Reviving a down-at-heel Lightweight – by getting it back to doing the things a Land Rover does best
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‘LACK OF USE IS ALWAYS GOING TO MAKE THINGS LOOK BAD’
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A FLAMING GOOD RESCUE JOB! This magnificent 127 didn’t always look so purposeful.
There’s more to this 187,000-mile ex-police Disco 2 than meets the eye. Just as well, when what meets the eye are those alloys… Full story: Page 22
At first glance, this is a 90. But the more you look, the more you see! Full story: Page 30
After an early life spent on standby to deal with emergencies at Coventry Airport, it fell into the hands of an owner who always meant to restore it but never had the time. But then Brian Tonks took it on. And, being a pro in the Landy game, he knew exactly what he was up to. When it emerged from his workshop, the big truck had been restored from top to toe – and it was looking more eye-catching than ever!
Notice anything odd about this 90? Like, for example, it’s a hatchback… Full story: Page 26
Full story: Page 14
the ultimate in everyday classics!
How a bit of Range Rover pub talk turned up an original Searle camper from 1974 – that’s now been put back into service as what’s got to be the most distinctive daily drive you’ll ever see Full story: Page 18
To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk
Issue 13: March 2014
Uncertain fate for Land Rovers aboard stricken freighter It has been confirmed that the cargo ship which ran aground in the Solent on 3 January was carrying 1200 Jaguar Land Rover vehicles at the time. The breakdown of marques and models has yet to be identified, but JLR products made up the majority of the fleet carried by the Hoegh Osaka – which was also loaded with JCBs and other industrial plant. Shortly after departing from Southampton at 8.20 that evening, Hoegh Osaka began to list. The vessel’s crew deliberately ran it aground on Bramble Bank to prevent the ship from capsizing – a manoeuvre for which its owners hailed them as heroes. ‘We can confirm that we have roughly 1200 Jaguar and Land Rover products aboard the stricken ship,’ said a Land Rover spokesperson. ‘Until such time as the salvage operation can safely begin, we can tell you nothing further about the implications for the cargo. However, the most important consideration is that the crew are safe and well.’ Since we spoke to Land Rover, the 51,000-tonne transporter has
Nige Brown @ flickr.com, CC-BY-2.0 unexpectedly refloated itself – allowing tugs to drag it two miles to a safer mooring, where the salvage operation is now in progress. There was a slight hiccup when one of the tugs holding it in place was picked up by the wind and crashed into it, but this didn’t
prevent the operation from being completed successfully. At the time of writing, the ship was estimated to have taken around 3000 tonnes of water on board, and this will have to be pumped back out during a salvage process which is being
hampered by strong winds and bad weather. Hoegh Osaka’s fate remains unclear – however after so many days aboard at such an extreme angle, it can only be assumed that the entire complement of Land Rovers on the ship will be written off.
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Plaudits aplenty for Land Rover at What Car? awards
Land Rover’s breadth of quality has been recognised again at What Car? magazine’s 2015 Car of the Year Awards. On top of successes for each member of the Range Rover family, the Discovery Sport was honoured with this year’s Safety Award – a fitting return for a model which has also just received a 5-star EuroNCAP rating. ‘This award provides Discovery Sport with valuable, independent validation of its exceptional quality and ability,’ said Land Rover’s Murray Dietsch. ‘It reflects the extreme lengths we go to to ensure safety provisions go beyond what is required and what customers expect. ‘Safety was a fundamental priority in the development of Discovery Sport as a true family vehicle. This award rewards the no-compromise pioneering work we have invested in the model.’ In addition to this, the Range Rover and Evoque achieved Price Point wins in the Luxury Car and Small SUV classes respectively. The Range Rover Sport, meanwhile, claimed the Best Large SUV title for the second year in a row, with the award going specifically to the SDV6 HSE model. ‘The Range Rover Sport may look pricey next to alternatives such as the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML,’ said What Car? ‘But you know the minute you get in that it utterly warrants its price. If you’ve got the money, the Rangie is really in a class of its own.’
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Special editions mark Defender’s final year – as prices climb to £61,845 Mike Trott
Land Rover has revealed first details of the celebrations it has planned to mark the Defender’s final year of production. These include the launch of three special-edition models designed to celebrate different aspects of the vehicle’s character – and to separate customers from sums of money climbing to a barely believable £61,845. That’s the price for the Autobiography edition – and with a name like that, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s some sort of Range Rover.
Inside at least, that’s what Land Rover has tried to replicate. A full Windsor leather interior with seats embossed with the Autobiography logo will look great with a bit of mud on it… Stepping out of your Range-Ender (see what we did there), you’ll notice that it’s dressed in 235/85R16 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tyres on Sawtooth alloys and features Santorini Black accents across its grille, rear door and upper body. Elsewhere, things like the filler cap and door handles are made of aluminium rather than plastic, front and rear lights are upgraded to
projector LEDs and you get special badging as well as privacy glass, so the outside world is at once encouraged to look at you more closely but not able to see very much. Land Rover produced another Heritage edition of the Defender following its 50th anniversary in 1998. It also did a model with a 4.0 V8 engine and auto gearbox – a project requiring a greater depth of engineering development than anything on the new crop of specials
Petrolheads (or dieselheads in this case) will also be pleased with the announcement of a power upgrade, taking the 2.2-litre motor from 121 to 148bhp and from 265 to 295lbf.ft. And
while enjoying it, you can relax in your premium leather seats while admiring your reflection in the machined diff lock instruction plate and spun metal discs in the cup holder slots. Yes, these are the things that make a Defender 90 Station Wagon worth £61,845. Only 80 of the Autobiography edition will be built, with the first customers discovering what they got for all that money in April. The other two editions, which will hit the road in August, are probably more appealing to most Land Rover fans – as well as being priced a lot more sensibly.
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The first of these is the Heritage Edition, which harks back not just to a previous model of this name but to the looks of the first vehicles to carry the Solihull badge all those decades ago. Available in 90 Hard Top, 90 Station Wagon and 110 Station Wagon body styles, this modern-day throwback to Land Rover’s younger years will cost from £27,800, with 400 vehicles
in total being produced. Equipment will include unique Grasmere Green metallic paint with body-colour arches and heavy-duty steel wheels, a Heritage front grille, various aluminium trim items inside and out, special cloth upholstery, clear indicator lenses and a smattering of badges and logos including a HUE 166 graphic based on the number plate of the famous
pre-production Series I – which is the oldest surviving Land Rover. Finally, the Adventure edition takes the prices firmly back to dreamland again, with 600 available in 90 and 110 SW form – from £43,495 upwards. ‘Designed for customers who want to explore,’ this comes in a choice of grey, white or orange, set off by a black grille, arches, bonnet, roof and rear door.
Issue 13: March 2014
As with the Autobiography, the 90 has the same power upgrade as well as LED lights, a Windsor leather interior and MT/R tyres, this time mounted on diamond-turned split-spoke alloys. Various shiny trim bits inside and out are augmented by exclusive badging and logos, and off-road equipment to help those lucky customers in their exploration includes sill and sump guards, a snorkel and an expedition roof rack with rear access ladder. ‘We wanted to mark the end of Defender production at Solihull with a special edition,’ said Land Rover’s Vehicle Line Director Nick Rogers. ‘But coming up with a single identity was impossible, so we developed three very different interpretations of the Defender to reflect its strength and breadth of character. ‘Whether our customers want to celebrate Land Rover’s unrivalled offroad heritage, demand the ultimate in terms of design and performance or have a genuine thirst for adventure, there will be a limited edition Defender that will be fit for purpose.’
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Fitting as they are for the Defender in its current guise, these special editions highlight the gap that now exists between Land Rover and its traditional customers. None of these models include galvanised chassis or bulkheads, roll protection, enhanced suspension, uprated axles or locking diffs – all of which are things you could get on professionally remade Tdi or Td5-era Defenders for a fraction of the price you’ll pay for an Autobiography. These Defenders’ appeal to the modern breed of well heeled lifestyle buyer will be obvious, however. And they can be expected to sell out fast – and hold their value as tenaciously as any other 90 or 110. ‘Passion and enthusiasm surround everything we do with Defender, and that will never change,’ concluded Nick Rogers. ‘This is a Land Rover that has thrived for decades on its unquestionable capability and iconic shape. I now have the honour of being one of the many enthusiasts at Land Rover committed to creating a fitting successor to the legendary Defender.’
Above: Badging is a big deal on these three special-edition Defenders, which definitely want you to know what they are. The Heritage model (top left) plays on its link back to the original Series I by reprising the HUE 166 number pate from the oldest surviving Landy, while the logo on the wing of the Adventure model calls up images of the Camel and G4 Challenge days – as does the orange paintwork on this particular example. Finally, the Autobiography has an aluminium badge surrounded by LED lamps and positioned next to a Sawtooth spare wheel – seldom can overstatement have been so understated
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it’s free – but it won’t be for much longer!
Great British Land Rover Show • Donington, 26 April 2015 FREE ENTRY – but be quick before the free tickets are gone THE GREAT BRITISH LAND ROVER SHOW was announced a couple of months ago – and it’s already proving to be a huge success, with trade stands filling up fast and public tickets going like hot cakes. A major new indoor event for 2015, the show will be held at Donington Park on 26 April. It’s going to be a massive one-day supermarket of all things Land Rover – with great deals on offer from a wide range of well known Landy specialists.
Best of all, this massive new date in the show calendar is COMPLETELY FREE! It’s organised by the publishers of The Landy – and we’re offering free tickets for entry after 12 noon if you pre-register for them – or, if you can’t wait and need to get through the doors when they open at 10am, you can buy advance tickets for a mere £5.00. Be warned, though. These free and half-price tickets are already proving very, very popular. Inevitably, there’s a limit on the exhibition hall’s capacity –
and that means it won’t be long before they’re all gone. You’ll still be able to pay £10.00 on the day if you want to get in to the show. But if you want to take advantage of free entry after midday, or buy your ticket for half-price, you MUST get them as soon as possible. We don’t want to disappoint people closer to the date of the show by having to tell them there are no advance tickets left. That’s why we’re encouraging you to register now. The
sooner you can be sure of your place, the better – because at the rate they’re going, the freebies and cheap deals will be history in record time. So don’t delay! Head for www.greatbritishlrshow.com and
register for your advance tickets now. It’s going to come around fast – and we’re looking forward to welcoming you through the door when it gets here. Don’t forget – the best things in life are free!
SPONSORED BY BEARMACH The Great British Land Rover Show is proud to be sponsored by major parts and accessories supplier Bearmach. For the last half a century, Bearmach has been supplying OEM and its own branded quality-assured parts for all Land Rover vehicles – making it the ideal partner for what’s going to be a huge one-day supermaket of Landy bits. Bearmach will be present at the show, as will several of its top distributors – meaning you can be sure of getting unbeatable deals on whatever parts or accessories you need.
Claim your FREE tickets today – visit www.greatbritishlrshow.com
To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk
Comment
It’s very easy to snort with derision at the news that Land Rover is to build a Defender costing £61,845. But yes, that’s what the limited-edition Autobiography model is going to cost. I don’t suppose there was much doubt that Solihull would see the last year of Defender production as an opportunity to cash in. And the three special-edition models it has unveiled for this year certainly do that. But the very fact that it’s able to do so illustrates just how much of an icon the Defender has become. We know that there’s going to be a new Defender, which will be launched in 2016 or 2017 depending on which magazine you choose to believe. But there’s also going to be several thousand old ones – and they’re not going to go away. Unlike some journalists who claim to have information from ‘a Land Rover insider’, I don’t pretend to know what the new Defender will be like. But I know what it won’t be like. Take an old Tdi-era 90 or 110. Strip it right down and rebuild it on a galvanised chassis and bulkhead, using a remanufactured engine and gearbox. Put it on refurbished Td5 axles and trim it with whatever offroad kit and other accessories you see fit. Use stainless fixings throughout. There you are: what the new Defender won’t be like. There’s a huge market for rebuilding old ones into ‘better than new’ condition: whether they really are better than new is open to debate, but with a galvanised chassis below it a Land Rover is well set to last longer than it did first time round. It might not hold its monetary value as strongly as a new one, but to an owner who intends to keep it for the odd quarter of a century or so that means nothing. The fact is that by spending a third of what the Autobiography 90 costs, you can get a professionally refurbished old one that doesn’t have any of the shiny kit but does have the one thing that matters so much more. It’ll be a good, honest Defender. And those will remain priceless forever. Alan Kidd, Editor
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Solihull puts 1300 new jobs up for grabs Mike Trott The manufacturing sector in the UK has been boosted by the addition of a further 1300 new jobs, thanks to fresh plans from Jaguar Land Rover. To continue its expansion into the use of aluminium and lightweight technologies, Britain’s largest manufacturing investor has announced that it is to develop new facilities at Solihull – which nowadays builds Jags as well as Land Rovers and is currently gearing up for the luxury car company’s first performance crossover. News of this latest jobs boost comes only three months after JLR opened the doors on its new £500 million Engine Manufacturing Centre – which itself will have created a total of 1400 jobs once it gets up to full steam. Jaguar Land Rover plans no less than twelve ‘significant product actions’ over the next year – including new launches and major updates. It’s this non-stop programme of product-led development that gives the company its extraordinary need for an ever-greater skilled workforce.
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‘Today’s announcements once again demonstrate our commitment to the UK and the advancement of a hightech, high skilled, manufacturing-led economy,’ said JLR boss Dr Ralf Speth. ‘It is that innovation and relentless quest for new technologies that sets our products apart. We want to offer customers greater choice, with even more exciting vehicles, crafted with that special British flair. We want to improve the quality of life for our customers and for our own employees, creating opportunities for more people to be part of the Jaguar Land Rover experience.’ Home to the Land Rover Defender, Discovery and the Range Rover, the Solihull plant now incorporates Europe’s largest aluminium body shop and final assembly hall. Applications for the new roles are now being accepted. In addition, after Jaguar Land Rover’s involvement with last year’s Invictus Games, former service personnel and those leaving the armed forces in the near future are particularly encouraged to submit applications of their own.
JLR fined after production line accident
Jaguar Land Rover has been fined £40,000 following an incident in which one of its employees was seriously injured on the production line. Colin Downes, 57, a maintenance electrician from Northfield in Birmingham, was working in the Lode Lane paint shop in June 2013 when he was dragged on to a conveyor belt. He suffered a broken sternum, 10 broken ribs, two punctured lungs, blood clots to his heart and kidneys and a broken right hand. Following a 40-minute operation to free him, Mr Downes was taken to hospital and placed into an induced coma. Remarkably, he was back at work just 17 weeks after his ordeal. The prosecution alleged a lack of safety equipment which, if fitted, would have prevented workers from being exposed to the conveyor system. Jaguar Land Rover pleaded guilty after admitting there had been no guard in place to prevent the incident. Ordering the company to pay a fine of £40,000 with costs of £13,474, Judge Peter Carr told Birmingham Crown Court this ‘fell far short of a safe and reasonable standard.’ He continued: ‘This was an entirely reasonable, foreseeable situation. The breach was an ongoing failure and an accident waiting to happen.’ In a statement, JLR said: ‘The safety and wellbeing of our workforce is an integral strategic imperative across our entire business. We continue to work tirelessly to ensure the protection of our employees remains our highest priority.’
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Six Landies team up to draw a line in the sand
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How did Land Rover mark the dawning of the Defender’s last year in production? By using six different vehicles from throughout the model’s extended history to create a kilometre-wide drawing of a Landy on the beach near to where the first ever prototype was originally conceived, that’s how. Using 12-foot harrows, the sextet of Landies followed GPS outlines to create the artwork on the beach at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey – where Spencer and Maurice Wilks brought to life a bold idea to boost export sales by building a tractor that could be driven on the road. The rest, as they say, is history… The team behind the drawing used a 1951 80”, a 1965 Series II (which once belonged to Spencer Wilks himself), a Series III 109” SW, a 90 Truck Cab, a 2011 110 Station Wagon and a 2014 90 Hard Top to dig it out. The result was a continuous line measuring 4.52 kilometres – just a little less than three miles, which takes a lot of harrowing… Singer, dancer and all-round up for it kind of girl Pixie Lott was to be seen careering down a hill in North London aboard a big rubber tube recently, after Land Rover created a ‘pop-up winter wonderland’ in the grounds of Alexandra Palace. As you do. The Strictly Come Dancing star, who’s a Land Rover UK brand ambassador, was showing her face (and chucking snowballs) as part of Solihull’s Hibernot campaign, which encourages people to keep on embracing the great outdoors even in the depths of winter. The surprise ‘snowfall’ appeared overnight and, in a weather phenomenon unmatched since the great day when Ian McCaskill spelt ‘fog’ backwards, was accompanied by the appearance of a Discovery and Discovery Sport. Hibernot ‘celebrates Brits who relish the winter months rather than hibernating inside’ – featuring more than 300 recommended activities all over the UK for families and individuals to enjoy and explore, it’s at www.hibernot.co.uk.
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Five-star tourism award for Land Rover Experience Scotland Land Rover Experience Scotland has been named as a five-star activity centre by the country’s national tourism organisation. VisitScotland was on a mystery shopping exercise when it popped in for an hour-long session at the Butterstone Loch site near Dunkeld, run by long-time off-road instructor and former hillrally competitor Graham Clark.. Land Rover Experience Scotland has access to in excess of than 5000 acres of wild Highland estate, where customers
can learn about off-road driving aboard Land Rover’s latest vehicles – amid some of the most picturesque surroundings Britain has to offer. The VisitScotland Quality Tourism Advisor who visited the site described it as ‘superb fun’ and commended Land Rover Experience for its warm welcome and friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic team. ‘We are delighted to receive this honour,’ said Graham Clark, ‘and feel very proud of our staff who have put a lot of effort into setting such a high
criteria for this award. Our facility at Butterstone gives us the opportunity to facilitate a range of events to a five star standard, reflecting the strong customer focus and culture of excellence that the Land Rover brand embodies.’ Jim Clarkson, Regional Director at VisitScotland, commented: ‘I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to staff at Land Rover Experience Scotland on receiving this award. But it comes as no surprise, as this attraction really is a fantastic asset to the tourism offering in Perthshire.
‘We know that visitors love a truly hands-on experience,’ Clarkson added. ‘And Land Rover Experience
Scotland certainly offers just that, within the beautiful surroundings of Highland Perthshire.’
Jaguar Land Rover is working in partnership with Intel and Seeing Machines to create vehicles that can ‘read’ their drivers. The purpose of this latest high-tech development is to enhance safety by constantly monitoring the driver’s face and eyes for signs of distraction or fatigue. Seeing Machines showcased the new Driver Monitor System (DMS) at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, using the latest in sensory technology to interpret a human’s face. The company’s Nick Langdale-Smith said: ‘The algorithm we have developed for DMS has the potential to seamlessly enable a host of safety and autonomous driving features and reduce the potential for accidents caused by the driver not paying attention. DMS is unique because it is the only driver monitoring system that can achieve this even if the driver is wearing shades, or in full sunshine.’ JLR’s Engineering Director Dr Wolfgang Ziebart said: ‘The attentionmonitoring technology has huge potential for road safety. If the driver’s gaze moves towards the infotainment screen or out of a side window, and the car identifies this, the system could alert the driver to hazards earlier. ‘DMS could even enhance settings in safety systems like Autonomous Emergency Braking, to reflect the driver’s lack of attention. As the car drives up to a hazard, the brakes could engage autonomously sooner because the car realises the driver has not seen the danger ahead.’ Jaguar Land Rover is currently working on the next version of its head-up display, which it hopes will be able to utilise the full windscreen and Driver Monitoring System. ‘Whether we are projecting a transparent view of the bonnet or helping the driver to navigate by following a ghost car,’ added Dr Ziebart, ‘it would be very useful to understand exactly when the driver’s eyes aren’t actually looking at the windscreen to see this information, so it can be repeated or shared in a different way.’
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NEXT MONTH
HOME-MADE HOME-FROM-HOME There are plenty of DIY camper conversions in the world. But few can match the standard set by this amazing Wolf 130 PLUS
The original Range Rover Sport is normally thought of as a bling machine. But it’s still a Discovery under the skin – so what’s it like when you put it in front of a trailer? This late Series IIA looks much like an unmolested example of a 109” hard-top. But while it certainly is a nice one, it’s not going to win any concours awards. Believe it or not, beneath the surface this Land Rover is part Range Rover – and part Peugeot!
NEXT MONTH’S LANDY IS PUBLISHED ON 23 FEBRUARY You can pick up your copy of our April 2015 issue from
newsagents or Britpart dealers – or read it online at www.thelandy.co.uk
01283 553243 • enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk • www.thelandy.co.uk • www.facebook.com/thelandyuk Editor Alan Kidd Assistant Editor Mike Trott Admin and Editorial Assistant Gemma Pask Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Dan Fenn, Olly Sack, Gary Noskill, Paul Looe, Vince Pratt Photographers Steve Taylor, Harry Hamm, Anthony Singer
Advertising Sales Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Production Tel: 01283 553242 Publisher Sarah Kidd Email: sarah.kidd@ assignment-media.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure that the contents of The Landy are accurate, however Assignment Media Ltd accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor
the consequences of actions made as a result of these
nearest Britpart dealer can be found at www.britpart.com
When responding to any advert in The Landy, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for any losses incurred as a result of responding to adverts
Where a photo credit includes the note CC-BY-SA, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence. Details are available at www. creativecommons.org The Landy is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby DE15 0YZ
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Sealey has launched a stonking new cordless impact wrench aimed at the pro-level mechanic. Called the CP3005, this is an 18V ½” Drive model, and it comes with a spare lithium-ion battery so you needn’t ever have to worry about down-time for charging. The wrench delivers 480lbf.ft of torque, which is more than a 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 Range Rover. Wheel nuts should run scared… With forward and reverse controls, speed selection and an integral work light, this is a well featured machine. It also has a useful indicator that keeps you aware of when a change of battery pack may be in order, so you can plan this in rather than running out of grunt with a job half done. At the time of writing, the Impact Wrench is on offer at £399.95 plus VAT. Promotions come and go, but there’s no such thing as a power tool that’s not on offer somewhere. Go shopping around, and we think you’ll like what you find. www.sealey.co.uk
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THE LATEST BRAND to join the ever-growing stable at XS 4x4 is Upracks, whose Italian-made expedition roof racks promise to offer a solution that’ll fit any Land Rover. The company makes its racks from 100% aluminium alloy, keeping to a minimum the amount of weight added to your vehicle where you least want it. The heavier the rack, obviously, the less it can carry, and Upracks’ units weight in from as low as 14kg. That changes depending on the size of the unit you’re fitting, of course, but even the sort of rack you’ll need for a big expedition truck should only take a relatively modest bite out of the manufacturer’s stated roof load limit. Bear in mind also that any kind of suspension lift will mean you can’t carry as much up top and the need for keeping it as light as possible is more obvious than ever. The basic rack is a simple platform, available in a huge range of sizes from 1097 x 907mm up to 2846 x 1477mm. In each case, you can choose between black and polished aluminium finishes. Beneath this, fitting is taken care of by leg kits which are available for vehicles with and without gutter rails. These come in four different heights, Here’s something you don’t see every day – a Land Rover burnt meticulously into wood to create a true piece of art suitable for any fan of the green oval. These beautifully crafted art pieces are the work of Kelly Smith, the brains behind Wood-Bee Pyrography. Having undertaken an Art Foundation course at Hereford Art College after completing her A-Levels, Kelly later combined her creative nature with her passion for the countryside and started producing pyrographic pictures using elegant pieces of wood. ‘I started sketching with pictures of birds of prey, then dogs and even fish!’ says Kelly. ‘They came alive with burning the images and adding detail. I was then asked to produce a cherished Land Rover image as a Christmas present and found the challenge produced another fabulous result.’ There is no debating the level of detail in each of these pieces and it’s easy to identify the models Kelly has recreated. The phrase ‘ideal gift’ comes to mind… Because of the techniques used in creating these pieces, no two will ever be 100% the same. So you could have your own unique artwork with your very own Landy burnt on to a unique piece of wood. ‘I have been commissioned by woodturners to produce pieces on to vases and bowls as well as the usual flat wood slices,’ Kelly told us. ‘The finished item can be used as a decorative piece indoors or a functional house sign outdoors.’ If you’d like Kelly to fashion you your own unique piece of Land Rover art, or even if you have something else in mind, all you need to do is supply her with a good quality photograph to copy– along of course as some idea of what you want her to do. Pictures on ‘slices’ of wood start from £45 (depending on the picture and level of detail) and you should allow up to 28 days for delivery. Kelly’s company, Wood-Bee Pyrography, is waiting to hear from you! wood-bee@ hotmail.co.uk
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too, and are supplied in pairs so you can decide for yourself how many you need – Upracks itself suggests a minimum of three per side, and that for a large rack intended to carry its maximum weight you should go all the way up to seven. If your vehicle is already fitted with roof mounting points, on the other hand, Upracks will also supply a custom kit to suit it. So whatever you drive, there’ll be a solution here for you. There’s also a huge selection of accessories in the manufacturer’s product range, including ladders, fairings, storage boxes and attachment points for jerry cans, sand ladders, jacks, spare wheels, CB whips and more. The racks themselves are designed with a slot for bolt-in fitting using a special M8 rectangular nut, and all the hardware the company supplies for racks and accessories alike are either stainless or galvanised. The racks’ clever modular design means they’re as flexible a solution as you’ll ever find, and with universal mounting hardware and walkable platforms also in the options list, you’re unlikely to ask a question the company can’t answer. xs4x4.parts
REMEMBER THOSE Heritage editions Land Rover did of the 90 and 110 to celebrate its 50th anniversary? Yes, the same ones they’re going to reprise later this year to help cash in on the end-of-an-era market. Well, Bespoke Cars now offers a Heritage grille for the Defender. With a Bentley-style mesh design, this is a bit different to what Solihull
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If you’ve got the good fortune to have a Puma-engined Defender as your off-road toy, you’re probably also just generally lucky enough not to have walloped the fuel cooler on any expensively shaped rocks. But your time will come, sunshine. When it does, just imagine how glad you’ll be that you fitted Britpart’s new electro-plated Fuel Cooler Guard the previous day. Which is what will have happened, because you’re the lucky type. The guard is easy to fit and, at less than £50 including the dreaded, equally easy to afford. Though that doesn’t matter to you, because you’re loaded, aren’t you? Lucky, see. www.britpart.com
came out with back then, but used in combination with some of the other styling touches you can get from Bespoke and elsewhere we could see it being part of a really stunning retrostyle package. The grille is priced at £495, so you’d need to be dedicated to your art, but used smartly it’ll look a million dollars. www.bespokecars.co.uk
Grotted-up electrical contacts? Of course you have. You own a prehistoric Land Rover, don’t you? Not to worry, though, Normfest is here to help. The company specialises in chemical solutions for the automotive industry, and its latest product is TermClean. Stands for Terminal Cleaner, and it’s now available at Euro Car Parts. This comes in a 400ml aerosol spray and is formulated to clean all types of electrical contacts. Ideal around the workshop – just spray and wipe, and before long the current will be flowing as well as ever. www.eurocarparts.com.
To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk It’s been a while in the making, but you can only say no so many times! Raptor Engineering has yielded to popular demand and come up with a steel binnacle for those seeking an alternative to the plastic one which in so many old Landies has only ever moved from its original position because it’s in the early stages of being shaken to pieces. Sometimes not all that early, actually. This black powder-coated piece of work has quality written all over it. Designed to fit all pre-2000 Defenders, it slots in as a direct swap for the original. The difference being that it won’t start to assault you with non-stop rattling noises just when you think it’s safe to take your earplugs out. If you have a Raptor console already installed within your Defender, there is also a deluxe version, complete with a silver or black bezel, to complement it. The new binnacle fits directly to the existing plastic mount. If you want further peace of mind, though, Raptor also offers a steel mount built for exactly this job – another fine way of retaining a rattle-free cabin. As with all Raptor products, this latest addition to the company’s range comes with a lifetime guarantee. Prices start at £79 and include VAT. www.raptor-engineering.co.uk Removing the metal locking ring which holds the fuel tank in place on the 2002-on Defender, Disco 1 and 2, Freelander 1 and Range Rover L322 is not known for being the easiest job in the shop. Unless you buy Britpart’s new Fuel Tank Sender Wrench, that is. At less than £50 including the VAT, we can’t imagine many busy workshops being without one for long www.britpart.com
Britpart recently introduced a kit for converting the Disco 3 from air springs to coils – and if the vehicle follows the same pattern as the P38, there’ll be no shortage of customers doing just that. Should you want to change the front suspension arms at the same time (or at any time, come to that), the company is also now offering these, supplied with ball joints but no bushes. Left and righthand arms are available separately, and with a bit of perseverance they should sneak in at a trace under £100 apiece. www.britpart.com
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FLAME-GRILLED
‘it came to me with the body just sat on top of the chassis’
WHOPPER
What does the future hold for an old 127 fire engine after years of neglect? In the case of this whopping great Landy, it held a nut and bolt restoration – and a bit more besides. By the time Brian Tonks was finished with it, the old brute was better than new – and looking like a home-grown match for the coolest American pick-ups, too… Words and pictures Mike Trott
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hen I was growing up, I always appreciated the scale and presence of a fire engine. Standing at the side of the road as the piercing howl of sirens approaches, following by the insistent flashing of all those blue lights… it was something no mere ambulance or cop car could match. Enough to leave a bus queue on the floor in a puddle of seizures, at any rate. While I’m on the subject, I once had the responsibility of calling the fire
brigade after a stricken damsel next door had failed in her quest to make beans on toast. Two fire engines were promptly at the scene… and pretty soon they were gone, too, once it had turned out that the beans were only mildly baked and sometimes, actually, there is smoke without fire. Off-duty, I’m sure the firemen all had a chuckle at the poor lass’ expense. I certainly did. I also like to think that when their work is done, firemen drive home in
vehicles that look like fire engines. Big, impressive and red. And I think I may have found just the vehicle. Brian Tonks isn’t a fireman, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if he had told me he was. He drives (daily) a superlatively restored Land Rover 127 Crew-Cab Hi-Cap. It’s a proper titan among road vehicles. If this thing had a Transformers badge on the front, I would happily convince myself that underneath is a ten-storey high machine called Renegade.
To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk But it doesn’t. Instead it has bold, black Land Rover lettering on a glossy red body – which, it should be stated, was not always in such top condition. Brian is the owner of Tonks 4x4 in Huthwaite, just west of Mansfield. He’s been working on vehicles most of his life, completing the restoration of his first classic car at the age of 15. He’s a bit of an off-roading enthusiast, though, and the need to combine that passion with a reliable and practical workhorse led him to the 127. This Landy, originally a quick response fire appliance at Coventry Airport, would have been the first on the scene should the worst have happened. ‘The guy who had the truck before me had wanted to do a rebuild on it, but after six or seven years he decided to sell up,’ Brian explains. ‘It wasn’t in the best shape when it came to me. The body was just sat on top of the chassis and the rest was mainly in pieces.’ Just over a month later, Brian had transform this shed of components into a capable off-road tool with more than enough room for some tools of its own in the back. ‘I had a 110 Crew-Cab before, so there wasn’t loads of room in the back. The 127 came up and it made sense in terms of practicality. I can fit all the family in and it has a high towing capacity, which is useful for work or when the missus uses it for the horsebox! It’s just nice to have something different.’ Different, it certainly is. Aside from the fact that you don’t see many 127s about, full stop, you see even less with old airport livery masking sections of the body. You’ll find a couple of strobes on the tailgate, for example, as well as on the front A-bar, which warn followers that this machine is not to be messed with. The lights and rescue decals aren’t the only nice touches, though. There are new side steps, a Puma bonnet and a KBX front grille, while inside Brian really has made it a true all-rounder – the stylish Exmoor Trim seats are a big improvement over the original bum-holders. Shame about the radio, which was stolen just days before we met Brian, but at least they didn’t get take the rest of the truck with it. It’s not just about the looks, though. Like many of Brian’s projects, the 127 went through a complete nut and bolt rebuild as well as what he calls a ‘straightforward’ bobtail job. Now, with a galvanised chassis and bulkhead to boast of, it’s ready to serve another quarter of a century without blinking. ‘We’ve kept all the original parts, he says. ‘Except for the engine, which is now a 200Tdi. It was a simple Continued overleaf
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Wake up inside this Landy and you wouldn’t peg it for being quarter of a century old. The modern dash and cubby help there, as do a very nice set of Exmoor Trim seats choice, really – it has more power and is great for what I need it for. Besides, anything newer would have cost me on the DVLA scoring system.’ Ah yes, that. One of the things that makes Britain great, and no mistake. ‘This is sort of a British take on some of the big American pick-ups,’ Brian continues. ‘If points weren’t an issue on the 127, I’d probably consider a Cummins conversion!’ The turning circle matches its American counterparts’, anyway, but the Land Rover machine is better looking (of course). It should be called Red Five. Its BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains help it tackle more than just highways (and runways), too.
So, what was it I was saying about off-duty firemen? This would be the perfect vehicle for Sam and Elvis to ride home in after a hard day’s work saving Pontypandy from its own extraordinary ability to go up in flames at the drop of a hat… or for taking the whole family out for a weekend’s camping adventure, with plenty of space in reserve for recovery kit in case it snows a little and everyone with a super-sporty SUV gets stuck in half an inch of the stuff. Red Five is actually in line to be superseded at some point, as Brian is working on a 6x6 rebuild at the moment. As daily runabouts go, this will be even more unusual, but we
While he was rebuilding the 127, Brian changed its engine for a 200Tdi. This is more powerful than the old 2.5 TD unit and, heaven knows, more reliable. Another more prosaic concern was that had he tried to fit anything newer, he would have ended up knocking heads with the DVLA’s points system for modified vehicles, and nobody takes that on and wins. These days, engine and body alike sit on a galvanised chassis and bulkhead: the only point of familiarity there with the vehicle in its pre-refurbished form is that ‘sitting on’ is exactly what its body was doing to the previous frame – it was literally held together by gravity. The previous owner had had it for six or seven years with an eye to restoring it, according to Brian, but finally gave in to reality and let it go to someone with the time and facilities to actually get it done
admire the extraordinary and the different and that means we admire Brian and his vehicles really quite a lot. As for the 127, it’s a fine example of how an old Landy can be given a new lease of life when someone who knows what they’re doing gets their hands on the project. From a disgruntled and soulless collection of parts to a truly magnificent Land Rover, this is the happy tale of a truck that rose like a phoenix from the flames – and of one man’s burning ambition to create a smokin’ hot vehicle.
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CARRY ON
‘i’ve got everything I need in here. Cooker, sink,wardrobe…’
CAMPING Dave Blackburn wasn’t looking for a super-rare classic Range Rover, but a chance comment in a pub led to him becoming the owner of an original Carawagon. It did come in kit form, and he’s changed the engine twice himself since buying it with a Perkins tractor lump under the bonnet, but that’s never put him off – and today he’s got a classic that’s not just a great holiday machine, it’s a daily driver he can rely on to be good at absolutely everything
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and Rovers and camping are made to go hand-in-hand together. Just pack up your stuff in your very practical and desirable truck, get to your destination with minimal hassle – because you can of course drive anywhere – and enjoy all that there is to offer upon your majestic arrival. Splendid, job done, a fantastic holiday guaranteed… right? Wrong. For those of you familiar with Britain – and you should be, seeing as it’s where you live – the weather can be, let’s say, questionable. Erecting a tent in Britain’s fabulous weather can in some cases be like trying to pole-vault in a hurricane. Someone will get hurt.
Words and pictures Mike Trott Still, there are solutions to this problem. Dave Blackburn has one, and he’s been driving it to Wales, Norfolk, the supermarket, work and everywhere else for the past 15 years. ‘It never fails to do anything I ask of it,’ says Dave happily. He’s referring to his 1974 Range Rover Classic, which was one of the few to receive a camping conversion from R.J. Searle Ltd of Sunbury-on-Thames. So it’s a classic, a rarity and a great Land Rover to boot. No wonder he’s made up. Yet it took a certain level of provocation for him to buy the Rangey in the first place. ‘I was in the pub with my mates, talking about how I was getting fed up
of short-wheelbase Land Rovers and tents, when one of them mentioned that they had the parts from an old Searle conversion.’ Dave explains how the price of the conversion on a new Range Rover was horrendously expensive back when they were new, adding that for some it was on the small side for a camper, too. ‘The previous owners had sold the Range Rover without the conversion,’ he explains, ‘and replaced the roof with a very 70s and 80s vinyl roof in order to get a sale.’ If vinyl roofs make you think of Allegros and late Cortinas, you’ll be shivering with horror right now. It’s all come back together, anyway, and Dave is the proud owner of what is
Keeping the Rangey’s face looking as original as possible, its winch is hidden behind a standard-looking front bumper. The grille hasn’t been chopped up to fit it, either – in a delightful touch, the Carawagon badge lifts up for access to the freespool lever
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once again a well sorted, well together Searle Rangey. And it’s a lot more to him than just a holiday funmobile, too. ‘I do everything with this car,’ he says. ‘It is my daily drive. It’s so versatile – and the fact it does everything means it’s the best vehicle for what I am doing.’ What Dave is doing, to be precise, is commuting, playing and, when the opportunity arises, sleeping in his Range Rover. He uses it for towing his vintage tractor, has taken it off-piste on numerous occasions and has driven it round most of England and Wales on holiday. ‘We used to go away in it about ten to twelve times a year, but unfortunately that’s come down to two or three now. I’d definitely like to do more with it; we always take it to a lot of the Land Rover shows, but a couple of weeks in Scotland or Ireland would be nice. ‘I always say I’m going. But with time and money, it has never quite fallen into place.’ This camper may now be in its fifth decade, then, but it has still got a few destinations left on the bucket list. No problem, of course, because it’s still going very strong indeed. During those forty years, it has seen some big-time action – both in the workshop as well as out and about. It had the usual V8 engine when it first rolled off the production line, but now it’s fitted with the very popular 300Tdi. Don’t for a second think it was a straight swap, though. ‘When I bought it back in 1999, it had a 4.236 Perkins,’ says Dave. ‘I wore that out and replaced it with a Daihatsu diesel engine.’ Putting a Perkins engine in a Range Rover is a bit like asking the Queen to
do her Christmas address to the nation in a West Country accent. There’s nothing wrong with either, but they just don’t go together. This is a tractor engine, and the Rangey may have plenty of traction, but that doesn’t make it a Massey Ferguson. The Daihatsu engine that followed it was much more suited to the Range Rover, though Dave only took this path because buying a Tdi at the time would have meant selling a couple of vital organs. Like most Japanese units, wearing out is something it wasn’t Continued overleaf
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Above: The Rangey came out of the Land Rover factory (and the Searle one) with the usual 3.5-litre V8 that was your one and only choice at the time. By the time Dave bought it, however, someone had seen fit to throw a Perkins 4.236 in there, giving it all the characteristics for which the average Massey Ferguson was known and loved. Once he’d worn that out, he replaced it with a slightly less agricultural Daihatsu 2.8 – because he couldn’t afford a Tdi. That had changed by the time it was the Daihatsu unit’s turn to meet its maker – and here’s the 300Tdi which now lives under there
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Above, right: When you look at it, the amount of room in the Carawagon really is remarkable. It’s not like the lounge in your house, but for something with the footprint of a Range Rover and less height than a Luton van it’s more spacious than you’ve any right to expect Below: Not one but two filler caps, and this is a diesel so no, the second one isn’t for LPG. In fact, hidden behind that second flap is the electric hook-up connection
about to do in a hurry, but it did in the end – by which time Dave, with his kidneys still intact, had managed to find a 300Tdi. Now with his favoured engine, he decided to go the whole hog while fitting it, and mate it up to a bigger turbo and intercooler. ‘With the changes, it is a much better tow car now. It has a galvanised chassis and a winch behind the front grille – the little sign lifts up so you can reach the spool. Another nice exterior touch is the presence of two apparent fuel inlets. One is obviously for diesel, which Dave needs to travel to his paradise of choice, while the flap above it opens to reveal the connection point for gas and electric hook-ups. Nifty. Inside the cosy cabin, there is a strong hint of the Seventies pervading the atmosphere. If you were to rock up to a festival with this as your dwelling for the weekend, the term ‘glamping’ would never have been so fitting. ‘I’ve got everything I need in here,’ says Dave. ‘A cooker, a sink, wardrobes and two single beds. There are extra pads, too, to fill the gap in the middle and make it a double. It’s funny at first, but you get tired of falling in the hole when you come back drunk at night!’
We all know that Range Rovers are extremely well equipped. But seeing a kettle above the gearstick takes it to a whole new level. We wouldn’t recommend making a brew on the move, though – downshift times will be dramatically lengthened… ‘The seats at the front actually have covers on which I made to match the
rest of the interior,’ says Dave as we’re surveying the interior. ‘I’ve made all the trim inside, but apart from that everything is pretty much as it was.’ All in all, Dave has found his perfect machine in the Range Rover. It’s a vehicle he can use for a spontaneous vacation and everything else besides, so he doesn’t have to worry about running something else for day-to-day errands. ‘In the 15 years I’ve owned this car,’ he concludes, ‘I’ve probably done about 100,000 miles in it. It gets about, that’s for sure, but it is still the newest car I’ve ever owned.’ The newest and, assuredly, the best. Will he finally make it to Scotland before that Tdi engine wears out, too? We don’t know, but you can be sure that every mile along the way is putting a smile on his face.
This is what it’s like to have a gas hob above your gearstick. The Carawagon interior is a work of packaging genius, not to mention 70s’ design, and Dave has retrimmed the front seats to match the camper area
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‘it’s been through a number of different owners – but somehow it always ends up back here!’
OLD COPPERS
NEVER DIE
Many people have owned this ex-Police Discovery 2. But still it always finds its way back to the dealership it seems to call
I’ve never been chased down by the police. At least, not to my knowledge anyway. I could be wrong, of course, and may recently have featured in an episode of Traffic Cops while on my way home from work. But generally I’ve always kept my distance. Being a bit of a petrol head, I’d be lying if I said I don’t keep tabs on the different models of vehicle the police use from time to time. The usual panda cars, in my area at least, consist of Focus estates, the odd Astra still in commission and, once you get further out to the motorways, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4s (also popular in unmarked versions). Speaking of unmarked versions, we spotted an ex-police Discovery recently which was in such good nick that, had it still been in service and chasing you down the M4, you’d probably be too busy marvelling at its paintwork to notice the blue lights beaming down at you. As you would expect, the police maintain their vehicles to a very high standard. But this Disco has been The first thing you’re likely to notice when you clap your eyes on the Disco is that someone’s put it on horrible wheels. Well, ‘horrible’ might not be the word that comes to mind, but you’ll definitely notice them one way or the other. It’s had a heavy-duty front winch bumper from Extreme 4x4, too, as well as a set of later-style headlamps to make it look like a post-facelift model. But really, the main thing to remark upon is how clean and shiny it is for such a high-miler
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Left: The TD5 is still a TD5, but it’s not the original one anymore. The clock on the dash reads 187,000, but the engine is just nicely run in at about 100,000 less than that. It was remappped for a bit more oomph during the vehicle’s time as the property of MJA Land Rover
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Right: You don’t find many Disco 2s of this age with such a clean interior. One reason for this is that the police specified theirs without sunroofs – which, history has shown, was a very wise move indeed in an everyone-else’s-leak-water-downtheir-A-posts kind of way Bottom: The rear got facelift-style lights, too. And that spare wheel looks so much classier than the other four… treated with the utmost respect, even after it finished its law enforcement duties nearly ten years ago. It has obviously tried to rebel in its retirement, with a set of alloys that look about as in keeping on an old Disco as a pink mohican on a 60-year-old man. Perhaps this is one of those slightly dodgy cops who gets away with it and leaves the force with their lairy deeds undetected. But rather than buying a villa in Spain and getting fat on illgotten gains, it’s stuck around its old manor and remained in excellent shape. We found the vehicle at Churchill 4x4, a place whose name will be familiar to our regular readers. No surprise there, at any rate, as since leaving the force, the West Midlands Landy specialist seems to have had a strange hold over it. ‘It keeps finding its way back to us, this car,’ says Jonathan Churchill. ‘The police auctioned the vehicle off, we had it for a while before selling it on and it’s been through a number of different owners. But somehow it will always end up back here!’ The vehicle itself is a bit of an anomaly in that it’s a five-door with rear air-suspension. Everyday people couldn’t get that combination, but that just goes to show the power a police order holds over car manufacturers. It makes sense for the sort of work a cop Disco would have done, at any rate. These trucks tended to do a lot of motorway miles while carrying a heavy load of equipment, so a self-levelling rear set-up was ideal for them. So too was the deletion of the now-feared sunroofs – perhaps the long arm of the law also had some sort of foresight that made it able to see how unspeakably prone to leaking these would become. Naturally, the vehicle was finished in white, so all its fluorescent markings could be added. A few years later, many forces started ordering their cars in silver so they’d have a chance of selling them again afterwards, but you have to say it’s quite a dapper old thing in plain white. Not like a 60-year-old with a pink mohican at all.
‘It was registered to the Chief Constable of the West Mercia Police initially,’ says Jonathan. ‘Though whether it was his actual vehicle or whether they were all registered to him, I am not entirely sure.’ Its general composure would certainly have suited a management-level user like that… no doubt, indeed, many years of satisfied Top Cops’ views have contributed to the fact that today, traffic officers up and down the land patrol the motorways aboard Discovery 3s and 4s. This Disco’s next owner after its first spell at Churchill 4x4 was none other than MJA Land Rover, a company based just down the road from Jonathan. In their hands, it gained an Extreme 4x4 heavy-duty front bumper
and Champion electric winch, as well as facelift-style front and rear lights to give it the look of a later Disco 2. In addition, the TD5 engine was re-mapped to give it some more grunt. ‘We had it back off MJA and for a while we were using it mainly as a tow car,’ continues Jonathan. ‘Then some months after, a guy was browsing outside and happened to spot the Disco. It wasn’t for sale, but he gave enough of an offer for us to part with it once more.’ You’d think that would be the end of it, and they all lived happily ever after. But no. The gentleman who’d bought it sold it back to Churchill 4x4 again. And as if that wasn’t enough, Jonathan then sold it to one of the
company’s own mechanics… who in turn sold it back after having his fun. It’s gone off again to someone else now. But it’s only a matter of time… ‘Despite going through a few owners, it’s still in such good condition,’ says Jonathan. ‘That’s partly down to the fact that all the owners have been enthusiasts and they’ve all helped in keeping it properly maintained. It’s a great looking vehicle and doesn’t look the mileage and runs very well.’ The mileage? A cool 187,000 on the clock, though this old-timer has been kept youthful by transplant surgery – its engine is a bit more middle-aged, having only covered 80,000-odd. We didn’t ask which of its previous owners were responsible for those
alloys. That would have appeared a little impertinent, perhaps: after all, if you see an old boy with pink hair or a tiedye T-shirt, you don’t go up to him and ask why he’s chosen to look so silly, do you? Besides, one man’s prize is another man’s poison, so there’s every chance that whoever’s bought the Disco has already used them to make a tidy sum on eBay from somebody with more money than taste. So who knows what else will have changed about this grand old truck by the time it next fetches up at Churchill 4x4? Maybe you should call them up and register your interest now. Because whatever its new owner does to it, you can be sure of one thing: which is that one day, it’ll come back home.
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‘this is the rarest of things, a land rover that looks different from all the rest’
FREAK
OR UNIQUE?
It takes a lot to make a 90, even a modified one, stand out from the crowd. But when Jim Malkin decided to do just that, he had a plan. Introducing the Land Rover Defender 90 hatchback…
One of the main reasons people give for off-roading something that’s not a Land Rover is that they want to be different. Fair enough, you could say, there’s a tremendous amount of modified Landies out there that all look more or less the same. But that doesn’t mean you’ve got to go off and drive something with no soul just to stand out from the crowd. The normal way of making a 90 look different to the others is of course to paint it a wild colour (lifting the suspension and fitting a snorkel, winch bumper and knobbly tyres doesn’t count, because so many other people have done it too). Even then, though,
is there any such thing as a colour that hasn’t at some stage been slapped all over a Land Rover? Well, you don’t see many 90s like this one. Built by Jim Malkin, it looks a bit like what might happen if you were to put a Qt Wildcat in a hotel room with a Peugeot 205 and tell room service to send up a bottle of champagne. Jim did it removing 3” from the 90’s rear overhang and completely redesigning the back of its hard top so as to turn the vertical back end into a jaunty take on the style of a hatchback. Jim’s bodywork followed the line of a full exo rollcage, and rather than having a tailgate as such the 90 is more
Words Gary Noskill Pictures Steve Taylor of an enclosed truck-cab with a sidehinged rear door. Jim made this from chequer plate – something he used liberally throughout the build, both outside and in. The idea was to create something that would do the job in punch hunts, which explains the exo cage and front and rear winch bumpers – all fabricated by Jim himself. He built the truck a few years ago and the game has moved on a bit since then (you see a lot more traybacks these days, for one thing, and most challenge 90s are built with tubular front ends nowadays), but there was a tasty looking set of kit lurking beneath the surface too.
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We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk That there’s a 3.9 V8, but it’s definitely not an everyday example of the breed. Up top, it’s gained the heads from a later 4.0-litre version of the same engine, topped off with a four-barrel Edelbrock carb. The air system starts with a K&N filter, which is perched on top of a tailor-made stainless steel snorkel, and ends at a custom exhaust fed by a set of Janspeed tubular manifolds
There’s no such thing as a 90 that can’t be improved by the addition of a V8, for example. This one was treated to a 3.9 EFi job with heads from a 4.0 Thor unit, a four-barrel Edelbrock carb and a custom exhaust with Janspeed tubular manifolds – all of which boosted power by about 20bhp. Jim also raised the breathers and made a snorkel, topped off with a K&N filter, from 3” o/d stainless pipe. Behind the engine, in went a fourspeed ZF auto from a 1991 Range Rover, fitted with heavy-duty clutch plates and a special torque converter made by an engineer who normally works on drag racers – cue some very alert responses when changing gear. ‘I’ve always preferred autos for offroading,’ Jim told us. ‘They give better
performance on hillclimbs – and put a lot less strain on your left foot over the course of a day!’ This all went in to a D-reg donor vehicle, which dates it from well before the time when Land Rover started putting disc brakes on the Defender’s back axle. Jim sorted this out with a set of late 300Tdi units – which he got cheap by part-exchanging a couple of Range Rover tailgates he happened to have lying around. As we said earlier, this was a few years ago… Wisely, Jim didn’t just lob the axles in there and cross his fingers. First, he stripped them both right down for a full check, then he rebuilt them with all new seals and bearings – as well as ARB locking diffs. Tasty. The rear unit, which is a 24-spliner, is located using
rose-jointed front radius arms, comp safari style – definitely not conventional wisdom on a truck that’s built to do extreme stuff, but Jim told us he’d recommend it to anyone. Radius arms on the rear give you a more controlled ride at speed but less articulation than the standard A-frame set up, all else being equal, so it would seem a bit odd to combine them with any sort of dislocation. And sure enough, Jim didn’t. A straightforward +3” spring and shock combination was all he felt he needed, making room for a set of 35” 9.00x16 Petlas Mud Terrains. Most Landy fans will know these as a 101 tyre – and Jim told us he rates them highly for heavy off-road use. ‘I’ve Continued overleaf
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Left: The 90 dates from the days before all-round disc brakes, but a set of 300Tdi axles saw to that. They hold it up using +3” springs and shocks Above: As you can see here, that suspension combo does a decent job of flexing its way over the terrain. Also visible here is the belt-and-braces fabrication in the rock sliders, which are all Jim’s own work experimented with a lot of different manufacturers in my time,’ he said, ‘and Petlas have never let me down.’ Building the exo cage which is such a feature of the truck’s appearance, Jim ran it down to a set of box-section rock sliders which he welded directly to the chassis. This in turn mounted a full-length underbody plate system stretching all the way from the front bumper to the back axle, and the
rear crossmember was replaced by a bespoke winch mount. Talking winches, up front Jim bolted on an 11,000lb T-Max wound with Plasma rope. That rear crossmember got a Warn XD9000, though when we spoke to Jim he was planning to take the T-Max route there as well to benefit from commonality of parts. Taking care of the sparks, in went a pair of ProComp Explorer gel-filled deep-cycle
Above: This is a truck whose builder was very comfortable working with chequer plate. It was designed for hardcore off-roading, which explains all those lights and switches – as well as the need for a hose-out interior Right: Yet more ally plate went to finish off the hatchback-style rear. As you can see here, in truth it’s more like an enclosed pick-up in some ways
batteries charged through a 100-amp alternator from a Ford Scorpio (used because Land Rover’s own 140-amp job wouldn’t fit without more messing around than Jim was up for). Ahead of a rear load area which Jim designed and fabricated himself to make the most of all the available space, he fitted a simple pair of standard 90 front seats. ‘I didn’t want to spend the whole time wrestling with bucket seats,’
he said, ‘so I’ve gone for ease of access over comfort and support.’ That’s not the only thing about this 90 that flies in the face of conventional wisdom. From its 101 tyres to its V8 engine, a great deal about it is the opposite of what most people do – but that doesn’t stop it from coming up with the goods when times are tough. Most of all, its tyres, cage and bumpers aren’t the reason why it
stands out in a crowd. Neither, even, is the lovely V8 burble coming from its custom exahaust. No, this is that rarest of things, a Land Rover that looks different from all the rest. You’ll see plenty of modified 90s in your time, and plenty of crazy colour schemes put in place by people who really want to stand out. But if you ever see a hatchback 90, look twice. Chances are it’s probably this one.
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Issue 13: March 2014
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APPEARANCES CAN BE
‘it’s never going to be the fastest. But it’s pretty strong’
DECEPTIVE When you see a Land Rover with the front end of a Defender, you tend to assume it’s either a hybrid or, indeed, an actual 90 or 110. A second glance at the 88” James Watt built would point you towards the former – but as well as some classic Series IIA signatures on its bodywork, a foray underneath would show you that this modern looking Landy was in fact still almost completely standard
W
hen you see a Landy of a certain age with the front end from a 90, you tend to assume it’s got coil springs. If it’s from the 90 era, it’s probably genuine: if not, it’s probably a hybrid someone created years ago by plopping a Series IIA or III body on to a shortened Range Rover chassis. They used the bonnet, wings and front panel from a 90 to create a bigger engine bay for the V8 or Tdi they used, but look beyond it and you’ll see the tell-tale signs of a bitsa.
Words Gary Noskill Pictures Steve Taylor It’s not always like that, though. Sometimes, you’ll see a Landy whose original front end hides a bigger engine than Land Rover ever intended – whether or not the vehicle itself is actually a hybrid. And then there are the ones like this, built some years ago by James Watt, which go the other way. James built his 88” Series IIA using the front of a later vehicle. But despite the fact that it looks like a 90 from head-on, there’s something very different about it: it’s a leafer.
We used the H-word a moment ago, so let’s clear this up. The Landy James built never was a hybrid. It was a modified Series IIA. And not even all that modified, when you start to look at it. It’s more of an exercise in changing the stuff that really matters – while retaining as much as possible of what’s original. Of course, you could argue that getting rid of the leaf springs is among the things that matter. But you could also argue that the number of old Landies that ended up on coils is an
At a glance, this is a Land Rover whose front end comes on like that of a 90. Seen from side on, however, aside from the extended wheelarches, all the visual cues point to its Series heritage – and when you look harder, the split windscreen confirms this
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Above: The IIA started life as a 2.25 diesel, but at some point prior to passing into James’ hands it was converted to 3.5-litre V8 power. All well and good, especially if you’ve got something else to drive to work so you don’t bankrupt yourself, but what he really wanted was the reliability and low-down lugging power of an oil-burner. What you’re looking at here is a 2.5 naturally aspirated diesel, taken from an early 90 but also commonly seen in early Sherpa vans and FX4 taxis. The vast majority of swap-ins these days use TDi units, but if you’re thinking of the non-turbo 2.5 it pays to get one that started life in a Defender as van and taxi versions saved on production costs by not having a waterproof cambelt cover Below: If the truck’s front end still had you fooled by the time you bent down to check out its suspension, you’d soon realise you weren’t looking at a 90 – or indeed a hybrid. Not only are these leaf springs, they’re standard-height leaf springs – James wasn’t scared to change things when he built this Landy, but he wasn’t scared to leave well alone either accident of history caused by the sudden appearance of lots of grotty old Range Rovers at the bucket end of the used car market in the late 1980s and early 1990s – if that had never happened, we’d have followed the American lead and worked out how to get cart springs to flex the way we now know they can. James kept them, at any rate, and didn’t regret it. His IIA wasn’t built to be a daily driver, so he could get away without the extra comfort you get from coils – though he did get rid of that other old favourite, a V8 engine, whose calamitous thirst has crippled so many Land Rovers’ everyday usability down the years. The V8 had been fitted in place of the original 2.25-litre diesel lump, which made the IIA sound nice but didn’t give it the reliability and low-down torque James felt he’d get by returning it to an oil-burner. The unit he used was the 2.5-litre normally aspirated unit, taken from an early 90. ‘This engine was also used in early Leyland Daf Sherpas,’ he remarks. ‘So it is inevitably fairly bullet-proof.’ Just so long as you don’t add a turbo… It might not be as sprightly as a V8, but James never looked back after fitting the 2.5. With 68bhp, it’s an engine which can at least keep up Continued overleaf
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Left: In another case of not trying to fix what ain’t broke, the Series IIA axles remained in place on top of those leaf springs. James protected them through the use of diff guards, and upgraded the brakes on the ends of them to largerdiameter drums from a long-wheelbase model, but that apart the original equipment was just fine Right: There’s nothing wrong with a basic Series IIA interior, either. James found plenty of places to install the switchgear he needed, and the presence of those classic red and yellow-topped levers indicate a Series Landy whose gearbox and transfer case remain as they always were
with the traffic – most certainly an improvement over that old 2.25 – and James is adamant that mating it to the standard Series IIA gearbox didn’t throw any unexpected obstacles in his way. ‘It’s never going to be the fastest or smoothest vehicle,’ he told us. ‘But it feels pretty strong.’ Talking of strength, an interesting upgrade was the use of 109 drum brakes all round. These have extra
diameter to them which added a reassuring additional measure of stopping power – never a bad thing, especially when you’ve got taller tyres being turned by a bigger engine. The tyres in question are the same height as a 7.50, at 31x10.50R15, but they’re much wider – and with standard height suspension (yes, on a playday truck – just how much fun do you think you need to have, anyway?)
Having built the rollcage, James admitted later that given the chance to do it again he’d have revised the design. In the main, he’d have moved the rear braces so they didn’t take so much out of the cargo area
the rear arches needed a bit of a trim to prevent them from fouling. On went a set of spats to keep the MOT man happy – further enhancing the 90 look, even if that wasn’t the intention. So, standard-height suspension. Standard-height tyres. An engine that’s as close as they come to standard without actually being it. Like we said, this might be a modified vehicle, but it’s not nearly as far from its original
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To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk spec as a glance at its front end might lead you to think. There are a few bolt-ons to mention, such as diff and steering guards, a Safari snorkel, extra lights and a 12,000lb Champion winch on a Guardian bumper. James fitted a roll cage, too – though he told us he’d have done this differently if he could start again, revising the way it’s positioned in the rear load area so that, well, he could still have one. Elsewhere inside, it’s pretty standard fare: a 40-channel CB radio, internal storage for the high-lift jack and an isolator switch for controlling the Kenlowe fan. Though actually, there is one other oddity in the shape of a Defender fuse box. And that right there is the only other Defender item on this vehicle, beyond its front-end body panels. That apart, it’s just a Series IIA with a few additions to improve it off-road. However different its ‘face’ might have become at the end of a four-year programme of running mods, this IIA is surprisingly close to how it was when it left the factory more than 45 years ago. It’s deceptive, but not in a way you’re used to. And everything it does, it does without a coil spring to be seen. That’s what you call keeping it real.
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THE CLOCKWORK ORANGE Issue 13: March 2014
For Paul Walton and Andy Scarr, doing up old Landies was a hobby that paid for itself. But when they took on an old Lightweight, little did they realise that the perfect customers for it were… themselves Andy Scarr and I have a thing about buying old Land Rovers. We have, over the years, had a good few. Some were just Defenders that came up at the right price. Others were fullon projects that deserved to be given another chance at life. We’re fortunate to have friends with facilities, who have kindly let us sort these old buses out in their lovely big garage. Our last one was a 1975 Series III, which has ended up with a new owner in Darlington. He loves it, but I bet he wouldn’t have given it a second look if
Words Paul Walton Pictures Paul Walton and Heather Carroll it were in the same condition as when we bought it! Anyway, during a recent trial I was talking with a member of our club (North East Rover Owners) who had a Lightweight CCV motor he used a few years ago. He had bought it from another club member who used it in RTVs, and I believe the car had even done the odd comp safari. The current owner mentioned that he was looking to sell, if someone wanted it. It set the cogs whirring. Like clockwork, some might say!
The following Saturday, Andy and I were collecting the Lightweight from its dwelling of the last four to five years. She was in a fairly good state, but certainly down at heel. Lack of use is always going to make things look bad. Don’t get me wrong here; we expected some welding and a fair bit of work to get her to a standard we would be happy with. As the car came with its logbook, we had the idea of returning her once again to the open highway and able enough to compete in RTV, CCV and even a comp safari if the mood
should take you. The added bonus of being tax exempt in a couple of years didn’t fail to entice us, either. On getting the car back and giving it a good wash, our plan was to park her back up and work on her as time allowed. We had bought a set of cylinders for the clutch system as these had clearly failed, but other than that she wouldn’t start. What condition the rest of the car was in, we’d find out when time allowed. We then found ourselves in a situation where both Andy’s
competition car and mine required either new engines or major works. This would take us out of action for some time. Sick to the back teeth of fixing things, we’d simply had enough. If we were using the cars hard, then we could accept the issues, but we have had nothing but bad luck for years with them. All we wanted was a reliable car to play in. Then the bulb lit up above our heads. What about the Lightweight? We went to see it the following Saturday with a
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The Lightweight was ‘down at heel’ as opposed to being completely knackered – and after 15 years as a competition car, it came with a list of goodies including a tubular manifold, twin-barrel carb and high-lift cam. With the master and slave cylinders replaced so it had a functioning clutch, rubbing the contacts on the points was enough to fire it up – and with a fresh coat of paint duly applied, she was all ready to go trialling again! view to sorting the clutch and seeing if we could turn her over. Graham and Matt Pink kindly allowed us to use part of their workshop, as the torrential rain was not really encouraging us to get under the car where it was kept outside! On changing the master and slave cylinder, we seemed to have ourselves a clutch. By scraping the contacts on the points we had the engine running. I started the engine – so I slipped it into first gear and we were off. Back and forth, up and down the yard she went – the car worked in all gears, and had brakes! It was basically ready to go and play in the CCV. A good look around the chassis showed it was still covered in paint and in good order. We loaded it on to the truck and took it to my house so I could paint the cage and so on. Having rubbed the cage down and found no issues, I painted it in gloss black. This made the bodywork look worse! So, given that we had a can of orange paint knocking about, my wife Zena and I set to it with a small brush
for the detail work and a 6” foam roller for the bulk of the bodywork. It’s the first car on which I have used a foam roller, and I have to say I’m rather impressed. It took a couple of coats, but in our eyes the Lightweight now looks particularly splendid. This is a Lightweight which has been a competition car for many years – probably about 15 or so. It has had some money spent on it in the past and now has a tubular sports manifold, a twin-barrel carb from a 90 and a high-lift cam. She goes like stink for a 2.25 petrol! She does, however, have a tappet ‘tick’. This, apparently, is there no matter what you try and do to remedy the problem. I believe this is why she was painted in her distinctive colour and named ‘The Clockwork Orange’ after the makeover. I did develop an overwhelming urge to paint the name on the bonnet following this epiphany – the character is there, anyway! Our first event was at the club’s September CCV in Herrington Woods,
near Sunderland, with the first order of the day being to have the CCV logbook updated. This requires a vehicle to be re-inspected by our logbook scrutineers – surprisingly, possibly, she passed with flying colours! Then it was to the trial itself. It’s been a good few years since I drove my old Series I and then Series II CCV motors. The latter had a V7 engine (I could never get all eight to fire at the same time) and of course power steering – so the Lightweight was a bit of a handful, with unassisted steering and a manual Series III gearbox coming as something of a shock for the first few sections. She did, however, perform brilliantly. She even stepped in for a couple of members whose car suffered a broken propshaft, allowing them to keep on playing for the day. We do still plan to put her back on the road, and we’ll continue to use her for CCV trials – at least until we finally sort out our other cars. In the meantime, the Clockwork Orange will keep on ticking along!
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Gumtree 4x4 “Independent Specialists in Land Rover, Range Rover, Discovery and Freelander.” Unit C17, Ditchling Common, West Sussex, BN6 8SG
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Land Rover Series IIA 6x6 (1965). Registered as an 88” wheelbase and converted to 6-wheel-drive at manufacture. Currently a project, but I have run out of time. Chassis in good order but front spring hangers have rusted at the front. Engine compression is good. I am confident the engine works well, and wired some of the lighting up which works. Haven’t tried the clutch, but have bled the brakes and they work. Requires the following to complete: windscreen, windscreen motors and wipers, doors, front lights, roof. I do not have the V5, but the chassis and engine number register it as a Series II. I also have a large selection of spares which I can sell with the vehicle. Needs to be towed away. Once complete, this is a unique Land Rover and would be worth a high price. £1800. Kingston, Surrey, 07810 55398
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LAND ROVERS FOR SALE
Series I
Series I 88”. Has an early 2.25 engine fitted which runs on petrol and LPG. Bulkhead totally rebuilt using galvanised box-section, galv steel plate and new footwells. Not to original spec but strong and rust free. Chassis repaired where needed to make roadworthy. Parabolic rear springs with Polybushes.
Items still to do include front springs, speedo cable to fit, some rear area windows which are cracked and hard-top painting, plus carpet inside. For sale as is, only because I have other projects to complete. £7000. Kendal, r.g52@operamail.com
Series I (1956). Petrol engine. Restored approximately six years ago, fantastic condition, any viewing welcome. £10,000, 07973 131603
Series II
Land Rover Series IIA 109 Ambulance (1963). 2.25 petrol. Ex-Army. Ambulance body built by Marshalls of Cambridge. 41,000 miles, new MOT, tax exempt. Fully restored and brakes overhauled. Drives very well and is ready to drive away. £4995. Littlehampton, West Sussex, 07833 087439.
Land Rover 109 200Tdi. Twin tanks, body-off refurb, chassis checked and no welding required, HD military style crossmember, new bespoke bumperettes, 3 coats of Shutz to chassis, tub and wings, galv bulkhead and front panel, Defender front wiring loom, professionally wired rear, new LED standard style lights, high level brake light, LED camping/reverse lights and internal strip lights, Pioneer CD,
the petrol engine. You will need to bring a trailer to take it away (we can be on hand to help load it). £1095, offers welcome. Exeter, 07857 289809.
Toro overdrive, P38 PAS box on 12mm plate welded to chassis, safari roof, 5 General Grabber 235/85R16s, head skimmed and crack tested, timing belt changed, electric fan. Viewing essential. Must go to a good home. £6500 ono. Call Mat on 07908 582133 or email gondolamat@aol.com
Land Rover Series IIA (1969). 2.25 petrol. 48,389 miles. This is a beautiful marine blue Series
IIA 88” soft-top. In excellent condition, fully serviced recently, newly repaired starter motor and 10 months’ MOT. No need for road tax! Essex. £3000 ono. 07966 242402, eccure@gmail.com
Land Rover Series II SWB pickup (1970). Barn find – spares or repairs as a project. Pulled straight out of a barn at the weekend where it has been sat for a few years. It is tax exempt and currently has no MOT. It has
Series III
Land Rover Series III 88” (1980). 2.25 petrol. Less than 2000 miles in last six years covered (backed up by VOSA). MOT end of March 2015. Webber carb. Starts first turn of key, runs superbly. Clean under bonnet. Bulkhead completely solid. Brand new driver and passenger doors (driver’s door bottom needs painting). New seat belts fitted, nearly new Defender rims and Michelin tyres. Brand new grille. Headlight bowls painted correct marine blue. FWH fitted. Transfer box works fine and gearbox is great. Includes a VGC deluxe centre seat. Currently a truck
cab – included in sale will be a 3/4 canvas tilt and sticks, and a full hard top with windows and rear door. Also a set of Series III rims, but they are pretty rough. Not concours, but a great Series III – you can use every day and tinker away to your heart’s content! £3450. Cannock, 07913 340661
Land Rover Series III 88” 2.25 petrol. Ex-military. Fully rebuilt from hubs to hood. Just finished, with everything new or fully reconditioned – brakes, seals, body panels, rear tub, all engine parts, manifolds, radiator, pipes, fittings, lights, battery, doors, windows, locks, pedals, everything! Every nut and bolt replaced with stainless steel ones. This vehicle is now ready to last another 40 years! 12 months’ MOT. Stormforce fitted cover. All new seats in the back with seatbelts, deluxe front seats, full seatbelt bar fitted, fitted rubber mats, electronic distributor. Massive amount of receipts. Military number was 17 GF 34. £8995. Rhyl, Denbighshire, 01745 353476.
Land Rover Series III 109” One-Tonne (1984). 2.25 Petrol, ex-military FFR, refurbished. 45,000 km on clock. MOT June 2015. 2.25 petrol on Solex Zenith carb (runs very smoothly, as do the gearbox and transfer case). Spent 14 years in northern Norway and was factory fitted with the CJ Williams Arctic Heater, which is still installed and operational. 24v electrics. Oil temp gauge and oil-cooling radiator (not commonly fitted to civilian Land Rovers). Original heavy-duty chassis and Salisbury rear axle. Can take a full-size
To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk spare on bonnet or rear door. Twin fuel tanks. Other military components were removed during its restoration – these have been dry-stored and will be available to the buyer if desired. Custom interior with reclining bucket seats, new inertia reel seat belts and clasps, Mountney 15” steering wheel and tailored soundproofing carpet. Two rows of custom bench seats mounted lengthwise in rear. £8995. Swansea, 07824 158634
Land Rover Sandringham Six. 6x6 Series III Stage 1 V8. 139” wheelbase. 95% complete with all parts needed to finish. Factory built and original – one of only about a dozen known to survive. Rebuilt from the chassis up. Road registered with a V5 in my name. I also have the proper wide one-ton wheels which have been shot blasted, primed and will be painted green, plus six new 7.50 x 16 Extra Grip tyres. Total photo library of every stage of the rebuild. Just needs brake shoes and wheel cylinders fitting (new parts supplied), lights refitting and wiring connected. A back body needs to be sorted; they were fitted with either flat beds with sides or a lengthened normal Land Rover body. The chassis has the original mounting points for both. £8500, Bridgwater, Somerset. 07590 487885
Minerva
Land Rover Minerva TT (1952). Recent overhaul, new paint job, new suede gaitors. 12v aux, new battery and alternator, new wiper blades and motors. Brakes overhauled, new oil in diffs and gearbox, seats re-upholstered. 4 new tyres, 2 fire extinguishers, also fitted electronic ignition. The bulkhead is sound and the hood is in very good condition, and it is a rust free vehicle for its age! Road tax and MOT exempt. Needs new horn button, but has isolator switch fitted and new fuel pump. £4500. Hull, 07737 320448.
Lightweight
Series III 88” Lightweight. Runs and drives as well as any Land Rover I’ve owned. Recon 2.5 engine and gearbox, solid chassis and bulkhead.
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GUMTREE 4x4
5.5J wheels, deluxe seats and head restraints. Centre cubby, parabolic springs, rear lined with marine ply, new doors and door tops. Wipers and gauges not currently working. £4450, offers welcome. Essex, 07918 673915
SpecialiStS in land rover, range rover, diScovery, freelander and all 4x4s servicing, repairs, conversions, rebuilds & chassis replacements. performance and off road modifications.
90
established in 1981, located in mid-sussex
tel: 01444 241457
Land Rover Defender 90 300Tdi (1995). New rear crossmember, chequer plate on bonnet, wings and rear corners. Stainless toolboxes in tub. P&P rear hoop, Britpart snorkel and wading kit, LED lights and 4 Hella spots on Terrafirma roof bar. Superwinch Tigershark on First Four front bumper with synthetic rope. T-Max dual battery system. First Four tree sliders, 2” Terrafirma lift, Qt diff and tank guards, HD steering arms, cranked radius arms and wide-angle props. Mach 5 alloys with BFG tyres. Exmoor acoustic mats, Defender X-Lock. Four wheel bearings and a caliper recently fitted. Solid chassis. £8000. Yelverton, Devon, 07584 411698
info@gumtree4x4.co.uk
Land Rover Defender 90 County 200Tdi (1992). Galvanised chassis. Meticulously upgraded and maintained by a Land Rover enthusiast, and painted to replicate the latest X-Tech model. Engine sounds and runs very nicely through the free flow exhaust. No oil leaks, no nasty clunking. Clutch is good and steering is accurate (by Defender standards!) 12 months’ MOT. £6250. Bewdley, Worcestershire, 07889 928421
Land Rover 90 Truck-Cab. Isuzu 2.8 TD engine. 12 months’ MOT. Thousands spent on this off-road ready truck, but now have to sell due to other commitments. 2” lift, 265/75R16 Insa Turbo Special Tracks, front hoop roll cage handbuilt by pro garage, two 8” brand new spots on front, Optima Red Top battery, new alternator, all bushes replaced for MOT, disc brakes all round, diff guards front and back, steering guard, bucket seats, home made snorkel, rear dislocation cones, new handbrake shoes, new front pads. With also throw in two new suspension turrets, new plastic PAS fluid reservoir and farm jack. May partex for Disco 3 or 110 Double-Cab. £2200, offers welcome. Hampshire, 07733 101949
Advertising your Landy for sale is FREE for private sellers. Just call Gemma Pask on 01283 553242
38 Land Rover Defender 90 300 Tdi. Emigration forces sale. Restored 18 months ago and in excellent condition, with new turbo, perfect chassis and immaculate bodywork. Six seats (back bench seats are new, front cloth is good with no tears or wear). Just serviced ready for sale, with four new tyres. Starts first turn of the key and drives very well on the road. In the past restoration it has had a new 300TdI bulkhead and a TD5 front panel fitted, plus a new rear crossmember. £4995 ovno. Southam, Warwickshire, 07719 069686.
Land Rover Defender 90 (1990). 3.5 EFI V8 Automatic with LPG. Ibis White. Upgraded front end giving up-to-date look. Engine and gearbox changed for a Range Rover V8 10 years ago, converted to LPG at same time. Last owner ten years. Recently fitted with 235/85R16 Sahara offroad/winter tyres, 2012 Defender XS seats; remote-control 5-ton winch, new HD battery and alternator, leads, plugs, distributor cap, new heavy-duty towbar. TD5 steering wheel included but not yet fitted. Solid all round, rot-free chassis and bulkhead, with Boost alloys and 2” suspension lift. Not used off-road in the time I’ve owned it. Serviced and tuned in the summer so is running and driving without fault, apart from fuel gauge is temperamental. £4650. Cumbria, 07540 537673 or 01539 446898
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Issue 13: March 2014 Adrenaline front and rear castor correction radius arms. Big brake conversion with braided lines and front drilled and grooved discs. QT rock slider diff guards, fuel tank guard, tree sliders. Split charge system, bucket seats, Mud-UK radio/CB centre console with Carling switches for fan, rear work lights, interior lights and splitcharge. £4500. Warrington, 07879 883348
Defender 90 TD5 pick-up. 139,100 miles. 12,000lb winch (cost £500, new 2 months ago from Gigglepin), Devon 4x4 winch bumper (£800), rock sliders, snorkel and diff breathers, diff guards, front and rear sump guards, bucket seats, light guards all round, dislocation cones, fully Polybushed. Cubby box, full chequer plate, rear bump guards, CD stereo with Alpine head unit and aux lead. Great truck with strong TD5 and solid chassis. Last serviced in January, MOT 04/15, tax 03/15. £6750. andydownes13@hotmail.co.uk
Limited edition 90. Over 40k worth of receipts for work carried out and professional mods. Bespoke tuning, K&N air filter, Allisport intercooler, Hayward and Scott stainless straight-through exhaust, hybrid turbo. Recaro race seats (heated), uprated roll bars, lowered suspension. Boss wheels, LED lights, Alpine sound system, Bluetooth, sat nav, uprated cubby box. Brand new 13,000lb winch and front bumper. Momo wheel, upgraded brakes. FSH. £20,950 tonyackerman2000@yahoo. co.uk
guard, full set of Land Rover seat covers and mats, seats like new under covers. New tyres. Leather seats, heated front seats, air-conditioning, electric windows, CD stereo, traction control. MOT and tax November 2014. £15,500+VAT cwdm@ hotmail.co.uk
Land Rover Defender TD5 110 utility special vehicle (2003/53). White, 153,000 miles. Four nearly new Cooper STTs plus 2x Kumho KL71s on wheels, EW9 electric winch, night heater, 600w inverter. FSH, 12 months’ MOT, lots of racking and storage, heated seats. Only selling as now have a company vehicle. £6000 ono. 01364 654854 or 07974 418048
Land Rover Defender 110 Td5 (W-reg). Off-roader with lots of extras. Very good condition. Full MOT, 120,000 miles, bodywork very good with shiny black paint. PTO Superwinch, heavy-duty Snatch chassis, uprated diffs, lift kit and heavy-duty suspension, Safari Snorkel, LED spot lights, side lockers, rock sliders, ZU wheels, sump guard, light guard, high lift jack, CD player, CB, 3 front seats. £6300. Bewdley, Worcestershire, 07889 928421
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Defender 90Tdi. Late 1994. Pick-up with Truckman top and 5-speed gearbox. Low milage, new MOT. Nice condition throughout. £4995, 01420 473470
Defender 90 200 Tdi (1993). Hybrid T28/T25 turbo, K&N air filter, Allisport full-width intercooler with silicone hoses. Full 2” stainless exhaust. Kenlowe fan with in cab control, X-Lite spots on roof bar, snorkel with full wading kit. Winch bumper, fitted with Superwinch. 2” longer shocks with 2” lift, bigger bump stops and full Polybush kit.
110 2.5 petrol/LPG, C-reg. 121,000 miles, on SORN. Solid chassis, spot lights, chequer plate, rear worklight, tubular side steps, roof rack, fog lights. New alternator Feb 2013. Engine rebuild Feb 2011 including new valves, bearings and piston rings. MOT May 2014. This Landy is 27 years old and does have a few marks. £2200. cotton13@hotmail.co.uk
Defender 110 XS Utility. Warn winch, full roof rack, steering
Land Rover Defender 110 300 TDi Camper. Professionally converted to a camper van two years ago. MOT October 2015. In past two years it’s had the following: new rear crossmember, brand new rear door, brand new nearside and offside doors, resprayed black, professionally fitted Cat 1 remote alarm and immobiliser. New radiator, fuel tank, snorkel. 40W solar panel with leisure battery and USB sockets, thick Kingspan-insulated camper with comfy bed. Britpart +2” HD springs, Pro-Comp ES9000 +2” dampers, QT Castor-corrected radius arms and track rod arms, 5 alloy wheels with General Grabber 235/85R16s in good condition, front winch bumper, rear step bumper, chequer plate wing tops, LRX Hi-Force wing top vents, lockable cubby box. Great condition for age, starts first time, drives very well. Warm to sleep in, even if frosty outside. £5500. East Sussex, 07765 528528
Land Rover 110 200Tdi County (1990). 145,000 miles. Solid chassis and bulkhead with only a little surface rust. 5 seats (rear benches removed). 200Tdi from a Discovery fitted at approx 80,000 miles, with timing belt done at 121,000 miles. New fuel tank/ gauge, water pump, exhaust, rear wiring. Bodywork a little tatty, some quirks and minor issues but ready to go as-is or ideal for a refurb project. £4500. Morpeth, Northumberland, 07834 760647
Range Rover
Range Rover 4.2 LSE. 1 owner from 1993-2013. Air suspension just removed and replaced with 4 new shocks and springs at astronomical cost. Paint work excellent, a few shopping trolley dents and scratches here and there but nothing major. Interior also excellent, usual saggy headlining but not too bad. It has never had any welding work done, so it is totally original underneath. Realistically priced for a quickly appreciating classic. £3750. Anglesey, North Wales, 07971 466841
hardwood sports steering wheel, custom headlining by Nationwide trim, 5 new Goodyear Eagle GT+4 235/70/16s on fully refurbished alloys. Bull bar and spots, rear light protection, full tow bar kit. West Midlands. £4500, 07734 599399
Range Rover Classic Bobtail. 4-door with Daihatsu 2.8 turbodiesel engine and Range Rover 5-speed gearbox. MOT and tax August 15. 285 Insa Turbos on Extreme Offset 16” modulars. Front and rear ARB Air-Lockers. Hardened shafts. Cranked suspension arms, HD steering arms. New 2” lift springs and 5” shocks. From Warn 8274 with Bowmotor 1 and wide drum, rear Superwinch X9, both with remotes and in-can switches. Wide-angle props. X-Brake handbrake. Diff and steering guards, rock sliders, HD bumpers, custom internal/external roll cage. Snorkel. Swing-away wheel carrier. Gwyn Lewis front winch tray and 2.5” shock droppers. Front designed for maximum off road capability – it goes everywhere. Have also got lots of spares that will come with the Range Rover if sold at right price. £5500, Chelmsford. Contact care of tor@assignmentmedia.co.uk (message will be forwarded to advertiser
Range Rover 2.5 DSE Auto (1996). Biarritz Blue. 101,000 miles, MOT July. 4 recent Maxxis Bravo tyres, oil and filters changed in last 1000 miles. New battery and alternator, drag/drop links replaced with brand new Land Rover parts and tracking done. Air suspension in full working order (up and down), auto gearbox smooth and engine perfect. Only fault is that the central locking doesn’t work on the front doors – every other electrical item works. Must be one of the best low-mileage P38s in the UK. Genuine reason for sale. £2000. Coalville, Leicestershire, 07545 353914
Range Rover 3.5 V8 (1981), bobtail off-roader. Road-legal. Professionally built to a high standard with roll cage and rearmounted fuel tank and battery. Various spot lights and gauges, with electrics all at windscreen height to avoid being swamped. Snorkel and big knobbly tyres. Bucket seats with harnesses, rear lockers, complete roll cage and tow bar. Starts first turn of the key and drives very well. Not one of the usual poorly converted Range Rovers you see for sale. V5 and all old MOTs etc present. Frome, Somerset. £1650. 07847 612739.
Range Rover Vogue SE 3.9 V8 Auto Pick-Up. Professionally converted. Tan leather electric seats, lockable pick-up cover on gas struts. Engine rebuilt with Viper Hurricane performance cam, polished and ported heads, K&N air filter. Milltek Racing stainless exhaust with tubular manifolds. 1” lowered suspension. Mountney
Range Rover for spares or repair. Engine runs and she drives but needs a battery. Needs repair but not that bad for her age – contact for details. Would have to be towed away. Viewing 9am to 4pm weekdays as parked at a garage. £1100. Collection from A9 just outside Perth. Contact neilw@emirates.net.ae
Range Rover Vogue 3.9 EFi Auto (1990/H). Finished in metallic Ardennes Green with grey cloth interior. Supplied by Dutton Forshaw Land Rover, V5 shows Demo + 1 owner from new. Covered 81,000 miles with service history and old MOTs. Current MOT. Electric windows, electric mirrors, remote central locking, R12 air conditioning, dog guard, original stereo, original Vogue alloys with Michelin M+S tyres, front fogs, tow pack. Recent tune up, headlining, exhaust and new alternator. A fresh example and in excellent condition. £9950. Brighton, 07795 023663 or 01273 323244.
Range Rover Bobtail. F-reg. 300Tdi, 2” lift, Insa Turbos, no rot, long MOT. Has been done to a high standard. £3000 ono. 07969 045579
Discovery
Discovery 200 Tdi manual. Long MOT. 100% reliable, firsttime starter. Gearbox crunches in 2nd/3rd. Very solid chassis and floor. Over £5k spent on mods including HD shocks and springs, Goodridge braided brake lines, wheel spacers, arch extensions, Safari snorkel, diff, tank and steering guards, Polybushes, 12,000lb winch, sill guards, second battery and much more. May swap for tax-exempt Series LR. £2000, 07434 398504
Land Rover Discovery 300Tdi trayback. L-reg. 3” body lift and 4” suspension lift. KAM rear LSD + electric diff locker, drop-in electric locker at front, +5” shocks all-round, Gwyn Lewis wide-angle rear prop, double cardon front prop. £7995, Shepperton/Farnham. Call John on 07957 658847
Parts Discovery clutch pressure plate (part #FTC575). Brand new, still in box. Herts area. £offers. 01992 465721
Land Rover Discovery 200Tdi bobtail (1991). 185,000 miles. Manual. 10 mths’ MOT. 24-spline diffs, five Insa Turbo Special Tracks, +3” Pro-Comp springs, +5” Pro-Comp shocks. 2” front shock droppers, -2” rear droppers with relocators. Full tubular front end. Full-width Sierra Cosworth radiator and Transit intercooler. Fuel pump professionally tuned. Breather kit, snorkel, Polybushed, 3” body lift, extended brake lines, side-exit exhaust, tank and battery relocated behind seats. Very solid. Selling as they want stupid money to insure me. The truck is what it is – it needs a few bits and is sold as seen. £2000. Tibshelf, Derbyshire. Contact care of tor@assignment-media.co.uk (message will be forwarded)
Freelander
Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 E (2009). 50,000 miles. Stop-start. Recent service and MOT. Averages 38mpg on short runs. Well looked after vehicle with full service history and in great condition. £10,000. Lincs, 07941 466620
Specials G4 Challenge Discovery 3 (2009). 105,000 miles. Used by Land Rover in the selection trials in Belgium for the 2009 G4 Challenge (the one that was cancelled). Disposed of at 2200 miles and I have owned it since. Comes with all the usual G4 decals, although the bonnet and door LR badges are quite faded. Comes with two extra wheels (tyres worn), Warn winch cover and remote, first aid kit, two water and one diesel jerry cans (unused), dog guard (not currently fitted), kayak mounts for roof rack, PLUS a genuine G4 Challenge selection mountain bike! Selling mainly because I fancy a change. £20,000. Northumberland, 07802 449658
I style body painted white. Professionally built to AWDC and ALRC spec. Lucas 14cux fuel injection, 3-speed Torqueflite auto box. Defender type axles. Sparco seats with 6-point seat belts and window net on left hand side. Freestyle alloys with 205x16 Bronco Diamond tyres. Done about 1500 miles since I rebuilt it. This Land Rover is loads of fun and I’m mad for selling it, but it owes me the national debt. Tring, Herts. £4500. Call 01296 668848 (w)
Recently built 300Tdi trayback. Very high spec. Only done one event since build. Custom interior, GP winches, Mach 5s, Ashcroft shafts/CVs. Please get in touch for full specification and work done. Hundreds of pics available. Offers around £10,000. 07841 193027
Coil sprung 88” racer. V8 auto with 1971 Range Rover chassis shortened to 88” and Series
BFGoodrich M&S tyre. 235/70R16. Only ever done 40 miles. Offers invited. Herts, 01992 465721 Disco Mk 1 complete front end, including lamps, grilles and templates for modifying to look like a Disco 2. Offers invited. Herts, 01992 465721 Land Rover spares for sale. Truck cab, £150. Bonnet, £100. Tailgate, £20. Doors, £20. Ifor Williams canopy, £80. Roll cage (brand new), £500. Call Claire on 07554 661053
Hood stick for Series II, IIA or III. Good, usable condition. Slight kink on one side but still fits fine. £20, 01538 724073
200Tdi Land Rover engine and 90 gearbox. Engine is originally out of a Discovery but it was removed from a 90. Starts and runs okay with a little white smoke when cold. Unknown mileage. Gearbox and transfer box are original 90; the gearbox jumps out of reverse. Prior to removal, clutch didn’t slip and diff lock was working. Automator is practically brand new. Turbo has no play on the spindle and is in good condition. £400, offers welcome. Contact care of tor@assignment-media.co.uk (message will be forwarded)
Range Rover P38 GEMS engine sump rubber gasket. Hand-cut engine oil sump gasket made from industrial rubber, to fit 95-99 4.0 and 4.6 V8 with the tin sump and one front corner at 45 degrees. Ideal if you have trouble getting a seal with the liquid gasket. £10, 07753 581643
Land Rover Discovery 300 Tdi cylinder head. Original Land Rover. Came from a good, running engine. Complete including injectors. £95. Contact care of tor@assignment-media.co.uk (message will be forwarded)
Land Rover Defender and Series rear bumperettes. Heavy-duty. For Series or Defender 90/110/130 and Puma. Made from 4mm wall 50mm diameter steel pipe, wit grip tape on top so can be used as a step. Bolt on using the same fixing points as your standard rear handles (but will not fit Land Rovers with the 2 large torx bolt heads on each side of the rear crossmember without spacers). £75, 07753 581643 Land Rover parts for sale. Bonnet, £100. Brand new Whitbread roll cage to fit Defender, £400. Series I half doors, £30 (pair). Ifor Williams canopy, £50. Call 07554 661053
Genuine Land Rover G4 Expedition Roof Rack. To fit Defender 90. Brand new, boxed, RRP £845! As pictured, with full fitting kit. Superb build quality, light weight, simply the best! Collection or possible delivery in M1/A1/M62 area. £650 ono. Scarborough, 07597 939611.
Genuine Land Rover bonnet windscreen fastener. To fit Series I and military Series vehicles. Part number MRC5314. Includes the catches and the parts to go on the bonnet. Remanufactured. £70. Contact care of tor@ assignment-media.co.uk (message will be forwarded)
Land Rover Defender 90 interior. Removed from a 2013 model. Includes seats, trim, door cards, centre console, seat belts, safety frame, speakers, rear trim set, seat belt mount and carpet set. £2250. Chepstow, Monmouthshire, 01291 624584
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Issue 13: March 2014
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Flying feathers as LRLRC visit Lowesby Grange
Words Mike Trott Pictures Tony Birch Lowesby Grange has been the scene of many a trial for the Leicestershire and Rutland Land Rover Club, but their latest visit had a bit of an unusual twist to it. The kind of twist that has talons and a sharp beak… It all started in typically Land Rover fashion when Clerk of Course Mick Wing took a look up at a heavy, rainfilled sky and decided that his van may not be up to the task of towing his trailer.
This meant an eleventh-hour session in the workshop to get his 90 up and running – which proved to have been well worth it when, with some help from Michael Peters, come close of play on Saturday there was a full set of sections laid out and ready to be enjoyed the following morning. It also saw Mick and Michael looking like creatures more suited to
an exhibition in the Sea Life Centre, but you’ve got to suffer for your art. Some of the sections were altered slightly on the Sunday to take into account the sodden conditions. But they must have judged it pretty well, because every section delivered at least one clear run. Lowesby Grange is set upon a triangle of railway embankments with a selection of other terrain for
clubs to play with. ‘Rodney Vickers is the farmer – a real gent,’ says club Chairman Andy Lester. This particular trial was a CCV, and it tested novices and veterans alike. John Osborne is one of the latter, but he didn’t have the best weekend; normally to be found at the top of the scoreboard, he racked up a sizeable 57 points this time round. He’ll be back on form next time out, no-one doubts.
‘When I first joined the club, he was in the same RTV class as me,’ recalls Andy, ‘I always targeted getting somewhere near John. Red 90 was his motor at the time; he only competes in CCVs for the moment now though.’ Steve ‘Stig’ Limb finished the day in second place with a score of 27 points, which observers from within the club felt must be because he’d decided not to use his minibus this time! We’ll
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Issue 13: March 2014
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Lincs LRC prove you can lane in winter
assume he’s often to be found behind the wheel of a 110, then. He still likes larger vehicles, though, competing in class 10. ‘Good driver for RTVs and CCVs,’ added Andy. ‘He had a good tutor, though, when he first joined!’ Guess who…? ‘In fairness,’ Andy goes on, ‘he was a natural.’ Mick Wildman was dabbling in the CCV game again here, while borrowing Stef Allured’s motor. It’s a bit of a change from RTV, to be sure, needing a different style of driving and a much bigger ruthless streak! Mick brought up the rear with a score of 83, despite putting in a valiant effort, but watch this space. In the end though it was Pete Measures who had the ‘measure’ of the field, finishing the day on 20. Now, about that unusual twist. Besides Land Rovers, mud and happy faces, it’s not unusual to see a bird or two at a trialling event. They’re not normally as ‘peckish’ as the ones that showed up here, though.
Michael Norman brought along his Harris hawks, you see. And everyone had the chance to acquaint themselves with a feathered friend – one of which even got friendly with Stef. ‘He was wearing short sleeves,’ says Andy. ‘I think the hawk decided bare flesh was food!’ Sounds like another kind of ‘trial’ altogether – the kind that traditionally has the words ‘by ordeal’ after it. And after the rain-soaked ordeal Mick and Michael had put themselves through the previous day to make it happen at all, there was a predictably hearty vote of thanks at the end of what was another very fine event.
While some creatures remain dormant around this time of year, you wouldn’t catch anyone from the Lincolnshire Land Rover Club wasting time on hibernating. Club members were out bright and early on 11 January to take in the low winter sun, as a fleet of 13 Land Rovers went for a day out in the UK’s eastern countryside. What better way could there be to celebrate a new year than to get out there and start exploring with your mates? The flock of Discos and 90s all trundled through a selection of Lincolnshire’s finest byways, most of which are gentle, tame routes suitable for use in the depths of winter – there’s plenty of time for more technical lanes later in the year when the ground is dry. In any case, it’s essential to respect the landscape for the conditions it offers you whenever you go out laning. And these guys know how to get the most from their hobby by doing it the right way. LLRC green lane officer Sam Renton said: ‘Our club carries a long standing tradition going back to the 1980s where we enforce the Treadlightly! policy. What this means is that we try to avoid the soft surfaced lanes which are likely to get damaged easily by traffic. I find this policy a very wise idea that helps keep UK lanes in good shape for all to enjoy.’ The use of voluntary restraint has long been embraced by green lane users, and it illustrates the level of responsibility with which 4x4 drivers approach rights of way. It’s at its most powerful in winter, obviously, and as this ride out shows it’s still possible to have a great day’s laning without going anywhere near the vulnerable lanes. And so it should be – after all, we want to be able to return to the lanes after every Christmas and New Year holiday. As if to prove the point, most of the Lincolnshire clan went laning
on standard road tyres here – and still no-one had to ask for a tow or break out the winch for the first recovery of the year. That’s how laning should be, of course – about enjoying the countryside. The barmy stuff is great, but keep it to playdays. If you want to experience wide-open scenery from the comfort of your favourite vehicle, Lincolnshire isn’t a bad place to start. The club’s next official green lane outing is scheduled for 19 April, by which point you’ll have a warmer breeze flowing through your window and more daylight hours in the day in which to explore. The club’s at www.llrc.co.uk. Pics by Sam Renton
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Issue 13: March 2014
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Bonkas action at Ty-Rhiw… Sophie Bee / PhotograFE
Bonkas 4x4 Wales’ committed club chairman Tony Vincent, who never fails to fill our Sundays with mud, made sure we had another eventful time at Ty-Rhiw Farm. Thanks as always to Tony for his hard work – and to Martin Tipples for allowing access to the 33-acre site. To most off-roaders who have visited Ty-Rhiw, it’s more than a challenge – it’s a few weeks of repairs afterwards! Hills, we have lots of – and mud we have even more! Put the two together and mix it in with a whole load of reliable Welsh weather, and you have yourself a very long stay at the pay’n’play!
As well as Tony, Paul Edge and Lewis Hammett were there to do their usual sterling job as marshals. This is a site where that means they spent most of the day recovering stuck vehicles! Having cadged a much appreciated lift to the top of the site from Paul in his 90, we were able to watch as Simon Morris, Leigh Davis, Kieron Slight and Paul himself queued up to get their Landies covered in mud. Several members had brought their children along to enjoy the fun too, and it was especially nice to see the youngest member of Bonkas getting their fill as Steve Deakin and Lesley Hewlett majestically played in their Land Rover 110 V8. Even though they got stuck and broke a front diff there were big smiles all round – especially after Lee Thomas in his Discovery also got completely stuck while trying to recover them! After venturing off the open top of the site and down into the muddy abyss, we saw Andrew Binding making his way sideways down a rut-filled muddy track in his Range Rover Classic – before taking it for a stroll
through a watery hole with a smile on his face like a kid in a candy shop! Again we saw Leigh Davies playing about in the bogs, making it look all too easy. In among all the muddy mayhem, down in the bog Shane Bratcher somehow managed to get stuck while going downhill! He was helped out by John Nixon in his Land Rover based trialler – which always goes anywhere it’s told to! Of Ty-Rhiw’s 33 acres, eight are made up of woodland – and as always it was this area that proved to be the most challenging for most. We arrived to find Rory Heath stuck – on what could best be described as two and a bit wheels… Further into the woods, Deri Jones was having fun in his Disco trayback – its first outing after 14 months in the building. It’s fair to say he was pleased to be behind the wheel at last, and the
day was a very testing shakedown for a new truck. We’re pleased to report that it took the punishment and no, it didn’t break! As always, Ty-Rhiw is a site where you can do pretty much anything you
Change of dates for Tong playdays Parkwood 4x4, one of Britain’s most popular playday organisers, has revised the dates of its monthly off-road sessions at the brilliant Tong site near Bradford. These used to be held on the second Sunday of every month, but for 2015 this has changed to a more free-form schedule. Playdays will now be held on the third Sunday of the month – up to and including August, after which the dates get a lot more mixed up. September’s playday is on the first Sunday, then there’s a lengthy break until the weekend of 31
October and 1 November, when the site will host a Halloween and Bonfire bash. After that, it’s back to the old ways as Tong’s programme winds down with a final playday on 13 December. Any later in the month and they’d be asking for trouble from irate partners of their customers in the run-up to Christmas… Whatever the date, Tong is always a top, top site for a playday – if you’ve not been yet, you should definitely make a late new year’s resolution to check it out. You can find out more at www.parkwood4x4.co.uk.
fancy... as long as it involves getting stuck! Even for the most avid mud junkies of Bonkas 4x4 Wales, this is a truck-buster of a site. But no pain, no gain – and it always puts a huge smile on everybody’s face!
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Calendar
Off-Road Playdays Cowm Leisure
Whitworth, Lancashire
Frickley 4x4
Frickley, South Yorkshire
Kirton Off Road Centre
Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs
Slindon Safari
Fontwell, West Sussex
1 March Bala 4x4
Bala, Gwynedd Dates are apt to change, so always check with the site before travelling
1 February
Essex, Rochford and District 4x4 Club
Bala 4x4
Rayleigh, Essex
Burnham Off-Roaders
Frickley, South Yorkshire
Dundry Off-Road Dundry, Bristol
Muddy Bottom
Minstead, Hampshire
Frickley 4x4
North Yorks Off Road Centre
Tring, Herts
15 February
Picadilly Wood
Dundry, Bristol
Explore Off Road
Minstead, Hampshire
Muddy Bottom
Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorks
North Yorks Off Road Centre
Bolney, West Sussex
Parkwood 4x4
8 February
21 February
Bala, Gwynedd
Dundry Off-Road Muddy Bottom
Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent
North Yorks Off Road Centre
Minstead, Hampshire
Picadilly Wood
Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorks Tong, Bradford
Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorks Bolney, West Sussex
8 March 4x4 Without a Club
Harbour Hill, Aldermaston
Avalanche Adventure
Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire
Boxgrove
Chichester, West Sussex
Devil’s Pit
Kirton Off Road Centre
Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire
Chichester, West Sussex
22 February
Rayleigh, Essex
Devil’s Pit
Avalanche Adventure
Avalanche Adventure
Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire
Boxgrove
Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire
Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs
Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire
Green Lane Convoy Events 8 February Landcraft
UK Landrover Events Eden District
Snowdonia
28 Feb – 1 Mar
15 February
Atlas Overland
UK Landrover Events
Wessex
Northumberland
7 March
21-22 February
Lost World Adventures
Onelife Adventure Wales
22 February 4x4 Adventure Tours Salisbury Plain
Landcraft
Snowdonia (Adventure Plus Day)
Wiltshire
8 March Landcraft
Snowdonia
14 March UK Landrover Events Tynedale
Essex, Rochford and District 4x4 Club Frickley 4x4
Frickley, South Yorkshire
Issue 13: March 2014
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w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k
Issue 13: March 2014
News
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Vehicles
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CDLRC trials championship goes to the final gate
The 2014 Cornwall and Devon Land Rover Club RTV title came down to the last trial of the year at Newnham Park, with two drivers left in the running for the overall championship. Ken Brain is well known in the ALRC world, and has been competing for longer than his title rival has been driving. Ross Lillicrap on the other hand is only in his second season of RTVs – but has already started to rack up trophies from national and club level events. Coming into the final round, Ken (having set up the previous round and gained the maximum 60 points that go with it) was two points ahead of Ross – who did what he needed to by winning that event.
At the final round, the roles were reversed. This time, Ross, along with David White and myself, were setting up the RTV and Ken would be competing. Doing so at Newnham Park is no hardship – having hosted the National in previous years, it’s a great venue. A total of 36 crews signed on for the Sunday showdown, eagerly awaiting the commencement of hostilities. To keep it fair, the battling duo were kept in different groups. It was soon clear that the sections would throw a spanner in the works regarding scores, with different spots catching out the unwary. Chaz Slaughter, Steve and Mark Swails and Phil Heys, all on low scores,
were having a successful Sunday – but hushed voices filtered through to suggest Ken’s day hadn’t started too well. Turning in too early on a climb out of a waterhole resulted in him caught up on a tree stump and getting a ten. Advantage Lillicrap. The afternoon would turn out to be a long one for Ross, though, who had witnessed several drivers in his group start to collect more points than they’d have liked. He knew that if Ken finished in the top two, the title would go to the old guard. Third would mean a tie, requiring a count-back, while fourth would hand the title to Ross. With the day nearing its close, drivers like Gary White in his Class 9 Series I were still on a single figure score – but struggling with the penultimate section. News eventually filtered through to Ross that Ken had ended the day on 10 points, having cleared all the sections other than that one early in the morning – and with drivers still running on the last section, he was very keen to see his group’s score sheet. As it turned out, he needn’t have worried. That one mistake cost Ken dear, putting him down to seventh overall in the final standings. Thus the young pretender would finish the year as top dog. Congratulations, therefore, to Ross Lillicrap – Cornwall and Devon LRC RTV Champion for 2014!
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Bransgore hosts the decider as Dorset LRC gets set to crown its title winners The final RTV trial of the year held by the Dorset Land Rover Club, at the brilliant Bransgore venue, saw all the league championship positions settled in one go. There was a real edge going into the event, with the closeness of the scores meaning it was all up for grabs in all three classes of competition. On the edge of the New Forest, the Bransgore site is an old favourite. Set-up day was horrible, with wind and rain, buffeting the club’s willing volunteers, but the day of the trial brought some blue sky and sunshine to watch over the heated contest. With it being Remembrance Sunday, before the competition got underway there was a two minutes’ silence with all the drivers in a circle in the autumn sunshine. A very special and extremely moving moment. Only eleven drivers had signed on, with a couple of trucks being double-driven. This meant that everyone stayed in one group, which is more sociable and provided more opportunity for banter and leg-pulling. It also highlighted the battle for trophy places, as everyone could watch their rivals in action. Mike Webster and Jason Macdonald were battling it out for third place in the short wheelbase class and, with
only two points separating them, it was fun right from the start. Martin Dover started the day with an unassailable lead in SWB, but LWB and Leaf classes were very much up for grabs along with the other top three spots. By the last section, the gap between Mike and Jason remained at two points – with Mike just ahead. But with Jason leading his rival in the championship by the same margin, it all came down to one last section to finally separate the drivers. Mike was first up on and slithered his way through the woods to Gate 1. Jason was a couple of places behind and had to watch the end of the section
getting dug up. By the time he got there, there were ruts leading to Gate 1 and he had to try and power his way through, but he overcooked it trying to stay out of the ruts and hit Gate 2. Mike, therefore, grabbed the trophy for third. So at the end of another great season’s trialling, Martin Dover won the SWB championship, James Pinfield the LWB class and Andy Palmer the Leafers trophy. They’d all welcome more competition next season – so if you’ve got a Landy and you’re in their area, why not pay a visit to www.dorsetrover.co.uk and think about joining the fun for 2015?
Above: Martin Dover’s 90 carried him to championship victory in the short-wheelbase class – a result that was already certain before this event Below: Mike Webster started the day almost neck and neck with Jason Macdonald in the short-wheelbase class. The two battled it out all day long: finally, Jason fell victim to a deteriorating surface on the last section of the day, allowing Mike to take third place by making it one gate further than him
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Issue 13: March 2014
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Long-awaited lane run as Solent and District LRC set forth into Surrey
I started planning this trip several years back with a few friends, scoping out the lanes south of Leatherhead using faithful OS maps and information from the local council where appropriate. The odd seasonal TRO has been placed in the intervening time, preventing us from exploring every lane on the itinerary, but it didn’t matter one bit as the rest were cracking. A future visit, then, was always necessary! December presented us with our chance to relive some of these great lanes as a club and, with ten members
Words Kevin Phillips Pictures SADLRC
signed in, we split into two groups of five vehicles. Adrian led out the first group, me the second. We left a gap of 15 minutes, but that soon disappeared when Phil reported back to us he’d lost drive in his 90. Luckily, we were at the top of a hill so we all drove (Phil rolled) to a flat, open part of the lane nearer the bottom. Graham’s overalls went on and underneath he went. After a bit of prodding and poking the verdict came. The lever from the high/low gearstick to the transfer box had broken.
This should have been an easy temporary fix but, as every Land Rover owner knows, it is not always that easy. It wouldn’t go in. Maybe Graham couldn’t get the angle. Maybe the transfer box was under tension. A few screws later (in fact, quite a few), Phil and I had the tunnel off. With better angles and the use of a big screwdriver, I managed to get it into high box. Phil tested his vehicle, but it wouldn’t go forwards. He tried a second time, this time with the block of wood removed, and things were fine! Two screws to fix the tunnel on, and we were rolling. Some less eventful (but fun) lanes followed. We did some axle-twisting steps where the vehicle starts to lean big style, and things seemed to be going well. Then Adrian rang. After noticing some discrepancies between his temperature gauge and the correct operation of his fan, he checked under his bonnet and noticed water coming out of his water pump. As another member of the group had the route and a working GPS unit, they took the lead. Adrian was going to let his truck cool down then drive to
To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk his flat, which was only about quarter of a mile away – except the rest of the group set off and then his starter motor issue returned. When you’re out with people from a Land Rover club (although I tend to think of them as friends rather than members), you’re driving round with a pool of expertise. It is a bit like one of those army regiments whose motto is never to leave a man behind. So I told Adrian to sit tight, eat his sandwiches and we’d catch up to him after recovering from Phil’s earlier stoppage. He already had a strop on the front of his truck when we reached him, so a quick tow start, a quick chat and then he was off. Fed and watered, we continued the trip. A few lanes followed with no significant events, then a voice came over the radio. David was complaining of a wheel vibration. He had a good look, but nothing was obvious. Graham checked, but couldn’t find any play in the prop shafts so Derek jacked the front wheels up one at a time. I gave them a spin, but there were no rumbles or any play to suggest wheel bearings. We decided to continue, telling ourselves that if we left it and it got worse, it would be easier to find the problem. A nice long lane followed before we caught up with the rear ends of a few horses. We held back before the lane eventually opened up to some woodland, and the horses moved off the track. Smiles and thanks all round as we went past. The lanes kept rolling by, with the odd nervous twitch from our Land Rovers, and we ended up driving the last two with headlights, ending the day just after 4pm. Everyone had enjoyed the trip, particularly as the lanes were new to everyone. I tend to do most of my Land Rover repairs myself, and so do most of my friends. It isn’t just about saving money, either – I actually like to know how it works, and love the challenge of working things out. It’s part of the hobby.
This might not look an awful lot like your idea of green laning, but the guys from Solent and District Land Rover Club won’t leave a team-mate behind. Getting a lift home on an AA van, they say, counts as failure
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The only way (to shake out Christmas) is Essex…
Words Sue Coulson Pictures Ralph Coulson The Essex Land Rover Club held its Christmas Pud Shakedown on Saturday 27 December. And as always, the event did exactly what it says on the tin! This annual event is a great chance to get out in the fresh air after the gastronomic excesses of Christmas and bounce around in your Land Rover. What better way could there possibly be to get all the brandy and lard out of your system? The Shakedown is a mixture of events rolled into one, with a playday type setup for club members, family and friends to enjoy – as well as several practice Tyro sections set out for those new to trialling to have a go at, or for old hands to polish up their skills (or just show off by clearing everything in sight). The ‘final shakedown’ of 2014 was held at a site near to Thurrock Lakeside – and nobody needed any encouragement to dive in to the most muddy of puddles. No one made a pudding of themselves, either… Despite its proximity to the concrete jungle, the site is an extensive one, with lots of elevation changes, open areas and plenty of water to dip or bathe your Land Rover in. Being a playday-based event, everybody doesn’t have to arrive at once, so it’s a very
relaxed kind of do – the start time was 10.00am, and happy drivers were coming and going throughout the day. It’s not all just about taking it easy, though. A lot of clubs run events on Boxing Day, but being on a couple of days after Christmas the Shakedown gives people enough time to fit the new light bars and other exciting accessories Santa has brought – so, the ideal opportunity for yet more in the way of showing off, and generally it’s one of the social highlights of the year. This particular event was rainfree but quite chilly, and to keep the cold away there was a hot dog and burger bar on the go. Not that people are generally hungry so soon after Christmas, but when did you ever see a bunch of off-roaders fail to descend upon such a thing like a swarm of locusts? Young Nathan Reilly didn’t mind, anyway – he was running it to raise funds for a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, so the brisk business was great news. All in all, what a brilliant way to round off another great year of Land Rover fun. Essex Land Rover Club is a particularly good one for stuff like that – if you like off-roading with a smile on your face, they’ll put one there. Drop in on www.elrc.info and you’ll soon see what we mean!