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Issue 7: Sept 2014
31
The 3.9-litre V8 has had all sorts of lovely stuff done to it. Deep down, there’s a hairy camshaft helping liven it up, while a K&N filter goes with the Milltek exhaust to get it breathing in as well as it breathes out. The heads have been ported and polished, too ‘The previous owner had lowered it, but I noticed it was quite quick when I bought it. I’ve tried to let the engine breathe a bit more; the K&N air filter and Milltek Exhaust have helped with that.’ That’s not the only work the 3.9 V8 has had done. The heads have been polished and ported, and a Viper Hurricane camshaft has been fitted. ‘Not a bad sounding name, is it!’ laughs Mike. This is one of three V8s he owns, in fact. He still has that ’88 Classic, and a P38 is his daily driver. It’s had a gas conversion to help with the fuel consumption and Mike says that’s about the only thing left to do on the pick-up. ‘You could use it as your daily drive for sure. It’s practical, comfortable and very smooth. I know some people give Land Rovers a knock, saying they’re not reliable, but think about it. This pickup’s done 150,000 miles, and my other Classic has done over 300,000. Yes, it’s had a new engine, but it’s pretty much the same vehicle.’ So that’s one cliché that he doesn’t subscribe to. But there’s another one that he agrees with 100%. ‘I’m no mechanic, but they’re like a big Meccano kit to work on. There isn’t much finesse involved – most of the time you can fix a problem by tapping the sensor with a hammer!’ Not that a Range Rover Classic pickup would ever look ordinary, but Mike has really impacted his personality on to the vehicle since he got it. The tyre track decal running down the body was designed by Ruth Smith at Damson Creative and the Mountney hardwood steering wheel was chosen to match the Vesuvius Orange paint. That fiery colour scheme is actually from the Range Stormer, the concept that introduced the world to the Range Rover Sport – whose engine bay gills have been borrowed for Mike’s Classic, too.
‘I built the lockable hardback cover, which is now on gas struts. It helps protect the back end a bit more in the winter. Nationwide Trim had re-done the headlining previously – and they had done it properly, too. It used to sit on the old Vogue alloys, but I switched them for some wheels I bought on a whim a few years ago. I shotblasted them before powdercoating them in glossy black and then applied a layer of lacquer.’
Mike has taken the front propshaft off more recently because he ‘fancied a bit of drifting.’ Making it a rear-wheel drive has apparently made it a little friskier and, at the same time, improved fuel consumption. He gets 22mpg from a twenty-year-old Land Rover V8! It’s not always fun and games, though. Or maybe it is, in Mike’s world. ‘It makes a great tow vehicle. I’ve even out-dragged people with a caravan on the back! I get some funny looks
sometimes, but then my wife reminds me I’m driving a bright orange Range Rover pick-up…’ Sadly, though Mike’s pick-up is up for sale at the moment. Sort of. ‘There’s never a good reason for keeping three V8s, really! I’m sort of being “influenced” by my wife to sell it more than wanting to get rid of it. If someone snaps my hand off then fair enough, but if it ends up staying I won’t mind too much.’
If you fancy it (and who wouldn’t), you’ll find Mike’s pick-up advertised in our Classified section on pages 34-35. It’s not one for the pursists, maybe – but however far it is from standard, this remarkabe Rangey still carries the hallmarks of a truly great vehicle. We photographed Mike’s Rangey at Nailcote Hall Hotel, Golf and Country Club in Berkswell, Warwiskshire. Find it at www.nailcotehall.co.uk