The Landy - April 2023

To advertise in The Landy, call our team on 01283 553244

We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Bath and West to host major new Land Rover show this summer

THE GREAT BRITISH LAND ROVER

SHOW at Stoneleigh in November is already locked in to the annual events calendar as the perfect way to bring the curtain down on the season. And now there’s a perfect way to celebrate all things Land Rover beneath the warm summer sun, too!

The organisers of the GBLRS have announced that there will be a new outdoor version of the show at the Bath and West Showground on 29-30 July. It will have all the features that make the autumn show a must-do for all Land Rover owners – and with more space than ever before, it’s showing every sign of being a new record-breaker.

As always, the lifeblood of the show will be its traders and exhibitors, with a wide range of parts and accessories suppliers, restorers, bespoke builders, expedition travel specialists and more already signed up to take part.

ut there’ll be plenty more to keep you occupied throughout the weekend,

too. The organisers are working closely with the All Wheel Drive Club, which will be running and marshalling an off-road drive-round route suitable for all Land Rovers old and new – and the team from the Land Rover Experience will be offering passenger rides around a special demo course aboard the very latest Solihull vehicles.

With sponsorship from BFGoodrich, Terrafirma and addock, the reat British Land Rover Show continues to be a big hitter in the annual programme of events. Entry costs £7.50 in advance (£15 on the day), with the off-road course and Land Rover Experience priced at £10 and £5 respectively in advance (£15 and £7.50 on the day).

For more information, pay a visit to www.gblandrovershow.co.uk.

Mayfair unveiling for first uarter of a million pound Range Rover

Those of us of a certain age are still reeling at the thought of a £100,000 Range Rover. But we’d better get used to it fast, because that figure has now ridiculousnessed its way up to £250,000.

The Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition was unveiled to mark the opening of Stratstone Land Rover’s revamped showroom so , lu ury bouti ue’ in Mayfair. It features a colourway inspired by Mayfair’s iconic architecture’, which means it’s grey. Inside, it’s trimmed in rosewood and ebony leather.

Given one of the adjectives most fre uently used for people in very e pensive S s, it’s uite appropriate that the vehicle first saw the light of

day in a street with a porn mag named after it.

The word curated’ was recently voted the most abused in the English language. And sure enough, Land Rover uses it to describe the Range Rover’s specification. This features the top-of-the-range 530bhp V8 engine and the vehicle rolls on 23” forged alloys.

What else do you get for your money? Apart from concierge levels of personal service in a modern, luxury environment’, of course? Well, the Landsdowne Grey gloss paint is exclusive to the vehicle (it would probably look less like an old Kia colour if you saw it in the metal) and contrasts with a darker roof and darker still accents for the door mirror, rear splitter and so on.

Inside, there are black ceramic controls and mohair carpets, plus a black anodised finisher no, we don’t either and Moonlight hrome accent finishes no again, though this time we’re talking about the name as well as what it actually is . There’s a Tailgate vent Suite at the back we’re not making this up) and SV Bespoke puddle lamps as well as illuminated tread plates bearing a with Lansdowne dition of ’ script. es, si teen. So there’s more than just the one born every minute, then. Each vehicle also gets a pair of black chrome two-piece metal script badges which, says Land Rover, were handcrafted by attorini. ritain’s oldest family-owned eweller, don’t you know.

So how do you get your hands on one of the special sixteen? By being one of the people who pre-ordered the whole lot of them before they were even announced, that’s how. sually when the likes of Aston and Ferrari do special editions like this, they’re bought by speculators who lay them straight down, wait half a decade then

punt them through a brokerage for an obscene profit.

rofit. A thing you’ll be familiar with if you can even think about spending this sort of dosh. But not to worry, while you’re picking it up you’ll be able to afford another Range Rover as well. That way you’ll have one to actually drive, too.

Reductionism rules as Land Rover unveils facelifted Velar

THE RANGE ROVER VELAR is hardly a microcar, and and over seem to have decided it’s time to make something of that fact. In fact to make rather less of it, at least in visual terms. on’t worry, you’ll still be able to look down, in all senses, at the lumpenproletariat scavenging outside the cosy confines of the , and other acronyms, but the approach is viewed by and over as reductionist’.

The ’reductive presence’ is definitely relative, but the grille, superslim i el headlights and a new lower rear bumper with dark accents make some efforts to fractionally reduce presence and possibly aerodynamic mass.

This idea is mirrored slightly inside with now a single . in curved glass touchscreen integrated into the centre console. This is home to the very latest ivi ro infotainment, giving all key function controls within the touchscreen, which has the appearance of floating. ut is probably tethered.

There are some other mild tweaks to things like the redesigned battery pack on the plug in electric hybrid version, which is claimed to offer range improvement, thus e tending the electric only range to miles. They’ve done this by increasing the battery si e by , so there’s probably a weight penalty to be factored in. s you’re gathering, this is a mild breathe over rather than a serious make over. There’s more technology than you could shake arry otter’s wand at, but a lot of it is aimed at enhancing the occupants’ user e perience. This includes everything from the non leather option for the vegan signallers haha, who bought a ange over to the cleaner air and uietitude thanks to the ctive oad oise ancellation system. This latest reductionist approach doesn’t appear to e tend to the price tags, which start but are unlikely to end at , on the road.

Gibson’s Gab

In praise of Alex Bescoby

I WAS 17 WHEN I FIRST HEARD OF TIM SLESSOR. His name was on the cover of a book my parents bought me for Christmas, thinking it would be right up my street.

They were right: First Overland was just the sort of thing I loved reading as an adventurous-spirited late-teen, when, to mis uote another of my favourite authors (Mark Wallington), I thought anything was possible if I could just get out of bed earlier.

Slessor’s understated bestseller told the story of the Oxford and Cambridge expedition to drive a brace of Series Ones from London to Singapore. Leaving in 1955, they passed through a landscape still bearing the scars of

the Second World War. They visited the last outposts of empire and experienced the joys of wildly unfamiliar cultures that are now commonplace to many in our globalised society.

David Attenborough was so impressed by their plan that he commissioned a BBC documentary about the trip, giving Slessor and his contemporaries ust the profile to make a real splash. They certainly did, with the record-breaking expedition becoming the stuff of overlanding legend.

64 years later, another adventurer who clearly has no trouble getting out of bed in the morning took on the challenge of recreating the expedition. In a manner of speaking, that is, since the filmmaker Ale escoby chose to undertake the journey in reverse: from

Singapore back to London. That he did so in the original “Oxford” vehicle, restored after a period languishing on a tiny South Atlantic island, simply added to the mysti ue.

Forget the fact that changing geopolitics meant escoby’s route couldn’t possibly retrace the e act route. ut to one side that the 21st century journey was inevitably less pioneering than its 20th century blueprint, with far less new ground broken. And withhold your sense that, occasionally, escoby’s book and TV series make the trip feel like just a little too straightforward (though there are some tense moments involving militias in far-flung places . Because, in Bescoby, Land Rover fans have found a new embodiment of the spirit of adventure. For many of us,

the appeal of these overpriced, uncomfortable, unreliable vehicles is the feeling they give us that, if we wanted, we too could head off to the great unknown with only a change of Craghoppers and a bushman’s hat for company.

That’s certainly how I felt while reading his lovely book, ast verland. And the feeling’s been reinforced by watching the documentary on All it’s a programme with real heart, capturing a sense of the camaraderie and sheer fun of hitting the road on a big adventure.

So (bushman) hats off to Bescoby and his gang, I say. Just as Land Rover gets ever more corporate (I give you the launch of a £250k Range Rover as exhibit A), this immensely likeable fellow

reminds us of the essence of our enthusiasm. It’s no wonder Tim Slessor was impressed enough by him to consider joining the expedition, even at the age of 87. His health let him down at the last minute. ut it’s a testimony to escoby’s status as his natural heir that the ourney didn’t suffer in conse uence. Slessor was there in the adventurous spirit pervading the expedition (and in another way that you’ll have to read the book/watch the doc to discover). It certainly reignited the flame that had been slowly guttering inside me. I just need to set my alarm for a bit earlier in the morning, and soon enough I fancy I’ll be making an overland trip of my own.

The expeditionary spirit is alive and kicking in Land Rover land. Just ask the adventurer who recreated the most classic trip of all

Words: Tim Gibson

The £250,000 Landy is not a single truck

Would I have the new Range Rover Lansdowne Edition? If you’re offering, I’ll take it off your hands, but give me £250,000 to spend on a garage full of Land Rovers and I certainly wouldn’t be blowing the lot on one Mayfair-mobile.

There’s a very nice Wolf in our classifieds this month and I’d do the first sixteen on that. And a low-mileage 80, and a lovely 109” IIA with a roof rack so big you could have a garden on it. So that’s the first, er, , taken care of. Three Landies up and I’ve only spent a fifth of my budget.

Maybe I’d better leave a bit to one side to build a hangar.

My fantasy garage would have a Range Rover Classic in it, done up in full off-roading regalia, and I’ve always thought the Bordeaux edition of the was a top looker. There’s probably enough in those two to take me up to about a hundred grand, if we base the off-road build on a nice enough Rangey.

I’d go looking for my old efender and buy it back, because I’ve always regretted letting it go. And having recently learned a bit about the hot rod scene, I uite fancy a bagged, chopped 107” pick-up with a 383 stroker, chrome everywhere and a metal flake glory coat. one right, we’re knocking on for about £175,000 now.

Which leaves about enough for the token new vehicle in the collection. After all, sometimes a man needs to just get from A to B.

What’s it going to be? I can’t afford a Range Rover and I don’t want one anyway. I do like the Disco but what I really want is a Defender.

Which one? Let me think. Actually, I can’t afford most of those either so it needs to be a low-speccer. Happily, I think that’s the best one steelies and coil springs make it a better truck.

h, but what’s this? I’ve ust looked at the configurator on Land Rover’s website and it seems those versions of the Defender station wagon have disappeared. I like the vans but I need passenger model, so it turns out the new vehicle in my Land Rover garage is the other new Defender. The Ineos one.

Alan Kidd, Group Editor alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

The LEADING LAND ROVER AND RANGE ROVER

4X4 ENGINE REBUILD SPECIALISTS

Although specialising in Range Rover and Land Rover our experience covers the full spectrum of vehicles which enables us to service and repair any make and model. We bring a wealth of experience from Land Rover main dealer, but with a friendly local garage approach. No job is too big or too small and all servicing and maintenance work will be fully explained and priced to meet your needs.

02035

Electrogenic out to electrify the used Land Rover export market

First we made the Land Rovers. Then we sold them to the Americans. Then, many decades later, we developed our own drop-in’ electrification kits for our Land Rovers. And now we’re selling those to the Americans too.

The we’ in this case is lectrogenic, a company based in Oxford which has developed a drop-in kit for a variety of classic British metal. The kit features everything you need, including high-density battery packs, compact reduction gearboxes, digital dashboards, fi ed-ratio transmissions and a whole heap more, all designed and manufactured in-house.

This is for Defender as well as Jaguar E-Type and Triumph Stag. While that’s all great, actually getting these kits fitted to models the other side of the pond is far from straightforward. Which is why it seems good news for British exports that Electrogenic has found two companies to partner with, who will do the work Stateside.

TATC and Xerbera already both have experience of re-engineering, rebuilding and customising the Solihull products, so they’re the first two companies to partner with the British founding company. It’s e pected that others will follow, including in other global markets. Converting classic

vehicles to electric motive power is a growing business and it’s fair to say the UK is the leading global player. Looks like we’re going to keep ahead

Products

The latest and best equipment, parts, tools, accessories and more for Land Rover owners

Mountney steering wheels for classic Land Rovers old and new

Price: ca £145 plus VAT • Available from: www.britpart.com

THESE 15” MOUNTNEY STEERING WHEELS are now part of the Britpart range. Each has a three-spoke centre in polished aluminium, surrounded by a rivited wooden rim in a variety of styles for the traditional appearance of your choice. Seen here, the two wheels to the left have slotted spokes and a silver centre ring in a semi-dished layout, with a choice of natural or darkened wood styles, while the design to the right has a flat dish layout with holed spokes in a one-piece design. In each case, the wheels are fitted using a Mountney boss kit, making them suitable for a wide variety of Land Rovers.

New air compressors from Clarke

Price: £167.98-£227.98

Available from:

www.machinemart.co.uk

Light is Adventure OSRAM LEDriving®

Working and Driving Lights

The OSRAM range of intense LED lights are built to step up to the challenge when the going gets tough. Leave the tarmac behind and see clearly what lies ahead of you off the beat track. The LEDriving ® range of robust and stylish spotlights, reversing lights and lightbars can improve near- and far-field vision whilst enhancing driving performance, even under the most extreme conditions. Don’t let the darkness spoil your next adventure.

Available from Allmakes 4x4 and Terrafirma dealers worldwide.

MACHINE MART HAS ADDED two new models to its Clarke range of air compressors. Compatible with a wide range of air tools, these two are designed to be ideal for spraying, nailing, stapling, polishing and sanding, and their portability makes them suitable for workshop, DIY, garage and site use.

First up comes the Ranger 7/260, which has a 2.0hp motor, 7.8 cfm air displacement and a 24-litre capacity air tank. Mounted on wheels for portability, it features twin outlets and gauges and comes fitted with automatic on/off control and a safety valve and pressure regulator.

The Ranger 7/550 is similar to the smaller model but has a much bigger 50-litre air tank capacity, making it the one to use for longer jobs. That apart, it has the same features as the 7/260, including wheel mounting and a handle to make it fully portable.

SIII condensers from Lucas Classic

Price: ca £3.50 plus VAT

From: www.lucasclassic.com

THE LUCAS CLASSIC RANGE now includes condensers for the 2.25 petrol engine as fitted to the Series III. There’s a choice of long and short-lead units, the latter to suit models from 1980 onward.

To advertise in The Landy, call our team on

We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Transform your leafer’s articulation with Design Development Engineering’s Extending Spring Shackles

Price: £260 plus VAT (£312 inclusive) Available from: www.designdevelopmenteng.co.uk

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

ENGINEERING’S SERIESFLEX

EXTENDING SPRING SHACKLES open when the wheel next to them wants to droop, allowing greater articulation when you’re off-roading. As the name suggests, they’re designed specifically for leaf-sprung Land Rovers.

The shackles have a closed length of 4” (101.6mm) and a maximum extended length of 10.5” (266.7mm). Thus they help to compensate in an area where coils traditionally have an advantage over the old tech. They’re made from CNC-machined high grade steel with stainless pins and saddle, custom polyurethane bushes and a high-load Oilite pivot point bush – which is maintenance free.

So, you’re thinking, that’s all very well but what happens when you’re on the road and the last thing you want is your spring shackles yawning open and closed every time you go round a corner? Well you weren’t the only one thinking it, because they have a locking feature to keep them closed in just that scenario. Who knew simple cart springs could be so clever?

AlliSport PAS reservoir now on sale through Britpart network

Price: £75 plus VAT (approx)

Available from: www.britpart.com

IF YOU’VE GOT A FIRST-GENERATION DEFENDER with a Tdi, Td5, TDCi or V8 engine, you may well have noticed the grubby mess they get under the bonnet from vapour leaking through the breathable cap on the PAS reservoir.

This is made of plastic and is prone to splitting, which is when the trouble starts. Not only does the leaking vapour make a mess, the crack it’s coming out of collects dirt – and, of course, creates a way in for water. All bad.

Available from Britpart, this replacement unit is made from 2mm high-grade aluminium with CNC machined pipe connections, a knurled cap and an external breather. The rolled aluminium body is laser cut and fully TIG welded by hand, and the reservoir is fitted with an internal baffle.

Measuring 110mm high (155mm including the cap) and with a 91mm diameter, the reservoir looks after itself and the rest of the engine bay too.

Dicing with danger

Buying an old hybrid is one of the riskiest things you can do. But if you’re handy with the spanners and know what you’re looking at, someone else’s creation can be a bargainous way of getting yourself a specced-up Land Rover for a fraction of what it would cost to build. That’s what Paul Fisher did when he picked up a coil-sprung Series II – and many playdays later, he’s as happy as ever that he took the plunge

Words: Paul Looe

Pics: Harry Hamm

We’re on Facebook:

Buying someone else’s old hybrid? .A. . . .R. ut that’s what aul isher did and he’s never looked back.

aul’s Landy is the kind you don’t see people building any more, now that the Ministry of onformity has done its bit to stamp out this particular form of individual e pression. It’s a classic of its breed, being a Range Rover with Series II body panels and a efender front end.

Like most hybrids, it was built to be not ust a poor man’s , but a poor man’s and then some. aul bought it to use mainly as a playday wagon and you don’t see many Landies put to that use which haven’t had at least some kind of mods to improve what they’ll do off-road.

aul, whose other e perience of Land Rover ownership comes from being the driver of what he cheerfully describes as his aylander’, bought the hybrid pretty much as you see it here. I know nowt of its history,’ he told us. Most of the work was already done when I got it.’

In that case, what would he have done differently? owt. I love it.’

It’s rare to hear someone saying such a thing about a truck with Land Rover’s old . -litre naturally aspirated diesel engine under its bonnet. ut aul’s not interested in going fast, so it does the ob fine.

Above: There used to be a six-pot Perkins in here, but after it went the L R ’ in the shape of a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated military unit

Below: What looks like the top half of a Mantec snorkel has been hybridised to suit the air intake for the T ’ ’ as it looks before you check under ’ ’

Land Rover chassis

The . actually replaced a erkins . , which is one of the few big changes since the original build was completed. The old slugger retired from service after a cylinder let go, so another old slugger was an obvious answer. iven what he’s already told us about the truck, it’s no great surprise that aul kept it the way he found it. e did, however, confess to wanting to make one change which we can all agree would be for the better to replace the efender nose with a properly recessed Series II front end. That would return matters to , when the vehicle first saw the light of day as a . -litre petrol-engined . A decade and more later, a Range Rover followed it out of Solihull and nobody could have known that they were destined to end up stuck together as one and the same vehicle.

In time-honoured fashion, the Rangey’s chassis was shortened to and cut down behind the back a le, to be finished off with a efender rear crossmember. nusually, though, its builder dressed it up with fabricated protection which also runs round the entire bottom edge of the truck’s body. More unusually still, this was done using steel bo rather than tube. It blends in nicely enough, thanks in part to the non-rigid wheelarch e tensions obscuring it, but it’s definitely a look you don’t see every day.

It’s also something you couldn’t imagine working on any other kind of vehicle. ut that’s the beauty of the basic Land Rover it’s got so little in the way of airs and graces, there’s almost nothing you can do to take any of them away. Aside from fitting ghastly huge alloys and low-profile road tyres,

obviously, but there’s not much danger of that happening here.

aul’s hybrid actually runs isco steels, and you’d go a long way to find anyone who regrets buying a set of those. They’re wrapped in a meaty old tyre the time-honoured Insa Turbo Special Track but whereas it’s become commonplace perhaps worryingly so to see these in si es on mere’ playday trucks, aul’s happy with a good old R . That’s the metric e uivalent of a . how times have changed since a set of SATs in that si e was the limit of every Landy owner’s off-road ambitions.

Talking of ambitions, when we spoke to aul he said he ust wanted to keep on en oying his truck. That’s both offroad and in the workshop, where he might not have built it but he’s not shy of getting his spanners out.

tranny tunnel and fuse box. The D LT looks positively modern in here

Which goes to show that buying someone else’s old pro ect doesn’t necessarily mean you couldn’t have built it yourself. If you know what you’re looking at, in fact, it can mean unbeatable value for money, because there’s no such thing as a modded that’s worth more than it cost to build.

es, of course, there are plenty of barge-pole motors out there. ut for every stinker there’s a gem and aul is living proof of that. eing able to work on it yourself is pretty much essential in almost every case but you won’t own an old hybrid for long before learning most of what there is to know about that.

screen is a functional cabin

Ploughing on

Words: Olly Sack

Pics: Vic Peel

In the world of pick-up trucks, they say it’s best to avoid e -council vehicles. They reckon without e -council vehicles like this Series III.

The logic is that local authority fleet vehicles tend to be driven very, very hard by employees who, not to put too fine a point on it, don’t give a stuff about looking after them. y the time they’re sold on, they’ve had do ens of different drivers battering away at their engines, clutches, gearbo es, brakes and so on, their bodywork is likely to have taken as many knocks as their drivetrain and their interiors probably smell like a bus shelter on a Saturday morning.

Local authority maintenance schedules? Well, maybe. ut there’s a reason why the same people who warn you off e -council vehicles also say you can’t go wrong with an e -M one.

ut as we were saying, this e -council Series III turns that logic on its head. Series III, though? What’s with that front end? It’s clearly a Series IIA.

h no it’s not. Look at the number plate. This dates from , so it’s a nailed-on III.

A III with a IIA front, though. That sounds interesting…

This is where the truck’s history comes in. It has a lot - not all of it documented, but it tells a tale.

There are fundamentally three stages of its life that we know about.

The first was with Stratford ouncil, who fitted it with a crane and snow plough. We’re guessing the amber beacon might date from back then, too, given the uses it was clearly intended to be put to if you’re not old enough to remember, ritain used to have proper winters back then .

We don’t know how long it spent looking after the public in times of trouble, but once the man from the corporation was done with it the Land Rover was sold locally. It gets a bit vague after this but we couldn’t find any sign of ld ars arts Ltd anywhere so we think the signwriting on the roof,

along with the AA and RA badges, has been added later to build on the vehicle’s retro appeal.

rom what we can tell, the was bought locally from the council by someone who did some sort of body-off ob on it. The chassis got some welding done, including the outriggers and spring hangers, and it lost the crane and snowplough but gained the livery you see here. When all this happened we’re not sure, so there’s a fairly big hole in its history, but what we do know is that when it came up for sale last year it had been generally recommissioned and made to look right.

y that, we mean it remains in nicely aged paint, with the previous owner’s decor still there, but it’s been cleaned up and made to look the part in a period-piece kind of way. aturally, it’s in good mechanical order to match its solid frame too.

We don’t know when the Series IIA front end arrived, but we do know there’s a . -litre si -pot engine tucked

away behind it. The drivetrain and running gear is all standard, though there’s a airey overdrive and a set of A M freewheeling hubs in place. It gained a set of one-tonne rims in the hands of the dealer who was offering it last year, with a variety of . s wrapped around them.

The dealer, istoric Motoring Solutions of Leicestershire, also did the rear main oil seal, carb, clutch which was sei ed and master and slave cylinders, creating a Land Rover that’s well above average to drive. There are moor seats to sit in while you’re doing so, and the same company’s hood covers the pick-up bed beneath which you’ll find a retro-style Esso jerry can to add further to the period feel.

ot that you can have a Series Land Rover without a period feel to it, but you know what we mean. This, and the various badges on the bodywork, might ust be there to set the tone but they do it very effectively. our mind might be

telling you that they’re latter-day props, but your heart is right there with it as a ack of all trades in the employ of some rural garage in a bucolic shire. lich ? es. And what of it? So too is the one about e -council vehicles being bad news, after all. And if wonderfully cool old 109 can turn that one on its head, you can safely assume it’s going to write its own rules wherever it goes.

This 109” Series III started life with a snowplough on its nose. As time went on and it was retired from the service of a local authority, it took on a new life. And, it would appear, a new face…

Ploughing on

Words: Olly Sack

Pics: Vic Peel

In the world of pick-up trucks, they say it’s best to avoid e -council vehicles. They reckon without e -council vehicles like this Series III.

The logic is that local authority fleet vehicles tend to be driven very, very hard by employees who, not to put too fine a point on it, don’t give a stuff about looking after them. y the time they’re sold on, they’ve had do ens of different drivers battering away at their engines, clutches, gearbo es, brakes and so on, their bodywork is likely to have taken as many knocks as their drivetrain and their interiors probably smell like a bus shelter on a Saturday morning.

Local authority maintenance schedules? Well, maybe. ut there’s a reason why the same people who warn you off e -council vehicles also say you can’t go wrong with an e -M one.

ut as we were saying, this e -council Series III turns that logic on its head. Series III, though? What’s with that front end? It’s clearly a Series IIA.

h no it’s not. Look at the number plate. This dates from , so it’s a nailed-on III.

A III with a IIA front, though. That sounds interesting…

This is where the truck’s history comes in. It has a lot - not all of it documented, but it tells a tale.

There are fundamentally three stages of its life that we know about.

The first was with Stratford ouncil, who fitted it with a crane and snow plough. We’re guessing the amber beacon might date from back then, too, given the uses it was clearly intended to be put to if you’re not old enough to remember, ritain used to have proper winters back then .

We don’t know how long it spent looking after the public in times of trouble, but once the man from the corporation was done with it the Land Rover was sold locally. It gets a bit vague after this but we couldn’t find any sign of ld ars arts Ltd anywhere so we think the signwriting on the roof,

along with the AA and RA badges, has been added later to build on the vehicle’s retro appeal.

rom what we can tell, the was bought locally from the council by someone who did some sort of body-off ob on it. The chassis got some welding done, including the outriggers and spring hangers, and it lost the crane and snowplough but gained the livery you see here. When all this happened we’re not sure, so there’s a fairly big hole in its history, but what we do know is that when it came up for sale last year it had been generally recommissioned and made to look right.

y that, we mean it remains in nicely aged paint, with the previous owner’s decor still there, but it’s been cleaned up and made to look the part in a period-piece kind of way. aturally, it’s in good mechanical order to match its solid frame too.

We don’t know when the Series IIA front end arrived, but we do know there’s a . -litre si -pot engine tucked

away behind it. The drivetrain and running gear is all standard, though there’s a airey overdrive and a set of A M freewheeling hubs in place. It gained a set of one-tonne rims in the hands of the dealer who was offering it last year, with a variety of . s wrapped around them.

The dealer, istoric Motoring Solutions of Leicestershire, also did the rear main oil seal, carb, clutch which was sei ed and master and slave cylinders, creating a Land Rover that’s well above average to drive. There are moor seats to sit in while you’re doing so, and the same company’s hood covers the pick-up bed beneath which you’ll find a retro-style Esso jerry can to add further to the period feel.

ot that you can have a Series Land Rover without a period feel to it, but you know what we mean. This, and the various badges on the bodywork, might ust be there to set the tone but they do it very effectively. our mind might be

telling you that they’re latter-day props, but your heart is right there with it as a ack of all trades in the employ of some rural garage in a bucolic shire. lich ? es. And what of it? So too is the one about e -council vehicles being bad news, after all. And if wonderfully cool old 109 can turn that one on its head, you can safely assume it’s going to write its own rules wherever it goes.

This 109” Series III started life with a snowplough on its nose. As time went on and it was retired from the service of a local authority, it took on a new life. And, it would appear, a new face…

New king… or pretender to the throne?

The old-shape Defender was the undisputed king of off-road vehicles. Ever since Land Rover announced that it was set to die, however, there’s been a power vacuum which the new model, like it or loathe it, has never really tried to fill. Step forward, then, the first and only vehicle from a manufacturer other than Land Rover you’ll ever see featured in these pages…

Words: Alan Kidd

Pics: Ineos Automotive

We never thought we’d see the day when we did an article about a vehicle that’s not a Land Rover. We wouldn’t write about a eep, or a Su uki, or a Toyota yet here we are delivering our first impressions of the Ineos renadier into the heart of the Land Rover community.

ou know the story by now. Land Rover pulled the plug on the original efender. im Ratcliffe, billionaire owner of the Ineos group, wanted to buy the tooling so he could keep on making it. They knocked him back, so he decided to build a successor to it from scratch.

It sounds like a vanity pro ect, but you don’t get to be the world’s richest Land Rover fan by chucking money around. Sir im saw a gap in the market, commissioned a feasibility study and, liking what he saw, gathered together a stellar team of e perienced motor industry leaders and engineers to make it happen. e got a massive result when Mercedes- en offered him a raging deal on a state-of-the-art factory and workforce, all ready to start

building the vehicle, and now here we are. In the length of time it takes an established manufacturer to develop a new model, Ineos Automotive has gone from a sketch on the back of a beer mat to a fully functioning car maker.

And now it has a fully functioning car.

The renadier is on sale and on the road, with first deliveries having gone out in early anuary. Land Rover pulled the plug on the old efender with this truck, Ineos aims to have pushed it back in.

We’re not here to guff on about Ineos’ business model, future plans or any of that. We’re all about driving the renadier, and asking one simple uestion does it succeed in picking up where the old efender left off?

Where was that? The efender had become an uneasy combination of trendy styling and agricultural engineering. eople wanted the same honesty but with things like cabin space and comfort, and since this was fundamentally impossible to achieve Land Rover did the same as countless aftermarket

styling houses and chucked loads of

bling at what was, still, a cramped, noisy old truck.

What the efender needed was a reset. Land Rover gave it one, of course, the result being a vehicle that’s fantastic in all sorts of ways but completely abandons the truck-like simplicity of old. Ineos’ aim is for the renadier to be another kind of reset the kind you’re more likely to appreciate if you liked the old efender the way it was. The way it was in , perhaps So the renadier takes up the story with a ladder chassis, live a les and as many mechanical components as possible. The handbrake and transfer bo are both operated by physical levers. The number of microchips on board is a fraction of that on the modern efender. Its body is s uared off and bo y, designed to avoid damaging itself in e treme terrain.

et you sit in a comfortable seat which has plenty of leg and elbow room. So do the people in the back. It has sound deadening, and a dashboard. A proper one, designed around a proper media screen but with big

chunky switches you can operate while wearing work gloves.

ere’s the split in its personality that turns out not to be a split at all. The old efender trained us to think that if you wanted to drive the best off-roader around, you had to suffer for the privilege the new one trains us to think that if you don’t want to suffer, you won’t get the best off-roader around. The renadier is here to tell you that you can have the best of both worlds.

Ineos set out its stall to create a vehicle that would do what the original efender once did but in a modern package with all the right creature comforts. ot a lu ury , but one which you could use as a daily driver without having to suffer and take off-road without having to compromise.

The first thing to say is that its refinement on the open road is pretty impressive. It’s decently smooth all round and uiet enough that when you drive one with the optional roof rack fitted, your ears will instantly know about it.

ou definitely know it’s a truck, though. Ineos is offering it with a choice

of petrol and diesel engines, both . -litre MW units mated to an eightspeed auto, and there’s noticeably more drivetrain vibration in the latter. ou won’t mind that one bit if you know your off-roaders, and it’s like a sewing machine compared to an old-shape efender, but if you want it smooth the petrol will appeal more.

That didn’t trouble us, but the renadier’s steering certainly did. It feels lifeless both about the straight-ahead position and as you start to turn in, the latter before loading up suddenly.

This has various results. ne is that it never settles into a straight line instead, you’re constantly teasing the wheel back and forth to keep it on track. The second is that when you come out of a straight and turn into a corner, it’s so lacking in feel that your mind tells you you’ve gone into understeer. Then finally the weight all arrives at once and now your mind’s telling you that you’ve gone into oversteer instead. ou’ve not. ut it doesn’t feel natural and it doesn’t feel nice.

Things are much better on tight -roads when you’re going constantly from lock to lock. In this case, the weight in the wheel is pretty much constant, making for a much more pleasing and even uite entertaining e perience. ody roll is well controlled and its planted stance comes with no end of grip.

Which engine is better for this kind of driving? Well, the auto bo masks most of the differences between them and so does some e cellent sound deadening which means the diesel makes hardly any more noise, but ultimately both are strong as an o . The petrol unit puts out bhp and lbf.ft, the latter from rpm, while for the diesel it’s bhp and lbf.ft from ust rpm the official figures say . seconds and . seconds respectively, but what matters is that whether you’re fully laden with logs and chainsaws or hauling three and a half tonnes of trailer, it’s going to shift whatever you ask it to.

With the diesel engine, you feel some e tra tor ue as you s uee e the throttle. With the petrol, there’s a more insistent pull through the mid-range and when you bang the same pedal down to the floor. ut honestly, there’s not much in it.

We’re on Facebook:

While we’re on the sub ect of figures, even in the world of hardcore off-roaders it’s probably been a while since you saw a new vehicle whose fuel consumption figures don’t make it beyond the teens. That’s the slightly uncomfortable truth about the petrol model, though . - . mpg, the book says, along with emissions of - g km.

The oil-burner is a little more palatable here, returning . - . mpg and putting out - g km. iven the price of diesel, though, there’s not going to be a lot in it.

The difference between the engines does seem to become more apparent when you take the renadier off-road. Which, it won’t have escaped your notice, is where it’s designed to e cel.

We’ll get to the engines in a minute. ut let’s start with the bit that really matters in an off-roader.

In each case, the vehicle is held up by coil springs rather than airbags. A good start, that. They’re located by fivelink systems all round Ineos’ design engineers did consider using three-link at the back, they say, but concluded that it would be too unruly and traded that level of articulation for better manners on the road.

We’ll say here that on the launch event we attended, the renadier’s suspension was never given the chance to fle out. There was loads of off-roading, all of it the sort of stuff that made the efender a legend, but nothing we’d call e treme. It was lengthy, varied, spectacular and as natural’ as you’re ever going to get in ritain, with some deepish ruts, a little mud, a few mild rocks and plenty of steep gradients. ut if you know green lanes like arkamoor, Tilberthwaite, Stanage dge and the top end of Rudland Rigg used to be before the ampaign to Stop verything crushed them beneath their ackboots, any one of them would have been by far the most technical part of the launch.

As you might well know, all these lanes have been driven time and again by standard efenders without locking diffs. The renadier is available with these, which is brilliant a ma or criticism of the old efender was that Land Rover refused ever to offer it with them , and the instructors on the launch had us banging them in and out non-stop, which is fair enough as a demonstration but to be honest we’d have backed it to cover every last scrap of the ground we were shown without ever needing us to touch them.

We’d suggest that they’re a musthave if you want to get the best from the vehicle, but having said that it will still do great things without them. That’s because it does an e traordinarily good ob of matching the old efender’s ability to maintain a very high baseline level of traction.

The key here is its suspension, which follows the ground with a nice,

natural flow. ack to what we were saying about the five-link rear, here. We loved the three-link system Land Rover used to use, which can hardly help but allow better wheel travel, but the renadier does remain very compliant over uneven terrain and faster, looser ground alike. It makes the sort of unflustered progress the old efender was famous for, which is about the highest praise we can give it.

We mentioned earlier that the auto bo masks most of the difference between the engines, however for lowspeed off-road work the diesel comes to the fore as the easier vehicle to drive smoothly. Its deeper tor ue means almost no throttle at all is re uired much of the time, certainly on technical sections that you take at a crawl. ere, the petrol unit needs ust a little more and the throttle is uite sensitive, meaning it’s harder to drive smoothly.

ven in the petrol model, however, while driving it off-road we kept on remarking to ourselves how similar it was to being in an old-shape . The fluency with which it covers the ground is the same, the feeling of natural movement beneath you that comes from having two beam a les working together in harmony. It feels very, very at home on rough trails and virgin ground alike.

ne area in particular in which it ecels is climbing. The combination of low tor ue and an auto bo means you can take it steady and not go in too hot for fear of running out of steam. bviously, keeping your momentum up is still necessary, but doing so is very easy when all you need to do is s uee e the throttle and the response will be there.

oing down the other side is another matter. The renadier’s auto bo is a good one, and when you put in low first it stays there but that’s not enough for it to be able to creep down the steepest hills the way an old efender would. To aid it here, it has hill descent control, which works very well when you can get it to work at all.

What? The problem is with the diff locks. It takes a pronounced difference in wheel speeds for these to disengage so you need to go round a proper corner before they’ll come back out. If you’ve used them to get up a hill, they’re liable still to be in as you drop down the other side which is fine, but while the lights are still lit the hill descent control won’t engage. ot ideal if you’ve got nowhere to turn literally and the track ahead goes straight down a gradient so steep you couldn’t walk it. ne of the great things about the old efender is that you can put it in low first and it will crawl down the steepest hills imaginable. o uestions asked. Still, so long as you can actually engage it, the renadier’s hill descent control does an e cellent ob of keeping the vehicle from running away. We’d miss the elegant simplicity of ust shift-

ing a manual bo into first, but with no lurching at all as the system compensates for shifting loads at the wheels you have to nod with appreciation at its use of technology to do the same thing and, truth to tell, to do it better. ver the piece, the renadier is very sure-footed and tractable, stable and steady over rough ground and easy to manoeuvre but also, no small matter, involving to drive. espite having a wheelbase, it’s significantly more agile than a , in particular in tight corners, and with approach, departure and breakover angles of . , . and . degrees it’s similarly well proportioned to keep itself out of trouble on the roughest terrain. To put it succinctly, it’s ust like being in an old-shape efender only one which doesn’t deafen you and has a nice cabin.

Talking of that, the renadier has e cellent Recaro seats which keep you comfortable all day long. Its driving position is very efender-like, the difference being that you can actually stretch your legs all the way straight while sitting in the driver’s seat.

Rear seating is ade uate in the Station Wagon, with very deeply sculpted seat-backs making room for your knees, but the five-seat tility Wagon will be less generous as the second row here is mounted further forward to create the necessary cargo space behind it. The seats themselves remain good, though.

Much has been said about the vehicle’s cabin design, which is self-consciously chunky and rugged. There’s an e cellent media system integrated into the dash but you still have huge banks of buttons both in the facia and the roof console. These are definitely not for everyone, but if you appreciate what the vehicle itself is about we think you’ll get the point of the cabin too. It’s functional without being devoid of form and, no small matter, it works.

verall, the uality of the cabin is very good. The materials and switchgear are stout and tactile and the trim is solid, with the fit and finish you’d e pect from an established car maker

rather than one starting out with its first ever model. It’s not perfect but overall it feels very, very good and is e actly what we’ve been hoping for. All the things that were good about the original efender are here most of what was bad about it are not.

an that be said for the renadier in general? ery nearly, yes. It puts you in mind of the vehicle that inspired it when you’re driving off-road but moves the game a long way forward on tarmac, and the e uipment you get is purposeful and high in uality without ever coming across as a way of blinding you with science to ustify a big ticket.

The ticket is big all the same, of course. It costs from , in twoseat tility form and , as a fiveseat commercial, with the price umping to , for the passenger-carrying Station Wagon. We managed to get the latter up to , on the configurator by adding a winch, towball, roof rack, light bar and rock sliders as well as a medium-priced paint option.

So the spiritual successor to the efender has turned out to be almost as e pensive as the actual successor to the efender. It does give you a hell of a lot of off-roader for your money, though and if it comes through on the promise of longevity Ineos has made for it, you will be able to treat it the last car you ever need to buy.

In this way, it’s e actly like the old efender, whose rebuildability has been key to make it a legend. The difference being that you hear no end of people lamenting the fact that they’re too old to be able to cope with a efender any more. With all that it gives you, the renadier need never feel like that.

We never thought we’d see the day when we did an article about a vehicle that’s not a Land Rover. et here we are delivering our first impressions of a vehicle which, you might say, actually is one. It might not have the badge on the bonnet but the renadier is more of a Land Rover, in the original sense, than anything that’s worn the green oval in seven years.

INSURANCE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL

Call 0800 587 5480 or visit adrianflux.co.uk

Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

The Landy Buyer

All the information you need – in one place – to buy your perfect Landy

The new classic

The government’s definition of a classic car is anything more than years old. What this means is that will see the first s gaining classic status whereupon they will become ta e empt and no longer need an M T.

ou’d only take advantage of the latter as an opportunity to drive about in a shed if you were some sort of psychopath, and sooner or later the law would catch up with you anyway. ut not having to pay ta sounds appealing and what the hell, so does going about in an early .

It’s pretty rare to find a Land Rover of this age that’s still on its original engine. If you do, treasure it. If you’ve got one that’s been repowered, though, that’s nothing to be afraid of in fact, it means you can chuck in an engine of your own without wrecking its classic value. These days, that engine is likely to be a MW M . ut Land Rover’s own or Tdi is still a rock-solid choice too. ither way, whatever you do within

Series I (1948-1958) £5000-£85,000

reason will be an investment entering classic territory means these Landies are set to hold their value better than ever.

Insure a 110 with Adrian Flux from £155

• Based on a rebuilt 1983 110 Station Wagon with a BMW M57 engine. Valued at £22,500, unlimited annual mileage. 50 year old driver, fully comp, £250 excess

Series II/IIA (1958-1971) £2500-£45,000

I,

of

all Land Rovers. Its engineering and design give it real charisma, but parts aren’t readily available. Restoration pro ects re uire deep pockets, but see it through and the result will be worth mega bucks. one are the days where you could use a Series I as an actual Land Rover. ecause with restored e amples changing hands

for millionaire money, preservation is the aim of the game. The earlier the vehicle, the more it will be worth. The sky’s the limit but can you really put a price on such an icon?

Pros: Heritage, charm, a true classic, the original Land Rover Cons: Availability of parts, price tag on early 80s

Series III (1971-1985) £2500-£30,000

terms, keeping the same . -litre engines throughout the length of its production run.

The Series III wasn’t too dissimilar to the Series IIA in mechanical

In , the engines switched to a more durable five-bearing crank rather than the old threebearing setup. The transmission also received syncromesh on all forward gears to make it easier to live with.

The Series II IIA is more affordable than a Series I, yet it still carries

much of that early charm. rices are on the increase, however, as these vehicles start to come into their own as collector’s items.

A . petrol would be our pick, as the diesel engines were underpowered and rather noisy.

The Series II IIA has a wider stance than its predecessor and adds an e tra thin layer of

refinement. While the engines have e cellent longevity, they need to have been maintained properly. e thorough in your checks, both under the bonnet and underneath the body.

Pros: A sound investment to restore. Some now MOT exempt Cons: Bulkheads and chassis rot, springs prone to seizing

Series IIA/IIB FC (1962-1971) £2500-£15,000

They still carry the simplicity of earlier Land Rovers, but can be obtained for a fraction of the price... for now.

Pros: Most affordable way into Series ownership. Still has the Series pedigree. Parts still widely available

Cons: Not yet as desirable as the earlier Series models

Lightweight (1968-1984) £3500-£22,000

Land Rovers. To mimic the civvy Series machines, the Series III model built from onwards, also had its headlights switched out to the wings.

These military vehicles can easily be distinguished from regular

Lightweights add an e tra dimension to owning a Land Rover. Their military history and details mean you get a truck with more stories to tell and that stands

orward ontrol Land Rovers are a cult within a cult. They’re a real

rarity with all the cachet, pride and immense awkwardness that comes with this status.

y rare’, we’re talking about less than Series IIA s in total. And they tended to have a very hard life, so not many have survived to tell the tale.

orward- ontrol models differed from everyday Series IIs by

having heavy-duty a les, but engine-wise they had the familiar . petrol and diesel lumps. So, don’t e pect performance but do e pect to be given an interesting’ time in the workshop

Pros: A Land Rover like no ’

Cons: E

101 (1972-1978) £7500-£26,000

out from the crowd. They’re a rare breed, though so if you’ve got one, it’s worth keeping hold of.

Pros: Not like all the other Land Rovers out there. Military background. Lovely 2.25 petrol

Cons: A ’ ’ E

over regular models means they command a price premium

90/110 (1983-1990) £3500-£35,000

also take you ust about anywhere in the world. arly s and s are starting to be a real collector’s item. ut you’ll likely be searching far and wide for a pristine e ample.

These Land Rovers had coilsprung suspension, new engines and a world-beating level of rugged off-road capability.

A very early . petrol is a rare thing, and a beautiful one too. ut perhaps try for a . natasp diesel they’re robust and as simple as they come.

Pros: EE U potential for mods and restos

Cons: Puny engines (V8 apart) Not many left in good condition

nly ever sold to the Army, the became a cult vehicle when

the time came for demob. They were flogged off at very low prices and turned into off-road toys not something you’d do with one today, given the rarity and classic value they’ve taken on.

ompared to the IIA II , the is more fun thanks to its engine. It’s still a military tool, though some still have fi tures

and fittings from their Army life, which adds interest. This is a vehicle for enthusiasts, though, with costs that are sky-high even by Land Rover standards.

Pros: Master of the road. Lovely V E sees one loves it

Cons: Monumental running E

127 (1985-1990) £6500-£27,000

took chassis and stretched them. It was designed for military and commercial users and came as a high-capacity double-cab.

These days, it’s very rare to find a that hasn’t been hammered, restored and or converted, or all three. eople looking for a work truck tend to go for a later , so the is more of an enthusiast’s

motor. It’s popular for homebrewed overland conversions, too. Almost all s have had an engine conversion by now, too. Lots to be wary of, then but it’s a hell of a lot for your money.

Pros: E limitless potential and character

Cons: U S had a colourful life

The Series

particularly in its guise, is the most sought-after

The was built on a special production line in Solihull which

Defender 200 Tdi (1990-1994) £4000-£38,000

decades if it’s looked after. ind one that’s had all its oil changes a tall order and it’ll go round and round the clock.

Defender 130 (1990-2016) £12,500-£35,000

The Tdi engine, which arrived with the efender name, can last for

The good thing about the earlier Tdi is that it’s simpler than the later . What you gain here you lose in refinement, but this is seen by many e perts as the best efender of them all.

The LT gearbo in the Tdi is more truck-like than the later R , and these vehicles didn’t come with bling. ust be sure it’s an original Tdi you’re getting, not an old iscovery conversion.

Pros: The perfect combination of tradition and modernity

Cons: Lots of horrible and/or deceptive ones around

Defender 300 Tdi (1994-1998) £4500-£43,000

the two are related. It’s much more refined and smoother to drive, though there are more electronics involved so later versions in particular are less of a I fi .

The Tdi engine is very different to the unit it replaced, though

The arrival of the Tdi also brought with it the R gearbo . This used to have a terrible reputation for relability, but most have been put right by now and they’ve

become sought after for their light clutch and better shift action.

It was during the Tdi era that efenders started getting things like alloys, too. ou might even find one that’s not been off-road

Pros: Strength and simplicity. D

Cons: Sure to be very different to when it left the factory

Defender TDCi (2007-2016) £8500-£195,000

When Land Rover introduced the efender name, it was actually the

that changed the most. That’s because unlike the old , it was built on a proper chassis of its own rather than a stretched frame.

The advent of the Tdi engine was the making of the , too. At last, Land Rover could make them pull properly without returning single-figure fuel economy by using a hard-worked .

As a result, you’ll find many more original ish s than s. Some are even still in service with the utility companies they were built for. If you want a efender for overlanding, look no further.

Pros: A proper truck with huge capabilities in every area

Cons: I ’ ’ actually need that much size

Defender Td5 (1998-2007) £5000-£40,000

a strong performer. It does lend itself to being tuned though, so watch out for abused ones and knackered e amples that have been pushed beyond the limit.

As with all efenders, you’ll need a rear crossmember sooner or later or even a new chassis.

The Td engine is arguably Land Rover’s most reliable unit and it’s

espite having more electronics than the Tdi, a Td efender can

still be a I machine. arts are in plentiful supply, as is specialist knowledge and it’s one of the best Land Rovers ever.

Pros: Off-road capability, power, overall reliability. Very well

Cons: Rear chassis, premium prices, monstrous road tax on later vehicles

Defender (2020-on) £55,000-£165,000

The last efenders gained modern . and . T i engines and

smooth si -speed gearbo es, They still had phenomenal off-road ability and were even okay to sit in. amously, this was the efender that actually had a dashboard Many people dislike the T i, especially the earlier . , but they still change hands for huge money especially when the likes of ahn or Twisted have been

involed. ou will always pay a premium for a uma, and a Tdi or Td may turn out to be a better purchase. ven then, though, look after it and you may well never see depreciation.

Pros: Eforts, off-road prowess

Cons: Price, electronics, TDCi engine is unloved

If the sub ect of the new efender comes up in enthusiast circles, try

to steer it away on to something safer. Like re it, for e ample.

Much as it may infuriate purists, however, the efender is actually a very wonderful thing. It’s kind of like an old one, only with space, comfort and e uipment.

The big difference is that you can’t work on it yourself. This goes for maintenance and, crucially,

making modifications a market Land Rover wants to take back and have for itself. It won’t hold its value long-term the way an original-shaper does, either. ut this is still a superb vehicle.

Pros: Comfort, capability,

Cons: Not cheap to buy. Lacks ’

There aren’t many vehicles as versatile as the 4x4. From general day use to off-roading adventures, your 4WD needs an insurance policy that protects it in every situation. That’s why we offer 4x4 insurance that’s tailored to your needs. Plus, save money with us - our customers have saved an average of 27% when taking out a 4x4 policy with us*

INSURANCE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL

Call 0800 587 5480 or visit adrianflux.co.uk

Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Freelander (1997-2006) £400-£5500

It’s also a notable classic in its own way, as it heralded the start of the company’s modern era. It has its issues, though. The viscous coupling is e pensive to replace and can be upset simply by running mismatched tyres.

The . petrol used to be notorious for head gasket failures. Today’s replacements are much

Freelander 2 (2006-2015) £2000-£17,500

more robust, but a late diesel is your best bet. ven these can go calamitously wrong, though. This was a more comple car than it needed to be, and buying one for sweeties now doesn’t change that.

Pros: Cheap to buy, no big rust issues, surprisingly able off-road Cons: All sorts of things can go wrong, some very expensively

Range Rover Classic (1970-96) £4000-£275,000

are people who do ust that, preferring to invest new-car money in a restoration than spending it on a current model.

The reelander was a massive improvement on the model

it replaced. It’s a refined and affordable S with a strong engine, good e uipment and a decent level of practicality.

It’s become one of the most reliable Land Rovers out there, too. ut do be aware of the rear diff and alde unit for costly outlays.

The . -litre diesel engine is a strong performer, though for a

bargain search out one with the unpopular . petrol unit. ither way, it’s a fine S to drive. rices have fallen since the production ended, too , now gets you one worth having.

Pros: R economy of diesel engine Cons: Transmissions can wear quickly if used for towing

Range Rover (1994-2002) £1000-£28,000

The original Rangey is a classic you can use everyday and there

It’s a smart policy, too. An early two-door can cost mega money, but any lassic will appreciate in value if kept in good condition and sought-after rarities like the S and LS can be a gold mine.

liable than the . It’ll still cost a lot to run, however, and drivetrain faults and underbody corrosion are not unknown.

The Mk Range Rover hit new heights of lu ury and was more re-

The T engine is sublime, but you’ll pay more to get one especially the . , though the . has all the power you need. The petrol, on the other hand, is temptingly cheap. uess why

An awful lot of Rangeys have been neglected and or abused, and you can still buy they cheap. ut if you’ve got the skills, and access to parts, restoring one would be the ultimate hobby that pays.

Pros: Most usable classic Land Rover, V8 power, ride quality

Cons: Rust, availability of parts for early models

A Mk Rangey in good working order is still a sensational car to

This isn’t a I motor, but it certainly is a Range Rover, with brilliant off-road and towing skills. It relies a lot on electronics, but they work wonders and the deepdown engineering is very robust.

Pros: Great off-road, luxury, image, TDV8 powerplants Cons: Very complex. Huge running costs

to greater e tremes than ever, with lavish e uipment and endless opportunities for personalisation.

It’s a supreme lifestyle wagon for the rich to many of Land Rover’s traditional fans, on the other hand, it’s the supreme irrelevance.

If you can afford one, few cars could be as pleasing. owever if you can afford one and you love

Land Rovers, you’re likely to be thinking about how many real ones you could buy with this sort of money. It wouldn’t make a bad way to tow your collection about the place, though

Pros: Immense prestige, and sublime both to be in and drive

Cons: To at least 99% of people ’

Range Rover Sport (2013-22) £19,500-£140,000

the original, meaning it’s almost economical to run. It feels really nimble and agile on the road, too, and it comes with a range of engines giving it a brisk turn of pace.

The current Range Rover is a ma estic . All the engines in the

own, even today. The problem is that they’re very comple and very, very good at going wrong.

Air suspension failure is the norm. ead gaskets can let go. lectronics are laughably flaky. And parts can cost the earth as will the labour bills. erhaps worst of all, nowadays it’s very hard to find one you can be sure hasn’t

range supply copious amounts of power, and its road manners are absolutely impeccable.

It’s startlingly capable off-road, too, even if getting one muddy would feel like bad form. Most that leave the tarmac probably do so only when their owners are in the mood to blow some grouse out of the sky.

spent at least part of its life being worked on by idiots

Still, you’ll get a classy motor with proper off-road and towing skills. It’s becoming a classic, too, and prices are still tiny considering everything you get.

Pros: Luxury, price, a Land R ’

Cons: E

Inside, the Range Rover’s cabin is superb, with sumptuous trim and cutting-edge e uipment. rices are, of course, as immense as the vehicle itself. ut if you can afford it, so too is the presence a Rangey will give you.

Pros: Class, luxury, engines, vast all-round capability Cons: Price

Range Rover Sport (2005-2013) £9500-£20,000

a supreme off-roader as well as being a funky road ride. It doesn’t handle like a sports car, but is agile enough for an S .

A iscovery of the same era is far more practical, however, while a full-fat Rangey has more class. The Sport is still a massively able tow barge, though, in addition to all its other virtues.

ou’re looking at a car which many people associate with rich chavs and criminals, however. And being based on the iscovery , it can’t help but share that vehicle’s reputation as a money pit.

Pros: Decent performance and all-round dynamics

Cons: A Disco 3 is more usable.

The second-generation Range Rover Sport is kg lighter than

Some won’t like the flamboyant posture, while others will love it. ither way, inside the cabin it’s very nearly as lu urious as the full-fat Range Rover.

The only stumbling block with such a fine motor is going to be how to pay for it. epreciation has started to bring down the purchase price though you’ll never run one on a shoestring.

Pros: glorious interior

Cons: Marmite image. Pricey to buy and run

Range Rover Evoque (2011-19) £7500-£41,000

the masses. iven that it was the company’s fastest-selling vehicle, they clearly hit the brief, even if it wasn’t for the traditional Land Rover owner.

It’s actually still a capable thing off-tarmac but it’s definitely more at home on the road.

When the vo ue was launched, it signalled LR’s intent on hitting

evertheless, it is economical by Land Rover standards and

ilariously, this is what counts as the affordable way in to owning a

new Range Rover. The Sport is less about being chauffeur driven and more about lording it over other aspirational school runners, but once again it’ll be lovely to drive.

Like the full fat Range Rover a phrase which has never felt more appropriate , the Sport is available with an old-school engine that gives you racecar performance in

return for ASA-level emissions. Most customers with opt for an altogether healthier plug-in hybrid, but they’ll still get a vehicle that’s brutally fast a well as being able to do the normal Range Rover stuff.

Pros: S and game for a laugh, too

Cons: S ’ proceeds-of-crime image

because there are so many out there, used prices are tempting. There’s a onvertible model, too, as well as three and five-door tin-tops. We say stick to the latter, and be sure to get one with W .

Pros: E

concept-car image

Cons: Cramped rear seats, not as practical as a Disco Sport

Most Range Rovers all look the same at the front now, but the new

vo ue has adopted a similiar back end to the larger elar. It’s not ust the e terior that mimics the looks of the larger vehicle, however, as the vo ue has gained the latest Touch ro uo tech and a hike in uality.

The main highlight of the new vo ue is the fact the ma ority of the range is made up of mild

hybrids, available with diesel and petrol engines combining to an electric motor. nly the base vo ue escapes the electrification, and we’d avoid it as it doesn’t have four-wheel drive.

Pros: Feels like a proper Range Rover inside Cons: Petrol engine is poor on fuel economy, even as a hybrid

Range Rover (2002-12) £2200-£27,000

Range Rover (2012-22) £20,000-£150,000

The Sport is mechanically similar to the iscovery meaning it’s

Range Rover Evoque (2019-on) £31,000-£60,500

The reelander is a cheap gateway into Land Rover ownership.

The fifth-generation Range Rover takes its position as a lu ury car

Range Rover (2022-on) £99,000-£220,000

Range Rover Sport (2022-on) £80,500-£145,000

INSURANCE FOR THE

Range Rover Velar (2017-on) £27,500-£75,000

because of its particularly handsome e terior. It’s based upon the same architecture as the aguar - ace but has greater off-road ability and is available with a wide choice of engines, most of which combine good economy with usable everyday performance.

Discovery (1989-1998) £800-£18,000

other models e pected to follow the elar in due course.

ut is there a whiff of style over substance? Well, it’s a very good S . ut you don’t half pay a premium for those suave looks...

The elar a competent cruiser and has received numerous accolades

The interior is Land Rover’s most advanced cabin to date, with

Pros: Stylish design, chic cabin, excellent tech features Cons: Feels like an indulgence, especially at such a high price

Discovery 2 (1998-2004) £1000-£11,000

most reliable units ever. It drives well, too mated to a manual bo it has more guts even than the option, which is surprisingly bland but predictably thirsty.

Whereas the isco was prone to body rust, the is fine here. Instead, its chassis rots like a carrot, especially towards the back end. Also at the back, seven-seat

models had air-suspension, with all the horrors that brings.

Mainly, owners will tell you about rogue electronics. And leaky sunroofs. They still love their trucks, though, which says a lot.

Pros: Td5 power and reliability, great all-rounder, lots of choice

Cons: Chassis rust, electronics, leaky sunroofs, air suspension

The original iscovery was based on the Range Rover of the time,

with the same wheelbase and a slick body containing a spacious, fle ible cabin. It was well e uipped and refined, and it came with the wonderful Tdi engine. ver time, the isco’s epic ability meant almost all of them were hammered at playdays. Lower body rust is a big killer, too. So it’s rare to find a good one now,

and when you do they tend to be priced with a lot of optimism. ery early ones in tip-top condition are full-on classics, too. or a sound one to own, we’d look for a tidy Tdi.

Pros: Price, practicality, parts E -

Cons: T ’ been doused in sea water

Discovery 3 (2004-2009) £1850-£16,000

and capable off-road, genuinely lu urious and a giant of a tow truck, and as well as being able to seat seven adults it can be turned into a van with a totally flat rear load area.

The isco is an astonishing allround vehicle. It’s good on the road

handbrakes are big sources of woe, cam belts are a body-off ob to change and rust is becoming more of an issue. et a good one, though, and it’s all the car you’ll ever need.

Somewhere between a facelift and a whole new model, the isco

is basically an evolution of the . It looks similar and is still a practicality monster, as well as being hugely impressive on and off-road and a hero in front of a trailer, but despite being only subtly tweaked inside feels far more lu urious.

That hasn’t prevented it from suffering all the same issues as time has gone on. ou need to

body and dishes up an appealing all-round blend of comfort, kit and general driving manners.The third row of seats is only suitable for little uns, though, and off-road it’s a iscovery in name only.

It’s a more practical proposition than the closely related vo ue, and you won’t need to live with the fear of osh Spice okes. ou

start off by buying the best you can possibly afford and at the top of the market, they don’t come cheap. et it right, though, and this is as good as a modern Land Rover has ever been.

Pros: R ’ a Range Rover should be like Cons: Still a potential money pit, and the best are expensive

might shudder at the price if you’re buying new, though but on the used market, there are some tidy looking deals to be had, even on high-spec e amples.

Pros: More practical than an E S seats. Capable enough off-road Cons: Back seats only for small mammals. Price of top models

monster. As an all-rounder, at

ut it was also astonishingly comple , and these days it has a reputation as a money pit. Air suspension and electronic

launch it was the most capable Land Rover on sale the new efender will be going some to wrest that crown from it. All the engines in the range are refined and fle ible, and its chassis is remarkably supple for such a big vehicle. There’s no end of electronics working away in the background, but the effect is very

Pros: Good at everything. Lots of accessories available now

Cons: As fragile as you expect, and then some

convincing as is an interior that might make you wonder why you’d bother paying more for a Range Rover. ust be careful not to go wild with the options and end up paying more for a iscovery

Pros: Immense blend of comfort and practicality

Cons: Feels more like a softroader than a proper Discovery

Discovery Sport (2019-on) £21,000-£62,000

after the first. That’s because once again, it’s related to the vo ue, which was ready for a full new model in .

The Sport is a premium midsi ed S with seven seats and a decent level of off-road ability. It’s a massively popular choice for the school run and, with the arrival of a plug-in hybrid option last

year, as a company car. uality has taken a step up from the first model it’s now a convincing premium vehicle, and the range offers enough choices to suit anybody with the means to buy one.

Pros: Classy and practical cabin, all-round good to drive

Cons: You can get a Defender for the price of some models

The isco is powered by the Td engine, one of Land Rover’s most

The second-generation isco Sport came along only four years

Discovery 5 (2017-on) £24,500-£95,000

The iscovery Sport packs seven seats into a reelander-si ed

Discovery Sport (2015-19) £12,500-£33,000

Discovery 4 (2009-2017) £6000-£40,000

Series I 80” (1950). 26,900 miles. 2.0 engine. New seats, hood, tyres, brakes. Freshly serviced. Lovely patina, interesting history. Heritage cert. Sry-stored for years. Huge investment potential. £20,500.

Malvern. 07446 228704 04/23/001

Series IIA 109” Station Wagon (1971). 2286cc petrol. Good chassis and bodywork. Roof rack from a 130. Split-charge, USB charger, overdrive. New shocks in 2017. £9595. Northampton. 07770 925165 04/23/004

Series III Lightweight FFR (1984).

2.25 petrol (original engine). RHD. New fuel tank. Excellent soft top. Original chassis (some minor repairs, then Waxoyled). Enthusiast owned. £8995. Peterborough. 07452 950853 02/23/006

Products Vehicles News

Adventure Workshop

Series IIA 109” 2.25 diesel (1968). Galv chassis. Fairey overdrive. Very good engine, box, running gear. Factory paint. Same owner 19712002. Original registration docs. All matching numbers. £13,500. Devon. 07783 051634 02/23/005

Defender 110 2.4 TDCi (2007). Dry stored for 5 years. Fortune spent with LR specialist, hydraulic winch, bespoke 400l aluminium water tank, new interior, professional respray. MOT Oct. £16,750. Bordon. 07775 597127 04/23/003

Defender 110 300Tdi Wolf ST (1998). 109,000 miles. Remus upgrade. Original engine (rebuilt). Mechanically great. New exhaust, BFGs, RadHaz kit, pioneer kit. MOT May. £18,000. Weston-superMare. 07896 535749 04/23/006

Defender 90 Td5 (2002). 74,000 miles. Solid chassis, new exhaust. Great condition inside and out.

Towbar, steel wheels. Ali rear canopy. Very good tyres. 2 owners. FSH. MOT June. £14,500. North Yorks. 01642 824772 01/23/006

Defender 90 Td5 SW (2003).

87,000 miles. Alloys, nav, leather. Tuned. Full LEDs, upgraded grilles and vents, alcantara wheel. No rust, drives very well. FSH. MOT Sept. £22,500. Sevenoaks. 07834 550510 02/23/002

Defender 90 2.2 TDCi HT (2014). 64,000 miles. 2-seater. BFG A/Ts, Momo wheel, KBX grille and vents, Sony/Alpine Bluetooth stereo, hi-top cubby. Professionally waxed every year. £33,000. Saundersfoot. 07495 041333 02/23/001

Defender 90 300Tdi Wolf SoftTop (1998). First reg 2019. 2000 miles in last 3 years. Regularly serviced, recent cam belt. Great condition. Pioneer tools, rope, jerry can etc. MOT Sept. £15,950. Coventry. 07957 137688 04/23/002

Defender 90 300 Tdi Truck-Cab (1989). 125,000 miles. Extremely tidy, no welding needed. Bespoke roof rack for carrying very long, heavy ladders. Starts first time. MOT Sep. £9495. Ormskirk. 07484 186035 02/23/003

Defender 110 TD5 Hi-Cap (2002). 133,461 miles. Recent major restoration. Demountable camping pod with wood burning stove, sink, gas cooker, benches, table and bed. MOT June. £16,000. Brechin. 07802 331539 03/23/004

Range Rover Macnellie limousine (1990). Unique. Bespoke chassis. Comes with all bespoke parts, including Brooklands body kit, and a good donor car for the running gear, dash, air-con etc. £9950. Walton. 07958 258770 02/23/007

Discovery 300Tdi 3-door (1995). 100,000 miles. Sound engine, gearbox, axles. Chassis rust. 4 BFGs (cost £500+). Brink towbar, recent HD battery. Current owner 19 years. No MOT. £1600. Milnthorpe. 07984 173743 04/23/007

Discovery 2 Td5 Pursuit (2004). 148,000 miles. Manual. Off-roader with Insas on modular rims, Winchmax winch, snorkel, factory diff lock, diff guards, HD rear bumper, 2” lift. £3790. Bacup. 07565 137183 03/23/003

Discovery 300 Tdi ES Premium (1997). 157,000 miles. Manual. Spanish import. Solid. New clutch, cam elt, ra es, filters, head lining. Sunroofs resealed. MOT Jan 24. £2750. Richmond, N.Yorks. 07990 970129 03/23/001

Discovery 300 Tdi 50th Anniversary (1998). 180,025 miles. Manual. No sunroofs. Snorkel, uprated steering arms, new sills, 5 new BFGs. Solid. No warning lights. MOT Aug. £2750. Richmond, N.Yorks. 07990 970129 03/23/002

Freelander 2 HSE Auto (2007). 138,000 miles. Sat-nav, air-con, twin pan roof. Runs great, reliable, no faults. Smooth box, 4wd works. Regularly serviced by LR specialist. MOT Jan 24. £4000. Blackpool. 07508 378793 03/23/005

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 historic 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 www.amedia-shop.co.uk

RRL660

Utility inspection light that has Chip On Board (COB)

LED technology that emits up to 180 lumens. With a swivel hook and magnet, the RRL660 is perfect for hands-free use. Anti-slip grip and ABS material with rubber paint finish make it durable and ideal for use in a demanding workshop environment. Batteries included.

3W COB Flat Inspection Light 180 lumens

Anti slip grip and ABS material with rubber paint finish

Magnet and 360° rotating hook for hands free working www.ringautomotive.com

West

North East England LRS

Cynghordy Llandovery Carmarthenshire, SA20 0NB

Tel: 01550 750274

e-mail: info@cambrianway.com

www.cambrianway.com

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. Pressure washer, drying room, map room with local lanes marked, on-site 4x4 course, guides and GPS hire available.

A very popular venue for both individuals and groups of 4x4 enthusiasts

Carry That Extra Load...

DA2901

These roof racks are manufactured from aluminium with a smart black powder coated finish. Fully welded, they are extremely strong, versatile, with a low profile and are easy to use.

The floor plank profiles are orientated longitudinally which results in a reduction in wind noise. There are nut channels on all the extrusions to allow for easy fitment of 3rd party accessories.

DA2901

Defender 2020 - 110

4 feet per side / Weight - 22kg

2,100 long x 1,260mm wide

Vehicle gutter to top of rack - 110mm

More images and video at www.britpart.com/DA2901

DA3072

Defender 90

3 feet per side / Weight - 32kg

2,050mm long x 1,500mm wide

Vehicle gutter to top of rack - 265mm

DA3070

Defender 110

4 feet per side / Weight - 38kg

2,750mm long x 1,500mm wide

Vehicle gutter to top of rack - 265mm

DA3269

Defender 110 Double cab pickup

Defender 130 Double cab pickup

3 feet per side / Weight - 27kg

1,600mm long x 1,500m wide

Vehicle gutter to top of rack - 265mm

DA6529

Discovery 1 & Discovery 2 - without roof rails

3 feet per side / Weight - 26kg

2,050mm long x 1,500mm wide

Vehicle gutter to top of rack - 265mm

DA6629

Discovery 1 & Discovery 2 - with roof rails

3 feet per side / Weight - 27kg

2,050mm long x 1,500mm wide

Vehicle gutter to top of rack - 340mm

DA6537

Discovery 3 & Discovery 4

4 feet per side / Weight - 23kg

2,300mm long x 1,260mm wide

Roof to top of rack - 120mm

Note - May need roof rail kit (CAB500120PVJ or CAP500090) to be fitted to vehicle prior to roof rack installation.

DA6529

DA6629

DA6537

DA6629