. And a 107” Station Wagon, too, restored and modified into a Series I like no other. If you prefer your classics to be more, well, classic, you’ll find an 88” Series IIA rebuilt with a devotion to originality that borders on the fanatical. And how about one of the very earliest Freelanders? Not everyone’s idea of a classic, but everything about Land Rover’s history since then says it’s one of the most significant vehicles the company has ever made.

The Discovery, for example, was a truck in the pre-Freelander era. Now it’s a premium SUV. We’ve tested the current model in entry-level D250 form in a bid to find out whether you really need to stretch all the way to a top-spec engine.

And we’ve driven the basic Defender 90, too – steel wheels and all. Not just on any test drive, either, but a mighty green lane trip on some of the best trails in the country.

That’s one kind of travel story.

Getting up close to Africa’s wildlife is definitely another, and so too is the Dakar Classic. Loads of historhistor ic Range Rovers and Series trucks were involved in this marathon desert rally – yet not one of them had a British driver. So be warned spend a day or two poring over the 2023 Land Rover Yearbook and you might come away on a mission to put that right!

–

£8.99 in whsmith

or order online at

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4x4 of the best

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long time ago, one of Shaun Dickinson’s friends invited him along to a playday. The same amount of time ago, minus about half an hour, Shaun knew he had to have a 4x4.

What you’re looking at here is in fact the fourth he’s owned. A mechanic by trade, and a long-time fan of all things Japanese, he started with a couple of Fourtraks before moving over to Toyota. This is his second Land Cruiser, with both of them having been short-wheelbase 70-Series models.

The first of these was an early one with the somewhat agricultural 2.4-litre diesel engine.

But this one has the later 3.0 turbo unit, which at the time was one of the best diesels in the world.

These days, when you’re modding a Toyota the typical course of action is to spend as much money again as the truck itself cost you on kit from abroad. But Shaun has a different

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approach, which involves taking cheaper equipment (often designed for Land Rovers) and adapting it to fit.

A grey import from Japan, the truck came to Shaun having already been started as a project by a previous owner. He’d fitted some bits before deciding to get rid; these included rock sliders made of steel box with tubular extensions, which were welded in to replace the original sills.

Shaun was getting round to fabricating a heavy-duty rear bumper when we met him, but he’d already done the front. This is an example of making a Land Rover part fit on to the Cruiser. ‘I thought “I’ll make that fit,” and I literally just lifted the body and slid it in,’ he explains. ‘A couple of the bolt holes in the bumper actually lined up with the ones in the chassis! I couldn’t believe it. I had to drill a couple of other holes and make a couple of brackets, just so it’s strong enough to take a winch, but it doesn’t look out of place at all.’

He mentioned a body lift there, and this too uses kit intended for a Land Rover. ‘I could have made it myself, but you go on eBay and you put in Toyota, and it’s 80 or 90 quid. Exactly the same thing for a Discovery, and I paid £20 for the set.’

What his money bought was a set of eight aluminium spacers made from a bar chopped into 50mm sections. These are drilled down the centre to make way for the mounting bolts, two of which are even long enough on the original to be used again. ‘It doesn’t necessarily lift anything out of the mud,’ as Shaun admits. ‘But it leaves more space to let your axles articulate, and as one moves up the other moves down and stays on the ground.’

Helping them do this is a 2” Ironman suspension lift, which works on axles held in place by radius arms that came out of the Toyota factory with cranks in them as standard.

And Shaun has an interesting view on this. ‘I’ve discovered with a lot of Japanese vehicles, not

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Above left: Cranked radius arms can only mean one thing: they’re non-standard. Except they can also mean another thing: it’s a Toyota Land Cruiser. Shaun knows a bit about Japanese cars of every kind, and reckons the manufacturers build in features like this to aid owners who’ll come to modify then in the future Above right: Back in the early nineties, the 3.0 turbo-diesel engine came without an intercooler. The same basic engine gained one in later years, however, when it was used in the 90-Series Colorado model – which is where this one came from. Shaun says it boosts the Cruiser’s torque output nicely, and that it was a simple bolt-on job to fit Right: Extended mounts lift the Cruiser’s body by 50mm. They’re made from sections of aluminium bar with a hole bored down the centre for the mounting bolts – two of which are even reusable from the factory-height set-up.

There are eight mounts in total, for which Shaun paid the princely sum of £20 – though only because the kit was sold as being for a Discovery just 4x4s but street cars as well, that they’re built to allow you to modify them. I know that in a lot of vehicles, they make them like that because they know what people are going to do to them, and they’re built ready to be modified at a later date. The Japanese have always been well ahead, and the way they’re put together is second to none.’

‘They’re a great chassis to work from, too.

Rock-solid, absolutely bomb-proof. After the Jeep Wrangler, in my opinion, they’re the next best thing.’

The axles themselves are both standard, but each has a story to tell. Up front, it’s the same unit that left the factory, but Shaun soon plans to replace the electric locking hubs for manual ones off an earlier Land Cruiser. That’s just a pre-emptive move, in anticipation of regular dousings at Tong and Cowm getting to it.

At the back, the axle is completely standard.

Except that it’s completely standard on another vehicle. A long-wheelbase 78-Series Land Cruiser, to be exact, which came with disc brakes and an electric diff lock – both excellent reasons to swap it in. ‘It’s factory,’ Shaun says of the diff. ‘It’s a Toyota part. It’s not like fitting ARBs, where you need to fit a compressor too.

It’s standard Toyota and it all looks like it came out of the factory that way.’

Also standard, albeit again on a different Land Cruiser, is the intercooler that helps coax a bit more torque out of the engine. The 3.0 turbo-diesel didn’t have this in the early days, but gained one in time for the arrival of the 90-Series Colorado model, which is where Shaun’s comes from. ‘Being basically the same engine it just bolts on,’ he says, though the intercooler itself is top-mounted and therefore needs a bonnet scoop. Until he gets round to fitting one, he’s put the bonnet hinges on blocks

to give it enough clearance, which sounds like it ought to look a bit sketchy but actually doesn’t detract at all from the truck’s appearance.

And keeping it looking right definitely does rank high on Shaun’s list of things that matter.

‘I know it’s an off-roader, but I still like to keep it nice looking. I like to keep it clean, so it doesn’t look like a battered old nail. It gets well serviced and greased. You need to keep on top of it. If you’ve got something you love, you like using, look after it and it’s always going to stay well.’

Quite right too. That’s one reason why, having lifted its suspension and body alike and gone up to 35” tyres, he widened the Cruiser’s track with a set of 40mm wheel spacers. It looks better with them on, and it’s a lot more stable.

Also taking care of the big tyres are lowerratio diffs from an early 78-Series Land Cruiser, and keeping them legal is a set of wheelarch extensions from… a three-door Discovery. ‘The front ones virtually just screw on with self-tappers.

The back ones I had to chop, and on one side I had to heat it up and bend it to get the fuel filler cap to open, but a little bit of shaping and bending and we were there. It doesn’t look out of place.’

Anything else he’s planning to pilfer from the Land Rover accessories catalogue? A Defender ladder, he told us, so he can access his roof rack ‘without jumping on the back wheel and nearly breaking your neck!’ That rear bumper was set to be

fabbed with recovery points, too, as well as a step. ‘To make it easier to get get my tow rope for dragging the Defenders out!’ Uh-oh…

Shaun’s regular off-roading mates all drive either Discos or Defenders, so it’s all just banter.

‘I like to drag them out then drive through the bit they got stuck in to show them how it’s done!

They all say Land Cruisers are rubbish, the parts are expensive, and yes they are but they just don’t break down.

‘Don’t get me wrong, though, I think Land Rovers are brilliant. They’re basic and they get the job done, the parts are really cheap and whatever you want you can get it in under a day. And you can get loads to choose from to modify them.

‘That’s where Land Cruisers are a little more difficult. But anything that I think will go on anything that was made for a Defender or Disco, I’ll have a go and I’ll try to make it fit.’

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SANTA KALMAR IS COMING TO A few months ago, we featured Kalmar Beyond Adventure’s epic South American trip this winter, the company left the Cayennes at home – but proved that a modified 911 is Words: Graham Scott Pictures: Kalmar Beyond Adventure

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TOWN aboard a fleet of Porsche Cayennes and classic 911s. For its follow-up jaunt to Lapland, remarkably capable in conditions that would make a Defender driver think twice

H

ave you ever been to Rovaniemi? It’s on the Arctic Circle and is the capital of Lapland. I went there once, but in late spring when it was chilly but not that cold. I don’t even remember why I was there – it may have been the time I joined an expedition to North Cape, the most northern point in Europe for the predecessor of this magazine. If so, it was soon after the Chernobyl disaster and everyone was making nervous jokes about eating the radioactive reindeer. I thought my red nose was just the cold but who knows.

Whatever, the Finnish town is of course the home of Santa Claus, so is a mecca (to badly mix my cultural references) for children and their doting parents come Christmas. But when the children go home the area becomes a playground for grown-ups. In this case, taking the place of Santa was the Kalmar company. January and February this year saw the Kalmar Beyond Adventure Arctic Season event roll into town, accompanied by squeals of excitement from those old enough to know better.

So what is Beyond Adventure, with or without the capitals? If you’re worried about paying your heating bills or the repayments on your 4x4 then please look away now.

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You won’t be told will you? I was only trying to stop you becoming envious, bitter and possibly considering revolution and insurrection. Or at least sighing and rolling your eyes and muttering. But now that you’ve done that, we can continue.

It’s a jolly basically. A very expensive and rather jolly jolly for those who can jolly well afford it. I know someone who is going off on another jolly, driving WWII Jeeps down the length of Vietnam with suitable stops along the way, and this is that sort of jolly. But this one was also jolly cold rather than jolly hot.

In this case the motive power was not a line-up of irradiated reindeer but a line-up of Porsche 911 RS models in 993-series format. That means the old air-cooled models, possibly the coolest of them all,

These Porsches are a lot closer, both technically and in spirit, to the ones that won the Dakar than to the ones you see posing round Knightsbridge in the hands of painful teenagers with rich dads

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even if American writer PJ O’Rourke did describe them as ‘ass-engined Nazi slot cars’.

These classics had been fettled

by Kalmar Automotive to give them everything they needed by combining old-school design with some modern technologies. And some very trick tyres, in the shape of World Rally Championship Michelins, which allowed the Porsches to drive anywhere, even on ice. These RS – Rally Special – models have surprisingly long-travel suspension, in fact equal to a modern Cayenne.

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No it doesn’t dislocate like a Defender of the Scorpion school, at least not unless you hit a rock very hard indeed and even then it’s not the same kind of dislocation, but these Porsches are a lot closer, both technically and in spirit, to the ones that won the Paris-Dakar than to the ones you see posing around Knightsbridge in the hands of painful teenagers with rich dads.

Bespoke suspension mounts and adjustable shocks, when combined with the tyres, bring a surprising level of control to what is a rear-

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biased vehicle trying to travel fast on snow and ice.

To give the occupants some more of that rally vibe, all the sound deadening was removed so you could hear the 3.6-litre flat six burbling and howling, along with the cascade of gravel and stones under the chassis.

With a manual gearbox and a limited-slip diff, we are definitely talking about active driving here from the Recaro sports seat, not just sitting back being pampered.

The experience involved quite a lot of time behind the wheel. There were special tracks, and driving day or night. With professional experience on hand to guide the range of drivers, there were new techniques to learn as ice driving is a different thing entirely. Plus there were navigation events, made more difficult by some of them being at night.

Light bars on the roof certainly helped as it’s surprisingly difficult to have any depth perception in snow and ice since the natural light is often diffuse and gives no shadows.

But they covered a great deal of of miles, and that included the different challenges of driving through endless forests, as well as around

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swamps and lakes. It was hardly monotonous driving.

Obviously this wasn’t exactly the Camel Trophy so every night the tired crews were pampered with luxury lodges and gourmet food and drink prepared by private chefs – quite possibly involving reindeer meat. Finland is part of the terrain of the Sami people, who we know have been migrating with their reindeer around this part of the world for at least 10,000 years, even before Porsche started making the 911.

In fact there is a growing and credible scientific theory that the Sami people, unlike literally every other human and animal, did not migrate South when the last Ice Age hit. That Ice Age lasted about 75,000 years, only ending about 10,000 years ago. If the theory is correct, for all those thousands of years the Sami people were here, and they must have been with their reindeer.

Imagine a whole lifetime, thousands of consecutive lifetimes, spent living in perpetual ice and snow and freezing cold.

How did they do it? Well, if they did, and don’t tell the vegetarians, they could only have done it with

their reindeer herds. Even now, in winter, they live solely on reindeer – the whole beast, meat, organs, brains, the lot – and they stay remarkably healthy and long-lived. No avocados here in February. In fact, hot tip, if you want to eat meat and not get scurvy then eat herbivore liver and you’ll be in top health.

Anyway, are we digressing? Sorry.

Oh, and since we’re on the subject, this area is also home to the Royal Marines Commandos, who train for arctic survival and warfare here and were probably not far at some point from the Porsches, although you’d never know they were there. They probably eat reindeer whole and pick their teeth with the antlers.

Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, a jolly time was had by all, came as guests, left as friends, hurrah and doubles all round. You can hear I’m envious. It looks tremendous as you can see from the photos.

Should you be in the lucky position of finding this a possibility, there are more Beyond Adventure trips around the world, everywhere from Bhutan to the Atacama Desert, so if you and your portfolio are up for it – assuming the bond market doesn’t totally crash while I’m writing this – then the world, or the very fine version of it you’ll find at www.jankalmar.com, is perhaps almost literally your oyster. Sorry, your reindeer.

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OUR 4X4S Vehicle: Isuzu D-Max GO2 Year: 2018 Run by: Alan Kidd Last update: Apr 2023 On the fleet since: January 2020

Easily LED WE’VE CARRIED A FEW STORIES OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS from the build of our D-Max – which, it won’t have escaped your notice, is a project that was carried out some time ago now. So, while we’ve still got a few of the modifications to look at, it’s very much a case of running reports now too.

There have been very few issues with the vehicle, which is a testament to how well it was planned and put together in the first place. But the changes to its original spec have found one or two ways to make things interesting.

Most recently, it copped an advisory on an upper wishbone bush that was starting to break up.

These wishbones are part of the Pedders Extreme suspension kit, whose combination of control and ride quality continues to impress us every time we drive the truck; there are hundreds of them on vehicles in the UK and ours is the first ever to have done a bush, which we like to think is because we’re trying harder than anyone else but really it’s just the luck of the draw. The bushes are OE-spec; we got hold of a replacement set from SuperPro and so, while getting the old ones out was more than a five-minute job, it should now be set for life.

Even with the editor behind the wheel.

Perhaps inevitably, it was indeed the editor who was behind the wheel when the D-Max hit us with a bit of a freak one. We were out laning in Wales when the front antiroll bar worked loose on one side and fouled the driveshaft, ripping a hole in its rubber gaiter and announcing itself by dragging at the steering on left lock while also making a horrible clacking noise.

This happened on a fast A-road, just to make things doubly exciting.

Happily, no big-time damage was done (except to our day on the lanes, which was annoying as we were on the way to Lower Claerwen at the time and nobody ever wants to miss out on that). We were able

to make it home, by the altogether unlikely method of the editor driving very gently, and all was soon put right. It’s an ill wind that blows no good, too, and by the magic of lock nuts the anti-roll bar won’t be doing that again.

Interestingly, about a week after the project was initially completed and the D-Max hit the road for the first time in its GO2 guise, the rear anti-roll bar did the same thing. No fouling this time, just some rather alarming banging noises, and here too a set of lock nuts was the answer to keeping it in place. We should clearly have taken that as a warning and done the front one at the same time, but you live and learn. Well, we live and you learn – if you’re planning to lift a D-Max, we’d recommend securing the anti-roll bars as part of the job as they don’t seem to like staying put at their new resting angle.

One other issue which we thought was going to be a recurring one but which, fingers crossed, is now sorted for good was that for a long while, adjusting the handbrake felt like it was going to become a job from the painting the Forth Bridge school. As in, the moment you’re finished, it’s

time start doing it again. Obviously, with all the heavy-duty equipment we’ve bolted to it our D-Max is a weighty old lump, and two or three times we’ve found ourselves needing to use ever more travel on the lever to keep it still – until finally, there’s none left and it needs to be adjusted back. During that period, leaving it in gear becomes the norm – it’s something we do all the time anyway, but it’s not nice to be feeling like the clutch is all you’ve got between you and disaster.

Elsewhere, the 285/75R16 General Grabber X3s we managed to fit under the D-Max’s wheelarches continue to wear very well indeed.

They’re not unduly noisy on the road and they grip superbly in every kind of off-road environment we’ve experienced aboard the vehicle.

This doesn’t include bottomless mud, because we’re looking after this one, but we know from experience that aired down to 15psi or so, these tyres can keep a heavy truck moving in the sort of conditions that would make a hippo want to go home.

One other item we’ll mention this month is the Lazer light bar

that Isuzu fitted during our truck’s lengthy gestation in the company’s UK technical centre. This is the one accessory we use most often (tyres apart, you could say, on the basis that we use those every time we turn a wheel) and it is, in every sense of the word, brilliant. The amount of light it throws ahead of the vehicle is extraordinary – we’re not fans of off-roading in the dark, but when dusk is falling and you’re still out on the lanes it’s an absolute joy to hit main beam and see everything in front of you light up like day.

The Lazer unit is e-marked, making it legal for use on the road, and here too the effect is magnificent. The only problem is that when someone appears coming the other way and you flick it back to dip, there’s a huge difference for your eyes to adjust to and of course they need to do it fast. You get used to it, but if you’re not prepared it’s pretty alarming first time it happens. A small price to pay, though, for the superb performance the unit provides.

Opposite: Installing the bar is a matter of fitting the brackets then running the electrics. It’s a job, but not a hard one if you take it step by step – Lazer’s kit comes complete with full hardware and instructions

Insurance for your 4X4

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Pictured is our project 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 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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Land Rover: The Great British Classic celebrates this magnificent heritage by focusing on the best of Land Rover from its early days. A high-quality publication from the makers of 4x4 magazine and The Landy newspaper, it covers a broad spectrum of historical vehicles: not just Series I, II and III

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Land Rover: The Great British Classicc is a publication for everyone who admires Land Rovers from the early days.

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