Land Rover Yearbook 2025

The essential annual for Land Rover owners and enthusiasts

Land Rover

2 025

YEARBOOK £9.99

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the year’s pages of cts for u best prod over R d n a L r you

HAPPY FAMILY

Bringing the generations together – and helping them explore the world, the way only a Land Rover can!

Air-Drive Series IIA As rare as they come

✔ Enhanced ✔ Restored ✔ Preserved ✔ Modified

The great Land Rovers just keep on coming

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CLASSIC DISCO

Low-mileage V8 turned into an overland hero

MASTERPIECE

Has any Defender ever had a more artistic interior?

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roof racks hinges

door handles

fuel caps underseal

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only the beginning

snorkels windscreens and glass led light upgrades

bumpers

steering guards

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Contents

Stories 4 6

98 12 14 20 22 24

74

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26 30 48

32

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ROYAL APPROVAL

REVS Restore’s 88” Series III takes centre stage at the Royal Automobile Club

DEFENDER OCTA

Land Rover’s SVO skunk works adds a 635bhp twin-turbo V8 engine and lifted suspension to create the ultimate£160,800 version of the new Defender

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

Celestial options packs let you personalise your Range Rover Sport SV

AN ELECTRIC ADVANCE?

Bedeo uses in-wheel motors to electrify a 110 with no weight penalty

TRANS -AFRICA LANDY

Review of an inspirational book about a legendary Land Rover owner

ELECTRIC EXPORT

Everrati’s first electrified classic Landy to find a home on the far side of the Atlantic

OCTOPUSSY RANGEY

Lunaz builds a replica of the roofless Range Rover from the James Bond toybox – with an electric twist

PASTA PERFECT

More than just a barn find – a 1950 Series I hidden on a farm in the Italian mountains

NEWARK REVISITED

A popular Land Rover show returns after a year away

PRODUCTS

The breadth and depth of the market for Land Rover parts and accessories never fails to impress – and nor does the quality of what’s available

COTSWOLD CLASS

The perfect village inspires a Range Rover built in a limited edition of just ten vehicles

118 BUYERS GUIDE

In an ever-changing market, there are still great Land Rovers to be found at the right price – if you know what to look for and what it’s worth

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Vehicles 108

Land Rovers 8

ARCTIC ROLLING

Arctic Trucks’ AT35 conversion turns the new 110 into the king of the street

88 FAMILY FORTUNE

One of those ‘one day’ promises that couples make to each other comes true in the shape of a superb 110 overlander

92 OUTSIDE THE BOX

When a truck-cab is too cramped but a hard-top is too bulky, the only answer is to turn your 90 into a Landy like no other

16 MONSTER RANGE ROVER A unique one-off with 49” tyres, a Chevy crate engine and… an original CSK body

96 IN THE NAVY

Ex-Army Land Rovers are ten a penny, but a 109 pick-up from the Royal Navy is not something you see every day

32 CUMMINS AND GOINGS

A man who wanted a proper Land Cruiser but couldn’t justify the money – so he built a stunning 110 trayback instead

38 HEIRLOOM RANGEY

Imagine finding your dad’s old Range Rover – and knowing you had to bring it back to its former glories in his honour

42 INSIDE STORY

A standard looking 90 van hides possibly the most amazing interior we’ve ever seen

Adventure 98

A nation like no other that people all too often rush through on long-way-down trips – but that’s well worth savouring

114 JOURNEY’S END

The Shoals of Agulhas expedition was a triumph – but one with a sober twist as the old-shape Defender signed out with its final official overland action

66 RESTORED FOR LIFE

A Series IIA whose restoration is a triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity

70 THAT SINKING FEELING A Puma-era 110 motorhome with everything including the kitchen sink

74 PAST TENTS

Another Landy built for travelling – this one a near-concours Disco 1 V8 turned into a modern camping rig

80 RANGE ROVER TD5

That made you look twice, didn’t it? Could a Classic powered by a Disco 2 motor be the perfect combination?

82 AIR-DRIVE 109

A brace of Discos set out to become the first 4x4s ever to cross the USA off-road

108 NAMIBIA

62 YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE

Back in the day, a young lad modifying an early Disco was… well, yeah, it was already pretty unusual even then

AMERICA OVERLAND

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From the team that brings you…

01283 742969 enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk Web: www.thelandy.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk Founding Editor Alan Kidd Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Mike Trott, Graham Scott, Paul Looe, Olly Sack, Gary Noskill, Gary Martin, Dan Fenn, Tom Alderney, Kaziyoshi Sasazaki, Raymond and Nereide Greaves Photographers Steve Taylor, Harry Hamm, Richard Hair, Vic Peel Advertising Sales Manager Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 742969 Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to The Landy, or renew your subscription, call 01283 553243 Current price for 12 issues: UK £28 The Landy is available from newsagents, priced at £2.99 a copy, and free through selected Britpart dealers Every effort is made to ensure the contents of The Land Rover Yearbook are accurate, however Assignment Media Ltd accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these When responding to any advert in The Land Rover Yearbook, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable steps to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred as a result of responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC-BY-2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org The Land Rover Yearbook is published by Assignment Media Ltd, PO Box 8632, Burton on Trent DE14 9PR

© Assignment Media Ltd, 2024

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Uncovered – an incredibly rare Series IIA with the factory approved conversion into a high-mobility air-compressor

84 AN ACCIDENTAL RESTO

When you’re asked to fetch a dead Land Rover out of someone’s garage… but it’s just too lovable to scrap

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REVS RESTORE 88 TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT RAC

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hroughout the last year or so, a team of volunteers has been restoring a 1975 Series III under the auspices of the REVS community. Headed by Reverend Adam Gompertz, this is a not-for-profit organisation promoting mental and spiritual welfare among car enthusiasts.

The Land Rover spent the first part of its life in the Falkland Islands, where it worked as a Fire Tender with the Royal Navy, before returning to the UK in 1999. It was most recently owned by Tim Compson, who donated it to the cause – whereupon it became known as the REVS Restore project, allowing volunteers to aid their own mental health by working as part of a team to bring it back to life.

‘The REVS Restore project was designed to allow people to experience some restoration of their own mental health as they worked together to bring the Land Rover back to a presentable and drivable state,’ says REVS. ‘For one weekend a month, the team of volunteers has been working in the Heritage Skills Academy workshop based at Bicester Heritage.

‘These volunteers were made up of different ages, some with little experience and who have never taken on such a project, with a vehicle that has been off the road for over 10 years. They have learned new skills, found new confidence and valued the sense of community and purpose fostered by being a part of the group.’

The project got underway in January, and in July the Land Rover’s engine was fired up for the first time in many years. Though it is not yet complete, by September it could be driven within the grounds of Bicester Heritage and later that month it was awarded the honour of being displayed in the famous rotunda of the Royal Automobile Club’s headquarters in Pall Mall.

The RAC’s relationship with the REVS Community goes back to 2021, when Rev Gompertz was awarded the Club’s title of Personality of the Year.

Since then, the two organisations have worked together to promote the motoring community as a place where people who love cars can find benefits for their mental health.

‘It truly an incredible privilege for us to be able to display the Land Rover in this historical and prestigious location,’ said Rev Gompertz. ‘With the support of so many people, it shows how the car community wants to engage with such an important subject.

‘Thanks to the Royal Automobile Club, we have a fantastic location to put mental health front and centre in the minds of so many people. Our thanks go to them for this opportunity. Indeed, there are so many people to thank; it has been quite a journey.’

Those people include Britpart, Luzzo Bespoke, Heritage Skills Academy, Howden Insurance, Michelin, Autosparks and Bicester Heritage, all of whom continue to support the project. Their generosity, along with a number of donations from private individuals, has allowed the team to

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power on with the business of bringing the Land Rover back to life.

‘It’s a pleasure to support such a worthwhile project,’ said the RAC’s Head of Motoring Jeremy Vaughan. ‘And to see the Land Rover at the Club makes it even more special.

‘We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our relationship with Rev Adam Gompertz since we awarded him Personality of the Year in our 2021 Historic Awards.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the project and look forward to seeing the finished product.’ As do all of us.

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE OCTA MODEL PUSHES DEFENDER PRICES TO £160,800

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he new Defender Octa will cost from £145,300 when the order book opens at the end of July. And the Octa Edition One, whose availability will be limited to the first year of production, is set to take the price still higher to £160,800.

Powered by the 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 from the Range Rover Sport, the Octa is SVO’s take on the Defender 110. The engine delivers a pleasingly enormous 635bhp and 553lbf.ft – figures which translate into a 0-60 time of just 3.8 seconds and, when equipped with 22” road tyres, a top speed of 155mph.

This doesn’t make it quite as fast as some of its similarly priced rivals in the ultra-SUV market. However JLR solemnly promises that

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unlike them, it will be ‘as fun to drive on‑road as off‑road, with no compromises.’

Helping it achieve this, the vehicle receives major revisions to its chassis and suspension.

Longer wishbones widen its track by 68mm and raise its height by 28mm while promising ‘both maximum wheel articulation off‑road and reduced roll on‑road.’ Aiding it here is Land Rover’s 6D Dynamics, a system using hydraulically‑interlinked semi-active shocks to reduce pitch and roll almost to zero while also freeing up more suspension movement in offroad use.

As always these days, the vehicle’s hardware is trimmed by a palette of drive modes. The vehicle can also detect the terrain under its wheels for

itself and choose its own settings automatically – however if you take charge using the mode menu, Dynamic Mode provides ‘the ultimate performance‑focused on‑road experience, tuning the vehicle’s steering, throttle and suspension settings with one press of the transparent signature logo button on the steering wheel.’

The off-road equivalent is Octa mode, which allows ‘off‑road driving with a performance focus.’ Shades of the Baja mode on the Ford Ranger Raptor. Features include Off-Road Launch, allowing for fast take-offs on loose terrain, and there’s also the usual range of options in the Terrain Response menu. The Octa’s 400mm front brake discs and Brembo calipers, as well as the fastest steering ratio of any Defender to date, help allow it to be as controllable as it is biddable.

It’s also every bit as imposing as you’d expect. In addition to its higher, wider stance, it’s the first Defender equipped with 33” tyres – meaning enhanced bodywork to keep it legal.

Extended wheelarches flow into the vehicle’s ‘off‑road‑optimised front bodywork’ (hands up if you thought the old Defender had that) with unique grilles to allow greater under‑bonnet airflow. The rear bumper houses quad-pipe active

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exhaust finishers and there are exposes recovery points front and rear, as well as ‘tough underbody protection including an aluminium alloy front under shield with graphite finish.’ When you took out your Disco Tdi’s sump on a rock that time, what you really needed was a graphite finish.

Another difference between this Defender and all those old bits of junk from when Land Rover made things you could afford is that you won’t be slinging a set of 7.50s on it and going out to have fun. Those 33” tyres include an Advanced All‑Terrain developed by Goodyear specifically for the Octa.

Colours? They matter, because if you’re doing two grand a month on this thing you want everyone to notice that you can afford it.

The choices include Petra Copper and Faroe Green, both premium metallic finishes which are exclusive to the Octa; the latter is in fact so exclusive to the Octa that it’s exclusively exclusive to the Octa Edition One. So too is Chopped Carbon Fibre detailing. Used on the vent surrounds on the bonnet and, they actually said this, ‘fenders’ (the word is WINGS, thank you), as well as the Defender bonnet script and, in the cabin, on the centre console trim and front seatbacks, this is ‘a highly distinctive finish which includes recycled raw materials.’

Recycled raw materials. Take a minute to get your head around that one.

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Since we’ve started on the cabin, it might worry you somewhat that we’ve made it this far without the all-important C-word cropping up.

But don’t worry, the people at JLR haven’t lost sight of what made Land Rovers great. ‘Inside, curated (hurrah!) selections set New Defender OCTA apart.’ These include a hand-painted roof

by Michelangelo and artfully soiled rear seats by Tracey Emin. Oh, hold on.

You can curate your Defender by choosing from two Ultrafabrics seat options in lieu of the standard leather trim. Or they’re standard if you shell out for the Edition One. Now, that’s what you call curatorial.

Those seats are unique to the Octa, with more supportive bolsters and integrated headrests.

Additionally, ‘Defender’s close association with music (answers on a postcard) is brought to the fore with immersive Body and Soul Seat audio technology… allowing the driver and front passenger to feel, as well as hear, the music.’ To be fair, this would have been very useful back in the days when listening to music in a Defender was an exercise in trying to hear anything above the non-stop noise. Additionally, ‘six wellness programmes are available to help relax occupants or improve cognitive responses on the move,’ which sounds clever.

If you really want to know what wellness feels like, though, we refer you back to that twin-turbo

V8 engine. And to the notion of Off-Road Launch Control, even if it does sound like the gimmick to end all gimmicks unless you live in Dubai. Which, to be fair, a good proportion of Octa customers probably will.

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Sponsored by

ICELAND ROVER M

aking Land Rovers look bigger is all the rage. The bling Defender craze may have peaked, and values of original-shapers have dropped from the insane heights they reached a couple of years ago, but there’s a new fashion on the street.

Taller and wider.

You know the look. The aftermarket is all over it, and so too are several OEMs. Land Rover itself, for example – the new Defender Octa is engineered to within an inch of its life to perform like a supercar, but mainly people are going to buy it because of the way it looks. More aggressive, chunkier… but mainly, it’s taller and wider.

Land Rover is adamant that the Octa is better off-road than any other Defender before it. You

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might be adamant that simply by costing £160,000 or whatever it is, this is the strongest evidence yet for Land Rover’s complete abandonment of everything that made it great. But however far removed it may be from what a Defender once was, there is still a point: being taller helps offroad. And being wider helps with being taller.

We don’t know if Land Rover wants you to think they’re the only ones who do this. They’d certainly like it to be the case, having previously boasted that they were going to put the aftermarket out of business with vehicles like the Octa.

The Octa is the first Defender ever to leave the factory on 33” tyres. Gasp. Do you remember when those were considered unusually big? The ubiquitous off-road tyre of the time was an old-

school 7.50, and while you were listening to them drone their way up the road from a playday or RTV you might have turned the stereo up to max and tried to drown them out with a bit of Wham! or Bucks Fizz.

At around the same time, Toyota’s Icelandic importer started noticing that a huge number of its 4x4 customers were putting brand new vehicles on much bigger tyres in order to cope with the conditions there. Terrain blanketed in deep snow needs lots of rubber and very little air. So they set up their own workshop and began offering re-engineered Hiluxes and Land Cruisers – with overwhelming results. Soon, up to 70% of the new 4x4s coming in to Iceland were being modified before delivery.

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Arctic Trucks built its reputation on converting Toyota Land Cruisers to run on up to 44” tyres.

The company’s latest vehicle is a Land Rover Defender on 35s – and though it may be aimed at the look-at-me market, like everything the company does it has glacier-bashing off-road ability baked into its soul Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Arctic Trucks

In 1996, the company’s re-engineering arm, which has until then simply been called Toyota Accessories, was given a new name: Arctic Trucks.

It continued to be part of Toyota Iceland until 2005, when it became fully independent and started working with other manufacturers too. By now it also had an operation in Norway, and since then it has expanded into Finland and Sweden, Poland, America, the UAE and Britain.

Obviously, the off-roading need for Arctic Trucks’ conversions is marginal at best in these countries, and in the main completely absent. But in converting a Land Rover to suit being operated at low tyre pressures on terrain like snow fields and glaciers, what do you do? You make it taller and wider.

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And you give it much bigger tyres. The conversions on offer go all the way up to 44”, which is available in both four and six-wheel drive form. Obviously, though, there’s a colossal amount of engineering work (and therefore cost) in that, so most customers go for the AT35. As the name suggests, this sits on 35” rubber – various sizes are used, with the Defender 110 you see here being on 325/60R20s. is typical.

In the pipeline ever since the new-shape Defender first came out, the vehicle ‘has undergone extensive development with Arctic Trucks’ experienced team of off-road mobility specialists to allow it to handle challenging and inhospitable landscapes with even greater ease.’

They’re adamant that this is a serious off-road

conversion, of course – but they’re not hiding from what most people want it for. ‘The Defender AT35 benefits from greater ground clearance, articulation and increased approach and departure angles,’ they point out. ‘But let’s be honest, these enhancements also look utterly fantastic!’

Laughed off the street

Now, admitting that people buy Land Rovers for their image rather than their ability is something Land Rover itself has not always been very good at. But of course, as with all cool cars, the ability needs to be there. Only a fraction of supercar owners take them to track days, for example (most just hope it’ll get them laid) – but anything that looks like a Ferrari but goes and handles like a

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knackered Mondeo will pretty soon be laughed off the street.

The same goes for 4x4s that look hard-core but aren’t. We all know that guy who put huge tyres on his Defender but found that an old 2.25 engine could barely turn them, or smashed a diff every time he went round a corner, or sold it again after learning an ugly lesson about brake fade. None of that would be alright, and nor would a vehicle that shakes, bumps and drones. I’ve driven an AT44 and while you do of know about the size of its tyres every time they hit a bump, it’s nowhere near as intimidating as you might expect and its refinement was hardly affected at all. By contrast, I’ve also driven a badly modified Cherokee on 33s and it was almost uncontrollable.

So, the AT35 needs to be just like driving any other new-shape Defender. Or better, when you take it off-road.

How many of them will actually do that? Well, Isuzu has been selling the D-Max AT35 as part of its full main dealer line-up for almost a decade.

Back when they launched it, one of the company’s senior executives told us that he ‘hoped’ buyers

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would use the vehicle to its full capabilities. I asked the same guy the same question a couple of years ago, and this time he had the benefit of experience to inform his answer: ‘They buy it as a second or third car because they like the way it looks.’ No doubt, no bull: it’s all about the image.

And that’s with a traditional off-roader. The Defender might be an off-roader, and a pretty good one in its own very electronic way, but people buy them to be an up-yours school-runner. And there’s a strong aftermarket making them a little taller, a little wider and a lot chintzier for customers who want to say no, up YOURS is what.

And then there’s the AT35. It might cast a passing glance at all that silliness and laugh quietly to itself, but it’s for the guy who wants to rise above it. Literally. Or, to put it another way, it’s for the guy who wants to turn up to a pop-gun fight with a Howitzer. In Arctic Trucks’ own words, it’s ‘the most cool, capable and stylish Defender available on the planet.’

Many of you reading this will say that actually, an old Tdi or Td5 with the right set of mods to make it a consummate off-roader or expedition

truck is the coolest Defender on the planet. But if you were forced to buy a current SUV, a Defender is still the one you’d choose. And if you could stretch to it, an AT35 conversion is probably the way you’d go about making sure you weren’t mistaken for a tragic school-runner trying to oneup their fellow mums.

So what would you get? Starting with the fundamentals, you’d get a Defender with its original suspension lifted by +15mm. That’s about three-fifths of an inch. As an option, you can instead choose a replacement set-up using adjustable 10-position Bilstein front coilovers and rear springs and shocks; this hikes the lift to +20mm, so now you’re looking at more like fourfifths of an inch.

More important than the lift, though, is the fact that it allows for those tyres – 325/60R20 BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrains as standard or, a no-cost option, the same company’s KM3 MudTerrains in 35x12.50R20. In each case, these are fitted on Arctic Trucks’ own forged 20x10” ET-25 dual-valve alloys in satin black. If you’re screaming in frustration at this, the good news is that the

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“It’s for the guy who wants to rise above it all… or to turn up to a pop-gun fight with a Howitzer”

There are companies that make Land Rovers taller and wider because people want Land Rovers that are taller and wider.

Arctic Trucks makes Land Rovers taller and wider because it wants them to be able to drive up a mountain with a blanket of snow on it; however self-conscious and badged-to-the-max the detailing now is, when all’s said and done this is still a classic case of form following function vehicle’s brakes remain standard, so you should be able to fit a proper set of rims around them and instead choose a fitment with enough sidewall to be worthy of the name.

Almost like standard

Does less than an inch of lift really allow the Defender to take a 35” tyre? You wouldn’t expect so on its own, but Arctic Trucks has always believed in gaining lift from every available source – in other words, not putting all its eggs in one basket. The aforementioned Cherokee on 33s had an 8” suspension lift and nothing else, whereas those AT35 Isuzus have a little in the suspension, a little in the body mounts and a little in the wheelarches, and they drive almost like standard.

In the case of the Defender, the Arctic Trucks package includes ‘extensive re-engineering and metalwork to body and bodywork’ and ‘widened fender flares featuring a recessed Arctic Trucks tyre pressure detail.’ So, a virtual lift to go with the actual one. And while buying in suspension from Bilstein and tyres from BFG can’t have been cheap, this is where the biggest part of the price is

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going – anyone can bash a hammer against a set of wheelarches until their tyres don’t rub any more, but it takes skill to do it so it works, it looks right and, critically, it’s repeatable.

The Arctic Trucks detailing on the arches is not the only example of the company’s badge you’ll find. Indeed, the spec list also includes a detailing package on the grille, doors, side steps, tailgate, wheel centres, mud guards, interior mats and number plate surrounds. You get an Arctic Trucks 30th Anniversary decal, too, as well as a certificate of authenticity to say this is a real one.

Also included in the AT35 package are heavyduty aluminium side steps, bigger and stronger mud guards, rear recovery points, locking wheel nuts, carpet mats and Arctic Trucks’ Obsidian Black styling pack – which includes trims for the front and rear bumpers, side panels and grille.

They re-calibrate the truck’s speedo to suit its new wheels, too – and, just in case you have a warranty claim and the Land Rover dealer starts puffing out its chest, a choice of warranties.

You want more? Options include a bespoke leather interior (seats, doors, dash, centre console,

steering wheel) featuring debossed Arctic Trucks logos, a tailgate mount for the spare wheel and a roof-mounted Lazer Linear-42 Elite LED bar.

Lots of ways to add to the final bill, then – which, since you’ve already bought a new car from Land Rover, will not be an unfamiliar feeling. Neither will the, shall we say, reassuringly expensive price on the package as it comes, which is £29,995 plus VAT. Not as cheap option, then, but when you’re looking for someone to make engineering upgrades to a vehicle that’s already cost you the thick end of a hundred grand or more, there’s a fairly strong argument for saying cheapness is unlikely to be high on your list of must-haves.

Three decades of heritage, on the other hand?

Well, if you’re a Land Rover buyer you appreciate the importance of a brand. We can argue all day long about what that brand actually means, but people DO trust a name they know. And for Arctic Trucks, just as surely as for Land Rover, that’s the entry point for a vehicle that looks at the competition and laughs. The AT35 is taller, and wider… and so much more.

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£171,600+ RANGE ROVER SPORT SV IS A THING PRODUCED BY URANUS

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n Greek mythology, Theia was the daughter of Gaea and Uranus. The personification of heavenly light, she was associated with sight, prophecy and everything that shimmers.

And with having sex with her brother. Those celestials, huh, the stuff they got up to.

JLR is getting up to stuff too. No, not that kind of stuff. The kind of stuff that involves

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Theia’s name being used for one of five ‘exquisite curations inspired by ancient mythology and the cosmos’ in the new Range Rover Sport SV Celestial Collection.

Called Gaea, Theia, Io, Vega and Sol, the collection ‘will be offered to selected clients.’

JLR getting up to something even more sickening than having sex with your brother there, then. In the company’s own words, ‘the debut collection

from the SV Bespoke Design team features meticulously curated content including bespoke colours and finishes, with 23” wheels, carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fibre bonnets and unique symbolism throughout the luxuriously appointed interiors.’

We won’t go into all the details of the five ‘curations’ (JLR’s favourite word and, in the context of car parts, a potent symbol of talking

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out of Uranus), because you’re apt to chew your own hands off. But to give you a flavour of what it’s all about…

Gaea: Themed on The Earth, this is painted matt green and has carbon tailpipes and brake calipers for ‘a natural modern look’ as well as silver birch trim inside.

Theia: Shimmering light is seen in satin grey paint containing a hint of metal flake and 23”

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champagne gold forged rims, as well as a satin carbon finisher in the centre console.

Io: Pronounced as in ‘I owe the bank a small fortune after my new SUV depreciated by a twice my salary in a year,’ this is painted bright orange to represent the similarly named moon of Jupiter, which is more volcanic than a Range Rover owner who’s just had their insurance quote.

Vega: Tottenham Hotspur spent a billion quid on a new stadium, haven’t won anything for a decade and a half and famously managed to come third in a two-horse race for the 2016 title, and this is one of two curations named after the club’s former centre-backs. It’s blue, like 2016 title winners Leicester City, and while Ramon Vega did actually win something with Spurs in 1999, JLR says that actually the name comes from the Arabic al-nasr al-wāqi‘. Time to refer you back to our previous comment about Uranus.

Sol: Another Spursy special, Sol Campbell gives his name to a Range Rover with a yellow paint finish. Actually, looking at the colour perhaps it’s named after the Mexican beer instead. Oh, it’s ‘a representation of the Sun which has always served as a powerful symbol of life and divinity,’ sorry. Black wheels and blue calipers reference the financial state of Macclesfield Town and Southend United during Campbell’s spells as their manager, and you can choose between these two colours for the interior too.

Whichever of these five Celestial themes you go for, JLR has stepped it up a notch with its use of the ‘curated’ thing – around the interior, you’ll find badges saying Sol Curation, Gaea Curation and so on. All very fancy, though at £171,600 even for a non-Celestial SV you may well prefer to say stick it up Uranus.

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IN-WHEEL MOTORS HELP BEDEO ELECTRIFY A 110 – WITH NO WEIGHT PENALTY

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here’s no shortage of specialists ready to help you convert your Defender to electric power. A few threaten to be affordable: most want you to combine the work with a major restoration that turns the vehicle into a cool, modern lifestyle statement.

But none of them have been able to do it using in-wheel motors.

Until now. Step forward Bedeo, ‘which says it’s ‘aiming to decarbonise our transportation systems with the use of retrofits versus buying a brand new vehicle in the quest to reduce emissions.’ A noble goal.

Bedeo is a group of companies which includes Protean Electric, whose in-wheel motor (IWM) technology is at the heart of the new Reborn Electric: Icons range. The company says the conversion is suitable for any vehicle, however it chose the Defender as a flagship with which to launch the service, presenting it aboard a formerly Td5-engined 110 station wagon.

A common anti-electrification argument is that EVs are heavier than conventionally powered cars, however Bedeo says its motors, batteries and charging hardware weighs no more than the diesel engine and gearbox that’s removed from the vehicle. Said battery is a 75kWh unit, giving the Defender an estimated range of 153 miles using the WLTP standard.

The conversion comes as standard with a 22kW on-board charger, which takes five hours to top up the battery to 100%. Ideal if all you’ll be doing is short journeys and can recharge overnight, however on vehicles designed to be used for longer journeys an optional 50kW fast charger can do the job in 90 minutes.

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Of course, range estimates are based on a standard vehicle, however Bedeo says its technology ‘empowers customers with an unparalleled level of customisation.’ The company plans to work with partner businesses which will offer its EV conversion as part of a wider restoration or upgrade process similar to those which are already available from other sources. The IWM feature is what makes it unique – however as with anything else, a set of 40” mud tyres and all that goes with them will inevitably have an effect on the amount of battery power it takes to shift the truck around.

‘The classic car community has warmly embraced the idea of converting their beloved vehicles to run on electric power,’ says Bedeo boss Osman Boyer. ‘However until now, none have ventured into utilising in-wheel motors to tap into the advantages of weight reduction and engineering enhancements.

‘Through our Reborn Electric: Icons program, we are committed to maintaining the original car’s kerb weight, charm and driving dynamics, while ensuring easy maintenance and delivering the benefits of electrification.

For the Defender, and other models to come, this means zero tailpipe emissions, zero noise and the preservation of the nostalgic driving experience we all cherish, now brought into the 21st Century without sacrificing its essence or adding unnecessary, bulky weight.’

It’s safe to say that not everyone in the classic car community has warmly embraced EV conversions, and the same can be said of Defender owners. Still, this is the way the world is going – and with the ability to last many times

longer than most everyday cars, the Defender is the natural choice to take it there.

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 03/11/2024 10:14

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04/10/2023 09:19

KIND OF A BIG DEAL

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eople who are into off-roading have a certain kind of relationship with monster trucks. You kind of recognise that they’re cut from the same cloth as your own vehicle… suspension lift, big tyres and all… but you don’t want the outside world to think that’s what you’re all about. We’re off-roaders, dammit, these big tyres aren’t for show you know, we understand you can have too much lift, leave us alone, etc etc.

Except those big tyres are actually for show most of the time, and when you go to an RTV trial and some old boy on 6.00-16s drives his completely standard Series II everywhere your butch 90 can go, you get all yeah but no but yeah about the fact that your 37” Super Phallus Radials were absolutely necessary cos you know there’s that green lane near you and one time my mate Gaz got down it and I was still on standard 235s and, and, werp, cringe…

Which is why offroaders don’t like monster trucks. If you’re not into offroading but you are into Land Rovers, on the other hand, you might not care much one way or the other. Monster trucks will be about as relevant to you as

top fuel dragsters. Except you might bristle just a bit at this one, because that’s a Range Rover CSK up there.

Pause while you wipe up the cornflakes you’ve just spluttered everywhere in indignation. Let’s go again, shall we? Actually, maybe I ruined your breakfast unnecessarily there. The identity is not that of a venerated classic. But it could be said that the body is.

Believe in it

Wot? ‘The two-door shell was bought new from Land Rover direct in 1992 or 93,’ explains Sean Parker. ‘So it could be classed as a CSK shell.’

Perhaps a little bit of a stretch, but if you know your Range Rover history you’ll know what he means. It’s a bit like Santa – if you want to believe, well then it’s true.

So, what we have is a man who bought an entire shell from Land Rover more than 30 years ago. This is going to be a project with a bit of a story to it, then. And the first part of the story…

Body-wise, the Rangey is a sort-of CSK, so quite rightly it’s V8powered. Not that a 5.7-litre Chevy V8, even one that was fresh out of a crate, is the sort of thing a concours judge would be happy to see aboard anything with a Solihull badge on its bonnet

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The big Chevy spins the Range Rover’s original four-speed auto and two-speed transfer case via an Overfinch adaptor. The axles are controlled by a set of home-brewed radius arms that are longer than the wheelbase on some 4x4s, and you might need a notebook to keep count of all the dampers. That’ll be what a set of 49.00x21R20 tyres does for you, then… he put it away in a barn and next thing you know it was 2004.

By now, the vehicle is in its thirties. Not the shell, the chassis and therefore the identity, which dates from 1973 and makes this doubly confounding for classic Rangey sniffers as we’ve now got a sort-of CSK perched on a suffix A identity. ‘Although not much of the donor is left,’ says Sean, ‘to me I think the shell and registration are where the main value is. Kingsley Cars will sell a bare shell that’s been made up from new panels for £24k, so it’s hard to value what I’ve got as it’s a genuine bodyshell from Land Rover.’

Genuine and unmolested, too, save for welding up the openings for the shock turrets on the inner wings. But what’s this talk of value?

Sean is currently thinking the unthinkable and considering whether to strip the Range Rover for parts. ‘I’m currently in the throes of what to do with it,’ he admits. ‘Do I break it for spares or spend a month of Sundays getting it looking A1 again, or sell it as a complete truck which can be driven away?’

Well, we’d pitch in by suggesting that while the shell and registration are indeed where the main value lies, in terms of what’s going to get

someone to put their hand in their pocket, you don’t have to spend much more time listening to Sean to understand what really makes the truck worth its salt. ‘We have spent 1000s of man-hours on this project… eaten over £1000 worth of take-aways… drunk over £1000 worth of beer (well, one of us has anyway!) We’ve each smashed our heads and other body parts at least 10 times, lost our tempers, well, just once or twice… Grown a few more grey hairs… and lost some. Celebrated two Christmases and two birthdays each… a wedding… and a few close divorces!’

The ‘we’ in question are Sean himself plus Chris Caluori and Ian Standen. ‘We’ve used so much power, we’ve added an even bigger hole in the ozone layer!’ Sean continues. ‘We’ve put far too much money, effort and time into this truck. But most of all, a group of mates that have known each other almost all our lives have built a monster truck out of an old British legend, the faithful Range Rover!’

First timers

As the above suggests, it took two years for the trio to see the Rangey through from bare chassis

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You might expect it to look horrific in here, but it’s quite the opposite. This is the interior of a nice, well preserved and carefully looked after Range Rover Classic. Well, it always did make you feel like you were elevated above everyone else on the road… just not normally in such a literal sense… to show-ready condition (it took first prize first time out, as if you didn’t just know that anyway).

That was in 2008, since when Sean reckons it might have covered 500 miles in total.

That’s 500 miles on a 5.7-litre Chevy V8.

No, not some old hunk of rust fetched out of a dumpster in Alabama – this was a brand new crate engine, bought in 2004 and mated to the Range Rover’s own four-speed auto box using an Overfinch adaptor. The transfer box is still in place, and custom props (plural – it’s still fourwheel drive) spin the diffs in a pair of modified Range Rover axles. These in turn are bolted up to a set of custom tractor-style wheels wearing 49.00x21R20 Irok Super Swampers – ‘the largest road legal tyres you could buy at the time,’ says Sean.

You’d assume that with all this going on, between the engine note and tyre noise you wouldn’t be able to hear a stereo but Sean fitted one anyway. He also made a full set of custom door cards and rear inner trim, fitted a 1993 dashboard and finished the exterior with a set of genuine Brooklands bumpers, which he modified to mate with the extended wheel arches, setting the seal on a monster truck that could be driven to shows and admired once at them.

And it was, for a while, but now here we are a decade and a half later and what you’re looking at is a Range Rover that’s freshly into its second

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half-century but facing an uncertain future. Is Sean going to end up deciding to take it back to its show-winning state, or will he go after the money and pull it apart? Or will someone else take it on and turn it into their own vision of the perfect Range Rover?

One classic or two?

If it’s to become a classic, it’ll need to become two classics. A ’73 identity and a ’93 shell, even a two-door, don’t add up to much in the eyes of any scrutineer we’ve ever met. Though if you’re like us and consider the owner-builder community to be intrinsic to what the Land Rover vibe is all about, you could certainly argue that a Suffix A with a late body and a Chevy lump is actually very appropriate. Drop it back down to a more normal height and you’ve got a Range Rover that’ll make the right people ask the right

questions while going over the head of a majority who don’t know a history sleeper when they see one. Just promise us you won’t turn it into an off-road beater…

And there we are talking about off-roaders again. And you know what they’re like with monster trucks. We’d take Orange Crush back down to its original ride height, lose the big arches and Brooklands gear, put it in paint from the early 70s then stand back and watch while people try to figure out what they’re looking at. And then we’d set off at a nice slow pace, listening to the burble, and get down to the business of finally running in that Chevy V8. The possibilities in this Range Rover are endless – and so is the potential.

Thanks to Sean Parker for his help in compiling this article

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 05/11/2024 00:09

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Book Review

Trans Africa Land Rover

By Martin Port Published by Porter Press (2022), £30.00 his remarkable publication, by classic car specialist and Land Rover fan Martin Port, is a biography of Philip Kohler told through the story of his travels in Africa in the late 1950s and early 60s. It is, however, much more than that. It’s the biography of the 88” Series II in which he did it, and the story of a continent finding its way into the modern world.

Kohler’s name is not as well known as it should be, however as a location manager in the movie industry he worked on almost 40 different feature films including several in the James Bond franchise. Born in Australia in 1933, he set out to see the world in 1955 and spent time in London before buying a new Land Rover and taking to the road – on an expedition that was to last three years as he explored a continent in a state of great change.

This was overland travel at its most straightforward, with none of the comforts we consider essential today. Kohler’s Land Rover was not modified or accessorised, and he carried little with him aside from the absolute essentials needed to survive and keep the vehicle running.

He did, however, take a camera. And the result was a fabulous set of images documenting not just the expedition itself but his life before and afterwards. These appear liberally throughout the

T

book, along with an astonishing collection of personal documents – letters, tickets, receipts, passports and more – illustrating a story whose richness of breadth and depth is hard to comprehend.

Some time in the 1990s, Philip Kohler parked his Land Rover in front of his home.

Whether he knew this would be for the last time is impossible to know, however it stayed there until after his death in 2015, becoming a well known local landmark in Shepherd’s Bush. He had resisted all offers to sell it, saying he wanted to know it was there should he ever wish to travel the world again.

Thus the final chapter tells the story of its restoration – a sympathetic process done by the author himself, whose over-arching policy was to keep it looking exactly as it was when its only other owner drove it home across Africa.

There could be no more fitting conclusion to sich a book. However the Land Rover’s story continues. Having bought and restored it, Martin Port now uses it as his daily driver – something which, one suspects, Kohler himself would approve of.

Perhaps another trans-Africa expedition awaits? For now, this magnificent book is a superb testament to a man, and his Land Rover, whose lives should serve as a true inspiration to all those who dream of seeing the world.

“This book is a superb testament to a man whose life should serve as a true inspiration to all those who dream of seeing the world”

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03/11/2024 10:15

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USA GETS ITS FIRST CLASSIC LAND ROVER EV

F

or the first time, classic car EV conversion specialist Everrati has shipped an electric Land Rover to a customer in the USA. Showcasing Britain’s determination to honour classic vehicles while being environmentally responsible, the 88” Series IIA was delivered to Craig, the owner of a corporate and equestrian law practice and collector of classic cars which he drives on his polo fields in Florida.

Symbolically, the handover of the vehicle took place at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. And it’s not at all symbolic in any way at all that the venue happens to be referred to as ‘The Disneyland of Polo’.

Craig talked about protecting the environment and sustainability, which is presumably why he bought an old Land Rover, had it totally rebuilt with electric drivetrain and then had it shipped or indeed air freighted across the Atlantic Ocean.

Everrati is a British company focused on electrifying classic vehicles, and it already has

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a showcase including Porsche 911 and even a Ford GT40, with customers dotted around the world. Given the company is only about five years old, that’s quite a list of achievements. Naturally, Land Rover and Range Rover have been target vehicles before, but this is the first to head across the Atlantic.

The vehicle in question is a very late Series IIA, dating as it does from 1971, which has been completely restored from the ground up. The interior has some more contemporary touches, like seats that might actually be comfortable, plus a teak floor to go with the wooden steering wheel. The Bridge of Weir leather seats in the front, matched by bench seats in the rear, add just one of the touches of English class. Bridge of Weir, in the sort of attention to detail one notices, was chosen not just for its quality but also for the fact that it produces the lowest carbon leather in the automotive industry.

But, obviously, the major changes have taken place under the bonnet. There you will find a

60kWh battery pack sufficient for 150bhp and a range of 150 miles from the two electric motors.

This then offers two or four-wheel drive along with the off-road capability you’d expect from a classic Land Rover. Although in this case, the battery is in the front rather than in, say, a Tesla where the substantial weight is spread out lower down in the floorpan.

However, given the climate in Florida, Craig should at least get the full range from the battery pack, aided as it is by regenerative braking, and AC and DC fast-charging capability. It would also be easy to forget that the original range of the IIA was actually about 150 miles anyway.

Also, let’s not gloss over the 150bhp, the better part of a 100bhp increase. That offers a 0-60mph time of 13 seconds, a full ten seconds faster than the original. We’re assuming braking has received some serious attention. And, given that we live in a changing world, it’s to Everrati’s credit that the company has ensured that all the motive power work is reversible, should the electricity grid finally collapse under the weight of all these EVs being charged.

This vehicle, called The Polo Commission for obvious reasons, certainly looks the part and, with its quiet driving, definitely shouldn’t scare the horses in the polo fields. However, this isn’t the first Land Rover IIA that Everrati has exported. Last year it sent another example to Amsterdam, to an owner who already owned an electric yacht so that both can quietly hum along the serene waterways of Holland.

If you wanted to follow suit you’d need to give Everrati a ‘straight, rust-free and clean title donor’.

Oh and £160,000.

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 03/11/2024 10:06

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LUNAZ BUILDS REPLICA JAMES BOND RANGE ROVER FROM OCTOPUSSY – WITH AN ELECTRIC TWIST LUNAZ HAS UNVEILED A 1983 RANGE ROVER ‘SAFARI’ IN HOMAGE TO THE OPEN-TOP MODEL DRIVEN BY JAMES BOND IN OCTOPUSSY. Built to commission, the vehicle posed a unique challenge as, without the strength provided by a roof, its body and chassis needed to be substantially reinforced to provide a suitably robust platform for Lunaz’ fully electric 375bhp powertrain.

Underneath, the Range Rover runs bespoke springs and adjustable dampers, while front and rear axles have six and four-piston disc brakes respectively and, of course, use regenerative braking. Lunaz says that none of the original vehicle’s legendary off-road abilities have been compromised, with approach, breakover and departure angles remaining standard – as is a wading depth of 500mm.

Inside, Lunaz says the Range Rover is the most extensively developed vehicle it has ever produced.

It features a 3D printed composite centre console, developed over the course of two years, which the company will now use in all its future Range Rover builds. Trimmed in mocca walnut, this houses an infotainment screen running CarPlay and Android Auto as well as heating and air-con controls, and which becomes a rear-view camera when reverse is engaged.

Overall, the company says that in total, it has put more than 5000 hours into creating the vehicle.

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‘Lunaz has become known for elevating the most beautiful and elegant classic cars in history,’ explains founder David Lorenz. ‘With this Range Rover, we’re showing that our incredibly detailed and exacting approach can be applied to more playful icons, so they can be enjoyed for their own sake. I believe that this stunning electrified restomod captures this perfectly, elevating the Range Rover Classic to a place that perfectly marries its utility with a contemporary and precisely executed new interior and exterior design treatment.’

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 03/11/2024 10:16

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05/11/2024 15:39

A BARN FIND FOUND IN A BARN Barn finds tend to be found anywhere but in a barn.

But that’s where this 1950 Series I was discovered – not just in a barn, but in a remote barn on a hill farm in the middle of Italy Words: Tom Alderney

H

ow often do you hear the term ‘barn find’ being applied to a Land Rover that’s clearly just spent a few years with its owner tripping over it every time he goes to get something out of his garage?

They’re almost as frequent as the ‘time warp’ classics for whom the description ought to be ‘quite low miles but still a shed.’

We all know about dealers who use ‘barn find’ as a dodgy kind of provenance patina, though that’s more patronising than deceptive. Either way, the worst thing is when the barn in question turns out to be a field, or a hedge. When there’s

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a tree growing up through the engine bay and a goat living in the back, and the seller insists that it’s a freshly discovered classic rather than a piece of toxic scrap his wife is sick of looking at while she’s washing the dishes, you know someone’s out to take the you-know-what.

At the other end of the scale is a nice dry barn.

It might be full of spiders but if it’s also full of cool motors it’s heaven on a hillside. If the hillside is in Italy, that’s even better (the spiders might be big, but you can be pretty sure it’s a lot warmer and drier than if it was in Cumbria and that’s got to be good for what you’ve come to see).

Actually, when the owner of this Series I found it on a farm in central Italy, he had gone to see something else entirely. His name’s Rob and he’s into vintage Italian bikes.

‘This Land Rover is a genuine barn find,’ he tells us. ‘How do I know? Because I found it. In a barn.’

‘It was on a remote mountain farm in central Italy. I had gone there to look at an old Lambretta that the farmer wanted shifting – and found this.’

Dating from 1950, the Landy is an 80” model with the correct 1.6-litre engine. Correct but not necessarily original, Rob points out; having done the deal and trailered it home to Britain, he found

03/11/2024 10:11

that there was no engine number anywhere to be seen – so it might be the unit with which it came out of Solihull, but nobody can be sure.

When it did come out of Solihull, it went into the hands of the family who were to be its only owners up until 2021. They were Italian, but they kept it in Britain until 1974 (note that it’s righthand drive) when they took it back home on a permanent export licence. It spent the next couple of decades at work on their farm before they parked it up, some time when John Major was Prime Minster, in the barn where Rob found it.

All things considered, it had lasted well. The chassis was still original, with the correct number stamped in it to match the vehicle’s documents; it had a hole in it but it wasn’t a goner by any stretch, and it didn’t take much for the vehicle to be drivable, at least in a rudimentary way. Enough, at any rate, for Rob to be able to note that it was jumping out of gear at times in second.

As always with almost any Land Rover of this age, the Series has had stuff done to it at various points in its life. That’s inevitable – but all told it’s still very straight and original indeed. Straight, original and ready for what looks like it should, by Series I standards, be an easy restoration.

Only Rob won’t be restoring it. That was the plan when he brought it back, but time, money and his first love of old Italian bikes ended up dictating otherwise.

Rob says the process of importing the vehicle back to the UK is complete, however it’s not yet registered for the road so once its new owner is done with restoring it that’ll be the final piece in the jigsaw. He’s done his research about this subject, though, having contacted the Series I club for their advice – which was that he would have a good chance of getting it back on its original registration.

With an asking price of £12,750, this is not a giveaway in the current market – though knowing what we know about Series I values, the opportunity is there to put in some work and earn a tidy sum for it. It’s a little tired and a little crusty in places, but nowhere near as scary a project as some we’ve seen – and six months from now, it’ll be celebrating the start of its 75th anniversary year. If you’re not imagining what might be, take a moment and check you’re still breathing…

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Court orders Gwynedd local authority to repair Happy Valley byway following legal action by Green Lane Association Happy Valley is a celebrated public right of way north of the Dovey estuary near Tywyn in Gwynedd.

Also known as Cwm Maethlon, it’s a little more than three miles in length and is famous for the spectacular views if offers of the mountainous landscape around it.

It’s not the most challenging of lanes, though it does also include some narrow and moderately tricky sections. However it has traditionally been driven as an appetiser to the nearby Horseshoe Lane (also known as Bastard Lane), which would be the technical highlight of any day out.

Over the course of many years, however, Happy Valley has become a lot less of a happy place to be thanks to a cycle of damage and neglect which has allowed a localised area of moderate erosion to degenerate into an impassable barrier to progress – not just for 4x4 drivers but cyclists, horse riders and even pedestrians too. Part of the problem is that getting past the damaged ground means detouring on to what is a protected landscape.

As can often be the case, once a lane falls into this kind of disrepair it can be lost to a spiral of inertia as the damage gets worse with every vehicle that tries to get through, the local authority does nothing and the route becomes unusable. In the case of Happy Valley, it’s been well over half a decade since the problems started.

Responsible 4x4 users, led by the Green Lane Association (GLASS), have been standing by ready to help with repairs, and for several years the lane has been under voluntary restraint to prevent further damage to the route itself and the land bordering the problem section. But it has been a long, long wait for a happy ending to show itself.

Regrettably, it has taken court action to bring the situation to a head. Following legal action by GLASS, Llandudno Magistrates Court ordered Gwynedd Council to repair the byway so that it can once again be used by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and drivers.

And in what seems like a completely unnecessary use of public money, the local authority’s unwillingness to carry out its legal duties without compulsion has resulted in it being forced to pay GLASS’ legal fees for bringing the action.

‘There have been problems with the route for the last seven years,’ explains the Association. ‘The surface of the byway has deteriorated over time, including after suffering damage during Storm Doris in 2018.

‘Later that year, GLASS successfully worked with Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) to carry out repairs. The Association funded the work, which brought this section of the route back into good repair.

‘Unfortunately, a later section of the byway then deteriorated to the point where it was impassable to all users and anyone, including walkers, cyclists and horse riders, trying to use this section of the byway, had to go on to a protected landscape in order to pass through. The GLA again sought to work with SNPA to carry out repairs but these efforts were unsuccessful and the Authority, which has day-to-day responsibility for highways in the area, imposed a Traffic Regulation Order on the route to ban motorised access because the byway was in such a poor state.

‘After GLASS tried repeatedly to engage with both SNPA and Gwynedd Council about helping with repairs, the situation remained unchanged and the Association was left with no option but to serve a Section 56 notice on Gwynedd Council, which has overall legal responsibility for highways in the area. After two procedural hearings, the council agreed to the consent order without going to trial.

‘The order states that the council must repair the surface of the route and carry out drainage work between two specified points within 12 months so that it can once again be enjoyed by all users, including those in vehicles.’

Gwynedd Council has agreed to make the right of way passable once again by September 2024.

This is right at the start of the now-traditional winter TRO season, and it’s not unusual in these cases for a further six-month closure to be implemented while repairs bed in, however the good news is that like the nearby Carn March Arthur, this iconic lane will soon be repaired and ready once more to be welcome responsible users.

‘This is a great result for everyone who wants to access our countryside in a responsible way without encountering accessibility problems,’ said GLASS Vice-Chairman Chris Mitchell. ‘This was a route that had not been maintained for several years, despite the local authority having a statutory duty to do so.

‘We would have preferred to work with the national park authority and local authority to help carry out repair works but, unfortunately, despite efforts to arrange this, it was not possible. Legal action was a measure of last resort and we are pleased that so many users will now be able to enjoy the beauty of the route again, as is their right.

‘While we recognise this as a significant success in our fight against the unfair exclusion of users from public rights of way, GLASS is reminding its members, and other users, that they are expected to comply strictly with the GLASS code of conduct when using the route.’

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EFFORTLESS ADVENTURES ON ANY TERRAIN

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hen it comes to replacing tyres on your Land Rover, making the right choice is essential for the job your vehicle is expected to do. Some tyres are designed to maximise on road handling as well as performance and others are designed to gain maximum traction over certain surfaces such as mud, sand and snow.

Whatever your job or enthusiasm whether it be 4x4 adventures, greenlaning, countryside pursuits or land management, there is a tyre for you and your vehicle.

As any adventure seeker knows, taking care of your tyres and noticing anything out of the ordinary is key to preserving the life of your tyres and more importantly you and your vehicle.  Always check your tyres are inflated to

the correct pressure for on-road driving and re-inflated to the correct pressures coming off-road

028X 4x4 Tyres edit.indd 28

 Make sure you regularly check for foreign

objects such as stones in the tread blocks, if you allow them to become embedded, they may work into the casing and cause the tyre to deflate  Check for uneven wear of your tyre – this could

indicate a problem with the steering geometry of your vehicle. Symptoms of uneven wear can accompany anomalies such as the vehicle pulling to one side  When driving off-road it is very important to

check your tyres for bulges and cuts Choosing the right tyre for the right job is critical Dave Dineen, 4x4 and SUV tyre specialist advises “choice is essential for many different reasons, including environmental impact. Farmers are used to changing their tractor tyres for the conditions of service and the same methodology should be applied when selecting 4x4 tyres.

Standard road going tyres will struggle to grip off-road and are likely to slip and slide, risking damage to both vehicle and land.’’

The General Tire All-terrain Grabber AT3 allows precise steering, ensuring short braking distances on and off road. With its innovative pattern design the tyre achieves off-road grip through gripping edges that interlock with loose surfaces.

The open tread shoulder design ensures additional bite in off-road conditions including climbing out of ruts. The deep tread provides additional grip when the vehicle is travelling over muddy roads or slippery grassland. A series of stacked deflection ribs protect the upper sidewall of the tyre against penetration by deflecting obstacles away from the tyre body.

The General Grabber AT3 is truly an all yearround tyre for all seasons due to its 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol, a must have tyre for your Land Rover and Range Rover. Fit it and forget it.

05/11/2024 19:26

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05/11/2024 10:36 19:34 31/03/2023

HOT TRUCKS, HOT WEATHER AT REVIVED NEWARK SHOW

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t might be hard to believe, as we sit here looking out the window at the gathering mid-afternoon gloom, but the weather was beautiful a few short months ago. And it peaked to perfection for the Great British Land Rover Show at Newark on 23 June, when a bumper crowd turned up to enjoy an equally impressive array of show vehicles both within a busy exhibition hall and on the lawns outside.

Even the car park was like a show field in itself, with no end of Land Rovers to be admired – from the recently off-roaded to the pristine, from old to new and from standard to wildly and at times uniquely modified.

Beyond the entry gate, the first thing visitors were confronted with was a display of ex-AA Landies – their yellow paintwork looking particularly splendid in the sun. Beyond them, the VIP parking area provided an exceptional variety of Land Rovers, lined up and ready to be admired. Defenders to the fore, naturally, but we also spotted some beautifully presented Series trucks, a 101 and a 110 Wolf getting right into the spirit of it with a netful of camo up top. There were some tidy Discos in line, too – while the star of the show in most people’s eyes was a heavily patinated Series IIA Pink Panther complete with ammo boxes and deactivated machine guns.

The horns on the Walker Components stand certainly weren’t deactivated, on the other hand, which led to one or two moments of hilarity when people tried them and everyone else took off. Fortunately, the Nomad Coffee Company’s 110 was on hand nearby to help calm everyone’s nerves.

Those were sited outside, along with a range of clubs and more exibitors – one of the most eye-catching being Black Paw, whose L663 110 was getting no end of attention. The sky did cloud over as the day drew on, though even then the air stayed as warm as the atmosphere throughout.

It’s already feeling like that was summer, and now here we are having skipped autumn and gone straight into the chilly stuff, but worry not.

The good weather will be back – and so will the Great British Land Rover Show. If you’ve managed to get your Land Rover Yearbook nice and early, you might still be in time for the pre-Christmas edition at Stoneleigh on 24 November, then after that there’s the camper-friendly two-dayer at Bath and West on 26-27 April –before the fun returns to Newark on 3 August. We can feel the sun coming out already!

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Left: RIG Automotive is a regular at the Great British Land Rover Show, having first exhibited at Newark two years ago. The company’s boutique campers demonstrate its imaginative approach to converting vehicles – both the 130s seen here have featured in these pages before, and they continue to draw the crowds

Right: Bowler is part of Jaguar Land Rover these days, and the company’s well known name means its vehicles will always be guaranteed plenty of attention at shows

Below: Vault Classic is a new name in the high-end restoration game – and it’s aiming very high indeed. Its interior parts have the look of real game-changers, and its ‘Art Edition’ 90 is one of the most jaw-dropping Land Rovers we’ve seen for in a long time

Expertly marshalled by the All Wheel Drive Club, whose professionalism puts most actual professionals in the shade, the off-road route gave visitors the opportunity to give their own Land Rovers a workout on a course which, despite being surrounded by industrial buildings, still had a convincingly natural feel to it. The weather meant mud was at a premium, but the terrain kept everyone happy and the AWDC’s cheerful approach to running the route kept the vibe relaxed all day long

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2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:15

PLAN B

John Pinder always wanted a proper Toyota Land Cruiser. But having discovered how much they cost, he thought again… and ended up with a proper Defender instead Sponsored by Words: Paul Looe Pictures: Harry Hamm

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any Land Rover fans, even if they won’t admit it, have lusted after a Toyota Land Cruiser at some point in their lives. In most cases, they’re dreaming about lording it in one of the big luxury wagons that most frequently carry the name in the UK – but if you like your 4x4s to be as down to earth as possible, and you can see past the proper-shape Defender, you’re likely to accept that one of the world’s definitive utility trucks is one which has never been officially imported to this country.

You can quote codenames all day long, but when it comes down to brass tacks the word ’Troopie’ can be relied upon to make the world’s off-road cognoscenti come over all misty-eyed.

The made-for-the-military version of the awe-inspiring 70-Series is little short of a legend among overlanders and Outback dwellers alike, however they have only ever come here via the parallel import route. As is so often the case, everyone else gets more interesting vehicles than us.

Which of course just makes us want them all the more. So demand is high, supply is low and we all know what that’s going to mean for price. Pretty much think of a number then double it.

This is why John Pinder is not the owner of a Land Cruiser. He wanted an HDJ79 – a proper Aussie-style ute which is basically a pick-up version of the Troopie. These have only ever come to Britain through the side door and it takes a mountain of paperwork, plus an IVA test, before you can use them on the road. All of which adds up to another mountain of paperwork, this time the kind that comes out of cashpoints.

So John was put off completely by the price of owning a 70-Series. Instead, he turned his attention to building something comparable out of what was available in the UK at non-stupid money. This meant a Land Rover Defender, which may raise an eyebrow because there was a long spell when they cost the stupidest money on the entire car market, but look at the alternatives and you’ll see that there weren’t any.

The Defender in question was a 1993 Defender 110 HCPU. Not the use of the word ‘was.’ It’s rather more than that now. John cooked up his Plan B in collaboration with his close friend Leigh Platts, which was a good move because if you want a truck building, he’ll do it right.

There are many words you could use to describe Leigh and none of them would do him justice.

Master, genius, artist, things like that – they all sound hackneyed and kind of trite when you look at John’s truck. So let’s do that instead and let it do the talking.

One glance should be more than enough to impress you. But when you learn about it, that moves things on to a whole new level. It goes from impressive to staggering.

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Let’s start with the merely impressive bit. It’s riding on 37x14.50R15 Maxxis Creepy Crawlers wrapped around steel modulars, courtesy of a custom air suspension system using P38 air springs, and the Hi-Cap back body has been fetched off for a flat tray. Behind the cab, it breathes out through a pair of vertical exhaust stacks measuring a cheerfully monstrous five inches in diameter. And just in case it didn’t look mean enough already, a coat of metallic black paint makes it more sinister than ever.

Not that you needed to know all that, because you can see the pictures and you get what we’re on about. Even when placed among a whole show field full of modified Land Rovers to make you salivate, this one stands out. We know this because when the 110 was fresh out of the workshop, John brought it to the Great British Land Rover Show at Newark and there was a crowd around it all day long.

Doing it right

So it looks as hard as an Aussie ute. But looks alone weren’t going to be enough for John, nor indeed for Leigh. These guys were only even going to be doing it right.

In this case, ‘right’ doesn’t mean just giving the original 200Tdi a wash and brush up and doing something optimistic involving a bigger intercooler.

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Under the 110’s bonnet is a 5.9-litre Cummins sixpot which used to spend its days shifting 18 tons of loaded dustbin lorry about the place.

This won’t be the first Cummins you’ve seen in a Land Rover, but it might be the first of its kind.

Leigh already had a 12-valve version of the engine in his own vehicle, but this one’s the more powerful 24-valve, common-rail job.

More powerful and, of course, more complicated. There’s an ECU involved and it held on to its original home like one of those babies you hear about who don’t want to get born. After a lot of head scratching, Leigh had to send the box of tricks away to be modified; when you consider that his day job involves mechatronic systems for top-end supercar makers, that’s an illustration of a) how good he is at this stuff, and b) what an absolute sod of a job we’re talking about.

So, with the ECU finally back and ready to talk, Leigh was able to set it up. Which he did, mapping it for as much power and torque as possible.

No, they haven’t had it on the rollers, but it shifts the 110 the way a driver shifts a golf ball off a tee. Acceleration from more or less any speed is irresistible – as is the noise from those two bigbore stacks, which bellow like a lion that’s just caught its missus in bed with his best mate. We’ll leave you to insert a joke here about having your pride dented.

Talking of having your pride dented, no-one wants to be the bloke sitting at the side of the road because his fancy new Carlos Fandango engine has trashed his gearbox. That’s never a good look.

To spare John the potential (read ‘inevitability’) of suffering this ignominy, Leigh suggested going like-for-like and mating what is a lorry engine to a lorry box. A five-speed manual ZF box, to be precise, which was a deceptively brave thing to do because the big Cummins was designed to have an auto bolted to its back end. Cue a new flywheel and housing. The standard Land Rover clutch was fine to go again, though.

Just checking you were paying attention there.

Leigh went to Clutchfix and came back with the sort of heavy-duty unit it takes to live with 37” tyres, enough torque to pull down a building and a vehicle whose engine alone weighs in at more than half a tonne. We’re in Big Stuff territory here, for sure.

Cowering in the corner

So the engine was right, the gearbox was right, the drivetrain already weighed more than HMS Ark Royal and now the transfer case was cowering in the corner. Leigh stripped it down and rebuilt it with new bearings and a four-pin Ashcroft diff, at the same time changing the gear ratios to suit what was coming down the line. It still has high

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:16

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The rear tray, along with its various fittings and the lockers beneath it, is just fabulously industrial – robust and totally fit for purpose, just like a Land Rover should be Leigh designed and built the suspension, which combines radius arm and panhard rod location up front with a rear A-frame and all-round air springs from a P38 Range Rover. The whole system allows articulation of up to 52”

and low range, but if John ever actually moves the lever forward it’s because he’s found a way of driving up a vertical wall. You could put it in first, get out and walk beside it and given the traction, it would scale Everest.

That’s if it doesn’t twist its axles into bits of knotted scrap, of course. The 110 came to John with Salisburys at both ends, rather than just the back, which is good because these are strong old things, but even so they were specced from the factory with Land Rover’s own engines in mind.

An initial test drive ended with the front diff getting torn to shreds; both axles are now home to heavy-

duty diffs and halfshafts, again from Ashcroft, which have so far proved up to the task.

So we’re looking at the sort of engine that makes little girls cry, and the sort of drivetrain that can live with the sort of engine that makes little girls cry, and that’s all very good but not much use if you put them on the sort of chassis that makes grown men cry.

Actually, considering this was the kind of 110 you pick up on the cheap, it could have been a whole lot worse. Leigh stripped it down and found that in the main, all it needed was outriggers.

There was a tray there for a rear winch, which he

was able to leave in place as John already knew by then that he wanted a flat bed at the back, and this in turn meant there was no need for a conventional rear crossmember. So with that done, he sent the chassis off for shot-blasting then had the whole thing galvanised so that John won’t face the same trouble in a couple of decades’ (read five years’) time.

Where there’s a chassis, there’s also a bulkhead. Well, to a great extent there was a bulkhead but when the truck came down it was immediately apparent that instead there was now the rotten mess you’d expect. Leigh had to cut

Steering is by Terrafirma, with heavy-duty rods backed up by an RTC damper. Also notable here is the original chassis, which was galvanised after gaining a couple of new outriggers; the axles, meanwhile, are both Salisburys with Ashcroft internals making them stronger than ever

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2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:16

This is what they’ve all come to see. The 5.9-litre Cummins six-pot is the 24-valve version of the company’s 400-Series diesel; it’s been mapped for as much power and torque as possible, which is enough to make the 110 look as light as a ballerina away the footwells, vent panel, door pillars and plenty more besides, before welding in enough new metal to make you wonder why they didn’t just get a new one instead.

But here’s why they didn’t just get a new one instead. The Cummins takes up a teensy little bit more space than a Tdi, as you’d expect, and cutting up a brand new bulkhead would be another very good way of making grown men cry. Leigh fitted the engine so he could measure up the mods that were going to be required, then having fetched it back off again he bolted up the bulkhead and shaped it in situ.

With that, the 110 had itself a solid frame and a drivetrain to make it shift. Job very nearly done, right? Well, yes and no, as anyone who’s ever retored or modified a Land Rover will tell you.

Mainly at this point, let’s revisit the suspension, which we earlier mentioned uses the air springs from a P38 Range Rover.

These are fed from a 600cc twin compressor, with a set of in-cab controls allowing John to adjust each corner individually. By no means is it just a reused Range Rover set-up – Leigh fabricated a whole set of brackets to fit the springs, and the flexibility in the system gives it

a massive 52” of travel at the front. And this is a Land Rover that wasn’t even built to be an extreme off-roader.

Instead, it’s basically an extreme everything. It’s a load-hauler of the very highest order, a supreme toy, the sort of daily you grew up having wet dreams about and best of all, a show truck that’s not a show truck but puts actual show trucks to shame. Fundamentally, it’s a lorry in a Land Rover’s body… and what a body. Those Toyota Land Cruisers are brilliant, brilliant things – but since deciding he couldn’t justify that kind of money, John Pinder has never looked back.

“It’s a show truck that’s not a show truck but puts actual show trucks to shame”

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04/11/2024 23:16

CAR ROYALE

A classic cocktail? Legacy Overland’s latest Range Rover restoration, codenamed Project Cassis, is exactly that.

All you need to do is top it up with champagne Words: Graham Scott Pictures: Legacy Overland

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eah yeah, we know. You’re faintly unhappy about another restored Range Rover story. This feature may contain a warning for mild envy and grumpiness as yet another very rich person lavishes hundreds of thousands of dollars on some old vehicle whose heritage may mean very little to them at all. It’s just another toy in the toybox. We get that.

So this isn’t one of those.

In fact, if you’re not careful, this may contain the sort of story in which gentle, faintly sad background music starts to fade in behind a saccharin voiceover. However, rest assured, it also features someone who is considerably richer than yeow.

What were you doing in 1985? There are many possibilities, everything from waiting to be born to, oh I don’t know, test-riding for SuperBike magazine or wondering why your second marriage appeared to be going the way of the first. Other options are available. What the people at Solihull were doing was rolling this Rangey off the line.

You could argue that was time well spent.

It rolled off the line and headed to its destination market, France. We like to send things to France, often armies intent on either conquest or defending the natives. In this case, we sent them a 3.5-litre V8-powered Range Rover, complete with the very latest in technology and materials.

The Range Rover’s owner will remember it as a thing with the stopping power of a supertanker. At least, he will if he doesn’t have his rose-tinted specs on. No such trouble for his own kids, though, thanks to a set of EBC pads whichclamp down on new discs.

The rubber betweeen them and the road sits on refurbished and painted Rostyle steels; it’s BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrain in nature, which is up for it without being gung-ho – ideal for a Range Rover built to see the right kind of action, though at 265/75R16 in size it definitely gives the vehicle some stance

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2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:47

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When the Range Rover arrived chez Legacy Overland, it was horrendous in that way only Range Rovers seem capable of being. Dismantling it to individual parts, the US company found that while the body and cabin needed to be carrying a public health warning, at least the running gear down below could be refurbed and made to go again. Important, because while replacing absolutely everything is one way to restore a vehicle, it’s not the way that involves said vehicle still being anything more than an imposter wearing its victim’s number plate

This included beige vinyl. Yet another of our little jokes at France’s expense.

However, compared to a Citroen 2CV it was a rolling palace of course, and was the prized possession of our hero’s father. What car did you learn to drive in? In my case it was a Renault 5. In the case of our hero it was this Range Rover. You tend to have a soft spot for your first Range Rover don’t you? And clearly this one afforded our hero many happy kilometres and memories. But, sadly, we all have to grow up.

At some point in the 1990s, the Range Rover was cast aside, like Woody and friends in Toy Story 3, the one that makes everyone cry. Yes, cue sad music as the Range Rover is sold, discarded, forgotten. It disappears into the past as our hero ventures forth into the world, a world that included the New World.

A successful life follows, but in the background not just the Range Rover but our hero’s father fades and grows old. And so it is that our hero decides that he needs to do something to

honour his father and honour all those great memories back in France. So he sets out on a quest to find the Range Rover. You can imagine that wasn’t an easy thing after decades and being in another country. Given the proclivity for rust, did it even exist?

It turns out it did. In 2018, our hero found it.

Given the number plate, it was probably down in Provence, but not the fancy eastern part like Cannes or Nice, instead further west near the mouth of the Rhone. That dry climate might have saved it, but clearly man rather than rust had been the main enemy.

It was in a shocking condition. If it was a horse it would have made everyone gasp at the visible signs of abuse and neglect it had suffered over many years. Bits were missing, the cabin was a disaster and there was rust and filler where paint and gloss used to be. In fact if it had been a horse they would have been putting up the screens round it and bringing out the gun. (Cue They Shoot Horses Don’t They by the Racing Cars.)

Instead, very carefully, the wreck of this onceproud Range Rover was transported all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the workshops of Legacy Overland.

It would have been considerably easier and massively cheaper to simply buy a new Range Rover. A modern one that has all the attributes that this one lacks, like all the electronics we’ve come to use without thinking, from assistance with cornering to stopping in a hurry or working out where you are without getting out a paper map. But where’s the story in that, where’s the epic tale, the happy ending? But will it have one?

Instead what was left of the original was taken apart nut by bolt, panel by sub-assembly. After painstakingly cleaning, repairing and rebuilding what they could, they started the task of putting everything back together again. It’s a tricky balance isn’t it, do you go totally 100% original or do you add things or replace things with things that, like, work better? In this case it’s a fairly seamless mixture of the two.

For example, the original didn’t have a sunroof, but it does now as the roof is from a Range Rover Classic about ten years younger than the original.

And then there’s that vexed issue of the beige vinyl and the plastics in the cabin. Sorry, memories aside, they had to go. It’s entirely possible that

beige vinyl is illegal in some American states. The writing was on the wall. Actually the writing was there from Legacy Overland themselves. When they start to say things like: ‘While vinyl is period correct and all…’ you know the game is up.

Full grain leather went in throughout the cabin, with the fascia and console areas wrapped in black leather. The steering wheel itself is the original, as gripped by our hero as a younger man, and this too has been rewrapped in black leather.

That was relatively simple, although of course simple is rarely easy.

But when it came to restoring the original fabrics it got rather trickier. The issue was that the original fabric and patterns were special choices used for mostly French models. As such, they don’t exist to buy anywhere, so to keep it right Legacy Overland would have to have them specially made, just for this vehicle.

So they did.

There are more subtle details. Our hero clearly wanted to carry children, to continue the relationship with the Range Rover, so Isofix seat anchors for child seats were installed and custom painted.

The seat belts themselves were again custom made so they matched in material and colour to the original, while representing the latest in safety for the occupants.

Naturally the cabin is gifted with the latest entertainment technology, including the best from Alpine, Blaupunkt and Pioneer. But you knew that.

And outside this Project Cassis, as it is known, there was a copious respray over the restored panels. Russet Brown was the original colour and so that’s what it is again, although perhaps Cassis

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The cabin has been restored back to French-market condition. That doesn’t sound especially onerous, until you learn that the seat fabrics don’t exist to be bought anywhere. Problem? Not when money talks: Legacy Overland simply went out and had the fabrics specially made. The sunroof, on the other hand, was original. Just not to this vehicle… would have been more attractive – but, of course, not original.

On the original theme, you’ll be relieved but not surprised to hear that they didn’t rip the heart of the beast out and replace it with a Duracell.

Instead the 3.5-litre V8 was taken back to its component parts and rebuilt, as was the five-speed manual gearbox and the transfer case. One of the few upgrades under the bonnet is a high-flow Weber carb but otherwise it runs probably much as the owner remembers it, albeit rather better.

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And it stops a great deal better too, with new discs all round gripped by EBC pads. These slow down the Rostyle 16” wheels which are painted silver and shod with BFGoodrich All-Terrains.

We can’t imagine this will be used for serious off-roading but perhaps a trip round the vineyards would be fun.

There are satin black bumpers front and rear and the overall shape of this older Classic reminds us that it was clean, light and suitable out of the box for some real-world off-roading before

later models added more bodywork, more weight and more complexity.

Judging by the pictures, this hasn’t happened to the Range Rover, nor its doting owner. Instead he can drive around in his boyhood memories with his own children on board. Okay, so they’re probably bored of hearing stories of how he learned to drive in it all those years ago in France – but it would be astonishing if, when they’re old, they don’t remember the feel, the sounds and the textures of Papa’s old Range Rover.

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:48

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05/11/2024 15:52

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2025 Land Rover Yearbook 05/11/2024 00:10

PUT THE BOOT IN

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Using off-the-shelf parts to build a unique Defender is a tough ask. Ashley Russell, on the other hand, took a late Td5 90 and created a Land Rover that looks standard for the outside – but has a scratch-built cabin modelled on a Georgian boot room Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Ashley Russell

I

built this truck for life,’ says Ashley Russell.

‘But life had different ideas.’ A somewhat sobering introduction to the story of a very, very special 2006 Defender 90 Hard-Top, but who among us hasn’t at some time had to make a painful decision about a much-loved Landy?

In Ashley’s case, it was simply a change of circumstances. Which could mean many different things, but we’re fairly sure the circumstances in question didn’t involve him going from being a guy who loves Land Rovers to one who wants to drive a sad Audi instead. When it’s in you, it’s in you.

And Ashley definitely had it in him. The 90 he got down to work on was by no means an old nail – it had started getting tugged for things like perished tyres, thinning brake discs, worn shock bushes and leaking swivels, but there was no one big MOT failure that said it was time for action. It had only covered about 4500 miles a year during its life, too, so said life had barely begun. A perfect Defender to restore into the truck of your dreams, for sure.

And that’s what he did – with help from a list of suppliers whose names read like a roll call in the Defender Hall of Fame. Retro Works of Kelso, for example, were his go-to guys for ‘fast fixes and every little piece I drew blanks on.’ Which was quite a lot, by the sounds of it. ‘James Black at Retro Works is just a total whizz and super speedy with delivery and orders. A game changer having him on board.’

Even after Ashley had restored it and subsequently found himself no longer able to keep the relationship alive, the 90 had only covered 76,000 miles. Not much in the lifetime of a Defender, so long as you don’t include the rear chassis which had done the usual thing. Rather than just do the crossmember, he opted for a galvanised rear 1/3-chassis – an early indication that he wasn’t planning on doing anything by halves. Having done that, he shot it full of wax to help keep it solid for decades to come.

That same approach can be seen in the renewal work on the 90’s suspension and running gear. Basically, if it wasn’t pukka it wasn’t going

One of the very best things about the 90 is that despite its show-stopping interior, from the outside it’s basically just a white van

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Above: The seats were trimmed by Adam Smith at Stitchsmith – who also contributed the full panel you see behind them here. The mango wood cubby box is the work of Ty Worthington at Built Motor Works, who happens to be a trained cabinet maker as well as everything else

Right: The Welsh dresser pretty much does your head in with its detailing and fit. And the fact that it’s a Welsh dresser, in a Land Rover. Adam Guinness at G Force installed it over the course of a weekend, with Ashley providing creative input and getting called a vandal for supplying such a beautiful antique piece to butcher in the first place. We can think of no better use for it… on. Standard-height Eibach comfort springs hold it up, controlled by Fox shocks and poly bushes, and a Bilstein performance steering damper adds a bit of zest to the handling.

All this was entrusted to another Scottish outfit, Engine 701, which trades out of a fabulously situated workshop in Port Edgar Marina on the edge of South Queensferry – literally in the shadow of the old and new Forth Road Bridges. ‘Engine 701 did all my other Land

Rovers before this one,’ explains Ashley. ‘With this build, they designed all the suspension, roll bars, wheels, brakes, shocks – all the heavy lifting. Doug knows me well and just knows what I want without words. Cool people, too – highend, no-nonsense engineers.’

Thumbs-up

Interestingly, though Engine 701 did the design work it was Vanstones, an independent specialist

in Launceston, that installed it. A bit more local and another company that gets a huge thumbsup from Ashley. ‘Vanstones were my absolute go-to for everything else,’ he says. ‘The twins and the team there have hearts of gold. They go to any lengths to get that Landy into the real world and Dave has wonderful ideas to keep it all exciting and new.’

Talking of things that are exciting and new, the Td5 engine was warmed up by a Stage 2 remap and Ultimate intercooler from Alive – which also fitted a silicone hose kit, EGR delete and highflow air filter. The engine is running Alive’s rad and intercooler hoses, too, and it breathes out through an exhaust from Demand Engineering.

So this is on the quick side for a 90, and it’s got the dynamics to match. But one thing it’s not is showy. In fact the restraint in its appearance is remarkable – it sits on standard height (265/75R16) tyres, which are mounted on steel rims with a slightly higher offset to add an inch or two to the vehicle’s track, but that aside you could be looking at any old Hard-Top. In fact, the only thing distinguishing it from a run-of-the-mill

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site motor is that it’s clean as a whistle and not covered in scratches and dents.

That’s how it looks from the outside. Open a door – any door will do – and you instantly see that as well as being a bit of a street sleeper, the 90 is also a bling sleeper.

Yes, of course that’s a thing. Well, at least it is now.

What we mean is that it looks so plain from the outside, nobody expects what it’s got within.

Ashley says it was ‘inspired by a Georgian boot room, with hooks, boxes and generous space for it all,’ which sounds anything from ingenious to pretentious depending on your level of cynicism but, however jaded a Landy watcher you might be, can hardly help but spin your head with its style and the quality of its execution alike.

It’s quirky (boy, it’s quirky) but in a world where people try to buy individuality by ordering products off a page it’s an object lesson in what it takes to be truly unique. Wood, leather and premium textiles are all familiar materials in the premium Defender market – but hand-crafted antique wood and reclaimed timber? This one is special, in every good sense of the word.

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Tremendously classy

The seats are trimmed in a thick, oatmealcoloured woven fabric with contrasting brown leather side bolsters from Adam Smith at Stitchsmith, creating an effect that’s tremendously classy but also convincingly vintage. There’s heavy-duty medium brown carpeting by Martrim around the seat boxes, too – yet the floors and tranny tunnel are clad in the rubber and vinyl of a true hose-out Land Rover.

Up top, there’s a warm brown wool headliner, also from Martrim, and the visors match the seat fabric – as does the surround for a media screen on the dash provided by an Alpine iLX 705D system running Apple CarPlay and pumping out tunes through a set of JL Audio speakers.

While it’s normal for bling Defenders to be full of stainless metalwork inside, the dash hardware, speaker rings and gear and transfer knobs are all in a bespoke anodised finish from Croytec, giving them a warm golden hue that fits perfectly with the ambience of the interior.

And we’re just scratching the surface with that lot. The cubby box, for example, was hand-made from mango wood by Ty Worthington at Built

Motor Works, a trained cabinet maker who also contributed no end of ideas about under-floor stowage and battery charging systems.

Look at the details here and you’ll see that this too is the work of a true craftsman, with what looks like a leather skiver on each side and insets trimmed in that same oatmeal cloth – again by Adam at Stitchsmith. The amount of time that’s gone into making it is more reminiscent of the custom car scene than what we’re used to seeing on Land Rovers.

Behind the seats and cubby, the bulkhead isn’t made of wood – you’d like to think the MOT man would raise a concerned paw at that – but it’s clad and topped in dark stained panelling which then extends along the sides of the wheel boxes and above them to create storage bins. There’s even a matching skirting board running along the bottom, with a woven oatmeal coir carpet perfectly fitted to match up to it. Straps attached to the bulkhead hold a rolled-up blanket in place, and ahead of it the cubby has brass cupholders inserted into its top surface.

Back behind the bulkhead, a vintage hamper and Fortnum and Mason bag are attached

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using more leather straps. It all comes across as a wonderful work of whimsy – yet it’s also beautifully practical, if Ashley wants it to be.

But the best is yet to come. And when we say ‘the best,’ we’re not just chucking words around.

We’ve seen many Land Rovers with all sorts of interiors, from high-tech to did-you-get-thatleather-from-a-brothel, and some make you want to cry they’re so beautiful while others make you want to weep for whoever thought it was a good idea. At best, the treatments we’ve seen given to Defenders can be phenomenal.

But we think we might have seen our favourite ever here. It’s clever, it’s classy, it’s elegant and most of all it’s so, so creative.

Fabulously retro

To the sides of the seats, where the belts are mounted, more the woven oatmeal fabric is decorated using domed brass nail pins, creating an effect that’s fabulously retro – perfectly creating the Georgian image he was going for.

It’s there on both sides of the vehicle – however on the passenger’s side, it continues back the whole way along the side panel. We’re rarely seen anything as wonderful inside a Defender – and if we have it’s on the opposite side of the vehicle, where mango wood has been crafted into a handmade Welsh dresser with pegs and hooks for bags, coats, hats and so on.

Honestly. It’s a Welsh dresser. In a 90.

If you’re a hardcore cabinetmaking obsessive, you might look at this and tut because you can see screw heads in its top rail. If you’re normal, though, you’ll just adore it for being so utterly imaginative and, indeed, so utterly, utterly right.

We were gazing at it so much we almost didn’t notice the denim headliner on the roof above.

Ashley says that no expense was spared on his 90. While we have no doubt that this is true, though, it’s something you could say about all sorts of Land Rovers – some of which, however good they might be, have all the individuality of a brick in a harbour wall. And there certainly are

46 5pp Ashley Russell 90.indd 46

a lot of bought-in products on show here – but what makes this one stand out is the thought that went into creating it. The build had a theme, and that theme was followed through fastidiously to achieve something absolutely unique and supremely cool.

Car manufacturers like to talk about ‘craftsmanship’ when they mean someone operating a copy machine, and we all know one that trots out the word ‘curated’ ad nauseam to describe common-or-garden options packs. But if you want to see a Land Rover that displays what both truly mean, you’re looking at it.

For something so personal to be anything other than its maker’s car for life seems wrong somehow, but as Ashley says life does have that bad habit of getting in the way of your best-laid plans. Which brings the story of this phenomenal Defender to a slightly wistful conclusion.

Wistful, but not without a bit of a silver lining.

The 90 may have gone to a new home, but it was

a good one. ‘It went to a lovely fella, actually, who was a gentle Landy newbie,’ says Ashley. Which is all you can hope for, really, when you sell something that means so much to you.

So there’s a guy out there who hasn’t had a Land Rover before and now he’s got one of the best we’ve ever seen. It’s a bit like never having been to an art gallery before, but then you decide to see what it’s all about and next thing you know you’re coming home with a Picasso.

We’re pretty sure that in order to have taken it on, the 90’s new owner can hardly help but be the sort of person who understands what he’s got. In this world of off-the-peg individuality, truly creative Defender builds don’t come along all that often. When they do, it takes a good eye to spot them – and an even better one to have imagined them in the first place. Let’s hope life’s plan includes Ashley being able to embark on more Land Rover projects in the future. They’ll certainly be worth watching.

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 05/11/2024 00:10

all in the details...

steering wheels

double din upgrades

a-post trims

billet heater vents sun visors floor mats door glass door cards billet handles billet gear knobs internal window trims

cubby boxes speaker upgrades

seat covers

headlinings

cubby boxes door seals

door strikers dash trims

carpet sets

seat covers

and so much more...

info@masai4x4.com | www.masai4x4.com | 01543 254507 Masai 4x4 - LRYB 2025.indd 6

05/11/2024 14:19

PRODUCTS

Hard as nails steel wheels – with or without beadlocks IT’S NOT EXACTLY NEWS THAT THE DISCOVERY 2 AND P38 RANGE ROVER were the last of their kind to be built in the classic 4x4 mould. And while their successors do get used off-road, a bit, for many of us there’s still no substitute for proper axles.

If you’re nodding along, Terrafirma’s range of beadlock and faux-beadlock steel wheels could be ideal for the Disco 2 or Rangey in your life. These have their stud pattern and PCD designed to suit the old stagers’ live axles, and they come in a choice of 8” or 10” widths to go with their play-the-percentages 16” diameter.

The wheel’s underlying design is based on the ever-popular steel modular, with a powder coated black finish to set them off – as well as protecting them against the knocks and scrapes they’ll be getting during the course of their life. Two options are available with true and, if it’s just the look you’re after, simulated beadlock patterns.

Strong as an ox, tough as old boots but cool as you like.

You could almost be talking about the vehicle itself…

Electrify your Series handbrake Priced at £1176 | www.designdevelopmenteng.co.uk

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING has launched an electronic parking brake conversion for Series Land Rovers. This is intended primarily for vehicles which are also being converted into EVs, as more and more of them are, and to work in tandem with the same company’s rear disc brake conversion.

The kit includes two calipers, four mounting slider posts, an ECU and a wiring loom to suit both 88” and 109” Series trucks, as well as full installation instructions. Original Series wheels won’t fit on a vehicle equipped with the kit, however – though Discovery 1, Wolf XD and modular steels all will.

Turbo Technics’ VGT turbocharger for the Land Rover Td5 engine is a direct but uprated replacement for the original unit. Using variable geometry technology for faster spooling, it promises reduced lag and more power throughout the rev range. The turbocharger is supplied with a turbo boost control unit to correct overboost faults in the ECU. It’s available via Allisport for £937 plus the VAT.

Genuine Minilite wheels for original-shape Defender ca £270 + VAT | www.britpart.com

The Minilite wheel is a bit of a motoring icon. And, however much the word might make you grind your teeth when used by JLR executives, so too is the Land Rover Defender.

Now you can double up on your icons and put both together. That’s because Minilites are now available through the Britpart network to suit the Defender (including pre-Defender) from 1987-2016 – as well as the Series III, Discovery 1 and Range Rover Classic.

The wheels are low-pressure die cast in high-grade aluminium alloy, CNC machined, pressure tested and powder coated. These are genuine Minilites, not a pattern copy, made to exactly the same standard as the legendary competition wheel on which the Austin Mini achieved global success in the world of rallying in 1960s and 70s.

If there’s to be a bucket of cold water, it’s that the wheels are only available in 8x18”. You can get them in black, silver and anthracite finishes, though, to complement the paintwork on your Landy of choice.

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05/11/2024 14:33

PRODUCTS

Cool T-shirts for early Land Rover fans £25.00 | retroclassicclothing.com

Retro Classic designs T-shirts inspired by nostalgia for a bygone age of motoring. Not that old-school Land Rovers actually are bygone, strictly speaking, because most of them are still around, but here’s a trio of leafers printed on 100% cotton.

It sounds like the guy who designed them has a personal connection to the vehicles, too. One of them features ‘a printed gritty graphic representation of a short-wheelbase Series I, similar to the Land Rover soft-top that my dad had.’

In the pictures, that’s the one looking at the back of the vehicle.

There’s another Series I T-shirt in the range, this one simply showing a

1956-58 example from front-on, then to complete the set there’s a third seen from the side. ‘This T-shirt is in memory of my Uncle Andy, who sadly passed away in 2020,’ explains the caption. ‘The design features his pride and joy; a short-wheelbase Land Rover Series I all-terrain work vehicle that he used for shoots and transporting his much-loved working springer spaniels.’

In each case, what you get is a modern-fit, 100% cotton, 180gsm crew-neck T-shirt with twin-needle stitching on the neck and shoulders.

They’re available in sizes from XS up to 4XL, so that should cover most off-roaders except the vaguely bigger ones.

Autosparks introduces reverseengineered wiring harnesses for Td5 Defenders From £248.27 | www.autosparks.co.uk

Autosparks has introduced a range of wiring harnesses for Td5-engined versions of the Defender. The company, which specialises in electrical components as well as harnesses for classic vehicles, kit cars and OEMs, developed these items by reverse-engineering and rebuilding the harnesses and supporting cable assemblies on three different Land Rovers.

These are the 90 and 110 from 1999-2003, and the 110 from 2003 on.

Autosparks says further harnesses are still undergoing inspection, too, so you can expect the list to be fleshed out in the near future.

‘With TD5 engines fitted to Land Rover products from 1998,’ says the company, ‘this new addition extends the Autosparks Land Rover offering, already consisting of over 300 harnesses and battery cable sets for the Series 1 onwards, thus ensuring more classic Land Rovers stay on the road for years to come.’

Replacement panels for Defender cabin £561 (90), £720 (110) | www.mudstuff.co.uk

Mud-UK has introduced a range of interior trims for the pre2007 Land Rover Defender 90 and 110. These are made to mirror the look and feel of the original panels, by using thermoformed polypropylene sheet capped with a textured soft-touch finish.

The kits are supplied with everything you’ll need to fit the panels. Apart from a pair of hands, presumably. Window panels come with a comprehensive fitting kit which, Mud promises, ‘accurately mimics the original Land Rover trim fittings and fixings including the obsolete seat-belt escutcheons.’ All metalwork, meanwhile, is custom-made specifically for these kits, and of course full fitting instructions are supplied.

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‘We used 3D laser scanning technology to faithfully replicate the profile of the original Defender Station Wagon window trim panels to ensure an accurate fit,’ says Mud. The colour of the panels, meanwhile, is closer to the darker Granite Grey used in later Defenders than the light finish on early ones, which was very good at showing up every mark.

A full Defender 110 kit includes Station Wagon Window Trims (pair); Rear Quarter Window Panels (pair); B-Pillar Trims (pair); Cant Rail (pair); Cant Rail Handles (pair); and all the fixings and fixtures required to mount the trims, as well as full colour instructions. All these items are available to purchase separately, however if you order the lot together you’ll save a handy 15% over the cost of buying it all piecemeal.

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PRODUCTS

Working tools for new-shape Defendes ca £515 inc VAT (90); £550 inc VAT (110) | terrafirma4x4.com

Longer-range fuel tank for 88” Land Rovers £540 inc VAT | lwww.designdevelopmenteng.co.uk

Interest in leafers is as strong as ever, and not just for their value as classic cars. People are still fitting more modern engines to replace their old 2.25s – and when they do, one of the first things they tend to discover is that they need a bigger fuel tank.

Step right up Design Development Engineering, manufacturer of so much clever stuff for older Landies, with its Land Rover Series 88” Extended Range Fuel Tank. Made from 3mm aluminium with a 5mm heavy-duty bash cradle, this increases the vehicle’s capacity to 66 litres – a useful increase over the standard 45.

‘This tank is suitable for petrol and diesel models with flow and return pipes,’ says the company. ‘So ideal for Tdi engines or V8s, when a little more range is needed.’ It comes with a CNC machined stainless extended pick-up tube housing a micro filter, as well a fitting kit (these are specific to left and right-hand drive) containing all the gaskets and stainless fittings you’ll need.

This is a replacement unit rather than an auxiliary one, so you need to remove your old tank first (on some trucks, nature may already have beaten you to it) and cut off its front outrigger (ditto). You also have to source Land Rover’s own single-point rear mounting set-up, which isn’t supplied – but after that, you’re on a roll.

Terrafirma has just released a new range of products for the L663 Defender – including various accessories designed to help you get the best from it on expedition. Sure to be among the most popular is a close-fit aluminium roof rack, which is available to suit both the 90 and 110.

The rack is strong enough to carry any commercially available roof tent, including Terrafirma’s own inflatable unit. It was designed with this kind of use in mind, and comes with a full fitting kit plus instructions. Terrafirma’s new range also includes kits for carrying various other accessories on the company’s roof racks – a selection of these are listed below, with prices from Maltings 4x4…

Storage Box Mounting Kit | ca £40 This is a tailor-made solution for mounting Terrafirma’s own heavy-duty storage box your Defender’s roof rack.

on

Awning Mounting Bracket Kit | ca £25 Terrafirma offers a range of awnings for use with 4x4s, and this kit is designed to let you mount any of them on to any of the company’s roof racks – including these new ones for the latest Defender.

Light Bar and Spot Light Mounting Bracket Kit | ca £50

It’s not an off-roader if it doesn’t have a light bar. This kit allows you to fit what is the essential accessory for any self-respecting roof rack, and can also be used for individual spot lights.

Jerry Can Holder | ca £65

You don’t need to be a longdistance off-road adventurer to want a jerry can about your person (just being a bloke with a chainsaw is enough). But the further you’re planning to go, the more capacity for spare fuel you’ll want – and even with an auxiliary tank, a jerry or two is never going to be a bad idea. Hence this cradle which will hold one single can… maybe you’ll want more than one of them!

Nice rack

ca £850 inc VAT | www.britpart.com Britpart’s Explorer roof rack is suitable for both the 90 / Defender 90 Station Wagon and Hard-Top from 1987-2006, as well as the 110, 127 and Defender 110 and 130 Double-Cab Pick-Up, also from 1987-2006.

Measuring 1.6 x 1.4 metres, it’s available in two forms – DA3812 for gutter mounting, and DA3813 for fixing to a roll cage. In each case, the rack’s design is flat, with no luggage rail, making it ideal for mounting long or large items like roof tents.

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UK's No.1 Supplier

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01427 753394 parts@maltingsoffroad.co.uk

05/11/2024 15:41

PRODUCTS

Extreme propshafts for every kind of Land Rover www.baileymorris.co.uk Bailey Morris is well known for its propshafts – not just standard and OEM spec units, which it stocks for a wide range of 4x4s, but its own Extreme range.

This includes options for props with wider operating angles, longer splines and larger torque capacities – the latter also capable of translating into a longer service life.

The company’s offerings for serious off-road use include Extreme Wide Angle and Extreme Double Cardan options, with operating angles of as much as 40° achievable. Its designs offer a variety of enhancements over standard equipment, including upgraded involute spline configurations, double slip joint assembly seals to prevent moisture and dirt ingress, Rilsan coated splines for smoother operation, extended spline assemblies and metal dust covers on universal joint bearing caps to prevent water ingress.

These props can be custom built to suit most makes and models of 4x4, but if yours is a Land Rover Defender with the 2.4 or 2.2 TDCi engine the company’s Extreme II model is for you. Further uprated over even the Extreme units described above, this has a larger torque capacity, uprated UJs with triple seals and increased deflection of up to 35°, and longer, Rilsan-coated and double-sealed spline assemblies.

Coil conversion for Disco 3 and 4 Price ca £800 inc VAT | www.britpart.com

DEFENDERS RECREATED

Bring your Land Rover back to life with Phoenix We offer a full range of components for your Defender build: Axles & Suspension Bulkheads

If you’ve got a Land Rover Discovery 3 or 4 and you’re thinking about binning off its air springs (and if you haven’t yet, you will), these kits from Britpart contain all you need to do the job. You get four pre-assembled struts, an air suspension override module to keep the vehicle’s brain happy and a wiring harness to suit your model – either the Disco 3 and 2005-2009 Range Rover Sport, or the Disco 4 and 2010-2013 Sport.

This particular kit maintains the vehicle’s original ride height, though an alternative is available which lifts it by approximately two inches.

Chassis Panels Rear Tubs* Seat Boxes All sourced from reputable manufacturers

*Our specialist rear tub business Defender Rear Tubs is now a part of Phoenix Automotive Evolution. Same team, same customer service, more products!’

www.phoenixautoevolution.com

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@phoenix_auto_evolution

Safety Devices’ spare wheel mounts for the new-shape Defender use the existing door mounts, with no mods to the vehicle required. They’re available in basic form and combined with a mount for a high-lift jack, and are suitable for the 90, 110 and 130 alike. Both are available from Maltings 4x4.

05/11/2024 14:33

PRODUCTS

More strength to your sump £161.96 plus VAT |

www.psautoparts.co.uk People get into off-roading for many reasons. Work, mates and time in the Army are three of the most common ones, but the biggest of them all is of course transfer case sump covers.

If you’re nodding your head in agreement, which is surely the case, and if your 4x4 of choice is a pre-Puma Land Rover Defender, a Discovery 1 or a Tdi-engined Range Rover, which must also be fairly likely, this is going to work for you on all the levels. It’s not just a sump cover – it’s a billet transfer case sump oil cooler, complete with fans to help dissipate heat in the sort of conditions that cause it.

Designed as a straight replacement for the sump covers supplied as standard equipment, this unit is also stronger than the original. It uses the existing bolts for installation, however you do get a new gasket with it – as well as a plugged port, allowing an oil temperature gauge to be fitted.

In addition to its extra strength, the cover adds about half a litre to the vehicle’s oil capacity – without compromising its existing ground clearance. Britpart, which supplies the unit, says it can also work on the Rover V8 engine, but that first you need check for clearance behind the existing exhaust pipes.

Better braking for non-ABS Defenders £75.00-£335.00 | lofclutches.com

If you’ve got a Land Rover Defender with a 200 or 300 Tdi, Td5, 2.2 or 2.4 TDCi or V8 engine but not with ABS, LOF’s POWERboost servo kit promises to transform its braking. ‘Double up on your braking performance without spending thousands on big brakes,’ says the company. ‘This kit will enhance the performance of your Defender brake system.’

If you’re running bigger tyres on standard anchors and/or you do a lot of towing, you should already be paying attention. Brake fade is a scary thing, in case you didn’t know.

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The LOF kit is suitable non-ABS Defenders made after 1992 which run master cylinder LR013018. It allows you to remove your original brake servo, bolt the LOF POWERboost ring to your brake pedal box then install a later model double diaphragm ABS servo in its place.

The new servo doesn’t have to come from LOF, though naturally they’ll sell you one if you want it.

Importantly, though, it must be double-diaphragm; LOF says that ‘some of the cheaper ones appear to only have one diaphragm.’

Using this adapter from LOF, you can then re-mount the original brake master cylinder to the later servo, leaving your reservoir and cylinder in the correct orientation.

This doubles up on the servo assistance given to the master cylinder, reducing pedal effort and vastly improving braking performance. LOF says its testing so far has shown braking to be significantly better than even that of a Defender with ABS.

Terrafirma LED kit shows you the light for less

£388.85 | maltings4x4store.co.uk

YOU CAN SPEND FEARSOME AMOUNTS OF MONEY ON LED LIGHTING, but more and more options are coming along to help you see the way ahead and still be able to afford the diesel to get you there. Terrafirma’s T Slot Roof Rack Light Bar and Spot Light Kit, for example, gives you four spotlights brackets and two light bar brakets – AND the lights to go with them.

Designed to mount via T-slots in Terrafirma’s own roof rack for the new-shape Defender, the brackets require no drilling and come with a fitting kit and instructions. You also get the same company’s Single Row LED 18 Inch Cree LED Light, a high-performance bar whose flood beam pattern gives it a wide range of illumination.

And that’s not all. Dig further into the box and you’ll find Terrafirma’s Compact 3000 Lumen 4 LED Shooter Spot Light Set. These are small but powerful, producing 3000 Lumens from an array of eight 5-Watt LEDs – four facing forward plus two on either side for a wide spread of light. These only draw 2.8 amps, so that’s a lot of light for a little input.

Toughness is built in to both these light units, with the spots being IP69K rated – meaning you can actually pressure wash them without any water finding its way in. Their aluminium housings are waterproof and weather-resistant, and coated with a UV-resistant paint to prevent chipping and fading, and their 3mm Lexan lens promise to be unbreakable and scratch-resistant.

Similarly, the light bar has a die-cast alloy housing, stainless steel mounting brackets and a polycarbonate lens. So that’s a whole lot of illumination there – plus no small amount of longevity.

05/11/2024 14:33

PRODUCTS

When your project needs a new dashboard – get Simtek on the case!

The DashDapter3 from Simtek is available in S, C and A models (Standard, Comprehensive and Advanced), each of them bringing increasing levels of capability and functionality. It acts as an interface for vehicle converters, resto-modders, customisers, upgraders and engine transplanters.

The unit promises to be ideal for a wide range of purposes: • When you want to remove your engine and replace it with a different one • When you want to put a Puma dash in a resto-mod 90 • When you want to upgrade your Puma Defender using the dashboard from a late Freelander

Headline Act

Special offer price £900 | grp4x4.com GRP 4x4 is currently offering £150 off the normal price of its Defender 110 Full Headlining in Black Alston. A premium quality installation, it promises precision craftsmanship and a perfect fit for your vehicle.

The headliner comes in three sections – front, middle and rear.

GRP 4x4 says it will last for years to come, never sagging or working loose, and all the while it’ll be adding a touch of sophistication to your 110’s interior.

• The Advanced model allows operation of the original air-con functions in the 2.2 Puma ‘So far,’ says Simtek, ‘we have focused on the Land Rover Puma dash (2.2 and 2.4). Our most recent addition is the more colourful Freelander 2 dash, which offers more functionality.

The DashDapter3 is available with a plug kit, generic harness or bespoke harness, and comes complete with a user interface. To find out more about this product, and what Simtek can do for your Land Rover, call 01706 854857 or email bodylogic@simtekuk.co.uk.

Lightweight bumper from AlliSport Prices start at £285 plus VAT | www.allisport.com.

You don’t tend to think of AlliSport as a company that makes bumpers.

But in addition to all the cool stuff they create to go under the bonnets of the world’s Land Rovers, this lightweight unit for proper-shape Defenders is a predictably tidy bit of work.

A direct replacement for the original steel bumper, AlliSport’s has raised end profiles for a better approach angles. It’s made from 4mm thick aluminium which is laser-cut and CNC-folded, and it comes in a choice of black or silver powder-coat – leaving you to decide whether or not you want it with DRLs.

Cool light bar for Discovery 3 and 4 £288.21 • maltings4x4store.co.uk Roof-mounted lights are great because they help you see at night. And because they look cool. Terrafirma’s Expedition Light Bar is a good example, as it has four mounting points and looks fit even before you’ve put anything on them. Designed to be used in conjunction with the same company’s roof rack, it’s equally suitable for the Discovery 3 and 4.

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PRODUCTS

Land Rover trademark license for Falon Nameplates £57 inc VAT www.falon-nameplates.co.uk FALON NAMEPLATES IS A NON-FERROUS FOUNDRY BUSINESS which specialises in casting bespoke items such as name plates, signs, badges and plaques from bronze, brass and aluminium. Based in Bedlington, it’s been going since 1952 and today it combines modern tech with traditional methods to achieve a high level of detail – even when casting small, intricate designs.

Items like its range of metal badges for classic Land Rovers. And these are now available to owners around the world, following the granting of a trademark licence from JLR. This allows the company to sell replicas of the instantly recognisable oval and plinth badges from Land Rover’s early years – as well as using the traditional design for badges designed to go on more modern Solihull vehicles.

Falon has previously worked with organisations like the NHS and local authorities in producing a range of products including town trail markers, finger posts and memorial plaques. The licence from JLR, which ‘represents a significant milestone for Falon, highlighting their expertise in casting materials such as bronze and aluminium,’ will allow the company to supply owners worldwide with badges whose quality it says reflects ‘the heritage and excellence of the Land Rover brand.’

Heavy-duty is good, and cool is good. So when something is cool and heavy-duty, well, that’s really good. Something like Terrafirma’s Tred rock sliders for the proper-shape Defender, for example. These are available for the 90 and 110 alike.

These are made using folded triangulated steel, meaning there’s no need for additional tree bars, and feature punched and swaged holes which make them look cooler than ever as well as reducing unnecessary weight. They also feature punched and serrated alloy tread inserts to let them function as side steps – which is where their name comes from.

You can see these floating the boat of people building hardcore Defenders and bling-mobiles alike. To this end, they can be colour-coded to the vehicle – something that will definitely appeal to the latter.

Falon Nameplates Ltd are proud to announce that they have been awarded a Prestigious Trademark License Agreement from Jaguar Land Rover.

Free UK Delivery on orders over £15.00 + VAT

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18/08/2023 15:28

Please visit our website www.falon-nameplates.co.uk to see our full range of plates.

05/11/2024 14:34

PRODUCTS

Design and Development Engineering creates a Puma heater control valve that’s built to last Old-style 130 steel wheels now available tubeless for Series and Defenders ca £88 plus VAT | www.britpart.com

Recently added to the Britpart range, these traditional style steel wheels are a welded, tubeless version of the old-style 130 rim (part number ANR1534PM). Available only in black, they’re suitable for use on Series trucks and the original-shape Defender.

With a 5/165 PCD, 20 offset and 115mm centre bore, the wheels are rated to 1200kg each. They’re 16 x 6.5” in size, making them ideal for use with 7.50x16s or, the metric equivalent, 235/85R16s.

As usual for wheels and tyres, prices vary wildly. You’ll no doubt get a good deal for a full set of five, especially if you’re investing in some rubber to wrap around them at the same time.

TBC | www.designdevelopmenteng.co.uk

THE HEATER CONTROL VALVE USED ON THE PUMA-ERA DEFENDER WORKS PERFECTLY WELL. But it’s made of plastic and the vehicles are now of an age where failures and leakages are being reported frequently enough for Design and Development Engineering to bring out a replacement in aluminium. Possibly not the sexiest accessory you’ll ever buy, but a proper fit-and-forget upgrade that goes hand in hand with any other attempts you might be making to futureproof your truck.

If you do want sexy accessories, of course, you can bet your bottom dollar that Design and Development Engineering is more than a little capable of dishing these up. The upgraded axles it’s recently been prototyping for Series trucks, for example, need to be seen to be believed. At the time of writing, the Puma heater control valve was still on its way and the price was still to be confirmed, but we’re fairly sure they wouldn’t mind if you want to get in touch and ask politely how it’s coming along.

Next-level infotainment tech for Puma-era Defender £999 | www.mudstuff.co.uk

For bringing the 2007—2016 Land Rover Defender’s in-car entertainment offering into the modern age, the new Stinger HEIGH10 from Mud-UK promises to be a bit of a game-changer. It’s an all-in-one 10” interactive touchscreen package whose fitting kit locates it high up in the dashboard, making it easy to look at and operate without taking your attention from the road.

Designed for a factory-look installation, the HEIGH10 goes in without any need to cut the flanks of the dashboard or extend the original wiring loom to relocate the vehicle’s existing switches. It runs Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, providing large on-screen touch buttons for ease of use – and giving access to navigation apps. It also has a reversing camera input – plus three other camera channels, allowing you to create a surround-view set-up.

For entertainment, the HEIGH10 has a built-in amp, subwoofer control and a 15-band graphic equaliser. It comes complete with a Defenderspecific wiring harness whose interface offers enhanced control over your

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infotainment system, allowing you to manage camera triggers while showing advanced vehicle gauges easily via the vehicle’s OBD port.

These include information such as battery status and oil temperature, which are already available from the vehicle’s on-board sensors but don’t get shown on the factory-standard instrument cluster. The display allows you to swipe between pages, with others including information such as pitch, roll and compass heading which could conceivably be useful when you’re off-roading.

Mud-UK provides an instructional video on fitting the HEIGH10. When installed, the unit obscures the air vents and clock on the top of the facia – however it has a clock of its own, and the company says it has found no drop in the efficacy of the vehicle’s air-con even in temperatures of 30 degrees plus.

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PRODUCTS

Detroit Truetrac from Rimmer Bros £639-£750 plus VAT | rimmerbros.com

There’s more than one way to lock a diff, as the old saying goes. For whatever reason, most people in Britain tend to turn instantly to the airoperated type – however auto-lockers can be incredibly effective things too.

They do their job without you having to think about them – and they’re far easier to use without detection, too, should you be planning to cheat your way to RTV success…

If your chariot of choice has a green oval on it, Rimmer Bros supplies lockers from a range of brands. On the auto-locker front, the legendary Detroit Truetrac is available for front and rear axles in both 10-spline and 24-spline configurations.

This goes back a long way to when it was introduced under the Eaton brand name. Its helical gear design means no wear in its parts moving, ‘resulting in maintenance free traction.’

It certainly results in effort-free traction. We’ve driven Land Rovers with Truetracs installed and they operate seamlessly – and very effectively indeed. As good as an Air-Locker? Well we certainly didn’t manage to find any terrain capable of defeating it, and that was a mixture of angry ruts, sharp axle-twisters and knee-deep mud.

‘Power transfer is so smooth, it literally goes unnoticed by the driver,’ says Rimmer. And yes, that’s what we found. Nothing alarming to worry

about on the road, either – the diff remains open until it needs to lock, rather than the other way round.

The Truetrac is available in 10 and 24-spline form for the Defender, Disco 1 and 2, Series III and Range Rover Classic, and for the 24-spline Salisbury found under the back end of the 110.

A handy solution to oil leaks

£7.99 | www.americantechnology.co.uk Stopping oil leaks is like painting the Forth Bridge if you own a certain vintage of a certain make of 4x4. The belt and braces answer is to keep topping it up forever… sorry, silly us, to renew the oil seals with high-quality OE items.

But since that’s an enormous bind and they’re just going to let go again, an oil treatment that helps prevent leaks from happening in the first place sounds like rather a promising alternative.

Step forward Ametech’s Restore Oil Anti-Leak.

This is an additive which ‘swells and rejuvenates neoprene rubber seals and O-rings to slow down, stop and prevent oil leaks in engines, manual gearboxes and power steering.’ And that’s a LOT of potential oil leaks right there.

What does it do? It ‘conditions new seals to keep them soft, pliable and lubricated’ is what, restoring the elasticity in your seals and O-rings to get them back to a condition in which oil can’t get past them. Ametech says it’s compatible with all mineral, semi-synthetic and synthetic single and multi-grade engine oils – and that it can be used in all petrol, diesel and LPG engines, with or without a turbo, as well manual boxes, standard diffs and PAS systems.

Auto boxes are out, as is anything else with a wet clutch. However the treatment is safe to use with catalytic converters and it won’t have any affect on the viscosity or characteristics of the oil to which it is added, nor will it clog your vehicle’s filters or oilways.

The price above is for a 250ml bottle of Oil Anti-Leak. Ametech says this should treat 3-6 litres of engine oil, and that 100ml is about right for a typical manual gearbox.

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 9pp Yearbook Products.indd 57

Tough tyres for tough trucks Prices TBA | coopertire.co.uk

Cooper has introduced the Discoverer Stronghold AT, a new all-terrain available in a range of 28 sizes to fit wheel diameters from 16” to 20”.

Designed with full-sized pick-up trucks in mind, it promises extreme strength and durability – so much that back home in America, it comes with a limited 60,000-mile tread wear warranty.

Naturally, it also promises to do the job in rugged terrain, with a combination of wide outer grooves for grip and self-cleaning, intra-lug ledges to eject stones and a narrower centre tread for overall stability.

Sharp shoulder edges and ‘hook’ elements on the sidewall provide further traction, which Cooper says will last the life of the tyre.

It also says that the rubber compound, along with wide lateral grooves in the tread, will help the tyre to ‘plough through water,’ and that the shoulders have textured edges for traction in snow. On that subject, the Stronghold AT carries the familiar three-peak mountain snowflake badge, designating it as a winter tyre – merely reassuring in Britain, but a legal requirement in many parts of Europe.

It may be made for big ol’ American trucks but with sizes including 235/85R16, 285/75R16, 235/80R17 and 35/12.50R20, Cooper’s newcomer has plenty to offer the sort of 4x4s you see over here. The competition is tough in the all-terrain sector – but so are the tyres, and this one promises to go the distance with any of them.

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PRODUCTS

Heritage 1948 promises its Series II/III hoods have the quality to be the best on the market Price: From £445 Available from: www.heritage1948.co.uk

HERITAGE 1948’S FULL CANVAS HOOD for the 88” Series II/IIA and III is handmade in Somerset using nothing but ‘Moorland’ 100% cotton canvas. Chosen for its superior durability and colour fasting properties after extensive testing of many different types and grades of material, this is also treated to protect against rot, fungus and UV damage.

In addition, Heritage 1948’s Land Rover 88” Hoods are fitted with real, solid brass buckles, tips and eyelets – and not, in the compay’s words‘inferior brass coated items that quickly corrode.’

Heritage 1948 says it’s ‘committed to producing the highest quality Land Rover Hoods on the market.’

As anyone producing Land Rover hoods should be. ‘Our Canvas Products (including these 88” Land Rover Hoods) are produced in-house

by our small team of skilled craftsmen at our factory in Somerset,’ it says proudly.

Talking of craftsmanship, each of the company’ hoods is the culmination of many hours’ design and patterning work followed by

testing on a selection of different Land Rovers. The 88” Series II/IIA and III item we’re talking about here costs from £445 – as with all things Heritage 1948, you can order it by shopping direct at www.heritage 1948.co.uk.

UK-manufactured hood stick sets for all short-wheelbase Series Landies Price: £540 From: www.heritage1948.co.uk A HOOD IS A FAT LOT OF USE WITHOUT STICKS, so the good news is that Heritage 1948 has that covered too. The company’s Full Hood Stick Kit contains all the parts you need to convert a short-wheelbase Series Land Rover from Hard-Top to Soft-Top. These are made here in the UK – on Exmoor, to be precise – and are shaped by hand-operated tooling in the same process by which the original parts were manufactured.

‘We have selected a high-quality steel and low-volume galvanising to produce the most accurate, period-correct Land Rover hood stick sets on the market,’ says Heritage 1948. The kits come complete with everything you need to transform your truck, including nuts, bolts and washers.

At £540, a set of sticks actually costs more than the canvas that will be wrapped around them. This has always been a surprisingly pricey item, though – and as always, it pays to get the best you can afford.

ALSO FOR SERIES LANDIES, the latest new kit from Lucas Classic includes a replacement 45D distributor cap for petrol-engined Series IIA and IIIs (far right). If yours is older still, the range also now includes a 6J junction box cover for the 1948-1958 Series I (left) and a floor-mounted dip switch (right), again for the Series I but this time from 1955 onwards. It’s all to be found at lucasclassic4x4.com.

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05/11/2024 14:34

New

FROM HERITAGE 1948

THE

HINDON 15” WOOD RIM ‘The Hindon’ by Heritage 1948 has been developed after customer demand for a 15” Wood Rim Wheel with a Satin Black Anodised Body. 'The Hindon’ joins our ever growing range of exceptional quality wheels.

The Hindon 15” Wood Rim by Heritage 1948 has been developed around the classic spirit of the Land Rover and continues our uncompromising commitment to quality aftermarket parts. The Satin Black Anodised Body of the Steering Wheel is forged from durable 6061 Billet Aluminium. This is contrasted by a crafted Beech Wood Rim and finished off with 9 Polished Structural Metal Rivets. A Steering Wheel guaranteed to improve the interior of any Land Rover Series or Defender.

+P&P

(Including Boss Kit)

Heritage Wood Rim Steering Wheel 6061 Billet Aluminium

Black Anodised Body

Beech Wood Rim

48 & 36 Spine Boss Kits Product Code: HER-WH-05

+44 (0) 1948 545132 INFO@HERITAGE1948.CO.UK

88" FUll Hood

+P&P

AD Spread.indd 3

Heritage 1948 is dedicated to producing a range of outstanding quality Canvas Hoods for Series Land Rovers. Unlike some of our competitors, all of our Land Rover Hoods are handmade in our Somerset factory from superior quality ‘Moorland’ Canvas. ­ ­ ­

Our handmade Hoods are inherently more accurate than machine produced counterparts, allowing for an enhanced fit and exceptional quality control. Heritage 1948 has taken great care to ensure all our Land Rover Hoods have an enhanced life span and are all finished with period correct Solid Brass fittings.

05/11/2024 15:43

RESTORE. REVIVE. REBUILD. Masai 4x4 - LRYB 2025.indd 4

05/11/2024 14:19

Rebirth of a Legend: A Chassis-Up Rebuild of a Land Rover Defender by Masai 4x4 How a white Defender transformed into a Keswick Green masterpiece.

For Land Rover enthusiasts, the love for Defenders goes beyond just a rugged, utilitarian vehicle—it’s a way of life, a tradition, and a tribute to the rich heritage of British off-roading. Every scratch tells a story, and every upgrade signifies a deeper connection with these iconic machines.

In this spirit, Masai 4x4 has delivered something truly exceptional: a complete chassis-up rebuild of a Land Rover Defender 110 4-door, taking it from a worn-out workhorse to a refined yet rugged masterpiece in Keswick Green.

Starting from Scratch: The Chassis-Up Rebuild A chassis-up rebuild is no minor undertaking. It involves stripping the vehicle down to its most essential components, inspecting and upgrading every detail, and breathing new life into each part. This Defender rebuild project started with an aging white 110 four-door—a solid, dependable machine but showing the wear of years spent adventuring. The team at Masai 4x4 meticulously documented the entire process, beginning with the total disassembly. The chassis itself was inspected inch by inch, then reinforced and galvanized, ensuring it would outlast even the most punishing off-road terrains.

Masai 4x4 didn’t stop at just the frame. The team evaluated every aspect of the drivetrain, suspension, and braking system, upgrading and replacing worn components with high-quality, durable parts. Engineered to deliver exceptional performance, the enhanced powertrain is now capable of handling any challenge thrown its way. The Defender is built to work harder, yet smoother, for years to come.

From White to Keswick Green: A Color with Character After the structural elements were meticulously put in place, it was time to tackle the aesthetics—a crucial element for any Defender restoration. The client chose to take this Defender from a classic white to the quintessential British Keswick Green, a shade that celebrates Land Rover’s heritage while adding a refined, modern edge. Masai 4x4’s paint team embraced the challenge, delivering a pristine, factory-quality paint job that would rival any showroom finish.

The result is a ruggedly sophisticated vehicle that captures attention while paying homage to the Defender’s lineage.

The Keswick Green finish was carefully complemented with black accents, giving the Defender a stylish contrast that accentuates its new, polished look. To complete the exterior transformation, Masai 4x4 added a range of custom Defender parts and accessories that they specialize in, enhancing both the vehicle’s functionality and its rugged charm.

Interior Overhaul: Balancing Comfort with Utility Inside, Masai 4x4 transformed the Defender’s utilitarian interior to strike a balance between practicality and comfort. Premium seat covers were added, as well as custom dashboard finishes that offer a more refined look. The rugged floors and cargo area, protected with durable mats, ensure that the Defender remains functional for heavy-duty use without sacrificing aesthetic appeal. The modernized interior pays respect to the original Defender ethos but upgrades it for today’s discerning off-road enthusiasts.

High-Performance Accessories by Masai 4x4 The magic of a rebuild lies in the details, and Masai 4x4 spared no effort in equipping this Defender with high-performance accessories that make all the difference on the trail. Enhanced suspension components, heavy-duty skid plates, and off-road lighting were carefully chosen to prepare this Defender for every journey. New door seals, a sleek roof rack, and upgraded windows not only enhance the Defender’s functionality but give it a contemporary touch that resonates with today’s off-road community.

Thanks to Masai 4x4’s dedication, it’s not just another Land Rover—it’s a rejuvenated Defender, ready to carve out new stories.

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05/11/2024 14:19

YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE

Most teenage petrolheads dream of car cruises and huge stereos. But Nick French was never like that. While his mates were slamming Saxos, he was getting an early Disco ready to winch its way to immortality Words: Gary Noskill Pictures: Steve Taylor

I

n this era of blinged-up Defenders, for many teenage lads a Land Rover has become a sought-after accessory for the street. But it wasn’t always like that. Building a modified Discovery is something you might start thinking about in your 30s, perhaps after the arrival of a family has forced you to think about something with more than just two seats – but at the tender age of 18, your dream ride is supposed to be a some sort of angry hatchback.

That’s the sort of thing Nick French’s mates were into when he first had his licence. But while they were slamming French superminis, fitting subwoofers and spending their nights cruising the mean streets of the West Midlands, he was busy prepping a 200Tdi Disco for serious off-roading.

Five years had passed when we spoke to him, and a few more have gone by since. But the Disco you’re looking at here is that rarest of things, an early one (it dates from the first year of manufacture) that’s still alive today. It’s probably not looking quite the same now, having been off the road for an indeterminate length of time, but

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it’s still registered with the DVLA and that alone sounds like testament to a truck that was done right in the first place.

It was built by an HGV mechanic, for starters, which sounds like a good place to come from.

And it was built for the sort of winching Nick was into at the time.

They say you should plan a project from the tyres up, so let’s start there. They’re 32x9.50R16s, which is good and tall but also nice and lean.

They’re Simex Extreme Trekkers, which dates things as these have long since joined the great pantheon of Things You’re Not Allowed To Do In Britain Any More, and they’re accommodated by +5” custom springs from RK Automotive.

These are twinned with standard shocks – on lowered mounts, giving them the droop to go with the springs’ travel. An extended rear prop is there to cope with the extra travel, and this turns a four-pin diff which is the only major change in the drivetrain.

Inside, Nick basically stripped it of everything that didn’t need to be there. Not so much for

05/11/2024 00:05

Sponsored by

weight saving as to make it as easy as possible to hose out – not that setting it up as a competition car KEPT him from using it as his daily driver too.

On the subject of weight, he liked to carry so much recovery and safety kit that it actually made a difference here, so he replaced the standard front brakes with drilled and grooved racing discs and kevlar pads.

He told us he reckoned these gave the truck a 60-0mph distance of about 30 metres, which is takes some doing when you’re talking about more than two and a half tons on tyres with tread blocks the size of your first.

We said the tyres were accommodated by the suspension lift, but that’s only partly true. The other part involves a +2” body lift he made himself, fabricating the steel spacers in his workshop.

Actually, there’s still another part to the story too. It involves taking a hacksaw to Land Rover’s bodywork and finishing it off with a wheelarch kit from Devon 4x4.

Something else we said earlier on that’s not entirely true was that the four-pin rear diff is the only major change to the drivetrain. Well, it depends on whether you view heavy-duty halfshafts as a modification, but either way it’s got them. Never a bad idea with the sort of shock loads a Simex is

capable of sending back up the line, and a handy bit of future-proofing against any ARB Air-Lockers that might happen to appear on the scene.

We mentioned that the Disco is of the 200Tdi variety, but we didn’t say anything about the 200Tdi in question. As we all know, these were good, tunable lumps and Nick took full advantage of the fact by skimming and porting its head – even with a standard sized intercooler, he reckoned this boosted it to the tune of about 200bhp. Other options he was ruminating included the aforementioned intercooler, which would hardly put him in the minority, and electronic turbo control, which would.

One of the reasons why Nick went looking for more power was that he’d done such a good job of adding more weight. Look carefully and you might be able to see a Southdown fuel tank guard, a custom gearbox and front crossmember protector and a Scorpion rear winch bumper made from 4mm steel. Then there’s the front winch bumper, another Southdown component, which flows down to meet a fabricated steering guard. Put it all together and you have a more or less complete

Warn HS9500i winch lived on a Southdown bumper, below which a fabricated bash guard protected the steering and front axle. The 200Tdi engine can be pushed a long way further than this one was – but having skimmed and ported the head, Nick reckoned he was getting about 200bhp even on a standard intercooler

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05/11/2024 00:05

full-length full protecting the underside of the Discovery from harm.

What were we saying about weight saving? The winch on that front bumper is a Warn HS9500i and in an epic blast from the past, what you may be able to see here is that it’s wound with steel cable. Crikey. Flashbacks to the days of Showaddywaddy. Hell, flashbacks to the days of Pangaea.

There’s just the one winch to be seen here, too, albeit with twin Optimas lobbing out plenty of power to keep it turning.

These also look after stuff like a Kenlowe fan and GPS, as well as the contents of an auxiliary Qt light pod. Nick upgraded the truck to a 100amp Bosch alternator, too, and relocated its fuse box in the roof lining – well out of the way of

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water, and easily accessible by his co-driver in case anything should blow.

This is a reminder of how very functional the cabin set-up had become, and so too is what’s below it – an entire custom-made aluminium dashboard. Now, that’s not something you hear about every day. Nick told us that it took 16 hours to bend into shape but that he was very happy with the result, which after that much effort is just as well.

Also inside the vehicle went a full internal roll cage from Safety Devices, which Nick bought off the shelf. He just happened to be the Health and Safety officer for his local off-road club at the time, so this sounds a lot like a case of a case of leading by example.

‘I think a roll cage is one of the most important modifications you can make to a serious off-roader,’ he told us. ‘Yet so many people believe they can make do without one.’ Interesting that he went with an internal job, though, when received wisdom these days is that an exo design is the way to go as you can also use it as a wrap-around nerf bar among trees.

Fair enough, this Disco was nothing like as extreme as some that were built back when early ones were still plentiful. But it’s nothing like as basic, either. The Tdi-era Discovery was basically a 100” Defender that didn’t want to rip the seat out of your jeans, and it only took a little to put one firmly on the same footing as its more focused brethren. As Nick very ably demonstrated.

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 05/11/2024 00:05

10-OFF BURFORD EDITION ‘THE PINNACLE OF RANGE ROVER PERSONALISATION’

W

hat comes into your mind when you think of the Cotswolds? A traditional agricultural landscape of rolling hills and authentic villages crafted from honey-coloured local sandstone, perhaps? A much loved escape from the city whose aesthetics border on perfection?

A community lain waste by floods of pernicious money from outside? Cottages and farmhouses priced far beyond the means of farmers and now occupied, occasionally, by millionaires from London and abroad?

Behold the Range Rover SV Burford Edition which, ‘whether in the city or the idyllic Cotswolds landscape… represents the pinnacle of Range Rover personalisation.’ It’s based on the SV P615 V8 Long Wheelbase model and is limited to just 10 units, all of them offered

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exclusively in the UK to existing Range Rover Autobiography and SV owners.

Burford was chosen for the vehicle’s name because it’s known as the gateway to the Cotswolds (always thought five million quid was the gateway to the Cotswolds) and because it’s ‘synonymous with luxury rural lifestyle’ (and shop workers who have to travel in from Gloucester and Swindon every day to serve said luxury rural lifestyle, most of them presumably not in Range Rovers). Aether Grey paint, with a satin finish and metal script badging, was chosen to reflect the ‘calm and beautiful British countryside,’ as was a Light Cloud and Cinder Grey interior using woven textiles as a luxury alternative to leather. The rear seats also feature co-ordinating scatter cushions.

‘We’re immensely proud to offer this highly desirable and rare limited edition to our most

discerning UK clients,’ says JLR boss Patrick McGillycuddy. ‘The Burford Edition builds on Range Rover’s exclusivity and luxury and captures the essence of the Cotswolds – one of the most beautiful locations in the UK and the heartland of Range Rover.’

Designed by Range Rover’s SV Bespoke commissioning house, the Burford Edition is ‘an exclusive curation inspired by the Cotswolds.’

You knew the C-word was coming, didn’t you? As is the P-word, which is simply ‘on application.’

Code for if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

Not unlike trying to buy a house in the Cotswolds, indeed. The base model lists at £192,000 before you start messing with the options (sorry, curating it) so we’d be surprised if the 10 clients deemed worthy of buying one take home much change out of a quarter of a million quid.

65 05/11/2024 18:45

Restoration Drama

In English history, the Restoration is the period following Charles II’s return to the throne. In this early Series II’s history, the restoration is now – and its story is a dramatic tale of triumph, tragedy and the strength of the human spirit. Oh, and it’s called Charlie too…

Words: Graham Scott Pictures: Alan Kidd

Sponsored by

W

hat’s in a name? People name pets, houses, vehicles, even footballs when they’re cast away. And this Land Rover Series II is named Charlie. It might be droll if that was because the owner had a coke habit. Or if he’d served in Vietnam – the Viet Cong were often referred to as Charlie or Charles. But this name? It’s not droll. It really isn’t.

What would you do if you really liked Land Rovers and you’d just bought a rare and immaculate condition, low-mileage 1958 Series II Land Rover fire engine? You’d be happy, right? Or, in fact, no.

Not if your name is Gary Jarrald.

Because you can’t mess with it; that would be sacrilege. So you have to just, you know, drive it, look at it, polish it. And where, thought Gary, is the pleasure in that? All the time he was looking around for a project. He knew this old boy locally, Graham, who along with his brother was slowly starting to restore an old model but that wasn’t happening quickly so Gary looked elsewhere.

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But life – life has its own plan and we can plan all we want but it’s life’s own plan that we end up having to follow. Gary got ill, cancer, serious.

That changed his outlook on life, as it would and probably as it should.

Then the old boy, Graham, his brother got cancer and died. Graham kept the old Land Rover and couldn’t bear to part with it as it was such a link to his brother. But Graham was already in his eighties and he had a fall and he just couldn’t continue with the restoration but couldn’t face getting rid of the vehicle.

Gary recovered and went to see Graham. He knew people would try and buy it for a song, or do it up and flog it on, but this was a project that needed some soul. He promised Graham that, if he bought it, he’d do it up faithfully and he’d keep it for him and his sons. Graham reluctantly agreed to the sale on one condition. This is what he said: ‘Promise me, when it’s done, let me come and see it and sit in it one last time. And let me take a

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photo with this plaque attached to the Land Rover, just for the photo.’

The copper plaque bore Graham’s brother’s name. It was Charlie.

Gary agreed, and looked at the 1958 Series II he’d just bought and agreed to restore. It had been garaged for many years and there was plenty of rust and some modifications that the two old brothers had started to make. One of them was to replace the original 2.0-litre petrol engine with a 200 Tdi, which involved messing about with the bulkhead and panels. This might not be easy.

But Gary knew about Land Rovers after a lifetime of being around them, and a strand of military life going back to his father and indeed the Falklands. He could see it was all there. Even though he wasn’t a professional restorer, he reckoned he could do this.

And perhaps we should be grateful that he wasn’t one of those shiny professionals. They replace everything, so it looks concours but it’s

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The vehicle started life with a 2.0-litre spread-bore petrol engine, making it one of only about 1500 and therefore a bit of a rarity. Not that that mattered to whoever it was that craned it out and dropped in a 200 Tdi instead. This is not that Tdi, though nor is it a 2.0; Gary happened to have a Rover V8 lying around, which had come out of another Series II and seemed like an ideal candidate to go in this one

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like my ancestor’s axe – it’s totally original apart from the head being replaced and the shaft being replaced twice.

Gary set to in November 2022. Behind him was cancer, covid and a divorce. At this point you might be thinking that life had thrown enough manure at Gary and he deserved a bit of peace and quiet to get on with this restoration.

He took six months away from work just so he could focus on the Series II. He was thrilled to discover that so much of what was there needed restoring but not replacing. Chassis (apart from the rear crossmember), axles, even bodywork

apart from the rear tailgate – all good after some TLC. The engine was a different matter.

Gary in no way wanted to offend Graham but equally there was no way the modern diesel could stay in that engine bay. It came out and in went a V8. Now you might think that’s not original either but Gary happened to have about his person a V8 that had come from another Series II. The vehicle you see here, 74 BYD, was one of the early models. Land Rover started making them in April 1958 and this one rolled off the line in June, as mentioned, with one of the last of the 2.0-litre engines.

Getting the V8 in took a bit of work as obviously the engine bay and bulkhead had had some sections chopped out to fit in the Tdi. However Graham comes from a generation that doesn’t throw stuff away – no, kids, you didn’t invent ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. All the metal sections he’d cut out were in the rear tub and so went right back in again, a very satisfying bit of jigsaw puzzle.

By February 2023, Gary had made massive progress. This was a nuts and bold rebuild, everything back to its components, but then virtually all of it restored and refitted. The chassis was done, the engine was in and the bodywork was off at the sprayers. While most go for one of the heritage colours, Gary went for a 1984 Land Rover colour, Atlantic Green, in enamel so it really should last. Just halfway through his six-month sabbatical he was really rolling. He got a phone call.

It was the hospital. He had Stage 4 lung cancer.

They’d been aware this was an issue but hadn’t actually quite got around to telling him. Envy of the world.

He had surgery and ended up with slightly less Gary than before. Then he got back into his unit to crack on with the rebuild. Graham and Charlie had made some modifications and Gary only changed some of them. For example you’ll notice Superwinch freewheeling hubs on the front wheels – Gary didn’t change them back, but just left them. Any changes he himself has made can be reversed to make it totally original. As it is, 90% of it is original.

At times like after the surgery, an old Land Rover needing restoration could be the perfect thing to throw yourself into, to focus on and think about the future of. As Gary says so admirably now: ‘There’s no point in giving up. Time wasted

We wouldn’t normally show you a picture of a fuel cap, but beneath this one the addition of E10 petrol to the tank created a sticky mess with some residual diesel that was lurking in there. And so the engine needed to be rebuilt. Again Gary changed what he had to during the restoration, but he also left whatever he could. The FWHs, for example, were fitted by Graham and Charlie while they were still able to work on the Land Rover The tailgate was the only part of the body that couldn’t be salvaged and instead had to be replaced Graham only asked Gary to let him put Charlie’s plaque on the Land Rover’s grille for a photograph. But they’ve become friends now, and the name has stuck; Gary has no intention of ever selling this one, nor of removing the plaque from its grille

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2025 Land Rover Yearbook 05/11/2024 00:00

Land Rover started making the Series II in April 1958 and 74 BYD rolled off the line in June, with one of the last of the 2.0-litre engines moaning about what’s going wrong in your life is time wasted from living. You just press on.’

Pressing on, he got it finished and fired up. And it didn’t work. Why was it such a mare from cold?

Gary had rebuilt the V8 with E10 fuel in mind but it turned out the new fuel, so beloved by so many, had found some little bits of diesel in the tank and had then made a sort of dissolved resin that

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got fired through the system. So much so that the valve stems when cold were being stuck in place by this resin. So the valves decided to start hitting things and bending things.

Time for the engine to come out. Again. And be rebuilt. Again. And for the whole system to be flushed through. I don’t know about you but I’m just lost in admiration for Gary’s perseverance and stoic determination not to be stopped by anything life can throw at him. He’s upbeat, cheerful and full of positive energy. He’s quite a chap.

And, being a good chap, when he’d finally got it all working again he rang up Graham and told him. And Graham came over, holding in his hands the plaque with his brother’s name. And when he saw the fantastic work that Gary had done it all

got pretty emotional. Excuse me, I seem to have something in my eye…

Graham duly had his photo taken with the Series II and of course with Charlie’s plaque temporarily in place. And then Graham said, you know, I’ve been thinking, would you keep the plaque on?

And now Charlie is on the front grille for ever more, and Gary is committed to never selling the Series II. Charlie, as of course the vehicle has been known for some time, including by Gary’s boys, has a pretty good life ahead. Gary and his partner and sons like the outdoors life, camping, going out for picnics, going to the beach. And for those trips it is Charlie who takes them there and stays with them and gets them home.

Charlie is no longer with us. Long live Charlie.

05/11/2024 00:00

THAT SINKING

FEELING

Sponsored by

Everything but the kitchen sink? No, this Defender 110 camper has one of those. And actually, it’s just the beginning…

Words: Gary Noskill Pictures: Lewis Maynard

S

omething that was clear for all to see at the recent Bath and West edition of the Great British Land Rover Show was the huge number of Defender fans now who have turned their vehicles into camper vans or full-on expedition vehicles. There’s a lot of home-brewed ingenuity to be seen among this new breed of modified Landy, however an increasing number of owners are turning to professionals to help them create a true motorhome-style interior. And here’s an excellent example of the latter.

It’s an early Puma, dating from 2007, which makes it a 2.4 TDCi. Its owner, Lewis Maynard, bought it last year with about 120,000 miles on the clock and a freshly installed camper conversion on the back.

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The work was done by Black Paw 4x4, who installed everything including, yes, the kitchen sink…plus the IndelB 30-litre fridge-freezer and Dometic Smev two-burner hob with automatic lighter. As always, making the most of every square inch is critical to a good installation, and the sink has a large cupboard beneath it.

There’s also a pair of large pull-out drawers under the worktop and a large underbed area for storage, as well as a small medicine cabinet on the rear wall. Like every good kitchen area, there’s a toilet hidden away in the corner too.

Ideal for when your camp cookery goes wrong and your home-made korma comes out more like an emergency-level vindaloo.

If this all conjures up the wrong image in your mind, rest assured there’s lots of ventilation.

And storage space for a can of Glade, but mainly ventilation. The habitation compartment has a pair of double-glazed Dometic side windows with built-in blinds and fly screens, while the roof has a vent in it to let air circulate. Said roof also happens to be a double-height pop-top – something that’s becoming increasingly popular as people start to discover that there’s an alternative to roof tents.

One thing there definitely is no alternative to is proper electrics. Lewis’ 110 has a split charge system which keeps the leisure battery healthy when driving, as well as a 110 Watt solar panel on the roof with an MPPT controller to keep it topped up when operating off-grid.

Obviously, if you buy a Defender-based camper you very much do intend to go off-grid,

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or make people think you do. But the reality is that most people will use sites most of the time.

Hence the full 240v rig which lies ready for when Lewis wants to hook it up.

Well planned

Elsewhere, the gas locker will hold two 12kg bottles and there’s an external BBQ point underneath. Now, that’s planning. A Shurflo pump in the sink draws fresh water from a 60-litre tank under the floor.

This is all good mini-motorhome stuff, though it could be used on more or less anything on four wheels. But this is a Land Rover, dammit, so those aren’t just any old wheels. They’re ZU alloys with General Grabber AT2, don’t you know.

Of course you know, you’ve been looking. So you’ll have seen that the 110 is also equipped with hefty bumper that’s home to a military-grade Winchmax 13500 – which, Lewis assures us, has never been used. Further additions include a snorkel, wind deflectors, black ally wing tops, a black grille and a full LED conversion plus two spotlights on the A-bar.

Underneath, moving from front to back there’s an uprated Terrafirma steering damper, heavy-duty drag link and track rod, new anti-roll bar and reconditioned radius arms. Even further underneath are Ratel X diff and steering guards, then properly at the back are double heavyduty coil springs to take all that extra weight.

Terrafirma heavy-duty shocks and polybushes all round help keep it all under control.

Talking of keeping things under control, the chassis was Waxoyled in July last year and

Lewis says the paintwork is keeping the cab well protected too. There’s a ‘very minimal’ spot of rust on the bulkhead, but nothing that’s not well within the realms of just needing preventative maintenance.

So that’s a keeper, then? Well it would be, but it’s not. During the year or so in which he’s owned it, Lewis has done the aforementioned suspension upgrades, prettied it up cosmetically… but only managed a couple of trips away in the vehicle. ‘Other life commitments,’ he explains, and ain’t that always the case.

That’s why the 110 was for sale when we spoke to Lewis, who was after £36,995 for it. Not cheap for an old Puma on six-figure miles… but then, if you think that an old Puma on six-figure miles is all this is, there’s not a lot that can be done to help you.

As we all know, few things hold their value in a tighter grip than a Defenders. But one of them is definitely motorhomes. Here’s a Defender that’s also a motorhome, so if it’s worth that now it should still be in the thirties a decade or more hence, after you’ve driven it round the world and made the sort of memories in it that last forever.

So it’s the kind of Land Rover you can buy, or indeed build, with your head and your heart working in unison.

Spend that sort of money on a new hatchback now and by the time a couple of elections have been and gone, you’ll do well to get the cost of a half-decent holiday for it. Spend it right, on a good expedition vehicle, and after that same time has passed you’ll still be having holidays in it. We can’t think of many current hatchbacks that come complete with a kitchen sink, either…

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04/11/2024 23:33

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02/11/2024 15:17:44

PAST

TENTS There aren’t many Mark 1 Land Rover Discoverys left these day. Nik Hammond struck gold with a near-concours 1993 V8 – then set about turning it into an overland camper Words and pictures Dan Fenn

A

decade and a half ago, there was a school of thought that said Land Rover fans looking to modify a Discovery were going to skip the second-generation model and go straight on to the third. That didn’t happen, but then ten years later a new school of thought emerged, saying the time had come when the Disco 3 and 4 were going to be seen as the new go-to vehicles in the overlanding game.

Both theories were favoured by influential people in the aftermarket. And both turned out to be wrong. You do get people playing with the Disco 3 and 4, but witness the way the vast number of readily available D2s dwindled to almost nothing in a few short years. And that’s with their less than complimentary reputation for reliability.

So the D2 was more popular than the D3 and D4, which themselves have a less than stellar reliability rep. And it’s quite probably the case that anyone who’s modified any of them only did it because they couldn’t get hold of a decent Discovery 1.

Maybe that’s exaggerating. Only maybe, though. Certainly, the original Disco was truck-like in a way the D2 couldn’t match and the D3 and 4 didn’t try to. And for that, people who know what it’s about love them.

Sadly, for all the wonderfulness of its ladder chassis, beam axles, steel springs and Tdi engines, the first-generation Discovery suffered from a lower body that was made of cheese. Not even very strong cheese. It was made of feta.

And it was every bit as crumbly.

Combine this with the convenient fact that old Discovery 1s became dirt cheap in later life, and were therefore perfect quarry fodder, and you have a scarcity of decent ones that’s been

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making its presence felt for decades. When they crop up, they’re in demand.

When Nik Hammond bought the Disco 1 in these pictures, for example, it had appeared on Facebook Marketplace that same day. Less than half an hour before he spotted it, in fact. He paid £1750 and immediately set off to collect his new trophy – and by the time he got there, the seller told him they could have sold it half a dozen times. That’s still only about 45 minutes on from the advert being posted.

So they all wanted it. And Nik got it. But why did he want it?

The answer is basically that he had already owned several of them, so he knew what they could do. And he knew one worth having when he saw it.

Which this one was. Its previous owner had had it for 14 years and done just 6000 miles in that time, with a couple of thousand out of those in the first twelve months, yet it hadn’t ever been laid up. Its MOT history shows a vehicle that was kept running and presented on time year after year – just with, particularly towards the end, no more than a hundred extra miles on the clock.

Sadly, the end really was the end for its previous owner, which is why 2019 saw Nik being the guy who was in the right place at the right time to take on a 1993 Discovery V8 EFi 5-door with a genuine 58,000 miles and a string of MOTs including not one single mention of body rust anywhere. Some guys have all the luck.

Well, he had all the luck but he also had a Discovery 3 as his overland chariot. And guess what? It was getting too expensive to maintain.

That V8 engine might like a drink, but give me simple any day of the week.

The D3 wasn’t Nik’s first expedition motor, either. Overlanding is in his blood, and all his

04/11/2024 23:46

PUT THE BOOT IN

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Using off-the-shelf parts to build a unique Defender is a tough ask. Ashley Russell, on the other hand, took a late Td5 90 and created a Land Rover that looks standard for the outside – but has a scratch-built cabin modelled on a Georgian boot room Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Ashley Russell

5pp Nik Hammond Disco.indd 75

04/11/2024 23:46

previous 4x4s have been prepped for it to a greater or lesser extent, including a Freelander he used to own and a Volkswagen bus which doesn’t have four-wheel drive but, he argues, is no less capable for all that as you don’t get lulled into trying to go places its lack of ground clearance won’t tolerate.

For those times when only the real thing will do, though, it was now all eyes on the Disco. He bought it at that blissful time when no-one knew the world was about to be plunged into lockdown, which unusually for a project was a hindrance rather than a help, but the project started in early 2020 with remedial work on the body.

What? Didn’t we just say that the MOT man never flagged up any issues with rust? Actually, the final test before Nik bought it threw an advisory saying ‘under vehicle has slight rust all over’…

So he set about welding the typical areas and ‘it soon got to a point where professional help was needed,’ Cue several months with the vehicle sat in a workshop while its staff sat on furlough getting ever better at Fortnite.

Even once it was done, supply chain issues slowed things down still further. But eventually Nik and his partner Leeane got their Disco back.

To start with, they were just going to flip it and be done, with a lovely new respray making it look very saleable as it sat there on their driveway, but

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that was the point when the Discovery 3 finally did what Discovery 3s do and they decided they had haemorrhaged enough money on it. And so project Disco 1 was on.

‘We sketched out a plan for turning Polly into a light overlanding vehicle,’ says Nik. Polly is as good a name for an old Disco as any, right? ‘The caveat we set ourselves was that the vehicle must remain as stock as possible, and any modifications should be sympathetic to her heritage. So no LED light bars or lift kits!’

Similarly, the Disco stayed on it original tyre size. The tyres themselves are BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrains, but nothing big and silly here. Not that big tyres are silly per se, but tooling up for war is neither big nor clever when your off-road horizons are well within the limits of the vehicle’s factory spec. If you’re building for overlanding, indeed, there’s a school of thought that says the closer to standard the better.

So what Nik did was very sensible indeed. ‘We began on a comprehensive schedule of works to create a base level of mechanical reliability,’ he explains. ‘We changed the exhaust, shocks, springs, brake discs, brake lines and wheel bearings. The original alloys had to go as steel is better for off-road work. All the rubber seals on the windows were new, but we changed the rubber

hoses and belts under the bonnet. All the fluids were flushed and changed including the diffs, gearbox, transfer case and so on.’

A good start, albeit one that would be the right thing to do on a daily, retro classic or indeed any other kind of project. But the good stuff came next – all of it accessories rather than modifications.

‘We’ve fitted a roof rack, roof tent and awning,’ Nik says. ‘The running gear is now protected by a standard sump and tank guard. Spots and floods are halogen. And 60% of the rear seats were removed and replaced with a storage and 12V leisure system.’

Nick mentioned that the lights are all halogen, and that LED bars weren’t going to be part of the plan, but that wasn’t just part of his desire to keep it period-perfect. There’s actually a practical reason behind it too, if you’re into exploring the chillier parts of the world. The Hellas on the bumper and the smaller spots on the roof rack are all halogen – because they run warm. ‘LEDs can get iced up,’ explains Nik. ‘The heat from the halogens helps keep them clear so you don’t lose your light output.’

These are things you learn from experience.

Similarly, the awning is home to a bank of LED lights for illuminating the camping area around the vehicle, and these can be toggled between white

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:46

The roof rack carries a bank of spots, a solar panel and a Batwing awning. The latter zips into a ground tent which is where Nik and Leeane normally sleep, though they do also have a hard-shell unit for the roof

Fuel-injected 3.5-litre Rover V8 is a spring chicken after 30-something years. When Nick bought the Disco, it had less than 60,000 miles on the clock and had been well looked after by a previous owner in whose hands it covered only 6000 miles in 14 years and amber. Why? Because amber doesn’t attract insects. A blessed relief even in Britain, but there are parts of the Arctic where you get mozzies the size of squirrels and inviting those in to play is definitely something you only do once.

Since we’re talking electric stuff, the vehicle runs a split-charge set-up with a 50Ah lithium leisure battery, a roof-mounted solar panel and a Renogy maintenance system. The vehicle charges its own battery as well as the lithium one when the engine is running, then when it’s parked up the solar panel charges first the leisure battery then, when that’s full, the vehicle’s own unit. All the wiring was done by a professional auto electrician – Nik is confident enough on the tools, but he’s also smart enough not to cut corners where it matters.

The leisure battery and Renogy unit are housed within a compartment on the bulkhead that’s been installed behind the second row of seats. Make that ‘seat,’ actually, because as Nik mentioned above everything apart from the one behind the passenger has been removed.

Aft of that, you open the back door to be confronted by a full-width unit incorporating five drawers and a Dometic fridge.

Like the battery box, this is trimmed in carpeting which matches the colours of the

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vehicle’s cabin. A practical benefit of this is that velcro sticks to it – so Nik and Leann made up a set of labels for the drawers and now they can swap stuff around as necessary without ever losing anything.

And efficiency matters. Making and striking camp is the sort of job where, as a nervous beginner, you start off feeling like you’ve made a complete idiot of yourself in front of a gallery of experts, but then a fortnight later you’re an old hand showing the next crop of newbies how it ought to be done. Nik points out that overlanding is different to mere camping; the former means setting up somewhere new every night whereas the latter tends to be more about settling in for the duration.

Either way, though, the big common factor is that you’re living out of your vehicle. Nik’s Discovery is probably more a camper than an overlander, but mainly it blurs the distinction between the two.

Obviously, in each case the very last thing you want to do is go making your truck more likely to break. Hence the lack of suspension lift, sticking with standard tyres and so on. You could add a lot to this list. A couple of mods that come to mind for overlanding would be a raised air intake, to keep dust out and protect your engine from calamities

if a water crossing goes wrong, and a heavy-duty clutch. Nik’s V8 runs through an auto box, so the latter isn’t relevant, but a snorkel would almost certainly be on the slate if you were prepping it for long-range work.

Of course, carrying everything it takes to turn a car into a home will inevitably mean making it heavier. And what were we saying about modifications? Nik fitted a set of +2” Terrafirma lift springs and heavy-duty shocks on the back, just to keep it from dragging its tail, and if anything it still rides slightly lower there than at the front – where there’s no winch or heavy-duty bumper to weigh it down.

Aside from a set of rock sliders, indeed, almost all the additional weight in the vehicle is at the blunt end. There’s a deceptive amount of woodwork in the drawer unit (again, all done by a professional), while up top a Rhino Rack roof rack carries a selection of equipment from Oztent, Foxwing and Batwing which all works together (by design, not accident) to provide a very flexible living area.

Nik’s hard-shell roof tent wasn’t fitted when we met him to take our photos, but the awning was – and he has a Tagalong ground tent by Oztent which zips directly on to it, giving him a sleeping space that’s bigger than a roof tent. Again, you

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Nik hired a chippy to do a proper job of building a wooden framed drawer set in the back of the vehicle. Velcro labels mean the contents can be reorganised without drama. The security panel inside the window is used for stowing all sorts of high-traffic items – like toilet roll and, er, condiments. Not a good time for cross-contamination if the latter includes chilli powder…

The larger of the rear seats is tucked away in Nik’s garage. It came out to make space for a bespoke cabinet housing a Renogy splitcharge system and 50Ah lithium leisure battery might do it differently in Africa, but for camping trips in the UK and Europe an additional benefit of this set-up is that his entire living space is under one roof.

As always with any kind of vehicle-dependant travel, it’s all about the planning. And there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Thus Nik didn’t add a second fuel tank – even in a V8, he wasn’t going to be to going anywhere so remote that this would become an issue the way it surely would on a full expedition.

It was the same deal with an onboard water supply, too. You can spend huge money on kitting out your truck with hot and cold supplies, sterilisers, a shower and so on, but while the Disco is perfectly capable of supporting a few days offgrid, that’s not what it’s all about. After all, wild camping isn’t even legal in an awful lot of Europe.

So instead, he uses lightweight bladders to hold the water he’ll need, secure in the knowledge that a fresh supply is never far away.

We mentioned that when we took our pictures of the Disco last summer, Nik also had a Volkswagen camper in his fleet. This was actually one of three overland motors he was running, but the total is now down to two as he decided to let this one go.

We don’t know if its new owner was planning to keep on using it as a camper, turn it into a full-house overland motor or even take it back to standard (all the mods on it are reversible, and Nik kept all the seats and so on that he took off so he could always restore it to the near-concours condition he found it in). But that’s the great thing about a proper 4x4 – it can be anything you want it to be.

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As it is, back in the days when this Mark 1 Disco was new, Land Rover made a big deal of its potential for family adventures. They knew full well that very few of them would ever go further than the school gate, of course, but those were the days when a Discovery really could live up to its name if you wanted it to. All these decades later, it’s still one of the most honest vehicles Solihull ever made – and Nik’s is a perfect example of everything that made it great.

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:46

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05/11/2024 15:59

A CLASSIC WITH A TWIST

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This Range Rover has been lovingly renovated – but instead of keeping it original to make a classic-car buck, its builders have given it a heart transplant to try and keep it as relevant as possible to people who just want to drive a good Land Rover Words: Tom Alderney Pictures: Ken Watson

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estoring a Range Rover Classic is never less than an honourable undertaking.

It’s not exactly notable for its uniqueness as an art form, however.

Similarly, replacing major components with better ones is a fine thing, but not a rare thing. But when you see a vehicle that’s been given basically all the vital organs from a different model, that’s more worthy of a raised eyebrow.

This is what happened to this particular 1991 Rangey. It’s had a major refurbishment – but in

addition, it’s had the engine, gearbox and transfer case from a Discovery Td5. Not the axles or suspension, though, which is good if you like the articulation that comes from having your rear end pivoting about a good old-fashioned A-frame.

The story kicks off with a Range Rover that had suffered the ravages of time. Its chassis was crusty and its lower body was rotten, as they so often are. We don’t know whether its drivetrain had been stripped out, or if it was just knackered, but with a full Disco 2 set available a project clearly presented itself.

Step one, obviously, was to take the whole thing apart and get the chassis sandblasted

and treated. On went a new rear crossmember, too, because it’s not just Defenders that can turn them into flaky pastry.

After that, the guys had something to hang a vehicle on – which they did using a full set of 14 new rubber body mounts. The worms had obviously been making a meal of it, because the vehicle is now made up of a new boot floor, including crossmembers, new front and rear arches, new battery trays and new outer floors.

In addition to all this, the inner and outer sills were also renewed and dressed up with new side steps. Above these, on went four new powder-coated door frames. The rubber windscreen and boot window surrounds were renewed, too, as were the upper tailgate gas struts and latches.

From the outside, the Rangey looks for all the world like an everyday nicely restored Classic. But look beneath the bonnet and you’ll find the heart of a Discovery 2 beating away under there.

The same vehicle also donated its gearbox (manual, thank you) and transfer case, with the latter turning a pair of proper Range Rover axles on proper Range Rover suspension

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04/11/2024 23:45

The chassis has been blasted and treated (and fitted with a new rear crossmember), and now you could eat your dinner off of it. Suspension and steering follow the original format, but both have been sorted out with everything from springs, shocks and bump stops to swivels, bushes and PAS box seals all being renewed Underneath, the vehicle got all new springs, shocks and bumps, along with four drop link arms and Polybushes everywhere. The brake calipers were replaced, along with the discs (with vented and grooved jobs), pads and pipes, as were all four wheel bearings.

Up front, the front axle got new swivels and seals and the steering was renewed as thoroughly as the brakes – using new heavy-duty units for the drag link and track rod as well as a rebuilt PAS box with all new seals.

You’ll have sussed by now that this wasn’t a five-minute job, nor was it a cheap one. And it certainly wasn’t just cosmetic. In fact, while this is certainly a very smart Range Rover, you could say that it hides its light under a bushel somewhat for something that’s been so thoroughly restored.

Under the bodywork, as we’ve already mentioned there’s a Td5 engine, R380 manual box and LT230 transfer case from a Discovery 2.

The latter turns the axles via a pair of new heavy-duty propshafts.

The clutch and flywheel were both replaced, as were the master and slave cylinder, water pump and thermostat, and the exhaust manifold was skimmed and fitted with upgraded studs. Under the driver’s seat, meanwhile, went an extended standalone wiring loom to integrate the vehicle’s existing electrical system with all the new hardware it hd gained.

Under the bonnet, the engine runs new fuel lines and silicone

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intercooler hoses. The coolant hoses are new, too, as is the heater matrix.

By now, the guys were well on their way to building a good-as-new Range Rover with the heart of a Discovery 2. Or a Discovery 2 clad in the clothes of a good-as-new Range Rover, take your pick. Either way, finishing touches included new bumpers and front bib spoiler, plus new mudguards, headlamps, fog lamps and side rubber trims. To give it a real period feel, the Rangey also gained a powder-coated ball bar, which is about as 1991 as it gets, and a set of clear plastic wind deflectors. The latter were all the rage back then – though looking at it from side on wouldn’t necessarily transport you straight back to the days of John Major and Gazzamania, because there’s a pair of Td5 badges on the front wings – as well as refurbished alloys from an altogether more modern era.

The result? A handsome looking motor, for sure. If you’re into authenticity, you’d blanch at

the mashing-up of Range Rover and Disco 2, and if you’re into off-roading (or any other kind of dedicated use) you’d perhaps be frustrated that its builders didn’t just go ahead and specify it with taller suspension, or dislocation cones, a high-angle A-frame joint, or rock sliders, or heavy-duty bumpers, or whatever combination you prefer out of a winch, snorkel, bash guards, roll cage and so on.

What it comes down to is that the original Range Rover was built to be an everyday car – and this one was rebuilt for exactly the same purpose. It’s still as classy as ever, in a nicely matured sort of a way, and after everything that’s been done in the restoration it’s well set to last another 30 years.

To us, it looks like the perfect all-rounder.

Superior work truck, superior family wagon, superior off-road machine – it could be any of these things, the ‘superior’ part clearly being the constant within its future.

04/11/2024 23:45

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R

RARE AIR

arity is a relative concept in the world of classic vehicles. If there are only a few dozen left, that’s rare by most people’s standards but at the top end of the classic game, it hardly counts.

Old Land Rovers are a bit different, because unless they’ve been restored back to original every single one is unique. What you’ve got here, though, is something that’s waiting to for that to happen – but which, when it’s been taken back to the way it once was, will still be close to unique.

What you’re looking at is a 109” Series IIA PickUp. It was first registered on 31 December 1970 – and it was ordered complete with the factory approved Air-Drive conversion.

If you’ve even heard of this, you’re doing well.

If you’ve ever actually seen one, it’s probably because you heard of it and searched it out, so rarely do they crop up.

AirDrive Ltd was based in High Wycombe and for a few years during the late sixties and early seventies it installed heavy-duty air compressors on new Land Rovers as one of many factory conversions. Others included the better known HCB

Angus fire tender, Lomas ambulance and Tooley mobile workshop, as well of course as the Searle Safari Sleeper and Dormobile – so AirDrive was in good company.

There were two options for customers seeking a high-mobility compressor. One was a lighter-duty 14cfm reciprocating unit mounted between the Land Rover’s front seats; this was described as being suitable for ‘many purposes including tyre inflation, bead breaking and nut running.’ What we have here though is the big one – a 100cfm rotary Broom and Wade compressor, which was installed below the vehicle’s rear floor and driven by its centre PTO. Delivering air at a pressure of 95 pounds per square inch, according to Land Rover’s sales literature at the time this was suitable for running ‘two medium concrete breakers’ – and to prove the point, the brochure included a line drawing of two workmen rattling away with their pneumatic drills.

The vehicle ran a dedicated oil cooler for the air compressor, which fed a tank situated behind the rear crossmember. Supply valves were then mounted externally on the rear wing.

Aside from being what it is, this particular 109 is notable for having been in the same hands

from new until 2021. That was when its current owner bought it, with a view to a full restoration.

Certainly, this is what it needs. Time has done what time does, and more to the point salt has done what salt does, so the Land Rover’s chassis is definitely not what it once was and its bulkhead might as well not be there at all. First two jobs on the to-do list, then.

The 109’s owner (who asked us not to mention his name, but you might well know it if you’ve got anything to do with the Land Rover resto scene) says he fired up the engine a while ago to check it’s okay, and found that it is indeed. He engaged the compressor at the same time and it turned freely, so that’s one massive hurdle negotiated already. It might be crusty, and for sure a full resto is in order, but if you start a job knowing that the major mechanical bits are in effect scrap – well, these are the things that make a vehicle what it is, so go figure.

In this case, though, there’s something else that makes it what it is. We’re big fans of patina here, and this 109 has it in abundance. Several coats of it, in fact, which is quite something when you’re talking about one owner. It looks as if the vehicle may have been green when it started life, but at least two coats of blue have gone on since – each with its own signwriting. Those subsequent layers have since faded out but the lettering upon them has survived, leaving a strange sort of stereoscopic effect.

Would you keep this or take it back to factory?

We know where our money would go, but this 109 has the scent of a Land Rover that’s destined for a return to originality. The option is even there to strip away the conversion and turn it back to standard, though we can’t see why anybody would want to do that. Done right, though, this is a potential concours winner – and a Land Rover that’s worth plenty more than it owes you.

Air-Drive 109s had more of a flight deck than a dashboard. The various extra gauges all allowed operators to monitor the condition of the air compressor located beneath their truck’s rear floor

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05/11/2024 00:08

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RETIREMENT PRESENT Being asked to drag an old Land Rover out of a garage is one of those things you get asked to do when you have the right equipment. The only problem is that you might end up taking it home and restoring it…

Words: Graham Scott Pictures: Gary Jones

I

did get a bit carried away. I never intended to go to the extremes I have. But I’m glad I did.’

For Gary Jones, this Series I restoration evokes quite a lot of emotion in him as well as others. But, before we can even talk about that, we have to deal with the guilt.

Because the story doesn’t start with the Series I although it may end with it. Instead it starts the better part of 40 years ago when a somewhat younger Gary bought a Series IIA. At that time, in the mid 1980s, he was setting up his haulage business in his native South Wales,

and he needed a workhorse to go with the trucks.

The IIA took the place of a van, filled with tools, spares, anything needed to keep his show literally on the road.

Fast forward some decades and his work has paid off, and he’s retired with his son taking his place running what has proven to be a successful business. But before Gary retired about 18 months ago, there came one of those moments.

A family asked him to drag a wreck out of the garage of the family home that needed selling.

The garage was damp and dank and in it was a Series I Land Rover that had been sitting there for 31 years. You can imagine the state it was in.

Gary had to make a decision as they just wanted it gone. Did he take it for scrap or did he try to restore it? The chassis was rusted, broken in half, everything else looked like it had been sunk in a sea of salty tears while people fired rifles, shotguns and mortars at it. It was clearly too far gone.

So Gary took it home and put it in his garage. But the garage was where the IIA lived.

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Land Rover’s exact bulkhead designs changed countless times down the years.

Whichever one you’ve got, though, Pegasus Bulkheads says it has the data to let it build an exact match

Only not now. Now the IIA, after decades of faithful service, had to sit out in the rain, abandoned, unloved, forgotten. ‘It was part of the family,’ Gary says uneasily. ‘I said I’d never part with it. It had a lot of love. But, well, it’s gone to a good home. And it got good money. And, yes, I still feel guilty about it!’

And the Series I simply sat there for a year.

Occasionally Gary would go and look at it, prod the wreckage, suck his teeth, and then walk out of the garage and turn the light off. And then came Covid and Gary decided to start his ‘Lockdown Knockdown’.

‘I had to make some decisions,’ he says. ‘The chassis was snapped in two, the bulkhead was beyond saving and there was so much that couldn’t be used again. I decided I didn’t want get the chassis repaired because that rot would just stay there and in a year or two I’d be underneath it welding it up again. And I was nearing retirement.’

This is where some purists, when they’ve finished fasting and lashing themselves with nettles, will get upset at the lack of purity. But to Gary he either went down the route he could see or he scrapped the 80. And he didn’t want to do that.

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Timing, as Gary points out, is everything. Five or ten years before, he wouldn’t have taken this project on. But now it was different. ‘I was in the process of retiring, after working seven days a week for 40 years, and I needed something to occupy my time.’ Not only that, but in that decade or so companies had sprung up who would make you an ‘original’ chassis or whatever whereas before you’d have been scrapping around trying to find one in better condition than the one you had, which was a tall order.

So first port of call was Richards Chassis.

Some money later, the broken-backed chassis was gone and in its place was a new original galvanised one, completely accurate down to the last detail.

The chassis number was part of the engine mount, which is welded into the chassis. Richards can’t legally stamp chassis numbers on the frames they make, so instead Gary cut out that bit of the old mount and sent it to them so they could weld it in to his new chassis.

Now Gary had something solid to build on. So, having replaced the chassis, he had a look at the bulkhead. It was in a similar condition to the chas-

sis and required a similar response. Only this time it was Pegasus Bulkheads who provided him with a perfect replica of the original part.

Now, there are Land Rover bulkheads and there are Land Rover bulkheads. Solihull changed the exact spec many, many times over the years of production, which was jolly thoughtless of them.

It’s as if they didn’t know people would be trying to reproduce the things seven decades later.

Pegasus’ Debbie Halley points out that the company has the data for every individual variant to have emerged from the factory. Which means they can make precise replacements that match the original spec in every way.

For example, this particular Series I was known to have been built by Rover Co Ltd on 14 October 1952. It was sent just two days later to Glovers Ltd in Harrogate. The date is important for two points – actually you could probably rattle off several but I’m sticking with two. First, it was nearing the end of production for the 80” wheelbase. And second, it saw the initial installation of the new 2.0-litre petrol engine, replacing the 1.6-litre that had been there since launch in 1948.

There was a time when someone dragging an 80 out of a barn and finding an engine in need of a complete rebuild would have weighed it in a found a willing V8 to go in its place. Probably from the same Range Rover whose chassis

05/11/2024 00:03

they used instead of the rotten one. But those times are so far in the past they almost count as heritage themselves. And Gary was definitely not about to be that guy.

Originality is a very valuable commodity in this game, which makes a matching-numbers engine worth its weight in gold. Even if it does needs a full rebuild – which this one most certainly did.

So Gary got down to work on the 1995cc Siamese-bore unit. Everything got stripped out, heads skimmed, barrels rebored, crank reground, the whole nine yards. He discovered it was jammed in four-wheel drive so the gearbox and transfer case were similarly rebuilt, along with a new clutch, and the engine was good to go – and of course it is still the ‘original’ engine.

It’s a tricky word, that ‘original’ sticker isn’t it?

Gary had to ponder the implications of it when he looked at the rear tub. Clearly quite a lot of mortar rounds and shotgun blasts had hit that area while it sat in its sea of salty tears. It was, in fact, shot.

So Gary picked up the phone to CKD Shop and hey presto, there’s a new one which is an exact replica of the original when it came out of the factory – if not better.

So, what we have is something now resembling a rather fine-looking Series I. But what we’re still missing – as you’ll have been noticing if you’re paying attention at the back – are some important bits at the front. Like bonnet, doors, wings, that minor stuff. And that’s where the ‘original’ tag started to get a bit tricky.

Because Gary discovered the vehicle he had in front of him carried the wrong wings. They were in fact from a IIA, although that wasn’t instantly obvious as they were in pretty tatty condition.

Which was a reminder of what happened to early Land Rovers once released into the wild.

Gary still has the original khaki logbook and, as we know, this vehicle started life in Yorkshire in the early 1950s. It was not an easy time or place.

There was still rationing. It appears that JAJ 266 had to work for a living on the farms of Cumbria.

At some point either accident or attrition meant two new wings and whatever fitted went on. By the time the Land Rover came south to South Wales in the 1980s, it was pretty damn tired.

The last tax disc was for 1987 in the Rhondda Valley, and it’s assumed it was reasonably soon after that it went into its dank and dark garage for the next 31 years.

As Gary has pointed out, timing is everything and nowadays it’s possible to get many parts ‘new’ and entirely accurate, even for the Series I. But even in this niche area, market forces are at work. Because Land Rover used a one-piece wing assembly in 1951 and 1953 – but not in 1952, when it experimented with (and then abandoned) the idea of using a two-piece wing.

So nobody bothers making new wings just for that one model year for the Series I as it wouldn’t make economic sense. Nobody in the entire world. Apart from one man. A man in his 80s who lives in Yorkshire, who has a couple of presses in his shed and makes wings for 1952 Series I Land Rovers. Isn’t the world a marvellous and fascinating place?

The 1995cc Siamese-bore engine is original to the vehicle, meaning it was worth its weight in gold to a restorer. It needed a full rebuild – heads skimmed, barrels rebored, crank reground, the works. But whereas once it would have been weighed in and replaced by the nearest available V8 or Ford Essex lump, keeping it a matching-numbers Series I mattered more than anything else. For the same reason, the gearbox and transfer case needed a full rebuild too

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2025 Land Rover Yearbook 05/11/2024 00:03

This is the thing Gary dragged out of the garage it had been sitting in for 31 years. It actually looks alright in the picture on the left, at least relatively, but just check out the state of that chassis. With a snap decision to be made as to whether it was worth restoring or just weighing in for scrap, even a matching-numbers Series I was looking less than appetising at this point The waiting list was one year, which would have been spring 2023. There’s obviously a waiting list. Obviously. But Gary was just thrilled he was going to get them. However he was even more thrilled when he got a call six months later to say they were ready. And they were perfect.

Doors came from CKD, and the bonnet was an original that Gary found and brought back to its best. Add in a fully restored interior, much of it original, then spray everything that needs spraying with Deep Bronze Green and you have this beautiful result.

Now what? Gary’s original idea was he was going to restore the vehicle and then maybe do a bit of gentle green laning and stuff. But the shape of things to come had been set back in June 2021.

Back then it was little more than a drivable chassis. But the Series I Club had a rally in Cumbria and Gary wanted to go. So he bought a van, fitted

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it out, put the Series I in the back, drove there, drove it around with some foam on the petrol tank for a seat and then slept in the van, in a sleeping compartment he’d also made.

A lifetime of working with lorries has clearly given Gary the tools and skills to do a lot of the work himself. He was only sorry that, when the vehicle started to get built, he could no longer do any spray-painting as he simply didn’t have the space in his garage. But, anyway, once it was heading towards completion, he wanted the big panels sprayed professionally.

The only things missing now are the door tops, but for Gary that’s less of an issue as now the Land Rover is a show vehicle. It gets transported to and from events and he wants people to be able to see in and enjoy what he’s done. Because this isn’t a vehicle that only appears at local events (although it hasn’t forgotten its roots) but

has already been a show-stopper at venues like the NEC. Talk to Gary now and you’re soon stuck into calendar dates, show times and all the rest. He readily acknowledges that he’s made massive and extreme changes to his Land Rover. But the Land Rover in turn has made a massive change to his life. He didn’t imagine retirement would be like this.

‘I think the Series I came along at just the right time for me,’ he reflects. ‘It’s done wonders for me. It was a lot of work but I get the payback. And the payback is going to shows and sharing it with the general public.

‘There’s always someone who starts talking about complete authenticity. But for the vast majority of people, they enjoy the vehicle and the attention to detail. That appreciation is enough payback for me.’

87 05/11/2024 00:03

ONE FINE Back in 1996, Sam and Nathalie Hughes came across a couple exploring Africa in a Land Rover. There and then, they promised themselves that one day, they would have one of their own. And what a fine day it turned out to be Words and pictures: Alan Kidd

Sponsored by

O

ne day.’ It’s a phrase we all seem to spend a depressing amount of our lives using, as we promise ourselves that we’ll dig the garden, paint the fence, visit that in-law, fix that rattle, experiment with swinging…

What? That’s just me? Oops.

You’ve said it, though. Over and over. One day I’ll win the lottery. One day I’ll do the Rubicon.

One day I’m going to say take this job and shove it and just walk out that door and then they’ll see what it’s like to try and cope without me…

Now, I know that one’s not just me.

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There comes a point in your life when saying ‘one day’ starts to sound a bit hollow, because you realise that in the greater scheme of things you don’t actually have all that many days left.

But Sam Hughes still had plenty of time on his side when he made himself the promise that ended up yielding this very well sorted overlandspec Defender.

Wind back the clock to 1996. Penalty shootout heartbreak against Germany, again.

Hello Spice Girls, Ford Ka and The Simpsons. And Dolly the sheep. It was the year of the X-Files.

A year when Charles and Di got divorced and a

huge 4% of the population now had access to the internet. The year when Trainspotting came out.

Feeling old? Sam certainly wasn’t when he went travelling in East Africa with his partner Nathalie. And with their whole lives ahead of them, they could dream big. So when they bumped into another couple at an overnight stop who were part-way through traversing the African continent in a Land Rover, they didn’t get jealous: they got inspired.

‘This was the catalyst for a pledge,’ explains Sam of the great moment. ’That one day we would own a Defender and embark on lots of

04/11/2024 23:58

DAY Need not want

adventures together. Who knows, one day even return to tackle Africa once again.’

Some time has passed. Careers have happened (and still are happening), ditto family, and now here we are looking at Sam and Nathalie and they’re the ones whose Defender will be inspiring others. It’s certainly inspiring their son Bobby, who intends to get himself a 90 and do an overland conversion of his own just as soon as he’s sorted with a driving licence.

What the inspiration comes from is a 2014 Defender 110 XS Utility. Well into the 2.2 TDCi era, then, and being an XS it has the extensive

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luxuries of a range-topper like manual air-con, heated seats and a rear wash-wipe. Clearly, at least one of those can make a big difference if you’re planning to go overlanding, even if the trucks that built the Land Rover legend had none.

‘Ruby,’ the 110 is affectionately known, arrived with the family as what Sam describes as ‘already a nice example of a 110 Utility.’ She looks pretty much drop-dead gorgeous in a coat of Montalcino Red and, on an altogether more practical level, she had already been fitted with premium slide-out draws and a storage locker. A good start, clearly, with what Sam had in mind.

And what was that? Well, here’s an interesting one. ‘We set about only adding what we actually need,’ Sam explains. ‘Having owned six motorhomes adorned with every conceivable luxury, the shift back towards minimalist, utility-based travel has been an interesting but rewarding challenge.’ Imagine what he’d be saying if he’d bought an old 109…

The Defender rides on 265/75R16 BFGoodrich All-Terrains, which puts it on a sensible footing for long-range travel. Strong, tractable and hardwearing tyres matter more than a playday-hero tread pattern and, best of all, they’re standard in size. When you’re prepping for overland travel, you change what you must but nothing you don’t have to. Nobody ever crossed a continent and put it down to having 44” tyres and nitrous.

What Ruby does have is heavy-duty springs and shocks from Old Man Emu. No need for a lift, but the rears are 300kg constant load jobs specified with the weight of all that expedition kit in mind. Not that the front, where the springs are medium, is exactly lightweight either – a Terrafirma Pro tapered winch bumper and the same company’s 12,500lb winch see to that, as does the steel guard protecting the drag link.

There’s a set of rock sliders further back, with tubular extensions for keeping trees at arm’s length, while the tops of the wings and bonnet are dressed in chequer plate to provide a step and the engine breathes through a raised intake from Safari Snorkel.

Nothing too extreme there, then – not so much a case of trying to make a vehicle something it’s not than making the most of what it is. You could add a lift, more armour, locking diffs, fancy trailing arms, blah blah blah, and no doubt there are people reading this who can’t believe Sam didn’t try to wring every last drop of horsepower out of the engine, but would any of these things have made it a better overlander? A good overlander is one that gets you home again afterwards, and there’s never been a better case for the KISS principle.

That being the case, it’s as standard as it can be and no heavier than it has to be. Boxes ticked.

And when it comes to living out of the thing… well, actually it’s not as extensively messed with here as you might imagine either.

As always, there’s a conversation to be had about whether you’re going to be living out of it or in it. For a while, roof tents were the only way to go, but more people now are moving to pop-top conversions and turning their trucks into compact motorhomes. Sam does say that in the

04/11/2024 23:58

Above: Terrafirma’s drop-down table is mounted on the nearside van panel, providing the perfect rest for a two-ring hob and solar-fed Anker power bank. A pair of TredPro recovery boards is mounted to its underside, too Right: Ally floor in the back hides a deep drawer which pulls out to reveal all life’s cooking essentials. Another drop-down shelf on the rear door provides further kitchen space, then a huge stowage box inside looks big enough to sleep in future, he might do a full Alu-Cab roof conversion and interior fit-out, but for now he’s kept it traditional, installing a full-length roof rack upon which lives an ARB Esperance tent.

Loving the life

This is a thing with a story behind its name.

Esperance is a town on the south coast of Australia, about 450 miles from Perth, and when you look at pictures of the place you basically want to go there and stay forever. Turquoise waters lapping beaches of pearly white sand where kangaroos bask in the sun – it’s that kind of vibe. A place for surfing, swimming, scuba diving and just generally loving life amid a landscape from a dream.

That’s quite appropriate, too, because Sam is currently looking at moving the family to Oz for a spell while he takes up the offer of a posting there from work. The family don’t seem to mind,

Nearside van panel is home to a pair of 20-litre Front Runner water canisters, complete with taps, and a high-lift jack safe to say. This may be because he’s also looking at shipping the Defender out there too and having some proper adventures in it.

Back to the tent. ARB designed it for quick and painless set-ups and break-downs, with an internal telescopic ladder, gas strut assisted opening and a closing mechanism using just three push-lock ratchet straps. They also gave it what they call a ‘stargazing moonroof,’ as well as three zip-up windows with mesh screens to keep flying critters at bay.

We mentioned weight earlier, and the Esperance tent adds 56kg dry. That doesn’t include the roof rack, but while it can’t help but affect the vehicle’s centre of gravity it’s only about the same as having a medium sized adult sitting up there. And less likely to get you arrested (ARB says the tent will limit your top speed to 68mph, while with a human up there it’s more like zero).

Other things on the roof rack include a 20-litre jerry can from Front Runner and a collection of storage boxes from XS and Tentco. There’s also a side-mounted 270-degree Speedwing awning from Tuff-Trek, which turns the Defender into a kind of garden room within a few minutes of Sam parking it up wherever his journey may have taken him.

Said room can just be a lounge, or perhaps more accurately a veranda, but most likely it’s that trendiest of things, a living kitchen. You can get incredibly fancy slide-out jobs, as we all know, but Sam contents himself with a Terrafirma dropdown side table upon which a portable two-ring hob does everything the family needs. There’s another drop-down table mounted on the inside of the back door, too, as well as a large drawer which slides out from beneath a false floor to provide ample kitchen stowage. The 110 also carries a Total Cool fridge freezer (‘cheap but cheerful,’ sys Sam) and an Anker power bank and solar panel. A full-height mesh guard keeps the cargo and passenger compartments isolated from one another which is good because the cargo in question includes a seriously big and rigid storage case.

Further additions include a couple of 20-litre Front Runner water canisters mounted on the far side from the dropdown table (these have taps, so they’re more than just jerry cans), a high-lift jack bracketed to the gutter above them, various LED surround lights and a Trasharoo bag slung around the spare wheel. Talking of lights, the headlamps have been converted to LED too, and there’s a set of Masai guards to protect them.

Joining the tent on the roof rack is a set of 20-litre jerry cans from Front Runner and a collection of storage boxes from XS and Tentco, not to mention a 270-degree Speedwing awning

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2025 Land Rover Yearbook 04/11/2024 23:59

Above left: A 12,500lb Terrafirma winch sits on the same company’s tapered heavy-duty bumper, providing all the pulling power Sam should ever need Above right: No need for anything radical here. The BFG All-Terrain is legendary for its combination of grip, wear, strength and road manners, and a 265/75R16 is a standard size requiring no modifications to the 110’s suspension Right: When you’re going places where dust is the main feature of life beyond tarmac, a snorkel comes into its own. Yes, they protect your engine from the perils of deep water, but more importantly they gather up clean air from above the cloud of fine particles that’s constantly swirling around closer to the ground This is a set-up that might want some developing, not least in terms of total fuel capacity if they’re going to make the most of all overlanding opportunities Australia has to offer. But the basics are more are already there, and it’s all very well tried and tested too. ‘The Puma engine and all-important sixth gear for longer motorway stints have already proven

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themselves during trips to the Pyrenees and Picos De Europa, alongside many long weekends exploring all Wales has to offer,’ Sam continues.

And this year the family will be going further afield than ever: ‘To celebrate a milestone birthday, the island of Corsica awaits with its many tracks and trails, stunning isolated beaches and mountain locations.’

Feeling jealous? Well, don’t forget that this is Sam and Nathalie’s ‘one day’ truck. Though their ‘one day’ promise to themselves was to explore Africa in a Land Rover, and with everything in the mix that day might still be in the future. It’s never too early to start getting ready for that one day, though… and wherever the road might one day take them, they’ve certainly got the vehicle for it.

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OUTSIDE THE BOX Dave Cooper’s reasoning behind the things he’s done with his Land Rover 90 is unusual – but still very sound. The vehicle itself is a one-off, too – but there’s no denying the logic to the way it is Words: Paul Looe Pictures: Harry Hamm

E

ven in this era of blingers and shinies, you see a lot of 90s at off-road events. You see truck-cabs, hard-tops, station-wagons, traybacks… and, every once in a while, a king-cab.

When we say ‘once’ we mean it, because Land Rover never did the 90 as a king-cab. Dave Cooper did, though. And this is it.

Owning Land Rovers is something Dave’s very good at. It all started when Dave saw a County for sale and ended up buying it, then before you know

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it he’d decided that one Landy wasn’t enough and bought a Disco, too.

And that was before he had even done any off-roading. But the guy he bought the 90 from was in the local Land Rover club and soon he was having his first taste of green laning.

‘I absolutely loved it,’ he says. ‘I wanted to build a Land Rover for it, but the ones I had were too nice.’

At this point, let’s mention that Dave went on to own another Discoverys. And two 90s – the one

4pp Dave Cooper AK.indd 93

we’re talking about in this article, and a dailydriven 300Tdi (which, when we took these pictures, was soon to hand it everyday duties over to a Range Rover he was restoring). Oh, and there was a 110 floating about too. Five Landies, then, and ten live axles, so he’s passed the ‘proper ones’ test with flying colours.

Passing tests wasn’t something this 90 was going to be doing in a hurry when he first came by it, though. ‘It was quite tatty and beaten-up,’ he tells us. ‘It was an old farm truck with a cattle

shed on the back, and it didn’t have an engine. But the chassis and bulkhead were solid, and they’re still original now.’

In the days when it did have an engine, it was a 2.5 TD. Dave dropped in a 200 Tdi as the process of turning a rough old dog into a fine beast got underway, then having removed the ‘cattle shed’ from the back he was left with an everyday truck-cab.

This, however, wasn’t what he wanted – so he built the arrangement you see here. ‘A truck-cab is too tight. There’s nowhere at all to put things except in the back tub, and then you have to get out every time you want something. With the kingcab, I can have my tools in here in the dry, and plenty of sandwiches!’ He can recline his seat as far as he wants, too, having lowered the bulkhead behind it.

Are there any drawbacks to the king-cab layout? In the debate between truck-cab and van, you could call it the best of both worlds – but just as easily the worst. Dave’s answer is an interesting one.

‘A van body can be handy, as you’ve got more to lean on in trees. There’s been times when I’ve watched my mates in full-length 90s getting through something by being up against a tree the whole way, and I’ve thought “if I do that, I’ll roll,” so I’ve had to back out.’

Of course, this only applies if you’re fitting a full external roll cage – if you’re not, extra bodywork is just something to smash up. And if you ever plan to do an RTV, rest assured that to the Clerk of Course, a gate brushed gently by a full-length roll cage is just as surely hit as if you’d run it over and reduced the cane to splinters.

If he was doing it again, would he build a van?

‘I’d probably rather have that than a truck-cab, yes.

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Above left: The front axle is a 24-spliner from a Discovery 300Tdi. It’s more standard than some, but the 110 vented disc conversion means breaking effort should never come up short Above right: Unlike the one at the front, the rear axle is a Defender unit. A Defender 110, as it happens – with a 4-pin diff and strengthened halfshafts providing the sort of ruggedness you want when you’re giving it some on rough ground But if I was to redo this one, it would be another king-cab again.’

And with that, he provides another insight into the mind of an off-roader to whom the really severe stuff is where it’s at. ‘This sinks quicker in water than a van.’

That sounds like a bad thing. It’s not. ‘Because the water comes in to the pick-up area in the back, it weights it down and you sink quicker.

So you’re not floating for as long – you get your wheels down to the ground faster so you can start driving. I’ve seen a few float off down rivers – the sooner you get it under control, the better!’

Dave and his mates tend to go out to a playday once a month, looking for the sites with the toughest terrain. ‘As long as we can get stuck, we’re happy!’ he says, though with a rear-locker

on the top of his to-do list, that might start getting trickier to achieve. Or at least, by the time he gets stuck he’ll be in an even more awkward spot, which will probably suit him down to the ground as the last thing he’d want is a boringly easy winch recovery.

If we hadn’t already mentioned full-length roll cages, it would be prudent to do so now. As you’ll have spotted, Dave has one, and as you’ll also have spotted it’s not like anything you’ll see on sale at a Land Rover show.

Actually, it is like something you’ll see on sale at a Land Rover show, because that’s what it’s made of. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the hybrid roll cage.

‘The rear hoop was off a Series I,’ says Dave. ‘I extended that to make it higher, but the front hoop

was only fit for cutting up, so I used that to make the middle section. I bought a Safety Devices front hoop, made the rest from scaffolding and patched it together!’ Sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

Often when we talk to people about their vehicles, they’re full of stories about what they’re going to do next.

As well as that rear locker, Dave said he’d like to replace his front winch with an 8274, but that was about it – however with so many other Land Rovers to give him his fix in the workshop, he was more than happy to let the 90 provide the entertainment off-road. ‘I love them!’ he admits happily. ‘I enjoy working on them a lot, and driving them just as much.’

And winching them, too. Will he be getting a front locker to go with that rear one? ‘I’m not too sure, because every time we go out my mate Rob, who has one, does a CV! I’m happy to drive as far as I can get and winch it from there.’

As part of such a tight-knit group, Land Rovers and off-roading are a social thing for Dave as

Above left: Fancy suspension? Who needs it. Simple +2” Britpart springs and shocks are all it took to put the 90 where Dave wanted it Above right: Britpart spring and shocks do the job at the back, too. You can also see a set of relocation cones here, and holding the axle in place the standard A-frame is backed up by a pair of cranked trailing links, also from Britpart. That’s a wide-yoke propshaft you can just about see part of, too

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Above left: Up front, a Goldfish 9.5tds winch in a tubular bumper does everything Dave needs it to. That doesn’t mean he’s not planning to fit a 8274 instead one day, but it won’t be a distress purchase Above centre: In the unlikely event of those box-section rock sliders not being enough, there’s a steel guard formed around the fuel tank too. Tree stumps might hang it up, but it’ll winch back off without injury Above right: So, you’ve created an extended cab that falls halfway in length between a 90’s and a 110’s… now who do you go to to buy a roll cage for it? Answer: you don’t. Dave cut up a couple of old cages for bits then got down to it with a pipe bender and made the whole structure to fit, welding it to the chassis to create a full exo structure much as anything else. In that, he’s actually very much like all the rest of us.

When it comes to the shape of his Land Rover, on the other hand, he’s one of a kind. His thoughts on the pros and cons of its body have a ring of truth that comes

with experience, and his willingness to search out the most testing terrain gives him the mark of someone whose truck looks far straighter than it has a right to be. It’s a thinking man’s Landy, this one. And that makes it stand out all the more.

Dave made the king-cab body by butchering panels from an old 110. Want to count the benefits of this layout? Well, we can see: 1) Lots of extra storage, 2) no roll bar stays in the cab, 3) all the space you want for reclining your seats, 4) somewhere to mount a fire extinguisher that won’t mean it’s constantly getting you on the shin, or the back of the head. It does make the pick-up bed look like a bit of a token effort from outside (though it’s not), but with the roll cage built around it the proportions still work

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ANCIENT MARINER

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Ex-Army Land Rovers are a common enough sight, but ex-Navy not so much.

This 109” Series III is a superb example of the breed, having enjoyed a recent restoration back to its original condition Words: Gary Martin

T

here are lots of ex-Army Land Rovers in the world. But an ex-Navy one is much less of a common sight.

It shouldn’t be any great surprise, of course. You’ll be a long time looking for an ex-Army destroyer, on account of they do stuff on land.

By the same token, there’s a reason why it wasn’t called the Sea Rover.

Still, the Navy and indeed the RAF did always have a few Landies knocking about. The RAF, in-

deed, were the first clients to ask for Land Rovers with two-wheel drive; the Belgian Army followed suit years later, and in each case you have to wonder why they didn’t just get Bedford CAs or Commer FCs instead.

This, on the other hand, is not a Land Rover with one hand tied behind its back. It’s the real deal, and it’s recently been restored back to near new condition. Oh, and in its 46 years on this planet it’s done all of 27,100 miles. That’s just

under 590 a month, and we’ve done that many in a morning.

The resto was done between 2019 and 2020 by the 109’s owner, Ian Stilgoe. He bought it that year from his friend’s dad, a Mr Bennett of Formby, Merseyside, who in turn had been its first civvy owner after the Navy disposed of it in 1986.

The story doesn’t start there. though. The 109’s build date is recorded as 29 March 1977, and about a week later on 4 April that same year it was despatched to the central Army Vehicle Depot at Hilton, Derbyshire. This facility was closed about a decade later and subsequently redeveloped into a housing estate – by which time the Land Rover had already completed its service with the Navy and found its new home in Formby.

The restoration was a thorough one, with almost everything capable of wear being either repaired or replaced. This includes the chassis, which still had its original manufacturer and Navy IDs but was too far gone to save and had to be replaced with a galvanised unit

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Left: The original 2.25-litre petrol engine was good to go again, which is pretty much as you’d hope with only 26,000 miles on it.

Ian renewed the carb and HT system, and rebuilt the engine with new seals and bearings, but that was all Above: Cleaned up and looking as good as new, the 109’s interior gained new seats and belts as well as a heater element that actually works Its mileage was 15,400 when it was disposed of, and over the course of the next twenty years this climbed to 26,713. Mr Bennett kept it fully serviced and MOT’d, and obviously he did a few miles in it every year, but then in 2006 it was laid up. Maybe the work required to keep on top of its advancing years got too much, but either way that was it until Ian took it on.

After that, he didn’t waste any time. His plan was to carry out a complete restoration, keeping the vehicle to its original spec, and it’s not a plan from which he deviated.

The chassis number, VIN plate and Royal Navy ID were all present, however the chassis was too far gone to save. Ian based the rebuild on a galvanised unit but while doing so he retained the part of the original with the number stamped in it.

From chassis to rolling chassis, the axles were gently reconditioned using new seals and bearings. Ian inspected the diffs and halfshafts, finding that they weren’t worn, and the same went for the prop UJs. The front axle got new swivels, though, and then the reassembled units went under the chassis on new springs.

The engine and gearbox remain original too, which is kind of how you’d hope it would be after only 26,000 miles. Of course, though, both wanted rebuild of their own.

The engine is the 2.25 petrol, which is a pretty long-lived old lump if you don’t do anything silly.

Ian rebuilt it with new seals and bearings, and fitted a new carb as well as renewing obvious stuff like the points, plugs and HT leads. He could have done more (you can always do more) but having pulled it apart he found it just didn’t need it.

The gearbox and transfer case got a similar going-over, with seals and bearings all round as well as a new second gear in the primary. The steering box and slave were rebuilt with new bearings and in went a new clutch, along with new slave and master cylinders, and a whole new braking system. In the words of the man himself, ’not much which could wear wasn’t restored or replaced.’

Ian shelled out a bit more than £10,000 on parts for the project, which is well as the above included things like a new fuel tank, heater element and wiring loom. It all adds up to a big bill, though

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of course it also all adds up to a cool Land Rover so that’s alright.

Helping it look cooler than ever is a new hood and tilt from Exmoor Trim, which contrasts nicely with a fully resprayed glory coat in the correct Navy blue. Ian went the full nine yards and stencilled in the signwriting to go with it, too; if you don’t know your MOD acronyms (and we wouldn’t blame you, because there are more than 20,000 of them). PSTO(N) stands for Principal Supply and Transport Officer (Naval), and Rosyth is the dockyard you see down below you when you’re crossing the Forth Bridge north into Fife.

Just to digress, another one of the 20,000 is SEXSSI. This stands for Ship’s Explosive Store Safety Instructions, don’t you know. Someone was in a playful mood with that one…

Back with the 109, Ian fitted new seats inside as well as three-point inertia reel belts. A towbar and electrics might sounds less likely on a restored vehicle, but the Navy would certainly have

used it that way when it was new so in that sense it adds accuracy – even if you can’t imagine it being put to work these days. The 7.50R16 Michelin ZXLs it’s wearing are rather more modern than it would have started life on, too, but if you’re going to quibble about that it’s time to get some more real ale down you. Or rum.

One of the best things about this Series III is that its history is unusually complete. Its Royal Navy acquisition contract number (049-76-1) is present, its military registration was 15-RN-86 and, almost unbelievably, when Ian was pulling it apart for restoration he found a naval spec print under one of the seats. There was a time when someone would probably have been court martialled for that under the Official Secrets Act. Mainly, though, it’s cool. Very cool, very complete and very accurate in all the ways an everyday classic should be. All it needs now is a home on the coast and it’ll be set for a retirement fit for an old sea dog.

05/11/2024 00:13

THE TRAIL LESS TRAVELLED Coast-to-coast across the USA is one of the world’s great road trips. Thanks to one man, it’s Sponsored by

Words: Kaziyoshi Sasazaki Pictures: Land Rover North America

W

ay back in 1984, when Land Rover’s last leaf-sprung Series III models were coming down the production line at Solihull and the birth of the Discovery was still more than half a decade away, a young trail biking enthusiast by the name of Sam Correro had a big idea. The sort of big idea you can only have if you’re from a big country.

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Fortunately, Correro hails from one of the biggest of the lot. His home town of Corinth is in the north-eastern corner of Mississippi, right on the border with Tennessee and a few miles west of the Alabama state line. So, as a man who liked to go out and explore the countryside on two wheels, he didn’t half have a big playground.

And that was where his big idea came from.

It was in 1984 that he first started researching the unpaved roads and trails of the USA with the aim of creating a cross-country off-road route. He pored over hundreds of maps, rode thousands of miles and surveyed countless potential routes – until finally, twelve years later, the Trans America Trail was born.

Starting in eastern Tennessee and finishing on Oregon’s Pacific Coast, this was a single route

covering around 5000 miles and passing through nine states (as well as various forests, vast tracts of farmland, a desert and the Rocky Mountains). We say ‘was’, because since then it has been modified to include one section taking it to the Pacific in California and others linking it to the Atlantic coast.

These days, the main trail starts in West Virginia, heads west to the Utah-Nevada border then loops

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also an epic off-road adventure – and two Discovery 4s were the first 4x4s ever to take it on

north and east again to finish in Wisconsin. An associated Shadow of the Rockies trail runs north through New Mexico and Colorado, crossing the main route once then linking up with it at the southern edge of Wyoming.

Wherever you’re from in the world, these are names that conjure up images of adventure – following in the footsteps of the pioneers as they crossed the heartland through

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majestic landscapes where bears, coyotes and mountain lions roam free. If you’re not already dreaming of shipping your truck to the States so you can join the many others who have followed the Trans America Trail from end to end, there’s something the matter with you.

You wouldn’t be the first to do it in a Solihull motor, though. That’s because in the summer of 2013, a team of three Discovery 4s set out

on Expedition America – a monthlong coast-to-coast crossing of the USA using almost no paved roads at all. Though the expedition had its own unique route, the organisers based the bulk of it on the Trans America Trail. And though this was an official expedition run by Land Rover’s US importer, it wasn’t a stage-managed media show – done without any pre-scouting, it was intended to demonstrate the vehicles’ capabilities in what was a true overland adventure.

The Trail’s website, which Sam Correro still runs himself, describes the going as a mixture of ‘dirt, gravel, forest, farm and brief sections of paved roads.’ That doesn’t sound too challenging, but read on: ‘Depending on the weather and location, riders may face challenges including mud, sand, snow, and rocks among others.’ This was definitely going to be a challenge…

And what sort of people does Land Rover turn to when it’s faced with a challenge? That would be its very own Driving Experience instructors, of course – and better still if they also happen to be Camel Trophy veterans.

Step forward Tom Collins. He was one half of the USA team that finished second in the Camel in 1987 – the year when a convoy of Range Rovers achieved the first ever full transit of Madagascar’s east coast. It was a proper off-road endeavour back then, with no need for gimmicky special tasks involving snowboards or mountain bikes, and it’s no wonder so many of those who battled through it have gone on to become celebrity figures in Land Rover’s operations around the world.

For Collins, this meant becoming the team manager who oversaw the USA’s 1993 Camel Trophy victory in the jungle of Malaysia. By this time he was also heavily involved in Land Rover’s press events and vehicle launches, and in 1989 he created and led the fabled Great Divide Expedition – a 1100-mile transit of the highest peaks in the Rockies which demonstrated the Range Rover’s masterful ability at a time when the vehicle had only been on sale in North America for a couple of years.

With a leader like that at its head, the Expedition America convoy

was in good hands as it set out on its marathon route – appropriately, starting from the Land Rover Experience centre in Asheville, North Carolina.

The trio of Discoverys in the pictures will look familiar enough to British eyes, but in fact they were quite different to the models we got here. For one thing, they weren’t called Discoverys at all – in North America, the vehicle was marketed as the LR4.

Under the bonnet

There was a difference under the bonnet, too. Whereas the Disco 4 we got here was powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine, the LR4 got a version of Land Rover’s 5.0-litre V8 developing 375bhp and 375lbf. ft. But in other ways, it dished up the same hearty fare; integrated body-frame construction, permanent four-wheel drive, low range, height-adjustable air suspension and locking front and (optionally) rear diffs. As with the UK model, this was backed up by a raft of high-tech traction aids to help get over the limited articulation in its all-independent suspension.

It didn’t take long for them to be working for their living, either.

Setting off from Asheville, the convoy was straight on to a series of mountain trails – and into swathes of low cloud. By the time they crossed into Tennessee, the clouds had well and truly opened – turning forest roads into streams and streams into torrents.

All the same, it was here that the unrelenting march of progress has unwelcome side-effects. ‘In Tennessee, the trails are already increasingly being paved,’ explained Collins. ‘Who knows how long it will be before other states do the same with their unsealed roads? This is an expedition with a shrinking environment as its challenger.’

It should also be noted that at the time of this expedition, no record existed of anyone having previously done the whole of the Trans America Trail on four wheels. So the pioneering spirit was very real, even if the convoy was following a well researched route. Certainly, bikers they encountered along the way were fascinated to see the vehicles as they progressed westward.

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With Sam Correro piloting them as they crossed the Deep South, the Discoverys pressed ahead through the sweltering heat and humidity of high summer. The mercury was knocking on for 100 degrees as they crossed the Mississippi (below) – though when your route takes you through Clarksdale, the famous home of the blues, however hot the weather might be everything is still going to be pretty cool None of the Discoverys needed to use their winches, but the weather was a perfect illustration of why a means of recovery was so important. Even on established dirt roads, you never know what might happen – especially when Mother Nature is doing her best to wash the surface away.

Something else each of the vehicles was carrying was a three-strong crew of drivers and navigators. Everybody wants to be behind the wheel, of course – but in

a month of 13-hour days, fatigue is a real issue, so a regular regime of driver changes was essential.

Special guest

Further on, as the vehicles continued their journey west, they were joined by a very special guest – Sam Correro himself. The creator of the Trans America Trail hooked up with the convoy as it passed his home town of Corinth and joined the Land Rovers for a stint aboard his bike as the route crossed the

Mississippi and passed through the majestic landscape of the Ozark Mountains.

‘Land Rover Expedition America could not have happened without Sam and his thirty years of research,’ commented Collins. ‘It is an honour to have him join us for a few days.’

With the father of the Trail as its honorary leader, the convoy had an almost literal watershed moment as it followed his

motorbike along picture-perfect farm tracks leading the route across the Mississippi.

It wasn’t half beautiful, but it also wasn’t half hot. As the Discoverys crossed the state line into Arkansas, the mercury was tipping 100 degrees – which, combined with the oppressive humidity of high summer in the southern states, meant the crews were very grateful

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to be travelling in modern, climatecontrolled Land Rovers.

Just a few hours inland from the Gulf of Mexico, this is the most southerly point on the Trans America Trail. The Deep South will forever be associated with blues music; there’s a thing called the Mississippi Blues Trail, which is another story altogether, but just prior to crossing the big river the expedition passed through the town of Clarksdale. This calls itself the ‘Home of the Blues’ and even has its own downtown Walk of Fame to prove the point. Plaques here honour local blues men – including Ike Turner, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Big hitters, then.

A big hitter from another area of performing art is Morgan Freeman, who part-owns the Ground Zero Blues Bar in Clarksdale. Now, this was an expedition, not a holiday, but sometimes you’ve got to take a moment – and when the man who’s played God, Nelson Mandela and the President of the USA is in town and you’ve got the chance to meet him, you don’t say no.

The team also met renowned blues musician James Johnson, nicknamed ‘Super Chikan’, who’s famous for making his own guitars from jerry cans – just like the ones the Discoverys were carrying. ‘If

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you give me one, I’ll make you a guitar in time for the end of the trip,’ he offered. It doesn’t matter how precious your jerry cans are when fortune smiles on your like that.

Shattering humidity

Driving behind Correro, the expedition crossed the Mississippi River in 100-degree heat and shattering humidity into Arkansas at Helena. This was the most southerly point on the journey, just hours north of the Gulf of Mexico. But things were to change quickly as the route swung north – and started to climb into the Ozark Plateau.

Covering around 45,000 square miles, the Ozarks stretch from the west bank of the Mississippi to south-eastern Kansas and into the north-eastern corner of Oklahoma.

They cover a good proportion of southern Missouri and extend well into northern Arkansas – which is where Correro stopped for a breather to reflect on the creation of the Trans America Trail during a brief pause in the expedition’s relentless march onwards.

Sitting by a mountain road near the town of Oark (whose name apparently comes from French, as opposed to someone with a broken Z button on his keyboard), Correro reminisced on the early days of his

research. ‘I just kept heading west, finding outback roads that linked to other outback roads. I arrived into Oklahoma and then Colorado from my home in Mississippi. At that point, I figured maybe I had a shot at reaching the Pacific.’

With Correro leading the way, the convoy of Land Rovers climbed to 3000 feet above sea level on tight, twisting mountain trails. Progress was slow, as it should be when you’re off-roading, and the days were as long as ever – with early starts meaning the convoy was often sharing the landscape with native wildlife. They spotted deer, turtles and coyotes in the Ozarks, along with a good many bison; the latter were being farmed as cattle, but they made an impressive site nonetheless amid the spectacular scenery.

Dropping down towards Alma, Arkansas, the trail becomes dramatically washed out, requiring no small amount of skill and concentration whether you’re on two wheels or four. Correro inched forward, balancing on his pegs, while the Discoverys picked their way through the rocky axle-twisters with their Terrain Response programmes working overtime.

This was the final part of Correro’s stint at the head of the

Expedition America convoy. Turning around in Alma to head back east, he promised the Land Rover team that what they had experienced thus far was no more than a taster – and he certainly wasn’t joking.

With Collins now leading the way, the vehicles’s next challenges involved tackling the southern Midwest, the towering Rockies and the Utah desert – all the while facing ever-changing and often extreme weather. The mercury had climbed above 100 degrees as they crossed the Mississippi: now they were pressing on amid tornado warnings and the threat of lingering snow on the highest trails.

Unending flatness

First, they had to polish off another challenge – that of getting past the unending flatness of the Great Plains. A landscape that seems to go on forever, even when you’re zipping across it on the interstate, this takes even longer when you’re doing all of it on time-honoured gravel trails like the one following the Kansas-Oklahoma border.

‘If it’s not clear already,’ said Collins as they set off from Alma, ‘the next week will show the sheer enormity of this undertaking. The US is a big place – never more so than when you are crossing it on dirt!’

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In White Oak, Oklahoma, the Trans-America Trail intersects with Route 66. There’s an irony here, in that the unmade tracks the Discoverys were following date from the era of the Gold Rush, while the fabled Mother Road was created a century later – yet it’s the Trail that exists today in a continguous form, whereas Route 66 has largely disappeared under the interstates that replaced it

In a landscape without many highlights, a notable moment while following the Kansas-Oklahoma border was the Trail’s intersection with Route 66. The famed Mother Road is less than half the length of the Trans America Trail but as they crossed it in White Oak, north-east of Tulsa, the crews could reflect on the history beneath their wheels.

In many ways, the dirt tracks the Discoverys were following resembled the sort of roads the original pioneers took during the Gold Rush of the 19th Century; Route 66, on the other hand, was a symbol of westward migration during the 20th Century.

Now, ironically, Route 66 no longer exists. For much of its length, it has been upgraded and renamed as part of the interstate system, while

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in other areas the course it once took is gone forever. In between these extremes, some precious old sections do remain, sometimes signposted as ‘Historic Route 66’, and every so often you’ll strike gold and find a faded old marker painted on the roadway itself, but there’s no denying that these days, it’s incomplete. The tracks that came before it, however, remain much as they were in the days when those Gold Rush pioneers raced west in their covered wagons – the difference being that a couple of horses have now been replaced by, in the Discoverys’ case, a 375bhp, 5.0-litre V8 engine.

Literally the only modifications to the Discoverys were factory-fit winches, roof racks and skid plates.

‘Doing this in stock vehicles is

important,’ said Collins, ‘as it clearly demonstrates the capability of the LR4 that anyone can buy at their local dealership.’ Obviously the LR4 has given way to the Discovery 5 since then (it’s now known as the Discovery in North America too) but the point remains the same – it’s a premium family SUV, but it’s a real Land Rover too and it comes with serious off-road ability built in.

Everything changes

And this was about to be tested, too. The miles rolled by, and by, and by, as the convoy made its way through the featureless landscape

of northern Oklahoma, southern Kansas and north-eastern New Mexico, crossing the famous Santa Fe Trail then entering Colorado – where everything changed. In front of them, the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains rose like a wall, the 14,000-foot summit of Pikes Peak looming in the distance as they headed towards what was set to be the biggest challenge of the month’s driving.

And that is indeed how it turned out. After a badly needed rest day in Colorado Springs, the convoy set out again into the mountains – and four days later, no-on could

2025 Land Rover Yearbook 05/11/2024 00:08

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There was a time when these tracks were used by horse-drawn carriages and nothing else. Progress has changed all that – instead of two horses, the Discos were propelled by the 375bhp of their 5.0-litre V8 engines – but at least the tracks themselves remain

remember how many different highlevel passes they had negotiated. At times, these climbed to more than 12,000 feet – that’s similar in height to the Eiger, or three Ben Nevises on top of each other.

At these altitudes, the passes are normally only free of snow during August. Even then, however, it’s not guaranteed – and with the Rockies having been buffeted by storms during the previous weeks, there was a real danger that the Discoverys would get so far only to find the way ahead blocked.

Having already encountered extreme heat, flooding and massive

thunderstorms, it would have been entirely in keeping…

Oblivion

Sure enough, some snow did fall as the vehicles were picking their way over Black Bear Pass. Thankfully, though, the way ahead was still clear – though that didn’t make it easy. Black Bear is a well kept trail with a surface composed of loose stone, but as you descend from the summit you need to take it very, very steadily to avoid building up momentum. The switchbacks come thick and fast, and going over the edge would be a one-way trip

into oblivion – something that’s thrown sharply into focus by the fact that you’re relying on your vehicle to maintain its poise on what is essentially scree. This is where the Discoverys’ Terrain Response and Hill Descent Control came into their own, allowing the drivers to remain in control and concentrate on placing the vehicles safely away from the lip of the track.

After a high-adrenaline off-road challenge like this, it can be nice to put your wheels back on to tarmac for a while. But there was no such luxury in store here, as the goal of crossing America on unmade roads remained very much intact.

Thus, having reached the midway point in the expedition as they passed through Colorado, the vehicles’ next challenge was to

negotiate the track into Utah. In contrast to the epic trails of the Rockies, this simply runs parallel to the interstate, so close that you can hear the rumble of traffic from within the cabins of their Discoverys.

Rock Crawl mode

That was easy enough, but while I-70 continues in the same vein the Trans America Trail suddenly becomes much less placid. Black Dragon Canyon is one of the most technical parts of the entire route, requiring the vehicles to edge along cautiously with Terrain Response set to Rock Crawl mode. Rarely getting above walking pace, they continued this for some 14 hours.

In some parts, this section of the trail is overlooked by 1000 year-old cave paintings under the lip of a

Every mile brought its own challenge, but it was in the Rockies that the Discoverys really earned their living. At altitudes similar to three Ben Nevises on top of each other, these trails are normally open for one month a year – and even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to make it through

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canyon wall. The crews probably weren’t paying much attention to that, though, because the driving was so intense. They were looking out for rattlesnakes, too, which is always sure to focus the mind…

As this suggests, the expedition had moved into a new kind of landscape with an arid climate.

The route of the Trans America Trail took the vehicles from Utah into Nevada – where Collins’ team learned that unbeknown to them, they had just had an incredibly lucky escape.

Close to the town of Salina, the crews had watched in awe as an

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intense storm brewed up. Moving on, what they didn’t know was that this had gone on to cause a flash flood, turning the trail they were on at the time into a deep, fast-flowing river. Literally two hours after they had passed through, their route had become completely impassable.

Fortune favours

A pair of motorcyclists riding the Trail caught up with the Discoverys further along the route and showed the team some pictures they had taken of the flooding. ‘That would have been impossible to cross and we would have lost at least a day,

maybe more, waiting it out,’ said Collins. Fortune favours the brave…

Fortune also favours the careful, and as always on an expedition everyday maintenance is critical. In the fine white dust of the Nevada desert, this means cleaning out your air filters almost every time you stop. The stuff is like talcum powder, its tiny particles capable of getting everywhere.

Now, too, the climate was once again searingly hot, with the temperature back up over 100 degrees. Previously, the teams had had to cope with temperatures like these combined with the

crippling humidity of the Mississippi floodplain; this time, the air was dry as the land beneath the Discoverys’ wheels – a land of of sagebrush, rattlesnakes and desert tarantulas, so jumping out of your vehicle to get under the bonnet and clean its air filter was not something to be done without caution.

Having stopped along the way back in Mississippi to hob-nob with Morgan Freeman, the team were treated to another distinctly unusual overlanding experience as they passed through the Nevada town of Eureka. Some five hours north of Las Vegas, this was once a Gold

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Rush boom town with a population of 10,000. It’s declined to more like 600 now, leaving a strange urban landscape in which modern buildings sit alongside classic Wild West architecture – all surrounded by the harsh, parched landscape of the desert.

Riot and shooting

One of the most notable buildings here is the old Opera House, which has been restored but, with no real prospect of drawing an audience, is rarely used. Not that the operagoing experience in a Gold Rush boom town would have been the genteel pastime it is today, but that’s probably just as well. In any case, Land Rover’s event organisers arranged to bring Nicolette, an opera singer from Los Angeles, to Eureka for the day to put on an intimate off-off concert for the town. Unlike quite a lot of performances in the 19th Century, it didn’t end in a riot and no-one got shot.

From here, the convoy passed through the Black Rock Desert, close to where Andy Green piloted Thrust SSC to the first ever supersonic Land Speed Record in 1997. The route nibbled off a few miles from the north-east corner of California before heading into Oregon, the final state in the itinerary – but here, things were to get more dramatic than ever.

Literally two days from the conclusion of its month-long quest, Expedition America faced a totally unexpected challenge courtesy of wildfires in the forests of Oregon which made this section of the Trans America Trail completely impassable. Completing an offtarmac crossing of the USA on

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tarmac doesn’t really sound like a very appropriate way to sign off, but it seemed unavoidable – or at least, it would have to lesser men than Tom Collins.

Showing the resourcefulness and determination of a Camel Trophy veteran, Collins set about mapping a new route – with some expert help. ‘We give our thanks to the firefighters in Oregon who provided us with detailed advice on how to drive around the fire zone safely,’ he said. ‘Without their assistance, we would have not been able to reach our goal.’

With that, the convoy of Discoverys – dusty, muddy and very nearly singed at the edges, but very much unbowed – rolled out of the

woods and arrived at their ultimate destination of Port Orford. The westernmost point on the American mainland, this was a very fitting spot at which to finish the expedition – and the Discoverys had made it there with no mechanical issues and no repairs needed, save for a few flat tyres.

In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, Expedition America was able to claim the honour of having been the first to complete an unpaved crossing of America by 4x4. It certainly demonstrated the Discovery’s overland abilities, bringing both they

and the Trans America Trail to a whole new audience.

If the thought of a 5000-mile expedition across the USA on almost nothing but unpaved roads, via forests, deserts and mountain ranges, sounds like your idea of heaven – well, you’re certainly not alone. Time to start prepping your Land Rover and checking out the cost of shipping, perhaps. It won’t be cheap, but it’ll be the trip of a lifetime – in every sense. And you, like Expedition America itself, will have Sam Correro to thank for it.

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DON’T RUSH IT… With vast areas of desert and one of the world’s largest canyons, along with towns and It’s also a place you can easily rush through when South Africa is your final destination Words: Raymond and Nereide Greaves Pictures: Raymond and Nereide Greaves, and as credited

Sponsored by

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cities that resemble something out of Bavaria, Namibia is a nation of great contrasts.

– but to do that would be to miss out on what is a highlight of any overland journey

W

hen you’re on a road trip, it can be all too easy to rush through the sort of places that really deserve to be visited properly. This is even the case on an overland expedition – particularly if you’re approaching your journey’s end and have either become tired of life onthe road or started to run up against time constraints.

So for anyone driving from the UK to South Africa, Namibia is at particular risk of being passed over.

We had set off from London almost four months previously in our L322 Range Rover – the first of its kind, as far as we’re aware, ever to make this journey – and having travelled through some sixteen countries including Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, it would be hard to exaggerate how excited we were to see our first road sign to South Africa!

This was in Botswana, as we travelled west towards the border with Namibia. And it could certainly have prompted us to rush on towards our final destination, because the roads in this part of Africa are far better than we had become used to as we followed the classic route down the eastern side of the continent from Cairo. But Namibia is a land that deserves better than to be seen in a blur.

There’s no such thing as a border crossing you want to spend more time at, on the other hand. But the checkpoint at Buitepos came pretty close, taking a mere 12 minutes to pass through.

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Above: When you’ve been travelling for month after month on a mission to reach South Africa, seeing your first road sign to your final destination is a pretty exciting event. This is especially true when your route has taken you through various regions where road signs are notable mainly for the fact that there aren’t any Above right, right: Salt production at Walvis Bay involves allowing seawater to evaporate in huge pans. Throughout the process, the water changes colour – some pans are vibrantly green, others bright pink and others blood red. The salt itself is a reassuringly familiar white

We can’t let this pass without making an ever so slightly clichéd comment about German efficiency.

Not something you would normally associate with Africa – however while the rest of the continent was being colonised mainly by France and Britain, in 1884 Namibia became part of the German empire.

Germany only controlled Namibia for 31 years before being driven back out by South African forces, but during that time much happened to shape the nation’s character.

Today, you will find German architecture, German street names, German coffee shops and a significant

German speaking population – and, in enormous contrast to some parts of Africa we had visited en route, everywhere is extremely tidy.

In addition to this, there’s also a strong South African presence; its giant neighbour had varying degrees of control for 75 years after ending the German occupation, with full independence only achieved in 1990.

As a result, it’s a linguistic melting pot with English, Afrikaans, Nama (the Bushman language, characterised by distinctive clicking sounds) and German all spoken.

Following a tumultuous century which included four obscene years

of German genocide against the Nama and Herero people and a period of life (also obscene) under the apartheid regime of its South African masters, Namibia is now a stable, multi-party parliamentary democracy. It’s also largely considered free of malaria, which we found very welcome – and in another measure of political stability, its currency is equivalent to, and directly interchangeable with, the South African Rand. So we were looking forward to this being a mercifully hassle-free part of our expedition!

Mainly, at least. The capital, Windhoek, is a fascinating blend of

modern architecture with Bavarian and even Alpine-looking colonial buildings – but the guide book we were relying on made it sound absolutely horrible, painting a picture of a city whose streets were taken over at night by gangs of armed robbers.

To us, it really didn’t feel like that at all – even when we put the theory to the test by accidentally leaving the Range Rover unlocked overnight with all our valuables in it. Fortunately, everything was still on board in the morning.

Next we headed for Swakopmund, which is on the west coast of Africa.

As we passed through the Namib

The architecture in Windhoek is remarkable, with the influence of the colonial era very clear.

While the rest of Africa fell mainly under French and British rule, Namibia became part of the German empire; today, its towns and cities are reminiscent of those in Bavaria and even the Alps. They’re notably very clean and tidy, too, which is in marked contrast to many other parts of the continent

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Above left, centre: Swakopmund is another of Namibia’s main cities, and once again there are areas in which it resembles Europe – half close your eyes and you could be looking at Southend Pier here. In other ways, though, it’s distinctly African Pics: Swakopmund, Namibia by Domenico Convertini @ flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0

Above right: Sand boarding is one of the most common reasons for visiting Swakopmund. As the name suggests, it’s like snowboarding, only on sand, meaning you travel more slowly and it doesn’t hurt as much when you stack. Which, as you can see from the tell-tale patch of sand here, does happen…

Desert, descending towards sea level, the temperature dropped from a scorching 37 degrees to a breezy 20 degrees over a distance of no more than about 20 miles.

We realised here that we had now driven to the shores of no less than five different seas: the English Channel, Aegean, Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. And now we were on our way to the Atlantic.

Swakopmund is a combination of German, Swiss-German and South African influences. There were lots of European cars around (including the Mark 1 VW Golf from the 1980s, which were still being made in Southern Africa up until 2009) and the architecture was very reminiscent of southern Germany. Swiss and German guesthouses lined the streets. A small African curio market was the only thing that gave away the fact we weren’t in Europe.

5pp Lilongwe Down Namibia.indd 111

Along the seafront, the houses had all been painted in pastel colours. A house with a traditional thatched roof and a very modern looking full glass front stood out like an elephant in a ballet. Come to think of it, there were quite a few ‘elephants’ around with tacky wildlife paintings on the external walls.

We circled surreal Swakopmund, taking it all in. Our home for the next few days was the Sea Breeze Guest House, where the room we stayed in was large enough for five people with its own kitchen, garden and balcony. We took the opportunity to unload the entire contents of the Range Rover, spreading out our giant map of Africa on the table and setting up our laptops. The accommodation quickly became a Lilongwe Down situations room!

One of Swakopmund’s principal attractions is sand boarding. This is

exactly like snowboarding but much slower and easier on your backside if you happen to be a beginner. We drove to the very precisely named Dune 7, where we were met by a man with four snowboards and a quad which acted as a desert chairlift. The dune was more of a small hill in skiing terms, but since Nereide didn’t know anything about boarding and Raymond wanted to sledge down, it was quite big enough.

As it turns out, it was pretty easy to board down in a slow diagonal or a straight line without wiping out. Meanwhile, however, Raymond sledged down at an uncontrollable speed and in an uncontrollable direction in complete hysterics.

Then something astonishing happened. It began to rain.

The Namib Desert has about 5mm of rainfall annually, which means it normally only rains for

about ten minutes each year and that’s it. It had already had its entire year’s quota the week before we arrived and now it was going to be doubled! Needless to say, any downhill movement after that was completely impossible.

Another great activity in Swakopmund is quad biking the Namib Desert. We hired a quad each, along with a guide to take us through the desert for a couple of hours. The view of the orange sculpted dunes juxtaposed against a perfect, cloudless blue sky was like nothing else.

There was a cool breeze keeping us from feeling the harsh sun on our backs. Sand tracks led us over the top of dunes, round the sides and through steep drops and jumps which were very reminiscent of skipiste topography.

The view of the desert was all-consuming, stretching out for

05/11/2024 00:01

miles in front of us. The dunes were big enough to hide a person lagging behind as we rode between and around them. We rode through craters, pushing hard on the power to reach the top of the bowl before turning into steep declines full throttle, the wind racing against our faces. Great fun!

Aside from tourism, other key industries in Namibia are salt and uranium production. We went to see the Walvis Bay salt works, which is close to Swakopmund. Salt is produced from pans of seawater evaporated by the sun, which in turn produces an unusual phenomenon: the seawater turns different colours at each evaporation stage. Some of the pans were blood-red, some seaweed green and others Pink-Panther pink. Very unusual.

None of this was asking any particularly searching questions of our Range Rover, but that changed when

112 5pp Lilongwe Down Namibia.indd 112

we made tracks towards Fish River Canyon. Located some 375 miles south of Windhoek, this is reminiscent of the Grand Canyon – after which it claims to be the second largest in the world.

The road out of Windhoek wound its way to over 2000 metres before gently descending into vast, open flatness where you could see for dozens of miles at a time in all directions. This was broken up by some jagged mountains far in the distance. For hundreds of miles at a time, we would see virtually nothing, which impressed upon us Namibia’s incredibly low population density – just two million people in a country about the size of Germany.

Out here the temperature was starting to feel a great deal cooler and fresher, something we had noticed as soon as we drove south of the Kalahari Desert. For the first time in months, the jeans and

jerseys were re-emerging from deep within our luggage.

To access Fish River Canyon, we had to drive down about 45 miles of gravel tracks. Always a test of a vehicle’s traction, not least because unlike in the rest of the continent, untarred roads in Namibia are smooth – allowing you to maintain speeds of 60mph or more, always accompanied by a huge plume of dust behind the car. The landscape was mountainous and rocky and there was a total lack of any vegetation, apart from the odd Quiver tree.

Then we were there, and the Fish River Canyon opened up like a vast gash in the flat landscape of the desert. Whether it really is the world’s second biggest is open to question but we could see for miles along the gorge and the Fish River itself was very narrow at this point.

The river only flows from March or April for about six months before drying up and at this stage it was still only a trickle.

We took a good walk along the edge of the canyon and were struck by the totally unforgiving nature of the landscape; sharp rocks underfoot, no shade anywhere and no water or vegetation. This is a place where you need to be totally self-sufficient otherwise you run into major trouble very quickly.

Having put in so many miles to reach the canyon, now at last we were close to the South African

frontier. And the excitement was definitely rising as we continued towards what was going to be our final border crossing.

Not that we were in a hurry to leave. With its pretty towns, fast roads, great service, civilised culture, kind people and good places to eat, Namibia had been a welcome surprise. It was a positive surprise, and somewhere we had thoroughly enjoyed visiting.

But now it was time to get yet another stamp in our passports.

Although we were still some way from Cape Town, after this we would have plentiful fuel stations, excellent places to eat, first-world health care… even the AA! In fact we both had a creeping feeling of guilt that this was about to turn into a glorified holiday. Though having driven 13,200 miles to get there, we reckon we had just about earned it!

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THE FINAL FRONTIER Every year, the coastal waters of South Africa’s Eastern Cape are home to the Sardine Run. Millions of the fish migrate here to spawn – attracting a mob of predators which make it a red letter event for marine biologists.

That’s why a team of scientists made tracks for the Agulhas Bank aboard a convoy of Land Rovers – in what was to be the factory’s last major expedition before the old-shape Defender went out of production Words: Tom Alderney Pictures: Land Rover

L

and Rover has a long association with Africa.

Throughout the company’s history, its vehicles have been at the heart of expedition travel in every corner of the continent – as well as providing day-to-day transport for rural communities in areas with the sort of roads where only a proper 4x4 will do.

This connection with the world’s wild places has played an important part in building the Land Rover legend – something of which the company is well aware. Over the years, it has supported many initiatives and organisations in Africa, and elsewhere across the globe, which fit the image it wants to portray. The Born Free Foundation is perhaps the

most famous of these, however in Africa itself the Kingsley Holgate Foundation has become well known for evoking the spirit of overland exploration to increase awareness of ecological issues.

Both these organisations run Land Rovers, and both were part of the itinerary on the Shoals of Agulhas – the factory’s last major expedition to use Defenders prior to the original-shape model going out of production.

Led by TV personality and marine biologist Monty Halls, the fortnight-long expedition covered approximately 1000 kilometres on its way along the Eastern Cape of South Africa – where the Agulhas Bank is home to one of the less

well known wonders of the natural world. Every year, millions of sardines are attracted to these coastal waters to spawn – attracting predators from far and wide. These include sharks and dolphins, as well as seabirds which flock to the area in their tens of thousands to join the feeding frenzy.

The convoy included examples of the Discovery and Discovery Sport, as well of course as the Defender.

These included Halls’ own vehicle, a 110 Utility loaded with diving equipment – which was put to very good use later on in the trip.

That’s because two of the vehicles were also towing 1.5-tonne boats, which the team used as part of a shark-tagging exercise.

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‘The goal was to gather as much data as we could through shark tagging, DNA sampling and photography,’ explained Meaghan McCord, from the South African Shark Conservancy, who was part of the expedition team. ‘We spent five days on the water and were able to catch a Bronze Whaler shark and

tag it, take DNA samples and then safely release it.

‘This kind of programme allows us to understand not only more about the Sardine Run itself but to track the marine life’s activity once it’s over. We have already shared the genetic samples collected with Stellenbosch University for use in pop-

ulation ecology studies and started monitoring shark movement along the coast using the tagging data.

All of this information will provide a greater understanding of the lives of marine predators and contribute to the conservation of the species.’

Towing the heavy boats along the rough, unmade tracks which

follow the coastline of the Eastern Cape provided an added challenge for the vehicles, which at times also encountered more rugged off-road terrain. They also encountered lions, albeit only in the relatively controlled environment of the Born Free Foundation’s big cat sanctuary at Shamwari.

Above: During the annual Sardine Run, all sorts of animals flock to the Agulhas Banks to gorge themselves on the hapless fish. South African Antelopes are not among them – though here they are with a Defender 110 among THEM, so that’s alright Below: You wouldn’t think sharks are particularly playful, but turns out they love a good game of tag

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‘The expedition team assisted the staff at Shamwari big cat sanctuary in administering a contraceptive to a lioness. Safe to say she didn’t just roll her sleeve up and sit still’ Here, lions and leopards which have been freed from zoos, circuses and other forms of animal prison are returned to their natural habitat and allowed to live as nature intended. More or less, at least. While experiencing a day in the life of the Shamwari staff, the team assisted them in administering a contraceptive injection to a lioness. Safe to say she didn’t just roll her sleeve up and sit still…

The rendezvous with Kingsley Holgate was maybe less dramatic, but certainly just as educative. After a lifetime of adventures, the charismatic 75 year old from Natal runs a not-for-profit organisation in his own name whose goal is to improve everyday life in South Africa’s villages. His campaigns, which focus on real-world issues, have included distributing water purification systems, malaria nets and reading glasses to

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rural communities. On this occasion, the expedition team visited a school where they introduced the pupils to his campaigns and encourage them to have a voice in the protection and survival of the region’s critically endangered native rhinos.

After this, it was on to Agulhas, where the marine work was to begin.

This was very much the main event.

How big a deal is the Sardine Run really? Expedition leader Monty Halls explains: ‘The biomass of the shoals, along with the attendant predators that follow in their wake, matches the Serengeti – which hosts the largest terrestrial mammal migration on earth. To seek out these vast aggregations of sardines as they work their way up the eastern coast of South Africa has been one of my lifetime ambitions, and the reality certainly matched the many years of expectation.

‘Launching the boats alone was a monumental challenge. But once we had negotiated narrow river inlets and huge surf, we were in another world. We encountered breaching humpback whales, vast flocks of Cape Gannets, cruising sharks and, most memorably of all, a super-pod of four thousand common dolphins racing along the shoreline seeking out the sardines.’

For anyone with a soul, an experience like this could hardly help

but be exhilarating. For a marine biologist, it was a dream come true.

‘It’s always a slightly glib statement to say that something is the trip of a lifetime,’ reflected Halls. ‘But for as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the Sardine Run. ‘A great expedition, a great team, a magnificent spectacle. The memories will last a lifetime.’ As, indeed, will the benefits of the work done by his team – and the convoy of Land Rovers that supported them.

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BUYERS’ GUIDE Series I (1948-1958)

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f you want to be the owner of a vehicle that oozes heritage like no other, then surely a Series I Land Rover is the way to go.

The Land-Rover, as it was known until the Series II came along, is the most sought after Land Rover for purists and collectors alike – particularly in its original 80” guise.

Its 1940s’ engineering gives it a real charisma, but consequently, parts aren’t as readily available as they once were. Restoration

£5000-£85,000+ projects require deep pockets, but then a finished example will fetch mega bucks.

Gone are the days where you could use a Series I as an actual Land Rover, because with restored and cherished examples now retailing where they’re at, preservation is the aim of the game.

The rarer and earlier the vehicle, the higher the price tag gets. But can you really put a price on such an icon?

Pros: Heritage, charm, a true classic, the original Land Rover Cons: Availability of parts, no such thing as a cheap one

Series II/IIA (1958-1971)

£2500-£40,000

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n 1958, the second-generation Land Rover was born and along came the barrel sides which we continue to recognise on even the very last Defenders.

Today the Series II or IIA is a more affordable prospect than a Series I, yet it still carries much of that early charm that makes it a hit with enthusiasts.

Prices have peaked now, however they still remain strong for good examples. A 2.25 petrol 88” would

be our pick, as the diesel engines, certainly the 2.0-litre diesel, were underpowered and noisy – though of course that only really matters if you’re actually going to drive it.

The Series II/IIA carries a wider stance than its predecessor and adds an extra (albeit thin) layer of refinement over the Series I. While the engines have excellent longevity, however, they do need to have been maintained properly. Be thorough in your checks.

Pros: As a resto it’s a sound investment, some examples now MOT exempt, more desirable than SIII Cons: Bulkheads very prone to rotting, check suspension leaves for seizing

Series III (1971-1985)

£2500-£35,000

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ollowing on from the Series IIA, the Series III emerged in 1971 with a few cosmetic tweaks to freshen up the model.

Headlights were shifted out to the wings in-line with new legislation (something that had already happened on the last of the IIAs) and the dash received a bit of padding to hide the new safety bar across the top of the bulkhead.

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

terms, keeping the same 2.25-litre engines throughout its production, although in 1980 the 2.25 motors switched to a more durable five main bearing design.

The transmission also received syncromesh on all forward gears, which helps make it that bit easier to live with.

They still carry the simplicity of earlier Land Rovers, but the Series III remains the most affordable way into owning a leafer.

Pros: Most affordable way into Series ownership, still has the Series pedigree, parts still widely available Cons: Not as desirable as earlier Series models

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

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orward Control Land Rovers are a cult within a cult. In fact, with the military 101 getting most of the attention here, the Series IIA and IIB are a cult within a cult within a cult.

They’re a genuine rarity, too – with all the cachet, pride and immense awkwardness that comes with this status.

By ‘rare’, we’re talking about less than 2500 Series IIA FCs in total.

And they tended to have a very hard life, so not many have survived to tell the tale.

Forward-Control models differed from everyday Series IIs by having heavy-duty ENV axles, but enginewise they had the familiar 2.25 petrol and diesel lumps in addition to the later 2.6 petrol unit.

There’s an awful lot in the way of unique parts here, though.

So, don’t expect Foward Control ownership to give you an easy time in the workshop. If you’re up for it, though, the pleasure you’ll get from owning one of these classic old trucks is off the scale.

Pros: A Land Rover like no other Cons: Especially brutal to drive, and to find parts

Lightweight (1968-1984)

£4000-£22,000

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ossibly the ugly duckling of the Series Land Rover family – but that doesn’t mean to say you’ll struggle to find any love for the Series II and III Lightweights.

These military-derived vehicles can be easily distinguished from the regular Series Land Rovers, with visibly more angular wings and a unique frontal appearance that’s not pretty but sure is cool.

To mimic the Series machines from civvy street, the SIII Light-

weight – built from 1972 onwards – also had its headlights switched out to the wings.

The Lightweight used to be popular for trialling, as it’s narrower than a standard Series II or III. Today, though, they’re classics – whose military heritage adds an extra dimension to Land Rover ownership.

It means you get a Land Rover that could have a few more stories to tell – and you have something that stands out from the crowd.

Pros: Not like all the other Series Land Rovers out there, military background, 2.25 petrol is lovely and reliable Cons: Styling isn’t to everyone’s taste, can be pricey owing to their rarity compared to other Series IIs and IIIs

101 (1972-1978)

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nly ever sold to the Army, the 101 became a cult vehicle when the time came for demob.

They were flogged off at what now looks like throwaway prices and mainly turned into knockabout offroad toys – definitely not something you’d do with one today, given the rarity and classic value they’ve taken on.

Compared to the IIA/IIB FC, the 101 is more fun thanks to its

£7500-£26,000 V8 engine and more sopisticated chassis. They used to be popular as expedition trucks, too, with all sorts of DIY conversions to be found.

This is still a military tool, though – which means some still have fixtures and fittings from their Army life, something that can be a real talking point. This is definitely a vehicle for enthusiasts – with costs that are sky-high even by classic Land Rover standards.

Pros: Master of the road. Lovely V8 soundtrack. Everybody who sees one loves it Cons: Hefty running costs. Expensive. Is THAT a Land Rover…?

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BUYERS’ GUIDE 90/110 (1983-1990)

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he icon of the 4x4 world. This is Land Rover at its best: a no nonsense workhorse that can also take you anywhere in the entire world.

Early examples of the Ninety and One Ten are worth keeping hold of, providing they’re in good condition – but you’ll be searching far and wide for examples that are.

This was the birth of the Defender, despite not being christened officially until 1990, and as such these Land Rovers had coil-sprung suspension, new engines – although

£2500-£30,000 they were still terribly underwhelming – and off-road capability that has still yet to be matched today.

A very early 2.25 petrol 90 is a rare thing, and a beautiful one too.

But perhaps try for a 2.5TD version with low miles and good history.

They’re robust and as simple.

Don’t be fooled by sky-high asking prices. Values have dropped hard in the last two years, and only a real rarity in pristine condition is worth the sort of price that used to be commonplace.

Pros: Even a wreck is worth saving. Good original ones make strong money, even in a depressed market Cons: Engines underpowered, not many left in good condition

127 (1985-1990)

£5500-£24,000

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he 127 was built on a special production line in Solihull which took 110 chassis and stretched them. It was designed for military and commercial users and came in standard form as a high-capacity double-cab.

These days, it’s very rare to find a 127 that hasn’t been hammered, restored and/or converted, or all three. People looking for a work truck tend to go for a later 130, so the 127 is more of an enthusiast’s

motor. It’s popular for home-brewed overland conversions, too.

The 127 pre-dates the advert of Land Rover’s Tdi engines, meaning they were either TD or V8 powered and therefore excruciatingly slow or cripplingly expensive. As a result, almost all have had an engine conversion by now, too.

Overall, then, there’s a lot to be wary of when buying one of these.

Do so wisely, though, and it’s a whole lot of truck for your money.

Pros: Enormous size means limitless character and potential. Perfect for turning into your overlanding dream home Cons: Unwieldy. Sure to have had a colourful life

Defender 130 (1990-2016)

£12,500-£35,000

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hen Land Rover introduced the Defender name, it was actually the 130 that changed the most. That’s because unlike the old 127, it was built on a proper chassis of its own rather than a stretched 110 frame.

The advent of the Tdi engine was the making of the 130, too. At last, Land Rover could make them pull properly without returning ghastly single-figure fuel economy by using a hard-worked V8.

As a result, you’ll find many more original(ish) 130s than 127s. Some are even still in service with the utility companies they were built for.

There’s the danger that you’ll find yourself looking at a site motor that’s had dozens of drivers and they’ve all left the maintenance to each other. But by and large, 130s have been well looked after and make a very sound investment. And if you want a Defender for overlanding, look no further.

Pros: A proper truck with huge capabilities in every area, and still surprisingly agile off-road Cons: It’s a big lump if you don’t actually need that much size

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Defender 200 Tdi (1990-1994) £3000-£32,000 BUYERS’ GUIDE

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he Tdi engine, which arrived with the Defender name, can last for decades if it’s looked after. And with prices having dropped recently, they’re more affordable at present than they have been for many years.

The good thing about the earlier 200Tdi is that it’s simpler than the later 300. What you gain here you lose in refinement, but this is seen by many experts as the best Defender of them all.

The LT77 gearbox in the 200 Tdi is more truck-like than the later

R380, with a noticeably heavier clutch. They’re doughtily strong and reliable, though, making them very well suited to the Defender.

When buying a 200 Tdi, you need to be sure it’s an original engine you’re getting, not a conversion using an old Discovery unit. This is most common on pre-1990 vehicles, but Land Rover didn’t fully discontinue its earlier engines until well into the pre-Tdi era, so don’t just assume what you’re getting is what it seems to be.

Pros: Superb off-road. Very simple, especially the electrics. Arguably the last truly DIY-maintainable engine Land Rover ever made Cons: Lots of battered and/or dishonest ones around

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BUYERS’ GUIDE Defender 300 Tdi (1994-98)

£3500-£40,000

he 300 Tdi engine is very different to the 200 unit it replaced, though the two are related. It’s much more refined and smoother to drive, though there are more electronics involved so later versions in particular are less of a DIY fix.

The arrival of the 300 Tdi also brought with it the R380 gearbox.

This used to have a terrible reputation for relability, but most have been put right by now and they’ve become sought after for their light clutch and better shift action.

It was during the 300 Tdi era that Land Rover started making the Defender available with things like metallic paint and alloy wheels.

Obviously, anyone can replicate this now, and almost all 90s and 110s have been modified or rebuilt in the decades since they were new – but it does mean that if you find a one-owner example with the lifestyle kit, there’s a chance that it might never have been off-roaded.

In which case, you’ve stumbled upon the holy grail.

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Pros: Strength and simplicity. Engine still very basic compared to what followed it. Perhaps the definitive Defender Cons: Sure to be very different to when it left the factory

Defender Td5 (1998-2007)

£3000-£35,000

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he Td5 is arguably Land Rover’s most reliable engine. And it’s a strong performer out of the box – although it’s proved very popular with tuners and some of the jobs done to them verge on the criminal.

Remaps, EGR valve deletes and uprated intercoolers are a few examples of what many of these Defenders have been subjected to.

Lots of power doesn’t always mean happy faces, especially when you’re the one mopping up after somebody else.

The rear crossmember is no better than on any other Defender, and nor is the bulkhead. Rebuilds on galvanised chassis are increasingly common, even at this young age.

There are a lot more electronics on a Td5 than even the last of the 300Tdis, however it’s still DIYmaintainable to a great extent.

This can mean you’re buying someone else’s lashed-up efforts though, so beware. Watch out for road tax, too – which on the last station wagons is completely stupid.

Pros: Off-road capability, power, overall reliability Cons: Currently holding its value better than any other 90 or 110 from before or after. Usual chassis rust. Absurd road tax on late ones

Defender TDCi (2007-2016)

£6500-£275,000

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he last of the Defenders were fitted with Ford Transit engines – first the 2.4 TDCi, followed by the 2.2 TDCi, which were brought in to meet Euro V emission standards and keep the Defender alive for another few years.

Sadly, these engines denoted the Defender’s swansong, the twilight of its days. They were fitted with six-speed Getrag gearboxes, still had phenomenal off-road capability and even made the Defender a nicer

place to be. But they were still very much Defenders.

The era of blinging had also begun by now, and you can find special editions and boutique conversions costing obscene amounts of money. You will pay a premium for any these Defenders, however the era of skyrocketing prices seems to be over and TDCis have dropped further in value than the Td5. So a good 2.2. could now be quite a shrewd investment.

Pros: Better emissions (marginally), more creature comforts, same off-road prowess Cons: Price, more electrics, last of the breed

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Defender (2020-on)

£45,000-£185,000

BUYERS’ GUIDE

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f the subject of the new Defender comes up in enthusiast circles, try to steer it away on to something safer. Like Brexit, for example.

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

It’s tough, rugged and capable, too, and the 110’s interior has a degree of practicality that puts the old model in the shade. It’s closer

in nature to the Discovery 3 in this way, which is no bad thing at all.

The 90, meanwhile, drives with the same brash verve as the old one.

The big difference is that you can’t work on it yourself. This goes for maintenance and, crucially, making modifications – a market Land Rover wants to take back and have for itself. It won’t hold its value the way an original-shaper does, either.

Be in no doubt, though – this is a superb vehicle.

Pros: Comfortable, capable and fit for purpose. Wonderful to drive.

Reminiscent of the Discovery 3 in its all-round ability Cons: Expensive, and a million miles from the DIY fixability that made the original Defender so popular

Freelander 1 (1997-2006)

£500-£5000

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e haven’t always held the Freelander 1 in the highest regard here. But as market prices constantly change, so too can our opinion on certain vehicles.

With examples attainable from as little as £500, the Freelander 1 represents a cheap gateway into Landy ownership.

There are plenty of issues to be aware of, though. The viscous coupling is expensive to replace

and can be upset by simply having mismatched tyres on your axles.

The 1.8 petrol used to be notorious for head gasket failures, but today’s replacements are much more robust.

The V6 is thirsty and the 2.0Di is gutless, so opt for a TD4 – but check the condition of the injectors first. Buy an FL1 and you even get a Landy that’s decent off-road and doesn’t rust after five minutes.

Pros: Cheap to buy, no major rust issues, surprisingly good off-road Cons: There are better Land Rovers out there, FL2 showed the FL1 how it should have been done

Freelander 2 (2006-2015)

£2000-£15,500

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ost people will turn their noses up at Freelanders because they’re not properly recognised as true Land Rovers. But while perhaps you should turn your nose up at the FL1, the Freelander 2 actually makes for a much smarter proposition than you may think.

The Freelander 2 is now an affordable option that still offers good levels of refinement, a strong 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and a level of practicality

that means it can make for a great family vehicle. Plus it’s become one of the most reliable Land Rovers out there.

The last Freelander 2s will be ten years old soon, and prices have been falling for a good while. But £15,000 gets you a late one with tiny miles and absolutely all the toys. It’ll be capable off-road and cheap enough to run – and have a lot more character than the sort of Land Rovers that followed it.

Pros: Better off-road than you may anticipate, reliability, refinement, economy of diesel engine Cons: Transmissions can wear quickly if used for towing

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BUYERS’ GUIDE Range Rover (1970-1996)

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he Range Rover Classic is one of those vehicles that you could theoretically still use everyday in the 21st Century.

If you’re running a V8, however, that may not be such a wise idea.

Classic Range Rovers still provide a relatively refined and great drive today, but they can be thirsty if you’re not in one of the various turbo-diesel examples.

That said, if you own one and it’s in good condition, look after it and it

£2500-£225,000 will only appreciate. These vehicles are popular with collectors, and values are solid as a rock.

Unfortunately, however, many have succumbed to corrosion or have been abused off-road to the point of no return – and parts have started becoming a problem.

Still, while an early 70s Classic may not be attainable for everyone, tidy examples of the late four-door versions can make for an equally tidy investment.

Pros: Most usable classic Land Rover, V8 power, ride quality Cons: Rust (again), availability of parts for early models, V8 thirst

Range Rover (1994-2002)

£1000-£29,000

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any people believe the P38A Range Rover to be a bit of a menace – and often it’s completely justified. Lights on the dashboard, air suspension failure, head gasket failure... the list can really continue.

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom with the P38. In fact, if you find one in good working order, it’ll be sensational. While it remains that way, at least.

Service history is a must, and if you’re going to own one then some

diagnostic equipment is going to be a better companion than a spanner.

Avoid the diesel variant. The engine was adopted from a BMW saloon and isn’t anywhere near up to the task of the extra weight a Range Rover carries.

Go for a 4.6 HSE, or a special edition with the same engine. It’s actually more economical than the 4.0 V8 and you’ll get all the toys.

They might not be working, but at least you’ll get them…

Pros: Luxury, price, a Land Rover that doesn’t rust. Starting to enter the realms of the classic Cons: Electrics, suspension and parts prices will give you nightmares

Range Rover (2002-12)

£2200-£24,000

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ompared to the P38, the L322 Range Rover was a saint.

Generally. Its electronic aids were far less temperamental and it delivered a new level of luxury to four-wheeled motoring.

The Td6 engine receives mixed reviews: some say it’s underpowered while others say it’s the best of the bunch.

Common sense would steer you towards a TDV8, either the 3.6 or later 4.4, but these are the L322s

holding out for strong money. The petrol V8s, on the other hand, are lingering with very appealing price tags – but don’t think running one would be cheap.

As with many 21st Century Land Rovers, they have lost their accessability for the home mechanic.

Drivetrain faults are becoming more frequent, so you need to look for that all-important FSH. As a car, however, it’s probably everything you’ll ever need.

Pros: Great off-road, luxury, image, TDV8 powerplants Cons: When things go wrong, they don’t tend to do it cheaply

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Range Rover (2012-22)

£15,000-£75,000

BUYERS’ GUIDE £27,000-£180,000

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f you want the very best in automotive luxury, then you need look no further.

The fourth incarnation of Land Rover’s flagship Range Rover weighs a whopping 400kg less than its predecessor thanks to the use of an aluminium body, which helps on mpg – although owning one of these suggests that your cash flow isn’t particularly an issue.

This is the last word in elegance and majestic motoring. All the

engines supply copious amounts of power, ride quality is out of a dream and they handle better than anything this size has a right to. It’s a magnificent tow barge, too, and a very capable off-roader – should you be brave enough to risk getting the plush carpets full of mud.

Prices have crept down since the arrival of the new Mk5 Rangey in 2022. But it’s the running costs that will determine whether you can own one of these or would merely like to.

Pros: Styling, engines, capability at pretty much everything Cons: Price. A certain type of person will resent you for owning it

Range Rover Sport Mk1 (2005-2013)

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uch of the Range Rover Sport was borrowed from the Discovery 3. In fact it shared virtually identical underpinnings, whereas today’s RR Sport uses actual Range Rover foundations.

Nevertheless, Land Rover put a Range Rover in a tracksuit and attempted to make a handler out of it. To some extent they succeeded, although it’s no sports car despite what it says on the back of the vehicle.

£2000-£17,500 It can play the leisure vehicle very well, though, and will go off-road like the best of them.

If you’re going to buy one, then you need to love it for itself, because a Discovery of the same era is more practical – while a full-fat Range Rover is always going to carry an extra layer of prestige and less of a proceeds-of-crime image.

They’re still a good all-rounder, though, and have now become relatively affordable to buy.

Pros: Decent performance from both engines and chassis, a lot of car for your money Cons: Not as practical as a Discovery, not as prestigious as a proper Range Rover

RR Sport Mk2 (2013-22)

£13,500-£65,000

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he second-generation Range Rover Sport was put on a diet to save over 400kg, just like the daddy Range Rover.

That means that even this big bruiser is relatively economical when spec’d with the SDV6 motor.

Some won’t like the vulgar and flamboyant posture, while others will adhere to the smart, yet mean styling. But no one can knock the Sport for its performance. It feels

incredibly light for such a big car, and if you’ve robbed a bank and can afford the monstrous SVR version, it’s as good round a race track as it is on a green lane.

Whichever Sport you own, the running costs will be vast. The first of the Mk2 model are more than a decade old now, and parts don’t get any cheaper just because you bought it second-hand. You’ll sure be needing them, though…

Pros: Excellent engines, remarkable handling, almost as luxurious as its bigger brother Cons: You’ll need deep pockets, especially as they get older

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BUYERS’ GUIDE RR Evoque Mk1 (2011-19)

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hen the Evoque was launched, it signalled JLR’s intent on hitting the masses.

And given that the Evoque was the company’s fastest-selling vehicle in its history, it clearly hit the brief – even if it wasn’t for the traditional Land Rover owner.

The Evoque was sold more as a fashion item than a car. As a result, sneering at it is easy. It’s still a cool looking thing, though, both inside

£4500-£31,000 and out, though its cabin is cramped for people and luggage alike.

Nevertheless, it is economical by Land Rover standards and demand remains strong, meaning they have decent residuals.

The Convertible was launched in 2016, and the are three and fivedoor version. We say stick to the latter, and avoid the 2WD model.

What’s a Range Rover without fourwheel-drive?

Pros: Economy, handling, beats its rivals off-road. Still mainly bought first and foremost for its concept-car appearance Cons: Practicality and rear-seat space are remarkably poor

Range Rover Evoque Mk2 (2019-on)

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new Range Rover Evoque hit the roads five years ago, but you’d do well to tell the difference between it and the one it replaced.

Most Range Rovers all look the same at the front now, but the new Evoque adopted a similiar back end to the Velar.

It’s not just the exterior that mimics the new model up in the Range Rover family, however, as the

£20,000-£65,000 Evoque has gained the latest Touch Pro Duo tech and an improvement in quality.

The main highlight of the new Evoque is the fact the majority of the range is made up of mild hybrids, available with diesel and petrol engines combining to an electric motor. Only the base frontwheel drive D150 Evoque escaped the electrification at launch.

Pros: Feels much more like a proper Range Rover to drive and to sit in than its predecessor Cons: Petrol engine is disappointing on economy, even in hybrid form

Range Rover Velar (2017-on)

£22,500-£85,000

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he Velar’s styling won several awards when it first came out.

This didn’t necessarily inspire any confidence in its ability to be more than another style wagon – but in actual fact, it’s as good to drive as it is to look at.

Aside from the sort of Land Rovers that have two-wheel drive, the Velar is arguable the least off-road orientated vehicle the company has ever produced. What matters

much more is that it’s elegant and eye-catching. It’s available with a wide choice of engines, too, most of which combine good economy with usable everyday performance.

The interior is enormously stylish, in a classily minimalist kind of a way. Even by modern Range Rover standards, however, it feels like being in a premium car rather than a Landy of any description – whether that matters to its target audience…

Pros: Very stylish, interior, choice of engines, still one of the freshest vehicles on the road Cons: Feels less like a Land Rover than possibly any other vehicle the company has ever made

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Discovery 1 (1989-1998)

£800-£15,000 BUYERS’ GUIDE

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he earliest version of the Discovery was aimed purely at providing a middle ground between the agricultural Defender and the luxury, upper-class Range Rover.

With underpinnings that made it just like a 100” Defender, it carried much of that model’s capabilities.

But it built on those with more refinement and a driving experience more suitable to families. What it didn’t have, though, was a Range Rover price tag.

Blessed with the same wonderful Tdi engines, the Discovery saved Land Rover and hit back at offerings from other nations by being an affordable all-rounder. And that still holds true even today.

Early Discovery 1s in fine condition are now classics and will continue to appreciate. We would recommend trying to find a tidy and later 300Tdi example, but watch out for body rust – the boot floor, arches, door shuts and footwells.

Pros: Almost as good as the Defender off-road, but cheaper to buy, nicer to drive and more practical as an everyday car Cons: The body rusts like it’s been doused in sea water

Discovery 2 (1998-2004)

£1000-£10,000

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ollowing on from the firstgeneration Discovery, in 1998 Land Rover launched a whole new version of its family SUV. It looked similar but was very different, with a new chassis and suspension set-up as well as the new Td5 engine.

The is arguably Land Rover’s most reliable unit and it’s a strong performer out of the box, although it does lend itself to being tuned – putting you at the mercy of whoever did it. There was also a V8, but the

fuel bill isn’t going to be welcome, and they’re more temperamental.

As are the electrics on all examples.

Unlike on the D1, its the chassis that’s the problem, not the body.

Discos make for a great tow car, and consequently many rear chassis have been dipped in the sea.

The smart money now is on a base-spec five-seater, as this won’t have air-suspension at the back.

Really, though, the truck is just to find one that’s not a disaster.

Pros: Td5 power and reliability, great all-rounder, better comfort than D1, still excellent off-road, lots of options available for modding Cons: Rear chassis redefines the term ‘rust prone’. Dashboard warning lights (the infamous ‘three amigos’) are but a puddle away

Discovery 3/4 (2004-2017)

£1000-£17,000

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he Discovery went through a dramatic revamp for its launch in 2004, but it came out the other side as one hell of a vehicle.

Greatly improved in terms of power and refinement, the Disco 3 received the relatively economical 2.7 TDV6 engine (although the thirsty 4.4 V8 petrol was an option) and became the first Land Rover to be given Terrain Response. If you need one vehicle in your life, this

could be the one that ticks the most boxes at once.

Be wary of maintenance costs, especially as you approach the 105,000-mile/seven-year mark that means the timing belt is due – in many cases it’s a body-off job.

The 3.0 TDV6 and SDV6 engines are even better, with monumental amounts of torque. Luxury has also increased significantly in later examples. A later SDV6 model is best.

Pros: Off-road capability, usability for every occasion, luxury on later models, torque of 3.0-litre engines Cons: Never have we heard so many people use the phrase ‘money pit’ for their cars

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BUYERS’ GUIDE Discovery 5 (2017-on)

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he Disco 5 took Land Rover’s utilitarian family motor and moved it into new territory. It’s still a workhorse if you want it to be – but it’s much more luxurious than anything else short of a Range Rover.

There’s been a wide range of engines available over time, none of them short of power and torque, and as the years rolled by and the range moved ever upwards it became more and more premium.

It always retained its individuality,

£13,500-£77,500 though – you wouldn’t ever mistake it for a Range Rover.

Since 2020, Discovery sales have been hit by the arrival of the new Defender. Land Rover found that about one in five sales were going to the commercial van model, which was available in high-spec form as a luxury tax-buster.

Either way, every Discovery is a supremely able, flexible all-rounder for work and play. And, for better or worse, it’s not a Defender…

Pros: Immense blend of comfort, class and practicality Cons: The first Disco that doesn’t feel in any way like a truck. Range Rover style luxury may discourage you from using that practicality

Discovery Sport (2015-19)

£6000-£22,000

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rought in to replace the Freelander 2, the Discovery Sport was the vehicle that turned the Discovery brand into a family.

It has come to be so much more than a re-badged Freelander, though. For starters, the Discovery Sport has seven seats (just), drives better than a Freelander 2 and became more refined thanks to the Ingenium Td4 engine.

The Sport quickly became a popular status symbol on the school

run, and with lavish equipment on the inside it was a very pleasant vehicle to drive. Similarities to the Evoque certainly existed, however it was a lot more practical – without being a lot less classy.

Amazingly, the first of these Land Rovers will soon be a decade old.

And you just need to do a search for ‘Ingenium reliability’ to get the fear put into you. Get one that’s been well maintained, though, and this is still a very practical family SUV.

Pros: More practical than an Evoque – and less vulgar Cons: Back seats only for kids. Not without its share of regretful and usefully poorer former owners

Discovery Sport (2019-on)

£21,000-£62,000

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he second-generation Disco Sport came along only four years after the first. That’s because once again, it’s related to the Evoque – which was ready for a full new model in 2019.

The Sport is a premium mid-sized SUV with seven seats and, by the standards of its class, a decent level of off-road ability. It’s a massively popular choice for the school run – and, with the arrival of a plug-in

hybrid option a few years back, as a company car.

The Discovery Sport is a highly refined vehicle to drive – smooth, quiet, responsive and generally streets ahead of the old one. Cabin quality has taken a step up from the first model too – it’s now a totally convincing premium vehicle, and the range offers enough choices to suit anybody with the means to buy one.

Pros: Classy and practical cabin, all-round good to drive, PHEV model is a go-to tax-buster Cons: For the price of some models, you can go 100% on-trend and get a new Defender

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