The Landy May 2014

FREE EVERY MONTH FROM YOUR LAND ROVER SPECIALIST

‘I WILL BE TAKING AWAY SOME WONDERFUL MEMORIES’ The man they called ‘Mr Land Rover’ retires after more than half a century’s service at Solihull

LANDY

MAY 2014

THE

ISSUE 3

EVERY MONTH • 100% LAND ROVER • 100% FREE!

BUILT TO PERFECTION! Unveiled at the New York show, the Discovery Vision Concept suggests what next year’s Disco 5 is going to look like.

It’s the start of a new era, too.

The Disco will now become a family of models for Land Rover – in the same way the Range Rover has.

Full story: Page 10

A year and a half of weekends went in to Paul Bramley’s 100” Tornado special.

But it was worth every moment of hard graft.

It’s not just a work of art from the outside, either. Its cabin features a unique Discovery dash, which was shaped to fit by Paul’s dad.

It’s a real family affair, too. The whole project was Paul’s wife’s idea in the first place!

Full story: Page 16

The second round of the Defender Challenge took place earlier this month at the Somerset Stages Rally in Minehead.

And there was a hugely popular result, as a team of disabled ex-servicemen from Race2Recovery took on a field of six other Bowler-prepped 90s and came home in first place.

Full story: Page 35

FREELANDER 1

The head gasket alone could make grown men cry.

But overall, it wasn’t all really THAT bad, was it?

2

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

‘MR LAND ROVER’ HANGS UP HIS KEYS

Former design engineer and Land Rover Experience boss Roger Crathorne retires after more than half a century at Solihull Mike Trott Land Rover’s longest-serving employee, Roger Crathorne, has retired after more than half a century.

Having joined the company in 1963 as a technical apprentice, Roger worked first in engineering and later as head of what was to become the Driving Experience, before going on to put his by-now encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Solihull to good use as part of the Land Rover press office.

In a career that reads back like the script to a boys’ own adventure story, Roger’s association with Land Rover has seen him off-roading in assorted exotic locations around the globe and, back home at Solihull, rubbing shoulders with a series of engineering titans on projects that were to yield some of Land Rover’s most iconic vehicles. Most notably, as the former apprentice’s product skills developed he became a key member of the development team for the introduction of the first Range Rover.

Originally, Roger’s intention as a fledgling engineer had been to pursue a path into the aerospace industry.

Yet if ever a career was written in the

stars, surely it was his: back in 1947, he was born at the local hospital in Lode Lane, less than a mile from the factory

in which the first Land-Rover was soon to be built.

By the tender age of 16, Roger was

being offered apprenticeships left, right and centre – clearly employers could see the young Crathorne’s

talent. He even had an offer from British European Airways, which would certainly have ticked the right

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk boxes for his aerospace ambitions, but after sitting down with Land Rover in September 1963 he was finally persuaded to tie the knot and throw in his lot with his home-town motor manufacturer instead.

Fifteen years later, with the Range Rover now a smash hit, Roger moved to the role of managing the company’s vehicle demonstration team. By now, he had become renowned for his expertise behind the wheel, having spent many a day trialling in the sixties and seventies behind the wheel of an 80-inch Series I. By this stage, too, Roger had become a regular participant in the legendary overland expeditions with which Land Rover made its name. In addition, he drove the then-new Range Rover to victory in the first ever Hillrally.

Practice makes perfect, as they say – and now he was assigned with the task of showcasing what Land Rovers are all about.

Over the years since then, Roger has passed on his knowledge to many thousands of people, in every corner of the planet and all manner of environments. Land Rover Experience emerged as a result, itself marking its 25th anniversary this year.

Roger’s involvement in the training and demonstration side of Land Rover’s work meant he was already very well known to the media by 2002, when he moved over to work in the company’s press office. His technical background and knowledge of the company’s heritage made him a unique asset to Solihull’s communications effort – many’s a motoring journalist

who can look back fondly at evenings spent in his company, talking vehicles and recounting tales from Land Rover’s history at press events. There aren’t many car scribes who didn’t learn something about off-roading from him.

‘Roger has been instrumental in the development and promotion of Land Rover’s breadth of capabilities

1963

Can you imagine having worked for the same employer non-stop for more than half a century?

Inspiring the ‘Mr Land Rover’ of the future People like Roger Crathorne don’t come along very often. But if there’s a Mr Land Rover of the future waiting in the wings, maybe the company’s ‘Inspiring Tomorrow’s Workforce’ programme will be what finds him.

Targeting unemployment among 16-23 year olds, this initiative is designed to give young people the experience and skills they need to find proper jobs. The programme kicked off late last year, and by the end of this autumn 150 young people will have been through it.

The programme provides ‘traineeships’ designed to prepare pupils for the next step – a full apprenticeship in the motor industry.

‘Youth unemployment is at a record level yet there is a skills shortage in the UK,’ said Jaguar Land Rover Executive Director Mike Wright. ‘It makes sense therefore to engage and inspire those who may feel they have no prospects

for the future. I am confident we can make a tangible difference to the lives of all participants.’

The 13-week course, which is delivered by Birmingham Metropolitan College, provides a manufacturing engineering qualification complete with work experience. The first programme was held at Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle

Bromwich site, but the company aims to roll it out to all of its manufacturing sites and key supplier partners during 2014.

Will one of the kids it helps go on to spend half a century working for Land Rover? We’ll know that in fifty years. In the meantime, for details of how to take part go to www.bmetc. ac.uk/itw.

Issue 3: May 2014 for over half a century,’ said Dr Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Land Rover. ‘His enthusiasm, vehicle knowledge and deep understanding of the philosophy of the company, right back to the beginning, is unsurpassed. Roger has been an outstanding advocate for Land Rover, and his contribution has undoubtedly played a part in the global success we are enjoying today.

He will be missed and I wish him all the best for the future.’

In the last few years of his career, Roger became Heritage, Enthusiast and Technical PR Manager – reflecting the fact that after spending most of his life around the company and its vehicles, Land Rovers were now more than just a job for him. They had become very much a passion – something he’d confirm himself, no doubt, were you to stumble upon him behind the wheel of the early Series I he himself restored during his spare time.

‘I have worked on some great projects in product development, marketing and PR,’ said Roger. ‘I have visited some fascinating places with some great people and many have become good friends.’

In an era of non-stop job-hopping, Roger Crathorne’s loyalty to his lifelong employer is all the more remarkable. He leaves the company after 50 years as a worker, 50 years as an enthusiast and 50 years as the true ‘Mr Land Rover.’

‘I thank everyone for their great support, friendship and camaraderie,’ concluded Roger. ‘I will be taking away some wonderful memories. And in my new life, I will be taking the ignition key of my old Land Rover off the hook – and re-educating myself with choke pulls and double de-clutching!’ A very happy retirement to the one and only Mr Land Rover from all of us who have had the pleasure of knowing him during his illustrious career.

3

Solihilll contract boost for Lifting and Crane

Lifting and Crane Services has commenced delivering recovery kits to Land Rover, after being awarded a major contract to supply Solihull starting from 1 April this year. The Gloucestershire firm will supply the kits on an initial 12-month contract to Land Rover Experience sites on a worldwide basis.

The kits include a pair of gloves, a set of three 12-ton capacity ropes, shackles, cables and spare tubes – all of which are Land Rover approved parts. Lifting and Crane boss Allan Satchell said: ‘I am very happy to have won the contract. It now means that rather than Land Rover having a dozen suppliers, everything will be supplied through us.

‘Land Rovers have been a personal hobby for many years. I had my first one back in 1973, so I am pleased to be working so closely with them in the coming months.

‘We do a lot of testing for Land Rover already. They may come up with an idea for a rope, for instance, and we have the facilities and equipment here to put it through its paces.

‘Really this is a handy spin-off for us, because people will go on these Land Rover Experience days and come away wondering where they can get the best ropes, the best winches and cables and so on. If they spend £50-60k on a vehicle, they’re going to want the best kit available!’

Another development from Lifting and Crane is the introduction of a new 25mm wide webbing strap, which the company is currently finishing off. The aim is to be able to release this by the end of May – more news on this when it happens.

4

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

REDEMPTION FOR BOB MARLEY’S SERIES III

Reggae legend’s family lead the way as restoration on his 109” Landy nears completion

A very special Series III Land Rover is getting ready to dazzle onlookers as a two-year programme of restoration work draws to a close. This particular 109 from 1977 is noteworthy not because of its engineering credentials – but because of the man who once sat behind its wheel.

Reggae legend Bob Marley was one of the most iconic musicians of all time. And unbeknown to most people, it turns out he had a thing for Land

Rovers. This 109 was his very own pride and joy.

Marley died in 1981 and, after three decades of decay and immobility, the Land Rover was saved from further neglect by a collaboration of the superstar’s family, Land Rover itself and the company’s international distributors, ITC and ATL Automotive. Together, they have been restoring a vehicle whose patina already exudes a special aura.

‘We are very happy with the work that has transpired so far in restoring our dad’s car to its original condition,’ said Marley’s son Rohan. ‘It has been a very technical process to locate all the parts from various countries, including an original 1977 engine from Ethiopia.’

The task of revitalising the icon to its former glory fell to Stephen James, ATL Automotive’s master technician.

Stephen and his team started by transporting the Land Rover from the Bob Marley Museum grounds on Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica to his company’s St James facility.

‘So far, all the bodywork has been done and it is painted,’ reported

Stephen. ‘We had to change out parts.

The axle has been repaired and we’re rebuilding the chassis. We’re putting it back together.

‘It’s long, hard work... tedious at times. But you get satisfaction seeing the vehicle restored to its former condition. It’s something good to have your name against.’

Along with returning the mechanical parts to full working condition, body panels have been rejuvenated or replaced and the vehicle’s electrical systems have been completely rewired.

The interior, meanwhile, is to receive some extra love and attention – primarily because Marley’s first-born

daughter, Cedella, is responsible for the reupholstering. The acclaimed fashion designer was behind the Jamaican Olympic team uniform, as worn by medallists Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake at the London Olympics back in 2012, and she is now turning her skills to the three-seat bench inside her father’s truck as the final pieces of the restoration come together.

Son of Bob Marley and an international reggae talent himself, Julian Marley, said: ‘I have always loved my father’s Land Rover. I remember driving in it from where my family lived to nearby Hope Road, and from Kingston to Nine Miles, St Ann (in North Eastern Jamaica) where my father was born. I love what the team is doing and would love to take the refurbished Land Rover for a test drive when it returns home.’

Once the restoration is complete, the Land Rover will be returned to the Bob Marley museum at his former home in Hope Road, Kingston.

Though it was only four years old at the time of the singer’s death, it will remain there among the many monuments there to his memory – and to the efforts of his family, and the Jamaican community as a whole, to return it to the way it was when he drove it.

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Comment

I’m not sure when the first time was that I met Roger Crathorne, who’s retired after more than 50 years at Land Rover, but I remember the last.

It was at a press launch a couple of years back, and they put me next to him for dinner.

As usual at these things, a couple of executives stood up and made speeches. It’s usually dry old stuff about business and so on, but on this occasion one of them broke off in the middle of his presentation to tell us all that in our midst was the company’s longest-serving employee.

A lot of people would love having the spotlight thrust on them like that. But I remember noticing that Roger seemed uneasy as a roomful of eyes swivelled to look at him.

He was the subject of some pretty sycophantic writing in his time, too, and I doubt he was very comfortable with it. He was always a quietly spoken ambassador for Land Rover.

There’s a kind of person who’s forever telling stories about the great things they’ve done: Roger’s anecdotes could put most of them in the shade, but whenever we got to chatting about the old days he’d talk about the people he worked with, not himself.

Thing is, Roger was in the thick of it as history was being made. Working as an engineer on the original Range Rover, then leading some of the most legendary expeditions ever mounted, he had a Boy’s Own career. But he left the limelight to his colleagues – and, of course, the vehicles.

Like Land Rover itself, Roger had to change with the times. He leaves the company as the Discovery 5 is unveiled as a concept, and Solihull moves yet further from the rugged engineering he cut his teeth on.

Like any engineer, he embraced the march of technology. And like any Land Rover man, even in retirement he’ll still drive one. What is it? A Series I. Like Solihull itself, he knows his roots. A long and happy retirement to a true gentleman.

Alan Kidd, Editor

Issue 3: May 2014

5

6

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Return of the LR Bursary

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

Mud Monsters to host fundraiser for children’s hospice

Solihull and Prince’s Fund set to team up again The Prince’s Countryside Fund and Land Rover Bursary, which first joined forces last year, are coming together again to support British countryside projects in 2014.

Initially announced last year by HRH the Prince of Wales, the threeyear collaboration with the Prince’s Countryside Fund offers the services of a Freelander 2 for a year to five individuals or groups who put forward a case to show how best the vehicle would support their rural community.

Last year, the five successful entrants included James Rebanks, a Herdwick sheep farmer from Penrith, Cumbria; Sian Curley, who runs a firewood social enterprise in Ullapool, Ross-shire; and Edward Richardson, who helps isolated farmers in Cornwall.

Making cases for their projects which displayed a real community spirit and a genuine need for the vehicles on offer, these three were considered to be among the best candidates for putting the bursary to worthwhile use. ‘The bursary has been a real help to my community,’ said Sian Curley, ‘and the Freelander 2 has proved an excellent workhorse.’

The Land Rover Bursary was started as a way of acknowledging

rural Britain’s rising stars and appreciating their contribution to rejuvenating the countryside communities in which they work.

This year, the Bursary’s managers hope in particular to receive applications from schemes which will see the Freelanders put to work in remote communities hit hardest by the winter’s flooding.

Victoria Elms from The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: ‘It is fantastic to be able to announce the opening of our 2014 Land Rover Bursary.

We have seen the difference that the vehicle has brought to our 2013 winners and their communities and it has been brilliant. The Prince’s Countryside Fund is all about supporting the people who live and work in the countryside. We had some excellent entries for the 2013

Bursary and hope to see even more for 2014.’

Land Rover UK Marketing boss Laura Schwab said: ‘We are delighted to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the bursary and look forward to making a dramatic difference to more worthy projects. The Freelander 2 has always provided reliable and dependable transportation for those in the countryside and rural communities, and we are excited at the prospect of being able to offer the vehicle to more projects in 2014.’

There’s still time to apply for this year’s Land Rover Bursary, but the clock’s ticking. The cut-off date is 9 May – to register your interest, go to www. princescountrysidefund.org.uk/landrover-bursary-2014

Mud Monsters is best known to a lot of people for its hardcore winching comps, but the Sussex-based club also runs regular playdays – as well as an annual charity fundraiser for Chestnut Tree House, the only children’s hospice in the county.

Last year’s event raised more than £2500 for the charity. And on 20 July this year, they’ll be doing it again in a bid to beat that.

The event will be held at Mud Monsters’ own 150-acre site near East Grinstead, whose gates will be thrown open to every kind of off-road vehicle (except quads and motorbikes).

Whether you drive a competition truck that’s been modified to the extreme, a classic Land Rover or even a brand new, shiny Range Rover, it’s going to be spot-on.

Different courses and challenges will be laid out for everyone to try, including a family punch hunt – where you’ll be able to get a taste of off-road driving without worrying about scratching your paintwork.

There’ll even be some winch sections, should you be up to the challenge.

Chestnut Tree House provides care for terminally ill children in

the Sussex area, where there can be as many as 1000 families affected at any one time. The hospice offers care to children and support for their families, and it costs £3 million a year to run – of which less than 8p in the pound comes from the Government.

So in any list of good causes, this one’s right at the top.

Entrance fees for the playday will be £35 per vehicle, and the guys at Mud Monsters will be pulling out all the stops to raise as much as possible on top of that. There’ll be a raffle and auction, both of which can be guaranteed to throw up some cracking gear, as well as face painting, a bouncy castle, hot food and drinks (including burgers and sausages from the local farm) and an ice-cream van.

If you fancy making a weekend out of it, there’ll be camping and ‘silly games’ on the Saturday evening with pitches at £5 each.

Whatever you drive and whatever you do with it, this weekend is the perfect excuse (as if you needed one) to get its wheels muddy. If you only go off-roading once in 2014, you couldn’t do better. For more information visit www.mud-monsters.co.uk.

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Issue 3: May 2014

42-up for Charity Run The Charity Land Rover Run is about to return for its fifth year. And the cross-Channel day out for Landies of all shapes and sizes is all set to raise more money than ever before.

Scheduled for the weekend of 10-11 May, the 2014 Charity Land Rover Run will leave from the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne in Kent early on the Saturday morning.

The convoy will make its way to Dover before hopping on a ferry to France and continuing down to its destination, the classic beach resort of Le Touquet.

Having run the event for the last four years, organiser Peter Wales is hoping this year it can break all records for the amount of money raised. ‘Over the past four years we have raised over £20,000 for our chosen charities,’ he said, ‘This year we hope to break through the £25,000 barrier with our chosen charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Holiday Fund.’

The event is a particularly attractive spectacle for the classic enthusiast, with the charity run open to all Land

Rovers built between 1948 and 1975.

All 42 slots have now been filled for the ferry crossing and preparations are being finalised for the weekend.

The route the procession will take has now been confirmed, too, as entrants proudly parade along in their decorated Land Rovers. The band of 42 Landies will travel along the coastal road from Calais to Boulogne, taking in the scenery as they go before taking a leisurely turn south towards Le Touquet. On the return leg, the clan will be driving through the rural landscapes of Northern France as they take in a gaggle of picturesque French villages.

Before heading home though, the Sunday morning will host the event’s annual Charity Auction. There will be Land Rover awards being dished out, too, to recognise the likes of Best Land Rover and Most Decorated Land Rover.

Peter would like to extend his thanks to the event’s many sponsors and entrants, who between them raise the money it donates to charity.

These include P&O, Britcar, Madcow Printing, ArtoMotor, Identity E2E, Dunsfold Land Rover, Robert Sargeant

and Mike Clarke Consulting – all of whom should be doubly proud to be part of it when the convoy of Land

7

Rovers, all looking their best, roll off the line atop the White Cliffs come May.

8

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

MAC 4X4 BURSTS THE £1,000,000 BARRIER Twelfth running of the long-distance charity challenge sees 85 teams cover 850 miles in four days – reaching a massive fundraising milestone in the process Words Mike Trott Pictures Matt Morgan The Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge event has now raised a total of more than £1 million since its inception 12 years ago. Set up to raise funds for the fight against cancer by giving 4x4 drivers a novel way of having fun in their vehicles, the event has been a spectacular success – and this year a bigger field of competitors than ever before helped push the fundraising to new levels.

Founded in 2002, the Mac has grown steadily ever since and is now among the biggest charity events of the year. Only eight teams competed in that first event – whereas in 2014, a scarcely believable 85 vehicles lined up for the start.

This year’s event, which took place on 6-9 March, has at the time of writing raised £131,000. That pushes the grand total of all money raised over the years to £1,096,000 – a truly remarkable accomplishment.

Founder and organiser, Selwyn Kendrick said: ‘The real winner is Macmillan Cancer Support. I am amazed to have reached the £1 million mark. The original idea was to try to raise £20,000 at some point, and we collected that in the first year.

It was £60,000 in the second year and it’s been around £100,000 annually ever since.’

Essentially, the event is an endurance treasure hunt or navigational challenge, with on and off-road sections held both by day and night. The course is designed so that vehicles like the Freelander and Evoque should be able to complete the event – the competitive element is all about brains, not brawn.

There’s obviously a skill to it, though, because Simon Vogel and his co-driver Mike Walker, competing aboard Simon’s Discovery Td5, have won the Mac in eight out of the last eleven years.

‘It’s a great event,’ Simon told us, ‘and the fact that we can have fun while doing some real good for a charity is why we keep coming back.

The Mac 4x4 team does a great job of setting this up every year and I have the greatest respect for Peter Rowland, Selwyn Kendrick and their team for everything that they do.’

This year’s hunt traced an 850-mile course from Shropshire to Warrington via Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome in Leicestershire and the Welsh forests of Ceri and Radnor, as competitors searched for code boards while negotiating the terrain. This is done both by day and night, and with code boards being well hidden and fiendishly hard to spot, it’s no picnic.

The event is well known for its contagious spirit and camaraderie nonetheless, but raising money for

the fight against cancer is a serious business and no-one ever forgets why they are there. Each team has a minimum sponsorship target of £600, all of which goes to Macmillan.

‘It’s about more than the offroading,’ confirmed Simon. ‘Primarily it’s about raising money for the cause, and to go through the £1m barrier this year was a great feeling, especially after taking part for 11 years. Secondly, it’s about having a fun weekend away with a bunch of strangers who have become good friends. If someone breaks down, you stop to help, even if it’s just to make a cup of tea and cheer them up.

‘Some teams take the event far too seriously. But they still don’t always do well. Mike and I treat it as a boys’ weekend away. We’re best mates, are relaxed in the car together, whoever is driving, and trust each other. We’ve

never used GPS and we’ve done pretty well with our 8 wins in 11 starts. But the main thing is we are doing some real good while having fun.’

For Simon, too, this year’s Mac had a special meaning. ‘It was a bit more personal for me this year. The The first Mac 4x4 was meant to take place in 2000, but was postponed for six months due to a blockade by fuel tanker drivers that brought Britain to a near-standstill.

Rearranged for March 2001, it then had to be postponed again – this time because of Foot and Mouth. Not to be put off, the organisers finally got it running in March 2012, when a group of eight competitors raised about £1000 apiece.

husband of a good friend is terminally ill with cancer, and his wife, along with another female friend, desperately wanted to do the Mac to give something back.

‘So I agreed in a moment of madness to buy her a truck! Back in December, I got hold of an old 200Tdi Disco and spent the next two months prepping it for the weekend.

Thankfully it went the whole way without so much of a hiccup – and the girls finished in the top 20 to boot!’

That says a great deal about the spirit of the Mac 4x4, and the dedication that goes into it from those who, even though it’s not a mega event in terms of competition, understand its true value. Make no mistake, this is about real off-roaders having real fun, for a very real cause. Here’s to the next million.

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

NEXT MONTH MAGNIFICENT! A IIB that lives on as a real truck, not a museum piece – and it’s all the better for it!

People have been converting P38A Range Rovers to coil springs for 10 years now, but there’s still plenty of them out there that would be an awful lot more attractive were it not for the dreaded air bags. How easy is the conversion – and where are the pitfalls?

Owning a string of exotic sports cars is all very well, but sometimes all you really want is a 90 to call your own…

DON’T FORGET – THE LANDY IS FREE EVERY MONTH! Pick up your copy of our June 2014 issue from 16 May – available

from Britpart dealers and free to read online at www.thelandy.co.uk 01283 553243 • enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk • www.thelandy.co.uk • www.facebook.com/thelandyuk Editor Alan Kidd Assistant Editor Mike Trott Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Dan Fenn, Robbie Ronson, Olly Sack, Malcolm Styles, Paul Looe, Vince Pratt, Martin Douglas Photographers Steve Taylor, Harry Hamm, Vic Peel

Advertising Sales Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Production Tel: 01283 553242 Publisher Sarah Kidd Email: sarah.kidd@ assignment-media.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure that the contents of The Landy are accurate, however Assignment Media Ltd accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor

the consequences of actions made as a result of these

nearest Britpart dealer can be found at www.britpart.com

When responding to any advert in The Landy, 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 losses incurred as a result of responding to adverts

Where a photo credit includes the note CC-BY-SA, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence.

Details are available at www. creativecommons.org

The Landy is distributed

by Britpart. Details of your

© 2014 Assignment Media Ltd

The Landy is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby DE15 0YZ

Issue 3: May 2014

9

10

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

NEXT DISCOVERY: ‘THE ULTIMATE LEISURE SUV’ Discovery Vision Concept shows the way ahead as Land Rover transforms one model into a high-tech family of premium 4x4s

Land RoveR has pointed the way ahead for the next Discovery, with the Discovery Vision Concept – a design study that hints at a yet more premium and significantly sportier approach for what will expand into a whole family of vehicles.

The Disco Concept was launched in New York a couple of days ahead of the Auto Show there. It was unveiled alongside SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Galactic’s ‘world’s first commercial spacecraft’ – which was very appropriate, because the vehicle has space-age technology running all the way through it.

The Discovery 5, as a production version of the vehicle will be called, is due late next year. When it arrives, it will herald the start of a new family of vehicles – in which the Freelander’s

replacement will sit below it and be known as Discovery Sport.

The ‘sport’ theme is evident from the moment you look at the Disco Concept, whose low roofline and pronounced arches are reminiscent of a stretched Evoque. But Land Rover insists it will still be highly practical – the company talks of ‘relevant versatility’ in a vehicle whose fold-flat seats can be configured to carry seven, six, five or even four passengers.

The ‘relevant versatility’ continues with a powered, single-piece tailgate which, in conjunction with a deployable rear sill step and folding bench seat in the loading area, creates ‘a flexible event platform with social seating for active lifestyles.’ On its own, the step can also be fitted with a rack for carrying bikes or skis.

A neat touch inside, whose realism you can’t help but applaud, is the use of premium leathers which are both washable and repellent to water and oil. The interior is finished with a wood veneered floor and Harris tweed lining, which might not be quite how the production model will pan out but does indicate the level at which the Disco will be pitched.

Continuing inside, the driver aids Land Rover is pioneering with this vehicle need to be seen to be believed.

‘The Discovery Vision Concept offers a window into the advanced research projects which are underway at Jaguar Land Rover,’ says the company. You might not see all of them on the next generation of production vehicles, but the message is loud and clear – Land Rovers of the future will be like this.

THE INVISIBLE BONNET: NOT AN APRIL FOOL We had to check when the news came though, but this wasn’t an April Fool. Land Rover’s latest technologies showcased on the Disco Concept include a virtual transparent bonnet to let you see the terrain under your front wheels.

A set of cameras in the grille send data to a headup display, which projects images of the ground as you drive across it.

The technology has been named ‘Transparent Bonnet’ by the team who created it. In Solihull’s own words, it ‘shows how advanced technology will take Land Rover’s unrivalled capability to the next level.’

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

uPright: The Discovery’s roofline looks much lower than before, but it still has a tall stance when viewed from the back. From the front, it’s face borrows from the latest range rover family. Any resemblance to Beaker from Sesame Street is entirely coincidental…

Rear-seat passengers will be able to make video calls using screens built into the backs of the seats ahead of them. The driver will be able to indicate simply by sweeping his or her hand over a sensor switch. And at very low speeds, it will be possible to manoeuvre the vehicle without actually being sat in it at all, thanks to Remote Control Drive.

This latter function has obvious advantages off-road, and this is another area in which the Discovery promises to lead the way. A real issue when driving big, modern SUVs is that their high waistlines tend to cut down on your ability to see the world around you, and Land Rover has recognised this with the introduction of Laser Referencing. This uses visible lasers to project markings, symbols and imagery on to the ground to help lead you through really tight gaps in the terrain.

In addition, the latest version of Terrain Response makes its debut on the car. This includes the ridiculous sounding Transparent Bonnet – which relays live pictures from a bank of cameras mounted on the front grille to a head-up display on the dashboard, giving you a virtual picture of what’s going on beneath the wheels. Once again, the bulky bodywork that’s commonplace on premium SUVs now is prevented from obscuring your field of vision.

Issue 3: May 2014

11

12

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

aLL kinds of smaRt: Concept’s interior features wood veneers and tweed linings for a craftsman-finished feel, as well as unique washable leather surfaces which are water and oil-repellent. technology leaps further ahead than ever, with ‘Gesture Control’ allowing you to operate the lights and indicators, and even open the doors, with a wave of your hand. the vehicle can also be driven by remote control at very low speeds – over extreme off-road terrain, where you need a spotter, for example, or when hitching up a trailer

More fun with lasers includes Laser Terrain Scanning, which charts the ground ahead and guides you via a moving map on the dash, and Wade Aid, which can measure the depth of a water crossing before the vehicle enters it and alert the driver if he’s about to bite off more than he can chew.

All-Terrain Progress Control, meanwhile, enables semi-autonomous off-road driving at a steady speed – a sort of all-terrain cruise control. And if even that is not enough, the remote

control function is valuable when crawling rocks – and indeed when hitching up a trailer.

‘No terrain left unconquered’ is Land Rover’s verdict on all this, and the company says the Discovery Concept ‘not only honours Land Rover’s ethos of all-terrain capability, but takes it to a whole new dimension.’

‘The Discovery Vision Concept demonstrates where Jaguar Land Rover’s pioneering technology and great, modern design could take

News

‘As a true pioneer, Land Rover is committed to constantly pushing the boundaries to redefine what SUV capability and versatility is all about’

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

the SUV in the future,’ said Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology. ‘It showcases the innovative approach that continues our leadership of the off-road segment.

Smarter, more connected, more desirable and more capable – the Land Rovers of tomorrow will be fully and perfectly integrated into everyday life.’

Land Rover describes the Disco Concept as ‘a glance into the future’

Workshop

Clubs

rather than a pointer towards a production model. But with work on replacing both the current Discovery 4 and Freelander 2 well into the advanced stages of development, it would be illogical for the company to show a concept that wasn’t close to its showroom cousins. Twenty-five years on from the first Discovery, the notion of a 100” Defender with a comfier interior seems further away than ever.

Wolfgang Epple

blAst-off: Discovery Vision Concept was unveiled alongside spaceshiptwo, the world’s first commercial spacecraft. Land Rover has unveiled a new partnership with Virgin Galactic which will see the two companies inspire young people from around the world to go into engineering

14

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

You hear plenty about castor correction for coil-sprung vehicles, but what about older Landies? After all, there’s no shortage of options for lifting a truck on its leaf springs either, and the laws of physics say that when you do so, you’re going to mess about with the razor-sharp dynamic abilities for which Series trucks were so renowned.

If you’re of the opinion that ARB stands for hardcore off-road kit and not much else, you’re probably not alone. But the name behind the legendary Air-Locker is also very big in the world of overland camping kit, and its latest product falls squarely into that category.

Ideal for summer fun, this is a kids’ Swag Bag – basically a miniature version of ARB’s SkyDome Swags for adults. Measuring 750mm wide by

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

Silverline has announced that it is to start importing the Atturo lineup of 4x4 tyres from America. Made to the latest EU standards and therefore fully legal on our roads, these include the Trail Blade A/T and M/T in a range of sizes tailored to the Land Rover market.

These tyres have treads which at first sight appear reasonably typical of the A/T and M/T markets, with perhaps a touch of bias towards the more aggressive side of average. Their construction is 8-10 ply (6-10 ply for the A/T), depending on size, and both feature tread mouldings that continue down on to their sidewalls.

At the time of writing, not a great deal of information was available from the UK side of the tie-up. However Atturo’s operation back home sounds like it’s run by our sort of people. Features of the A/T include ‘arched and segmented stone throwers moulded between shoulder treads to help eject whatever you just crushed,’ while the M/T’s rim guard ‘provides extra protection for rims from curbs, rocks, tree branches and smaller vehicles.’

The M/T, says Atturo, ‘will scare small children.’ With the sort of grip we expect both tyres to deliver, they should stop well short of scaring the adult behind the wheel as well.

Prices sound reassuringly non-scary, too, starting from £118.80.

Things are moving fast and the tyres should be coming on stream by the time you read this. www.atturo.co.uk; www.silverlinewheels-tyres.com Powerflex now offers a range of bushes to fit the front suspension arms and anti-roll bars on the Disco 3 and 4 and Mk1 Range Rover Sport.

The oil filled rubber front lower arm bush is quite a common problem on well-used examples of these vehicles, with vague steering and accelerated tyre wear the consequence.

Powerflex’s replacement unit is made from a special polyurethane blend and was designed with voiding and inserts to let you optimise its set-up to suit your personal preference.

On the anti-roll bar, when the bushes here start to soften you can get a light knocking from the front end of the vehicle. The new Powerflex range includes fitments for models with and without Dynamic Response suspension.

All the anti-roll bar bushes cost £19.14 including VAT, while prices for the suspension arm units range from £38.34 to £59.94. www.powerflex.co.uk

Britpart has the answer, in the shape of these castor-correction wedges. In they go, between spring and axle, to return your steering to normal by three degrees. They’re available in 13mm small-pin or 16mm large-pin form, and you’ll get them for less than a tenner a pair ex-VAT.

1800mm long, they’ll comfortably sleep children of up to around 12, and to prevent gender-related angst you can get them in either Fourby Blue or Ariel Purple. Definitely a hit in the making at shows.

The bags are easy to pitch and can be used free-standing or, if the wind’s up, secured with pegs and guy ropes.

They’re priced at £185 (RRP) and you can find out where to get them by visiting www.arbil.co.uk/4x4.

Dead easy, this one. Out comes your old 12V socket, and in goes this dual USB charger in its place. New to the Britpart range, it has a fold-down dust cap and runs two USB 2.0 sockets to keep you wired right up. Shop around and you’ll find them for not much more than twenty quid.

People have stepped out of Defenders while thinking many things, but you can be sure that ‘my, what nice door handles I’ve got’ rarely figures among them.

It might start, though, thanks to Croytec.

These all-new Door Opening Handle Back Plates are created from billet aluminium to provide a more luxurious feel to your Defender’s interior, and they use the same fitment as the original plastic jobs to ensure there’s no fiddling about when changing them over.

Available in a range of anodised colours and finishes, the contours of these aluminium works of craftsmanship won’t make your doors less prone to getting damaged when you slide into a tree. But they’ll make you that bit more likely to try and stay away from it. Price is £89.00 plus VAT for a pair. www.croytec.co.uk

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

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

D

V

E

R

T

I

S

I

N

G

F

E

A

T

U

R

E

Wilderness: Lighting the way ahead!

A true alternative to Rigid and Vision X – that’s Wilderness Lighting, an exciting new name on the UK market.

And the new range of Wilderness products brings something totally new, with great features you’ve never seen before!

• UK’s only IP69K LED lights • Only 4x10W Class A Cree LED compact at £75 • Only LED with 3-year UK warranty Toughness is important in lights that are going to be used off-road, and the IP69K rating says it doesn’t come any tougher than Wilderness. The highest protection level available on the international scale, this means the company’s lights are 100% dust-tight and watertight – even against high-pressure, high-temperature close-range sprays.

The lights have an average lifespan of 50,000+ hours and come with a lens that’s both scratchproof and unbreakable. Again, just what you want on an off-road vehicle.

They’re easy to fit, too, with simple ‘plug and play’ connectors featuring surge protection and waterproof switches. They draw a fraction of the power needed by standard lights, while delivering a massive output of pure white light.

The Wilderness range of shapes and sizes is massive too, making them suitable for every kind of application. And as well as the standard black finish, you can also get them in an attractive marine white – making your lighting more distinctive than ever!

As a newcomer to the UK market, Wilderness is currently in the process of bringing fitting kits into stock to suit a wide variety of 4x4s. The company is going places fast – and it’s currently looking for demonstration vehicles to tie up with, too!

Wilderness is currently building its presence in the UK – and that means great prices to go with a great product! There’s no such thing as a cheap LED – but if you want fantastic value, Wilderness Lighting is the place to go.

Want to know more? Pay a visit to www.wildernesslighting.co.uk – and prepare to be dazzled!

15

16

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

News

Issue 3: May 2014

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

A CHIP

‘IT WORKED OUT A LOT BETTER THAN I EVER DREAMT IT WOULD’

OFF THE OLD BLOCK Paul Bramley has been spannering since before he went to school. No surprise, then, that when he turned his mind to building a 100” special, the results looked like something out of a factory.

And when he tells you about the build buddy who helped make it happen, it’s even less of a surprise that it’s the man who put that spanner in his four-year-old hand in the first place

P

aul Bramley reckons he was just four years old when he started spannering. So that’ll be his dad he’s got to thank for that one, then.

He’s got a lot to thank him for, too.

The passing years have turned Paul into a chip off the old block. These days he plies his trade with Derbyshire LandRover Spares in Wirksworth, and the last decade has seen him both drive and navigate in highly competitive safari trucks – one of which he built himself.

Keith Bramley is still a dab hand in the workshop, too. So much so that the 100” special his son has just finished was a real family affair.

Actually, it’s so much of a family affair that it was Paul’s wife’s idea.

22

Approx full-time weeks that went into this Landy

Words Paul Looe Pictures Harry Hamm ‘I had sold my racer, and I felt like something was missing. So she said why don’t I buy one, or build one.’

Some of you may have fallen off your seats when you read that…

What followed was a year and a half of weekends, with both Paul and Keith getting stuck in whenever they could.

This time, the idea wasn’t to build a comp car, but a road-going lane truck in the style of an early Bowler special.

It’s a second car, but Paul wanted it to be able to tow a caravan and get him to work when winter starts chucking

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

The doors are made from a box frame with a steel flange over it, skinned in aluminium sheet which was cut and folded to fit. In between (bottom), a box was welded in to carry a Series III lock and an aperture was made for the door handles by cutting out the shape then turning it down over an MDF former snow about, so the idea was to create something civilised.

That’ll be why there’s a Discovery dash behind the bulkhead. A fact that makes this vehicle unique, actually – because it’s based on a Tornado Evo 1 cage and, as far as Paul’s aware, nobody else has tried this with one.

The cage went on to the chassis from a 100” Discovery which Paul pulled apart for bits. Bits like a 300Tdi engine, though this turned into a project in its own right when he went to change the head gasket and found that the head itself was water-damaged beyond salvation. Add a new head, injectors and pump, alternator, water pump, lift pump, cambelt kit… ‘the block and pistons are the only original bits left!’

As least the gearbox and transfer case were okay, meaning all Paul and Keith had to do was mount them up.

This they did 4” back and 1” down, though, to get the transfer lever in the right place and let the bonnet shut, so the props were cut and shut to suit.

Issue 3: May 2014

17

18

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

News

Issue 3: May 2014

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

Below: The idea was just to pull the 300Tdi out of an old Disco. But when Paul went to change the head gasket, it turned out to need a full rebuild, which is why it looks so new now Right: Flat bulkhead meets Discovery dash. A whole lot of patience went in to making this happen

These turn standard diffs and Puma halfshafts, all of which went into replacement axle cases as the originals were tatty. The one up front was

length jobs so there’s not going to be any crazy articulation on display here.

The rear towers look pretty nice all the same, though – these sit in tubular top

6” plastic groundworks pipe. You have to get the fold in the right place and at the right angle to match up with the cage, and then it’s all trimming it to fit.

Below: Paul came home from a weekend navigating at a safari to find that his dad had been busy in the workshop. Using a sheet of ply, a length of 6” groundworks pipe and a pair of tin snips, he had shaped the roof to suit the bends in the cage

‘I had sold my old Land Rover. It felt like something was missing’ welded to correct its castor angle for the height of the suspension, while the latter got new mounts on top of it to position the shocks vertically.

You’ll infer from this that the truck’s riding on some sort of lift, but in fact the springs holding it up are just standard Discovery fronts. Of course, its lighter weight means these will hold it higher, but the shocks are standard

mounts which Paul made by cutting up a front set from one of the off-theshelf brands.

Making your own stuff is quite a normal part of rebuilding a Landy, but between them Paul and Keith are masters of the art. Let’s ask Keith about the roof, for example: ‘I put it on a big sheet of plywood to give it a flat base, then I shaped it around a length of

There was a lot of work with tin shears went into it – but it worked out a lot better than I ever dreamt it would!’

Also made in the Bramley workshop was a beautifully crafted fuel filler designed to look as original as possible. It succeeds: many people would take the shine off a vehicle like this by impatiently lashing up some ugly mess with bits of old scrap, but Paul and Keith

made an elegant cut-out, boxed in the top of the neck and finished it off in chequer plate. It looks like it’s meant to be there, basically.

Same with the doors. These were made by starting with a box frame with a steel flange over it, then skinning it in ally sheet which was cut and folded to fit. In between times, a box was welded in to carry a Series III lock, and an aperture was made for the door handles by cutting out the basic shape then turning it down over an MDF former.

By this stage, Paul and Keith had also formed a bulkhead to go into the Tornado cage, including the pedal box and tranny tunnel. After all that, fitting the Disco dashboard must have been easy?

At this, Paul starts smirking and a spluttering noise comes from Keith.

‘How about I give you one to fit, then you tell me how easy you think it is!’

So it wasn’t, then?

‘It’s not hard, it’s just a matter of getting it right. The Discovery dash is curved and the bulkhead in the Evo cage is flat, so the front had to be chopped off. We also had to position it so the steering column and cowl, and the pedal box, all line up. There was a LOT of measuring!’

Does that mean it was a case of doing it all on paper then just offering it up once and it was a perfect fit?

‘There’s a lot of offering it up and saying “this bit’s got to go,” I can assure you. Obviously you don’t want to cut too much off, so you need to do it bit by bit, try it and see what’s getting in the way this time. But yes, I tried to get it as close as I could by measuring in the first place.’

It was all worth it, though, to end up with a Landy that’s as well presented inside as out. The Disco dash lends a car-like feel to a cabin that’s not what you’d call spacious but certainly isn’t spartan either. Even the cup-holders still work.

So after those 18 months of weekends, Paul and Keith have at last completed the ultimate in father-andson workshop adventures. And Paul has once again got a Land Rover in his life, so no longer need he feel that something’s missing.

A year and a half after his wife made that fateful suggestion, he’s got a lot to thank her for. ‘I thought about buying a 90,’ he concludes. ‘But instead we decided to build this. For what it’s cost us, the only 90 I’d have been able to buy would have been a rubbish one.

It’s been worth all the hard work.’

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Issue 3: May 2014

19

20

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

Salt of the earth

Words Mike Trott Pictures Steve Taylor

This 88” Series III has lived its life amid the sea spray of the Western Isles. But you’d never know that to look at it – because it’s fresh out of a ground-up restoration

W

e didn’t mean to have three vehicles from Churchill 4x4 in the first three issues of The Landy. It just panned out that way. All we did was call them up to ask about the intriguingly historied Series II V8 auto that ended up appearing in our first issue, and next thing you know we were gazing

lovingly at the 1970 Range Rover we featured last month.

By the time we’d finished drooling over those two this Series III was blocking our exit. What were we to do?

Drool some more, obviously.

Restoration takes many forms, and a lot of it’s down to how bad the vehicle was before the job started. In this case, for ‘bad’ read ‘pretty awful.’

To start at the very beginning, the vehicle is a standard-spec Series III 2.25 diesel hard-top 88”. It’s been owned by the same family virtually from the showroom, and that family live in the Western Isles of Scotland.

A salty place.

All those years of sea spray had got the better of it, as they would, and by the middle of last year a once-proud

READY FOR MORE: The reconditioned 2.25 diesel engine (above left) sits ahead of a bulkhead that was refurbished and hot-dip galvanised. The chassis is galvanised too, and was Waxoyled as well to protect it against the harsh Atlantic climate. Parabolic springs (above right) are mated to gas shocks improve ride quality, and the axles were powder-coated for longevity

truck had succumbed to the inevitable decay of corrosion. Which was simply not on.

Having owned it from its showroom days, its family had come to regard the Landy with a sentimental attachment.

So showroom condition is the very least they felt it deserved to be in.

And that’s where Churchill 4x4 comes into it. The company specialises in restoring Land Rovers, not just back to where the once where but, in many cases, where they once were and then some. Which in this case meant not

45k Approx number of Series IIIs built in 1974

just replacing the rusty metal but preventing it from simply rusting again the moment it got home.

‘The aim was to make it rust-free and usable for another forty years,’ explains Jonathan Churchill, main man at Churchill 4x4. ‘We had to keep it looking standard and easy to maintain, as it will be used almost daily to commute around the island. We had to Waxoyl the underside because even though the chassis is galvanised, the weather there is so harsh it would still be at risk of corrosion.’

Barely any part of the vehicle has been left unchanged during the project, with a complete strip-down of components and that new galvanised chassis for starters. The bulkhead has been refurbished and hot-dip galvanised for longevity, along with various brackets and fixings.

The engine, gearbox and axles have been reconditioned, with the axle casings powder-coated to increase resistance to the elements. The truck

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk IMMACULATE: The Series III’s interior has been taken back to its best without adding anything that clashes with its classic appeal. That goes for the load area as much as the cabin (below right); back under the bonnet (below left), items like the radiator have been replaced as a matter of course has had new wiring, brakes, fuel tank, radiator, lights, tyres, seats and seat belts, and to increase ride quality it’s been fitted with parabolic springs and gas shocks.

In addition, the wheels, body cappings and windscreen frame have all been re-galvanised. Not a stone unturned, then, in the company’s bid to ensure the vehicle lives on into the future. At the very least, it should last a good many years until this kind of work would be required again.

To finish off, with the bodywork refurbishment complete the Series III got a new coat of Marine Blue – the colour it was wearing when its owners first clapped eyes on it, back in the days of Harold Wilson, the three-day week and a new pop group called Abba.

And just like listening to Abba on your iPod, there’s something very pleasing about the combination of modern engineering with heritage and vintage charm. When you’re talking about something classic, rather than just old, it’s always worth bringing with us into the modern era.

Which is where this Series III now is. ‘It’s always pleasing to give another Land Rover a fresh lease of life,’ says Jonathan Churchill. And as you’ll have worked out by now, we never tire of seeing them.

Churchill 4x4 specialises in Land Rover restorations alongside its vehicle sales business. You can contact the company on 01527 821440.

Issue 3: May 2014

21

22

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

FREELANDER 1: IS IT REALLY THAT BAD? Issue 3: May 2014

The Mk1 Freelander was a massive sales success, but these days there are plenty of people willing to cane it for its reliability. There’s plenty to fear from Land Rover’s original soft-roader – but if you understand what it’s all about, it might not be such a bad idea after all

E

very manufacturer makes a do-do once in a while. Those models that go down in history for all the wrong reasons, with engineering as appealing as yesterday’s mouldy sandwich or looks not even a mother would love: think Morris Ital, Austin Allegro, Ford Probe… and maybe, if you believe an awful lot of people, Land Rover Freelander 1.

If you ask a group of Landy fans what they think is the worst vehicle Solihull ever made, you’ll get a variety of answers. Nobody will mention anything leaf-sprung, but the early TD engine in the 90 and 110 might cop some grief. So too might the Disco 1, especially if anyone’s ever driven a 2.0 Mpi, and the P38 Range Rover is bound to be in trouble. But whatever else they say, your straw poll is bound

to throw up some brickbats for the original Freelander.

Being Solihull’s first soft-roader, the Freelander has never had the sort of support reserved for ‘proper’ Land Rovers. There are people who’ll tell you how much better it is off-road than anyone gives it credit for, and of course it sold in the sort of numbers those proper Landies could only dream of, but it’s like the ugly cousin at a wedding – easy to get stuck with, but deep down you know it’s not really what you want.

It’s also getting well into old age now, too. Not that it needed to have done that before the maintenance issues started cropping up. And that, rather than anything particularly bad about the way it drives, is what’s turned so many people against it.

So why is it that bad? Sue and Nobert Maddock run the garage FreelanderSpecialist.com, and for the past seven years they’ve worked on nothing but Freelanders. ‘The common faults with the Freelander can be split into three categories,’ says Nobert. ‘These are drivetrain issues, engine issues and electrical issues.

‘In terms of drivetrain issues, most are due to a failure in communication.

The first issue is the viscous coupling unit. It’s a sealed unit and difficult to test if it’s due to be changed, so often it’s easier to bite the bullet and change it every 70,000 miles, just as you would a timing belt.

‘The communication problem is that it has never been included in a service schedule, so when ignored it tightens up, puts a strain on the drivetrain and destroys the IRD unit.’ (IRD stands for Intermediate Reduction Drive – the equivalent of a transfer case.)

Nobert blames the second issue on mismatched tyres, saying there’s only a 5mm tolerance in rolling radius across each axle. Go beyond that, and the rear differential can be destroyed in as little as five miles. Not the fault of the Freelander itself, as it does specify in the handbook to change all four at once, but how realistic is it to ask people to do that on a decade-old car?

In terms of engine faults, it’s all about one thing: Rover’s K-series 1.8-litre petrol engine. The DI diesel is considered an absolute workhorse, and the TD4 only suffers the odd sensor fault – if the air filter is properly checked, it can be a reliable companion as well. Even the V6 is a safe bet, if you monitor coolant levels with care. But the 1.8? Caught red-handed.

‘The cylinder head gasket was just too flimsy and the use of plastic dowels didn’t help,’ explains Nobert. ‘This has caused almost every 1.8 to blow its head gasket, usually by 70,000 miles.

‘One solution is a modified multilayer steel head gasket with steel Main picture: It was all mountain bikes, leisurewear and gleaming smiles when Land Rover introduced the Freelander to the world. The vehicle was an instant hit on the sales floor, but it wasn’t long before the happy image started being tarnished by stories of top-end trouble from the K-Series engine Left: Cylinder head gaskets were the source of most K-Series woes, but as time went on other problems cropped up too to create the horrific brown sludge seen here where once someone had topped up with nice clean oil.

Plastic dowels wear as time goes on, allowing the head to move in relation to the block, and this mess could also be caused by worn liner seals

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Issue 3: May 2014

Right: Diesel engines are typically far less troublesome than the K-Series, but that doesn’t make them invulnerable. Combine a steel-bodied injector with an aluminium head casting, and you’ve got a recipe for base comedy – this slide hammer was made up by Gumtree 4x4 and welded to the injector… only to succeed in lifting the whole engine against its mounts

23

Below: The Freelander’s window winding mechanism is a regular source of grief.

Can’t imagine why just from looking at it dowels; with this fitted properly all the problems go away. Once a head gasket has failed, though, there are many parts of the system which can be affected, even more so if sealing liquids have been added to the coolant.

‘If all these affected areas are not addressed, further problems with the cooling system can occur. In addition, using blue or green coolant, rather than red, can erode the head gasket and cause it to fail.’

Besides some of the common issues, Ralph Lambourne of Mansfield 4x4 warns of a few less well documented niggles that have cropped up. ‘Due to its necessary size, the clutch does not take kindly to abuse, and it’s a fairly awkward and difficult job for the home mechanic. The dual mass flywheel on to the TD4 also wears, and it’s £1200 for a professional repair. The 1.8 can suffer from the clutch arm seizing in its bushes, causing the clutch to become heavy. If this is ignored, the slave cylinder-mounting bracket can fracture due to the extra pressure required. A drop of oil on the shaft at every service can avoid this.’

Good point. Knowing about the Freelander’s faults and foibles means you’re best placed to stop from them biting you. And Ralph’s being realistic, not critical.

‘The Freelander is a practical family car,’ he continues. ‘It’s comfortable and roomy. It handles well and is equally at home on motorways or gravel tracks.

In diesel form it is fairly economical for a 4x4 and is normally reliable when properly maintained.’

Still, it’s not a real Land Rover, is it?

‘It is surprisingly agile off-road,’ argues Ralph. ‘But it but needs to be driven in a different style to the Defender. The traction control is very good under the right circumstances and can give a Defender owner a red face on a wet grassy hill. The driver needs to concentrate more on the terrain to pick a route, but this can make the experience more enjoyable.’

Okay, that’s better. But Ralph did mention traction control there, and what was that third issue Nobert mentioned? Ah yes, the electrics…

You’re probably thinking about sensors and ECUs here, and that side of it certainly can drive owners to despair. But there are more basic areas that crop up over and over again when you ask the experts what winds them up most about the Freelander.

Andy Jeff, of the Suffolk Land Rover Owners Club, bought a Freelander so he could get to work in the winter of 2009-10. ‘It was a 10-year old 1.8 petrol on its second engine,’ he says. ‘It

had 100,000-plus on it, dodgy brakes and a swimming pool in the boot. It was quite musty inside, but it got me everywhere in the snow.

‘One very frosty evening, I left work to find ice all over the car. I couldn’t open the driver’s door as it was frozen shut, so I got in the passenger’s door.

I drew up to the car park exit, where you have to wind down your window and flash a security tag to lift a barrier.

I pressed the electric window button.

There was a whirring, but nothing happened. Confused, I pressed it

again. This time there was a whirring followed by an almighty “ping” – the cables in the window regulator had snapped with the window frozen shut.

‘Swearing loudly, I jumped back out of the passenger’s side, walked round to the barrier control, flashed the barrier up, ran back around the car and got in… but I wasn’t quick enough and the barrier came down again. Four attempts it took me to get out of the car park, each time getting quicker.

God knows how much the people in the office must have been laughing!’

Not that a Freelander needs to be frozen up to make your blood run cold.

Mike Harding from Mike Harding Landrovers shared his dismay at the design of the windows and sunroof.

‘The problem with the windows is they use a cable and roller design, which is a waste of time. It’s a poor design and the cable frays easily. As for the sunroof, it often suffers from rust and corrosion and when that sets in, resistance builds up in the tracks. This causes the motor to spin and overwork itself, resulting in a complete failure.’

You can understand why Nobert and Mike both agree that customers often find it better simply to remove the fuse from the sunroof, keep it closed and lower your stress levels by acting like it was never there. Better that than risk an embarrassing concoction of you being sat in your Freelander, roof stuck open as passersby look on in amusement, with the heavens opening to make your day that little bit worse. Doubly annoying if you’re already sat at the side of the road waiting for a recovery truck because your head gasket has gone.

But easy as it is to mock the Freelander, it’s not all bad. Far from it.

Neglected and abused, it’ll bite back.

Nurtured and looked after, it’s as dependable as the next truck – so maybe in that way it is a real Land Rover after all.

‘In all honesty,’ continues Mike, ‘if you have a Freelander 1 that has been regularly serviced and looked after, particularly the Td4 which can be as good as gold, then generally you should be fine.

‘They could have done with a selectable 4WD mode. That way, the IRD would last longer and put less strain on components.’ One of his customers drops his Freelander’s rear prop off to preserve the fragile unit, only fitting it during the winter months when traction is at a premium.

Where there’s a will there’s a way, see? And where there’s a cloud, there’s a silver lining. A few months after his car park incident, Andy Jeff won a half-day course with the Land Rover Experience. And he was so impressed by the Freelander 2, he bought one – and still owns it to this day.

Yes indeed, the Freelander 1 had its problem areas. It can be flaky, obtuse, infuriating… but there’s a sensible remedy to almost every fault, and good maintenance by people who get what they’re doing is the key to a long and beautiful relationship. If you enjoy spending time in the workshop, a Freelander could actually be quite a rewarding car to own.

Maybe the ugly cousin doesn’t look so bad after all. At the very least, as Andy Jeff found out, ugly cousins can turn out to have beautiful sisters…

24

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

DISCO 4 TOWING: HIGH TECH OR OLD-SCHOOL? There’s no such thing as a Discovery that’s bad at towing. But these days, it goes about the job with an arsenal of high-tech gadgets designed to make it even better. Is that what it takes now to keep the Disco at the head of its class?

I

f you’re a traditional Discovery driver, you might well have been drawn to the vehicle because although it’s much more of a family car than the Defender, it’s still a truck at heart. Even the Disco 3, with its independent suspension and high-tech design, still had the doughty image of a vehicle built to do a job.

What that job is varies from owner to owner, but for many it involves towing. This is something the Disco has always done very well, and Solihull has reason to say the current Disco 4 does it better than ever.

That’s because it knows when you’ve hitched up a trailer. And before you drive away, it’ll invite you to set it up to suit the rig you’re asking it to tow.

Here we were just expecting the splendid 3.0 SDV6 engine to be what would make the difference. But having

plopped our trailer on the Disco’s towball, we were met by a message on the central display. Looks like you’ve attached a trailer: tell me more…

Thus prompted, we were led through a ‘trailer setup’ process which, as far as we could tell, is designed to trim the vehicle’s rear-view cameras (you know, those) to suit the exact width, length and proportions of your rig. Is it a horsebox or caravan? How many axles? By the time it’s finished with you, it’ll know.

Of course, people have been towing big rigs perfectly well for decades without any of this. And hand on heart, we can’t say we noticed any difference in the way the vehicle drove.

We weren’t about to try and provoke a tank-slapper on the public road to force its hand, though, but every model in the Disco range has Trailer

Stability Assist as standard, so it’ll intervene with the brakes to try and bring it back if you get a wobble on.

At any rate, we’ve found before now that rear-view cameras are a useful aid to trailer reversing. So we wouldn’t dismiss any system that lets you adjust it to be as useful as possible.

We’ve also had problems with some vehicles’ air suspension in the past. But the Discovery’s didn’t need any special treatment, adjusting itself without a fuss as we loaded up and behaving as it should throughout our test.

This meant a stable experience on the motorway, with minimal shunting and no issues at all when changing lane. We felt it a bit while accelerating up the slip lane, but should you feel like taking your chances with the law, you could set your cruise control to 80mph and tool along happily without

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Issue 3: May 2014

25

The moment you drop a trailer hitch on to the towball, the Disco starts thinking. What kind of trailer is it? Have you hitched it up straight? How many axles? How far apart? Is it galvanised? Okay, we made that last one up. Still, by the time you’ve answered all its questions the vehicle will know everything there is to know about what you’re pulling. It doesn’t get any less other-worldly as you continue through the set-up process, either. Cameras watch what you’re doing from places where you didn’t think a vehicle had places; it even measures the width of the trailer. You might well be tempted to give it a miss, and to be honest we struggled to see any difference in the vehicle’s towing performance with or without all this high-tech stuff set up. But just imagine if you had an accident and someone got one of those compensation lawyers on your case. The vehicle’s safety systems had been disabled, you say? Excuse me while I go and buy a new Rolex… ever even noticing there’s a 3.5-tonne load hooked up to your back end.

All this is aided by a 150kg noseweight which allows you to position your load well forward on its trailer. If all you’re hauling is a caravan, you’ll struggle to get anywhere near that, but with another 4x4 on a heavy-duty transporter, being able to sit it well forward makes a world of a difference.

So too do good brakes, and the Disco’s big, vented discs could take it down an Alpine pass at GTW without fading. In the altogether less exotic surroundings of, well, Derby, we found that they pulled it up really smartly when asked, with no significant body movement as three-plus tonnes of trailer bore down on them.

Similarly, that heavy, commanding chassis is as unruffled as you’d expect when pulling a rig through corners.

Even over really bad roads, the trailer’s movement doesn’t transmit itself into the vehicle’s body, with masterful control from the back shocks keeping it taut whatever you throw at it. You do feel some joggling as the trailer’s wheels crash their way through pot holes and broken road surfaces, but though this can be unsettling to you as a driver, the vehicle itself just shrugs.

Around town, where visibility is all, it won’t surprise you to hear that the Disco’s epic driving position stands it in very good stead. Looking back and down at your trailer is much easier than just looking back at it, so judging its position on the road as it follows you is no problem. Of course, this is one reason why 4x4s are the best tow vehicles on the market, and it stands to reason that what makes them all good will make the Discovery best, since it’s got the most of it. The vehicle’s basic design certainly does way more for the overall towing experience than those rear-view cameras, at any rate.

And there it is. The Disco is a towing legend because back then, it pulled like a 100” Defender with a nice cabin.

Which is what it was. These days, there’s a lot of gadgets on it that even the Defender of the future won’t have.

But at the end of the day, what makes the Disco so good in front of a trailer

is that it’s a big, heavy truck just like it always was.

Whether the Disco is the best tow truck of them all is down to choice (and whether you have forty grand).

Make that sixty if you want the full kit, but every Disco does have all the stuff that makes it such a fine tow car.

Which, of course, might be exactly what you want. Especially if you’re a

traditional Discovery owner. Because while you appreciate a bit of comfort, all you really want is a truck that gets the job done. And in this, you surely won’t be disappointed.

26

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

a hybrid’s change of heart

An engine swap with a difference, as a coiled Lightweight goes from 200 to 300 Tdi

Mike Trott Got a couple of free weekends in your upcoming calendar? Time for an engine swap then, surely.

Land Rovers change their internals like a chameleon changes colour. It might be pushing it to say there are no two trucks the same, but every owner has his own ideas about how best to combine the many components available to anyone who fancies having a go in the workshop.

For example, there are many popular engine swaps in the world of Land Rovers. Countless owners have replaced 2.25s with V8s, V8s with diesels, TDs with Tdis… some will even fetch out Land Rover’s own engine and put in an American V8 or Japanese diesel instead.

Among all this engine-swapping fun, the 200 and 300Tdi are possibly the most popular choice for retro-

fitting into Land Rovers that started life with something else. But it’s not every day that you hear of somebody replacing one with the other.

Today is that day. And Mike Webster is that somebody.

Realising he had a bit of free time coming up, Mike decided to change the 200Tdi in his coil-sprung Lightweight for a 300. Of course, neither engine was original equipment in the Lightweight, but still – the two versions of the Tdi are closely

related, despite their well documented differences, so that’s going to make for an easy job, isn’t it?

Or maybe it isn’t.

As with many things in life, something that ought to be simple can turn into a right old festival of worm-can opening. Consequently, the straightforward engine swap presented Mike with a couple of extra hurdles to get over. Nothing he couldn’t handle, but nothing to be complacent about either.

Most people will tell you that the 300Tdi is quieter and more refined than the 200, which is more agricultural but simpler to work on.

Both engines are more complex than Land Rover’s earlier diesels.

But they’re far simpler than those that came after them, with none of the electronics that put people off the TD5. That’s so long as you avoid later versions of the 300Tdi, which had a ‘fly by wire’ throttle.

Both engines are similarly powerful, though the 300 is perhaps better at picking up from very low revs – so it’s more forgiving if you’re too gentle with the throttle off-road. Fuel consumption is likely to be much of a muchness, too. Basically, whether it’s a 200 or 300 is less important than whether it’s just a good, sound engine.

‘My truck is used mainly for RTV trials and towing,’ Mike explains.

‘I decided to change the engine as it was getting a bit long in the tooth –

250,000 miles, in fact – and it kept blowing head gaskets. I never went as far as having it skimmed, but I always blocked it flat. Anyway, last time it happened I found a tiny crack, so that was the final straw that pushed me over the edge to do it!’

Two weekends doesn’t sound bad, but people have been known to change engines more quickly – like in service at a hillrally, for example. Still, Mike certainly made use of his time.

‘While I had the engine out, I took the opportunity to change the gearbox for another LT77 from a Discovery.

It had become difficult to get into the lower gears, and was quite whiney.’

This meant changing the bell housing and input shaft for a shorter unit from a Defender.

‘This all took a fair bit of time,’ he continues. ‘But the engine swap was more straightforward once I had given up trying to use the existing 200Tdi mounts, and just cut them off the donor truck and bolted those on instead. I didn’t want to weld to my galvinised chassis, although I still had to cut off the old mounts as they were still in the way. I also swapped over the flywheel housing to work with the LT77 box.’

There are people who, if you asked them what they did last weekend, would honestly come back with ‘pub’ or ‘dunno’ or ‘just mooched about’ or something like that. Mike’s life might have been harder work, but it’s sounding a whole lot more fulfilling at the moment.

During those interesting weekends, he also managed to make up a temperature sensor mount in order

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

tAkiNg shAPe: the 300tdi has been craned into place in the picture on the left, replacing a 200 which had served the vehicle well but was now showing its age. On the right, it’s on to the plumbing and rebuilding jobs as the Lightweight takes shape to use the one from the 200Tdi, as the Lightweight’s instruments read too high with the unit from the new engine. He was a ‘bit worried’ until he realised that it was proving to be not as hot as the readings suggested. The British summertime springs to mind for some reason…

‘The air intake also took quite a lot of head scratching,’ he adds. ‘But I got there in the end. I’m still getting used to the different sounds the 300Tdi makes – but hopefully it has all been worth the trouble!’

So time will tell whether it was worth upgrading from the trusty old 200Tdi to its more modern cousin.

Either way, though, Mike’s got a much newer, healthier engine now, so he’s sure to be happy. Especially when he thinks back on those two weekends – a blink of an eye in the greater scheme of things, but time very well spent indeed on giving his Lightweight a heart transplant that’s set to serve it well for years to come.

the indestructible tdi

Both the 200 and 300Tdi have their admirers, most of whom have stories to tell about why their choice is best. Our favourite came from Jack Peters, who we bumped into a few years ago when he was running round at Drumclog in a 1991 Disco with a standard 200 lump.

He’d had the truck for four years at the time. It been through two head gaskets since he bought it, needed a head skim and lunched its timing belt. So he wasn’t a fan? On the contrary – he loved it for its simplicity.

‘All the pushrods were bent into an S-shape,’ Jack told us. ‘So I proceeded to straighten them with a concrete breeze block and a hammer, and they’ve been in there ever since – two and a half years, no problems whatsoever. The block actually moulds itself into the shape of the rods!’

scor racers undeterred by false start Reigning champion Jim Lawrence had the fastest Land Rover as the Southern Counties Off Road Club got its 2014 safari season off to a delayed start at Tilmanstone. After the first event of the season had to be cancelled due to waterlogging at Slab Common, a 15-strong field of travelled east to the old colliery site near Dover – where a mixture of soil, mud and clay terrain, arranged into a course blending fast and tight sections together into one flowing run, awaited them.

In particular, Tilmanstone has one terrain feature everybody fears. ‘If you slide off the knife edge,’ went the drivers’ briefing, ‘you will be there for the rest of the day.’ Two drivers did start to go here, but the marshals did an excellent job of recovering them before they slid all the way to the bottom and were never seen again!

Even with the ground still so wet, the four-mile course held together well

over the 12 laps with a minimum of disruption. Jim’s 100” Bowler Tomcat was third overall behind Pete Barrett and Rob Giles, though he led home the Land Rover contingent with Tony

Harper’s Defender proto and Chris Button’s hybrid hot on his tail. Martin Cox wasn’t far behind, either, flying the flag for standard-looking motors in his Class C Freelander 2.

issue 3: May 2014

27

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Thermals at the ready for Red Rose LRC

Freezing wind, torrential rain – so, business as usual…

Words Sue Maynard Pictures Ste Tillston With thermals, under-armour and rubber waterproof trousers at the ready, the Red Rose Land Rover Club congregated at Ince, near Wigan, on 16 March for Rounds 1 and 2 respectively of its 2014 Tyro and CCV trials championships.

The day got off to a reasonable start, seeing as it was dry. Unfortunately, that soon turned to drizzle with a bitterly cold wind. Just normal trialling weather in Red Rose land, really!

Despite this, a total of 22 competitors showed up, with 10 in the CCV trial and 12 in the Tyro. Some clubs will run both on the same sections, with the CCV motors alone tackling the last few gates, but on this occasion the two groups split up and headed for their own separate parts of the site.

Tyro competitors consisted of both licensed and unlicensed junior drivers, and with motors ranging from

standard 90s to a shiny Defender 110 and even a Disco 4 there was a lot of variety on show. All the drivers were careful not to do any damage, though the nearside running board on the Disco 4 ended up in a rather mangled mess. Lesson to be learnt – ensure all optional extras are removed next time!

Tyro trails are about learning and getting used to what your Land Rover can do, but for the lads and lasses in the CCV it was much more about pushing their specialised competition cars to the limit. And it showed, too, as the day wore on – with a series of downpours blowing through on an ever-present bitterly cold wind, by the end of the day they looked like they had been rolling in the mud rather than driving through it!

Results in the CCV showed Ray Fallows leading the way, with Martin Waddington and Lee Karkozska five points apart in second and third. Ash Oldfield and John Coe were tied at the top of the Tyro leader board, with John

getting the nod on the ‘further clearer’ rule, while Laurence Gray won the Juniors category with an outstanding score of just five penalty points.

All in all, it had been a great day for everyone, with plenty of laughs to go with the serious competition and horrible weather. Everyone left with their vehicles, and in some cases their faces, a lot muddier than when they first started.

The Clerks of Course – Andrew Akers (CCV) and Andrew Evans (Tyro) – did and absolutely sterling job, as did the marshals supporting them. Without these guys’ efforts, these events couldn’t take place. Praise be to each and every one of them!

Issue 3: May 2014

29

30

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

SEVEN-UP FOR LRS CHALLENGE

New and improved trucks on parade all-round – but there’s a familiar result

WINNERS: Allen Sharp’s 100” special is carrying all before it at the moment, having already won the Welsh Xtrem this season. With Ben Turpie on the winch, Team Sharp takes a lot of beating – they aced Class 1 here, though Ed Hart would have been much closer behind them had his fuel not run out at the worst moment

Words Pip Evans Pictures Pawel Frackowiak Returning for its seventh year, the 2014 LRS Challenge got underway at Coney Green, Stourport on Severn.

David Bowyer’s Goodwinch kindly sponsored the first round, with a selection of desirable prizes for the winning teams – the majority of the top competition guys use Bowmotors to power their winches and Dyneema Bowropes to pull them along, so David was as welcome a sponsor as ever.

It’s been a testing winter and a lengthy one at that, although for some competitors it proved to be not long enough. Many had spent long nights repairing or modifying their trucks, with some working on totally fresh projects, but of the 27 teams that were initially scheduled to run in the opening event only 21 made the start, with the others unable to have their trucks ready in time.

There were two familiar names within the field that were unsurprisingly tipped to dominate the

Ed Hart suffered the cruellest of blows when he ran out of fuel on the way to hand in his punch card

proceedings – Allen Sharp and his codriver Ben Turpie. This all-conquering duo featured in last month’s issue when they took the honours at the Welsh Xtrem, and at present they seem to be on the top step of the winners’ rostrum at every top-level challenge event they enter.

While there was a lot of speculation at the ‘sharp’ end of the field (geddit?), the LRS organisers from the Viking 4x4 Club had also introduced a new Entry Level Class for the 2014 series.

Designed with the beginner in mind, this aims to encourage green laners or playdayers with a low-line winch on the front of their truck to have a go at doing a challenge event.

Several punches had been set out to be relatively easy to conquer and the new class had its own sponsor and set of prizes and trophies, but sadly noone took up the challenge. So should you feel brave enough to have a go, you stand a very good chance of winning the entire class! At £35, the entry fee for this mini challenge is only slightly higher than your average playday.

After the usual scrutineering and driver’s briefing, the event got underway and the 21 eager crews headed off to test their new gear against the countryside of Worcestershire. A section very near the pits area was instantly filled with several trucks, winches humming as each attempted a separate punch.

There were a few retirements throughout the day, many of them only after making valiant efforts to continue – including Wayne Newton, who went for the toughest punch first and broke his rear winch line twice in the first ten minutes. A heavy roll later in the day brought his proceedings to a premature end, while others retired early with ailments including broken driveline components and fried winches.

At the end, Ed Hart suffered the cruellest of blows when he ran out of fuel on the way to hand in his punch card. This cost him 100 points for each of the eight minutes by which he was late.

That was doubly sad as he had been the only person close enough to

challenge Allen Sharp’s supremacy at the top of the field. Thus the favourite’s 100” special took the honours in Class 3, with Dan Hickling and Andy Dunnicliffe winning Classes 1 and 2 respectively. Goodwinch goodies all-round – and with the strain these events put on winches, even the winners were going to be needing those new Bowmotors and Bowropes before long.

Many thanks from the Viking 4x4 Club to Derrick Johnson of LRS Off-Road, all the marshals and of course especially to David Bowyer for his generous support of this event. The next round of the LRS Challenge is near Kettering, at Deep Scar – a venue that’s every bit as daunting as its name makes it sound!

FIRST AGAIN: Allen and Ben get their reward at prizegiving – valuable supplies from sponsor Goodwinch to make good use of in future rounds

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

THE REAL MEANING OF SPRING BREAK… Mike Trott In America, Spring Break is where hordes of sex-crazed teenagers descend on Florida, get their kit off and, well, you know the rest.

The All Wheel Drive Club’s Spring Break isn’t like that. It’s better. Oh yes it is.

Sceptical? How does the freedom of Walters Arena for a whole weekend sound? See. You’re less likely to be distracted by 250,000 bronzed lovelies in bikinis than you would be on Panama Beach, but then you’re less likely to care.

Walters is a 1600-acre paradise of rocks, forest and unsealed trails in the glorious scenery of the Welsh Valleys, and the AWDC’s third annual Spring Break is basically a weekend-long playday for 4x4s of every description.

You don’t need to drive a full-house competition car to make the most of Walters. The venue is now best known as home of the Welsh Xtrem and King of the Valleys, but it also used to host Y Rali Bryn Cymru – so there’s a whole lot of smoother going there too.

If you want to have a go at the rock crawls used on KOTV, the message is a) fill your boots, and b) good luck.

Unless you’re driving a shiny, in which case the message is a) don’t, and b) no, really, don’t. You’ll have plenty of other terrain to enjoy, anyway, however road-biased or otherwise your vehicle might be.

Vehicles don’t need to be roadlegal, so you’re fine to turn up with a trials special or challenge truck on the back of your trailer. There are rules, of course, so you’re less fine to drive like a madman, but there’ll be all the facilities you need to make the most of Walters for the whole weekend.

Spring Break is on 17-18 May, and you can find out more by calling the AWDC on 07785 762134 or visiting www.awdc.co.uk. Just don’t forget to pack your bikini.

Issue 3: May 2014

31

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk

Issue 3: May 2014

33

Matchless Matchams!

Leisure Park next to New Forest makes the perfect site for Dorset LRC’s recruitment drive

Dorset Land Rover Club hosted an open driving day at Matchams Leisure Park, near Ringwood last month, and as usual there was a healthy turnout.

The event saw just a few short of forty drivers signing on, with the vast majority making their appearance in trucks of the green oval variety.

The ground was grippy, the play area large and with a few dodgy areas thrown in to challenge and out-fox the unsuspecting, the event turned into a great day where everyone could just cruise about and enjoy their off-roading.

Matchams organisers are always very welcoming and know how to put on a good event, making sure all the site is driveable. So it’s usable for all vehicles from the shinies to the completely modified – however capable their trucks, everyone who turned up found sections to challenge their equipment.

The club uses the event as an opportunity to attract new members, and there could be few better ways to do this than by showing people how much fun they can have in their Landy.

This is a busy club already, with RTVs, shows, socials, laning, treasure hunts, rallies and more all jammed into the calendar – and after a successful recruiting campaign at Matchams, there’ll now be more people enjoying it than ever before!

‘We’re always made very welcome at Matchams,’ said Club Chairman Rog Pardy. ‘The organisers know that our club is very well behaved and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, with no real mishaps to report.’

He was so happy, in fact, that they’ll be back at Matchams to do it all again on 12 October. If you’re in that neck of the woods, drop in on www. dorsetrover.co.uk and get ready for some proper fun.

MeanwhIle In the valleys, they’re cookIng up soMethIng specIal… Based in South Wales, Ystradgynlais Overland Club is affiliated to the MSA and organises various competitive events. But unlike some such clubs, it does an equal amount for all the many other aspects of off-roading too.

Each month, the club hosts one lane day and one other trial, punch hunt or playday – so all tastes really are catered for. Its latest outing, a fairly local lane run taking in the magnificent Strata Florida byway, saw ten vehicles getting back on track as Britain’s rights of way start becoming usable again after the drenching they took over the winter.

While these guys may like to go out and have some fun, they also like to make sure others are getting their fair share too, by marshaling at local events. The club uses sites around South and West Wales, from Ty Rhiw and Red Valley to Walters Arena.

Walters was the site of the club’s first unofficial Introductory Challenge, set out to test the water for interest while looking to provide something a little different for beginners attempting to learn their way in the off-road scene.

This year, the event is scheduled for the last weekend in August, once again

at Walters Arena. To encourage those at the shallow end of off-roading, trucks will be limited to one winch and tyres will be no bigger than 35”.

The event, to be known as the Wye Valley Challenge, will feature prizes for those lucky novices. Camping and catering will be set up throughout the weekend, and even Nobby ‘Welsh Xtrem’ Morgan will be lending a hand in the organisation.

If you can’t wait that long, the club’s next playday will be at Red Valley on 27 April. Head for www.yoc4x4.co.uk to find out more.

34

w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

News

Products

Vehicles

Adventure

Workshop

Clubs

TORTOISE 1, HARE 0 AS MONSTER RACE SERIES GETS UNDERWAY

The 2014 Monster Race series got underway at Boxgrove on what was forecast to be a very wet first weekend of April. Happily, as is the case with most Mud Monsters events, the Met Office got it wrong – it wasn’t actually sunny, but it did at least stay relatively dry during the day.

It was another story overnight, though, with heavy rain coming down and making the wetter sections of the site very muddy indeed. Perfect…!

The Mud Monsters crew set out a two-mile circuit to make the most of the various delights Boxgrove has to offer.

The site is an old quarry that has been filled over the years with earth from all over the south east, so the terrain and ground conditions vary from sand and rock to mud – and the most vile pink clay that sticks to everything but offers no grip at all!

The Monster Race format combines the best elements of comp safaris and winch challenges, so there was a real variety of entries – from fire-breathing 600bhp V8 comp motors with a couple of winches bolted on, to Tdi-based challenge spec vehicles with huge amounts of articulation, multiple winches and a safe top speed of about 4mph!

A short prologue to decide starting positions was won by Chris Bowler, who completed the course in just 6.04 minutes. Once the race began, though, the battle turned into one of attrition, with the V8s taking an early lead but, as reliability became an issue, the tortoises starting to close up on the hares.

Ultimately, it was slow and steady that won the day. Luke Fogarty and Chris Cater’s challenge-spec 90 Tdi trayback proved to be totally reliable – so much so that they were the only team in the entire event not

to suffer any mechanical issues at all over the weekend.

The tales of woe included broken alternators, hubs, halfshafts and Monster Racing is a similar form of sport to the Ultra4 discipline made famous by events like King of the Valleys.

Run by Sussex-based Mud Monsters, it uses a set course taking competitors over a mixture of comp safari and winch challenge terrain. The team completing most laps is the winner – but there are 20 special winch stages, and each team has to complete at least one of these per lap.

wishbones, as well as a snapped cam belt and two full-on gearbox failures.

Chris Kelly made a four-hour roundtrip home to pick up parts and was rewarded with third place, while Kevin Moss went one better despite finishing the event in three-wheel drive. Chris Bowler’s early pace was knocked on the head by cooling problems, while the ever-popular Pete Whitman completed three laps, achieving a top 10 finish despite only having time to race for two hours.

Round Two of the Monster Race series will be at Yarwell, Cambs on 5-6 July, with the third and final event of the season at East Grinstead on 27-28 Sept. Check out www.monsterchallenge.com for more details.

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k

Issue 3: May 2014

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

Somerset triumph for Race2Recovery

35

Busy start to Disabled crew leads the way in Round 2 of the first Defender Challenge the season for northern compers The Defender Challenge by Bowler reconvened for Round 2 at the Somerset Stages Rally, with a number of new additions swelling the field after a successful opening event in Mid-Wales. The newcomers included Tony Harris and Richard Mitchell, representing Race2Recovery – who came home in first place in their maiden race.

Race2Recovery was initially set up to help injured servicemen through their rehabilitation, and the team found fame when, against all the odds, one of its vehicles completed last year’s Dakar Rally. In this months’ event, based out of Minehead, Harris and Mitchell won by just 26 seconds from Camel Trophy veteran Damien Taft, with long-time comp safari racer Rob Harford in third.

The Somerset event, which included 12 special stages as part of a 312-mile route in Exmoor National Park, saw seven Bowler-prepped Defender 90s line up at the start. Unlike in Round 1, when Richard Hayward and Matt Lister went OTL, all seven went on to finish the event.

Round 1 winner Edd Cobley didn’t take part this time, but with teams required to compete in at least five events from the total of seven in the series, the leader board will continue to take shape for some time to come.

In addition, the organisers expect more entrants to join the fray as the season goes on.

Speaking at the finish line, Race2Recovery’s Tony Harris said: ‘It’s been a great day. I’m absolutely delighted with our first outing and

Safaris with the Northern Off Road Club tend to be dominated by spaceframe specials, but there were plenty of Land Rovers (and Land Rover lookalikes) on show as the 2014 season kicked off at Wickenby.

Over the course of a weekend featuring rain, sun, wind and hail, a high-quality field including several well known NORC stalwarts battled it out against reigning title holder Robin Clarkson, who ended up winning from Chris Hannam’s Lofthouse Freelander and Ian Gregg’s hybrid (pictured above, photo by Graham Stephenson).

David Steven was fourth in another Lofthouse Freelander, having travelled all the way from Edinburgh to compete, with Ryan Cook fifth in his eye-catching Milner Evoque. Action all the way, then – and that won’t change all season long! to come home in first place – it was the perfect start to our Defender Challenge campaign. Rich’s co-driving has been good, and he’s picked up a few learning points. Our vehicle has been handling superbly, especially on the gravel and forest tracks. It’s slippy, but not too slippy and there’s been some long stretches to get up into sixth gear.

‘The forest stages are very similar to stages on the Dakar. While these are much shorter, this is the perfect

platform to build up confidence, not just for the drivers but the navigators. It’s a great introduction for the co-drivers to learn to read the pace notes and road book which are vital to the Dakar.’

The Challenge is intended to act as a feeder series into the Dakar and other major international events, and Drew Bowler, MD of Bowler Motorsport, is pleased at the progress teams are already making. ‘They’re building their confidence out on stage and there’s

a good competitive edge coming in.

These are customers who wanted to be in motorsport but weren’t sure how to go about it, so to see these results so early on is fantastic.’

The series moves north for Round 3, with a month’s break before it resumes on 7 June at the Dukeries Rally in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. Look out for more teams joining the action, as a fast-moving field looks to prevent Race2Recovery from tasting the champagne again.

£100 up for grabs in major new off-road event Preparations are well underway for a new winch event on 12-13 July this summer at the epic Kirton Off Road Centre. Called the KORC Yellowbelly Challenge, this will be a team event made up of no less than 40 special stages spread over two days.

These will be spread throughout the 650 acres of hardcore hills, swamps, lakes and rocks that make Kirton such a popular venue. And the world will be able to watch as it happens, too, as the organisers intend to provide live online action via Ustream.

Claiming victory in the first ever running of what’s intended to become an annual event would certainly render you no Yellowbelly whatsoever. But the

1st prize should make your smile a little wider still, as there’s a cheque for £1000 up for grabs.

What’s this, professional off-road motorsport? There’s £500 for the secondplaced team, too, and £250 for third.

Entry fees reflect the nature of the event at £300 per team (£150 per vehicle), though this includes an event T-shirt and a hog roast on the Saturday night.

The organisers are currently seeking sponsors for the challenge, with a view to awarding additional prizes for particular sections. Needless to say, they won’t object to hearing from teams interested in competing, either. Whichever you might be, a visit to www.yellowbelly.org will tell you all you need to know.

• David Steven was also in the thick of it at Magheramorne, when the Northern Ireland 4 Wheel Drive Club hosted its second annual two-day comp safari. The venue is close to the Port of Larne – handy for competitors coming by ferry, which was important as the event also counted as the first of the season in the 2014 Scottish Cross Country Championship.

David’s Lofthouse Freelander was in the wars when a heavy nose-first landing tore its front spoiler off, but at the end of a tough weekend’s action on the quarry-like terrain he finished less than a minute behind the overall winner, Gareth Carruthers, who took it steady in his Bowler Wildcat 100 before turning up the gas as the competition became more intense.