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the year’s pages of cts for u best prod over dR your Lan
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Contents 60
Features 4
RANGEY SPORT SVR
8
EVOQUE CONVERTIBLE
Behind the wheel of the fastest vehicle Land Rover has ever made – the brutal but beautiful Range Rover Sport SVR
If you thought the Evoque was a Landy too far, wait until you see this – the ultimate in ragtop 4x4 pose-machines. But is it still a real Land Rover underneath
12 PRODUCTS SHOWCASE
Whether you’re a restorer, a modder, an off-roader or someone who’s just trying to keep an old Land Rover running from day to day, here’s 10-plus pages featuring some of the best kit to have come on to the market during the last year
136 BUYERS’ GUIDE
If you don’t currently own a Land Rover, reading this magazine is bound to make you want one. And the good news is that we’ve also got a treasure trove of info to help you scratch that itch without making yourself bleed
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Vehicles 28 REBORN 110
A British company is tracking down old Defenders and restoring them to tip-top standard – for a very demanding clientele
30 WEEKEND WARRIOR
Gloucester Land Rover is pioneering a new Land Rover based camping system aimed at short to medium term escapes
36 EX-MILITARY BARGAIN
Who said all Defenders are over-priced? This demobbed 90 would make the perfect second car
38 PIONEERING V8 RANGEY
Back in the days when almost all Range Rovers were V8s, John Eales was one of the first people to create an enhanced one. And it’s still his pride and joy today
42 CUSTOM 90
An eye-catching Land Rover created by a man who hadn’t done it before but asked himself one simple question: just how hard can it be?
48 MIGHTY STREET SLEEPER It might look like any other 110 van… but with a glorious Chevy V8 under its bonner, it’s anything but
52 BIG-TIME 11O
A Defender built with the purpose of showing people what you can do – and you can clearly do a lot
56 ONE OF THE FAMILY
A beautiful 109 brought back to its former glory – after spending its entire life with one family
60 ORIGINAL POSH LANDY
In the days before the Range Rover and so on, there was the Tickford. And the coachbuilt Series I station wagon is absolute perfection for collectors today
From the team that brings you…
64 SERIES IIA DOUBLE-CAB
No, Land Rover never made one… but just wait ‘til you see what a DIY builder has done with this classic 109
68 RAREST RANGE ROVER
The 25th Anniversary Rangey is classic car heaven. Because only 25 were made… or were they…?
72 FIRST EVER 110
Under the skin of Dunsfold’s prototype of the Land Rover that went on to become the Defender
What better way to organise an old pals’ get-together than by doing it on the mountain trails of Portugal aboard a convoy of Land Rovers?
120 NORDKAPP BY WINTER
Driving to the top of Europe isn’t such a big deal… but doing it in the depths of winter aboard a Discovery you’ve rebuilt is defintely more of a challenge
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Founding Editor Alan Kidd Editor Mike Trott Brand Manager Peter Lowe
74 RESTORED STAGE 1
Art Editor Samantha D’Souza
86 MIGHTY 90
Contributors Graham Scott, Matt Abbott, Paul Looe, Dan Fenn, Richard Johnstone, Tim Howe, Marilu Peries
A much-admired vehicle from the end of Series III production – which bridged the gap between old and new
It looks curvy in a way that might fool you into thinking it’s a bit soft. But this off-road machine is very hard indeed…
94 DO-ANYTHING DISCO 2
Ever seen a vehicle used for a combination of overland travel and hardcore desert racing? No, it really is real…
98 COOL DEFENDER
Every Defender is cool, obviously. But not all of them are sticker-bombed…
104 TRAYBACK DISCOVERY
Buy a Disco 1, find that it’s full of rust, cut its body off and turn it into a off-road beast. Makes sense at every level
110 GO-ANYWHERE TOMCAT
Another rotten Disco 1, another off-road buggy – only this one was built using the ever-popular Tomcat kit
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Photographers Harry Sherrard, Ian Foggett, Noel Peries, Tom Parker Advertising Sales Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Production Sarah Kidd Subscriptions Manager Catherine Martin Subscriptions Assistants Lucy Williams, Yasmin Clews, Kay Tunnicliffe Head of Operations Jackie Lowe Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Kidd Email: sarah.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to The Landy, or renew your subscription, call 01283 553243 Current price for 12 issues: UK £20 The Landy is available from newsagents, priced at £2.50 a copy, and free through selected Britpart dealers
Adventures 112 EXPLORING PORTUGAL
Tel: 01283 553243 Email: tor@assignment-media.co.uk Web: www.thelandy.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk
Every effort is made to ensure the contents of The Land Rover Yearbook are accurate, however Assignment Media Ltd accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these
126 OVERLAND CITIZENSHIP Deciding to go travelling is the easy bit. Actually doing it is a lot harder. But carrying off your expedition responsibly – now, that’s a real skill. And a very important one, too
130 NORTHUMBERLAND
A group of ex-military Landies venture out on to the green lanes at the top end of England
When responding to any advert in The Land Rover Yearbook, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred as a result of responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC-BY-2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org The Land Rover Yearbook is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House G11, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby DE15 0YZ
© Assignment Media Ltd, 2016
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ABSOLUT Power corrupts, they say. And absolute power corrupts absolutely. And the Range Rover Sport SVR has 550bhp… So is this brawling beast of an on-road hooligan capable of corrupting the mind of a Land Rover traditionalist and converting him to the dark side? WORDS: MIKE TROTT PICTURES: ALICE KNIGHT AND MIKE TROTT
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erformance and excellence come in many different shapes. In the same way that I can perform remarkably when de ouring the office supply of pies my performance at the gym in trying to alleviate the effect of said pies is rather less remarkable. loser to laugha le some would say nlike me on a treadmill efenders as we know are e tremely remarka le machines s s go they are irtually unri alled across adverse terrain and have become one of Britain’s most iconic and celebrated pieces of engineering. nd rightly so
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ut while a efender can rule the roost at say a playday in il erdale take it to il erstone and it ll get into a ap f course I m eing unfair he efender was never designed to devastate racetracks. Clipping apexes and repelling the urge to break into oversteer as you open up the throttle isn’t what Land Rover is about. Or is it? he ange o er port was the first major offering from within the skunkworks that is aguar and o er s pecial ehicle perations di ision he team here is tasked with designing
and uilding the most powerful lu urious and desirable Land Rovers ever grace the Earth. his ersion of the ange o er port is assuredly all these things hen it was new it announced its arrival by becoming the world’s fastest production romping around the Nurburgring in 8 minutes and 14 seconds. he s engine is a raunchy litre supercharged tuned for a satisfactorily ade uate hp es you read correctly It s a figure that is now dominating your mind and when you dri e the angey that o session o er the engine with its power noise
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TE POWER
and pure performance, never stops. It dictates the whole driving experience. And what an experience it is. You have to appreciate that this is a different sort of Land Rover; another way in which to get your kicks in an SUV. And maybe that’s it: where the Defender is the classic 4x4, maybe the SVR is the epitome of the phrase ‘SUV’. Utility-wise, it’s still as practical as the Sport ever was – only with a whole lot more in the way of Sport. The Defender, of course, is there to get you to your destination whatever the terrain. The SVR is acceptably close behind in that respect – but on
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07/11/2017 19:36
TOPLESS Land Rover claims the roof-free Evoque is an allseason convertible. So we took it for a drive in the depths of winter to see whether removing its top has made it any less of a car WORDS: MIKE TROTT PICTURES: MATT ABBOTT
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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 07/11/2017 19:33
TRUMPS T
he relationship between a Land Rover and a soft-top design isn’t something new. Indeed, the very earliest Land Rovers donned canvas roof linings with sides that could be bundled up to let the wind wisp through the ‘cabin’. All these Land Rovers possessed the oldschool charm of a Green Oval machine. But now, there’s a new breed of soft-top Land Rover. The Range Rover Evoque is, truthfully, not always revered by Land Rover enthusiasts. Here is a car that could be accused of contradicting traditional Land Rover philosophy and being more concerned with how it looks outside the school gates rather than how it prepares to get you there in the first place But like any Land Rover produced from the dawn of time until now, it is still a very competent off-roader, but with brilliant on-road credentials and a touch of added air So what happens when you lop off the roof? Does this undo all the positives in an Evoque? Usually, taking the roof off a car and replacing it with a non-metal alternative tends to make it a little more well accid Apparently, the Evoque Convertible is something for all seasons, though, and supposedly has no drawbacks over a normal Evoque. Right – best show it some British winter then and see if there is a place in the world for just such a car. n first impressions it s a three door o ue with no roof. But actually it’s worse than that. While the normal Evoque is a very handsome craft acked up with record sales figures I ust can t ring myself to say that I find the Convertible attractive. It’s better with the roof down, no question, but with the roof up? That’s the risk in turning a vehicle into a convertible rather than designing a topless vehicle from the outset. he first e perience with the o ue was in heavy rain – an ideal opportunity then to test whether soft-top Land Rovers have become any more waterproof over the decades. Range o ers may come with a lot of fancy e tras ut an in-built swimming pool is yet to be one you can voluntarily opt for on the accessories list. I’m happy to report I stepped out of the Evoque without having had to deploy armbands. On leaving the house the following morning and the first with the on erti le as my steed a cold snap had taken hold and overnight the Range Rover had frozen over. Having watched as the Evoque automatically started to heat up every inch of its being without prompting, I edged out of the cul-de-sac with a measured
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PRODUCTS
DEFENDER SPORTS SEATS BLEND COMFORT WITH PRACTICALITY LET’S BE HONEST, a Defender’s interior is not exactly the last word in comfort over long distances. And chucking your pride and joy down some lanes can leave you sliding about in the seat, hands gripping the big wheel like Captain Haddock in a Force Nine off Tierra del Fuego. So, to avoid the blistering barnacles, Exmoor Trim has come up with this rather racey little pair of Elite Sports Seats. They certainly have the looks to live up to their name and, in Exmoor Trim’s own words, they’re ‘designed to give you the practicality of a Land Rover and the comfort levels of a Range Rover’. They bolt straight on to the original Defender seat frame, and sit right in line with the steering wheel. They may look smart but they’re every bit as practical, too, so the seat base can come up easily, giving you access to what’s underneath. And they do add some comfort, as indeed you can see from the pictures. The seat bases are longer for more comfort, and the seat back is higher offering more support. There is also adjustable lumbar support, so you should be able to get really comfortable. Some sports seats are great once you’re in, but they’re really hard to get in and out of, but the side bolsters here are designed so you can slide easily in rather than looking like you’re about to do your back in every time you try to get in or out. And the seats are heated, so if you just wanted heated seats they provide that as well. If you already have heated seats they will offer, free of charge, an adapter cable that will plug the new system straight into the existing wiring, just let them know when you order. You can specify the seats in all manner of trim, from Diamond Black leather from Bridge of Weir to car denim should you wish. The seats are sold as pairs – Exmoor Trim helpfully point out this means one left and one right seat – and the price is £2277.00 for the pair including VAT. Bet Captain Haddock wished he had these on the bridge of his ship.
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CLARKE’S SOLUTIONS FOR BUDGET WELDING
YOU CAN SPEND A SMALL FORTUNE ON WELDING KIT, and if that’s what you need to do it’ll be money well spent. But for DIYstyle jobs on your 4x4, or if you’re just getting into it and are still learning the tricks of the trade, Clarke says its MIG 135TE unit is one of the most popular choices in its range. This value-for-money welding outfit is, Clarke says, easy to set up and use. It has turbo fan cooling for prolonged full-power welding, as well as professional style, non-live torches – ‘a distinct advantages to the more inexperienced welder.’ The MIG 135TE has power settings from 30-130amps and can weld mild steel up to 5mm thick. Its case has a hinged side door for easy access to the wire reel, which can hold wire sizes of 0.6-0.8mm, and there are four power selector switches as well as variable electronic wire speed control. The kit comes with a 390g CO2 gas bottle, regulator, mild steel wire, professional type torch assembly, earth clamp and mask, as well as a comprehensive user instruction manual – as Clarke puts it, ‘everything needed to get welding within minutes!’ At £299.98, that’s a lot of kit for your money – to find out more, visit www.machinemart.co.uk. • Also from Clarke, and available via Machine Mart, is the dual-purpose MIG 145 No-Gas/ Gas MIG Welder. Suitable for use on mild steel up to 4mm thick, this ‘offers the advantages of standard MIG welding without the need for gas bottles, producing excellent results in various conditions.’ The unit has a non-live torch which can be put down without sparking, as well as electronic wire speed control and thermal overload protection with auto reset. Power settings can be adjusted from 35-135amps. The MIG 145 costs £203.98, also from www.machinemart. co.uk.
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PRODUCTS
HEAVY- DUTY RING AIR COMPRESSOR RING COMPRESSOR. It sounds like something a surgeon might use. Or a torturer. Sorry if that’s got you squirming uncomfortably in your seat, but the happy news is that in actual fact, the thing getting compressed is just the air in your vehicle’s tyres. It’ll be getting compressed good and quickly, too. Like three times faster than with a typical udget compressor if you re at a filling station that s no issue – but if you’ve just spent a day trialling on 10psi and need to air your tyres back up before hitting the road home, every second spent waiting for them to in ate is a second when you can’t be enjoying whatever combination of bed, bath, pub and sofa (or indeed workshop) comes out on top for you. Alternatively, imagine you’re in the wilds of Africa and you e ust had a at The spare’s on, but it needs pumping up… and coming IT’S CUTE, IT’S ROUND and you’d very much like to wrap your hands around it. No, we’re not talking about Hitomi Tanaka; this cute, round item is the Millenium, a steering wheel from Momo. Pausing as briefly as we can stand to point out that the word ‘millennium’ is spelt with a double ’n’, we’ll move quickly on to bring you the good news that the wheel is suitable for use in 4x4s – it doesn’t look like it belongs in a Land Rover Defender, but even if that’s what you drive you can have one. Maybe best left alone in anything with 7.50s and no power steering, though. The Millenium (our spell check is going into meltdown) is finished in a combination of leather, chrome and brushed aluminium and costs £245.99; if you can forgive the spelling, visit www.momo-uk.co.uk and it’ll be waiting for you in all its glory. Oops, went and Googled Hitomi Tanaka instead, didn’t you? NSFW.
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towards you with great interest is a lion r a sandstorm r a ash ood Or, probably most likely, an ancient ute full of mad-eyed bandits. In these situations, only needing 90 seconds to make your tyre usable might seem very attractive indeed – though even so, we’d imagine they’d still be among the longest 90 seconds of your life. Most likely of all, of course, you’re just really, really impatient, and standing idly by your stricken chariot while a compressor buzzes away angrily and the needle on the pressure gauge edges oh-so-slowly to the right just really, really winds you up. Either way, Ring Automotive’s RAC900 12v Heavy Duty Air Compressor should do a good job of keeping you a) calm, and b) alive. The compressor comes with a seven-metre coiled hose, large gauge for easy reading in a variety of units, waterproof switches and everything you need for a rugged, long-lasting bit of kit. Given the name, RAC900, you can guess which leading UK breakdown team uses this device. So that’s reassuring, as it a two-year guarantee. To find out more go to www ringautomoti e com
P38 RANGE ROVER ADDED TO X- BRAKE APPLICATIONS THE X-BRAKE has been around for a long time now, and it’s been a massive hit with Land Rover drivers. For all their many strengths, Defenders of a certain age aren’t exactly noted for their handbrakes, but by replacing the hopeless old drum with a high-quality, adjustable disc, the X-Eng original has transformed many a 90 and 110 into things whose wheels only turn when you want them to. And now you can say the same about the P38 Range Rover. Because the latest addition to the X-Brake range is for this much misunderstood vehicle – further swelling the ever-growing list of hardcore kit you can get for turning it into a serious off-roader. The P38 X-Brake costs £275 including the VAT and is available from Foundry 4x4 you ll find them by paying a visit to www.foundry4x4. co.uk.
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GO WEST
Back in 1948, the Rover company came up with the idea of building a roadworthy tractor to boost export sales. As its 70th anniversary approaches, Land Rover still exports the vast bulk of its output. But down in Somerset, there’s a restoration specialist whose overseas sales ratio can beat anyone’s… WORDS: GRAHAM SCOTT PICTURES: ARKONIK
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and Rover is currently exporting something like 80% of everything it builds. That’s a vast number, and it illustrates just how much demand there is from all around the world for vehicles with a green oval on their bonnet. As we know, however, there are two sets of Land Rover buyers. One of them shells out big for new vehicles: the other, still frequently shelling out big, buys parts, accessories and older vehicles, some of them restored to as-new condition or better. This is one of the better ones. And it illustrates that when it comes to exporting Land Rovers, Land Rover itself isn’t the only company that’s rather good at it.
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07/11/2017 17:27
There’s a sense of understatement to the 110’s interior, despite the fact that it’s quite obviously been heavily upgraded. a e leat er seats a i ta e-loo oo e -rimme steeri eel a arious premium-material fitti s e a e the cabin, as does a multimedia system mounted in the dash pod. Even something as straightforward air-con, which is taken for granted today, was almost unheard of on Defenders when this one was new In fact, there’s a company that can beat Land Rover’s 80% export record. You might not have heard of Arkonik – but that’s only because the company sells exclusively to customers in North America. It also deals exclusively in Defenders. So far, Arkonik has sent more than 150 Defenders across the Atlantic. Obviously, they can’t just do this with any old truck – donor vehicles have to be at least 25 years old to comply with US import regulations, and of course the client is going to want the steering wheel to be on the left. here s een no shortage of dodgy outfits making a buck by sending old 90s and 110s of varying states of credulity to America in the past. But Arkonik builds pukka vehicles. Here for example is its latest creation, called the Boulder. This was sent to a client in Colorado; Boulder, Colorado, we’d guess. It’s a restored 110 Station Wagon, but it’s also far more than just a restoration. Instead it’s a reimagining of how the 110 SW could have been – as well of course as being what the new customer actually wanted it to be. The whole vehicle was worked on extensively, inside and out It s finished in onatti rey with Java Black wheelarches, gloss black chequer plate and tinted windows. Very moody.
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Under the standard bonnet is a standard rebuilt 200Tdi, while underneath are guards for the steering and front diff, along with side steps and NAS rear step. You know what NAS stands for, obviously. At the front there is a KBX grille behind the A-bar, while up top there is a Front Runner roof rack. Vehicles like these seem to have more time spent on their interiors, and the Boulder’s cabin certainly rocks. There are heated grey leather seats, with two premium high-backed seats behind separated by an Elite Loc-box. Behind them are four fold-up seats, which makes that roof rack look even more essential. The driver gets an extremely cool retro-styled Evander 15” wooden steering wheel, while the Alpine sound system should comfortably outdo the Tdi engine. These are just a few of the highlights, but as is Arkonik’s way the whole vehicle has been gone over from top to tail. The end result is a long way from the 110 that came off the production line all those years ago – but then, this reimagined Land Rover is going to be living a long way from that production line. Another success for the Solihull marque – which was, as any motor industry historian will tell you, only created to try and win e port usiness in the first place
Lancaster Insurance would cover a Land Rover like this one, driven by a 45-year-old marketing manager with a PE27 postcode, for an annual premium of £101.76 with Agreed Value available for an additional £18. The quote assumes a clean licence and that the Land Rover is a second vehicle, kept in a garage, valued at £25,000 and covers no more than 3000 miles a year. To find out more, visit www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk
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GETAWAY
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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 07/11/2017 18:17
AY CAR Land Rover Defenders are designed for adventure, but it takes a few mods to create the perfect vehicle in which to get away. And this Defender from Gloucester Landrover shows just how to steal a cheeky retreat or two WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT
Lancaster Insurance would cover a Land Rover like this one, driven by a 45-year-old marketing manager with a PE27 postcode, for an annual premium of £208.92. The quote assumes a clean licence and that the Land Rover is a second vehicle, kept in a garage, valued at £15,000 and covers no more than 3000 miles a year. To find out more, visit www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk
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f someone said to you they have the perfect getaway vehicle, you’d be forgiven for conjuring up images of them dressed in black and white striped pyjamas, walking out the back door of your local bank while carrying a brown sack over their shoulder with a dollar sign conveniently placed on its exterior. You know, because criminals like to be as conspicuous as possible. But then waiting outside, you’d expect to an automobile with traits of pace, a big engine, sleek looks and something that presumably provides hope to our villain that suggests he may ‘get away’ with this atrocity, even if said person is dressed like a gimp. But Land Rovers (of old) certainly don’t exude high performance thrills and lustrous design lines. So maybe your friend didn’t mean a getaway vehicle for bank jobs, then? The team down at Gloucester Landrover has got the right idea anyway. And that isn’t taking the road to being a criminal mastermind, but instead an adventure-seeker with the ultimate automotive travel companion. The vision comes in the shape of The Getaway. Or if you wanted to be prim and proper about it, you could call it The Short-Term Retreat Vehicle. Either way, it’s built for leisure, not looting. ‘The idea is you can use the vehicle for a day getaway, a weekend getaway or a week-long getaway,’ explains Russ Knight, proprietor of Gloucester Landrover. Russ and his son Dan are the brains behind the popular Defender Defender tracker device, as well as being the proprietors of independent Land Rover specialist Gloucester Landrover. Their recent development into providing an adventure solution is a vehicle that has ease of use and a hassle-free attitude at the very heart of its ideology. Combining a spacious and easily deployable roof tent with a Foxwing awning, this vehicle can be hustled into a quick getaway at a moment’s notice, should you have that spare day of holiday to use or a free weekend approaching on the horizon. This is the vehicle you need to steal a short vacation. ‘The concept was born out of Dan not being able to drive a lorry or tow over a certain weight due to his age and the newer licence laws,’ says Russ. ‘But he still needed something to attend shows and camp over in. We are both
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CHEAP AT THE PRICE
The total insanity of Defender prices over the last couple of years appears finally to be abatin t still costs pretty bi oney to buy a or but at least now it’s possible to thin about ettin one as a second car without needin to sell a idney first Which eans a super cool so t top un achine li e this one could be yours a ter all… WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT
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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 07/11/2017 18:38
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lsewhere in this publication, you can see just how much money it can take to get your hands on a convertible with a Green Oval badge pinned to its grille. The Evoque Convertible, however, is not going to do your street cred any good when you turn up for your next excursion around the lanes of North Wales, and you’ll have said goodbye to at least £47,555 in the process. Okay, so maybe an Evoque Convertible owner is never going to go laning. But why not invest in a soft-top Landy that looks the part, is the part, and costs a mere tenth of the Evoque’s price tag? Recently, this ex-military 90 was sold by Norton Automotive. Its asking price of £4650 was under of the o ue s figure and with this you’re buying a 90, a real icon to treasure. Alright, if I’m being honest, this is a 90 that isn’t going to be winning any awards for being concours, or certainly not for a while anyway. But that’s just the light bulb we’re trying to spark in that head of yours: why not have a bit of fun laning off roading a road dri ing round to shows and country fares then put it into the workshop for a restoration job which you’ll enjoy for entirely different reasons! Early 90s are fast becoming classics and it’s worth holding on to those examples still looking tidy and unmolested. Buying ex-military isn’t a bad place to start, either. Something used by the military is something well maintained. If a vehicle is in bad condition after military use, the chances are there’s not much of it left. Not that a couple of war wounds matter. Indeed, you can blag it to your friends as enhancing the Land Rover’s patina. Whatever smoke you decide to blow, make sure your 90 isn’t copying you too much. This here is a 1986-registered 2.5-litre naturally aspirated diesel and, on start up from cold, it can produce quite a wisp of cloud from its exhaust. However, once the engine was warmed through and I took the 90 on a little run, both it and I were as happy as a lieutenant playing paintball. orking the fi e speed manual o was a delight and in the space of fi e minutes I d had a more engaging experience than I’d ever have in fi e years owning an o ue ou can t eat an analogue involvement. These are the type of vehicles that tap into the very physicality of operating a machine: balancing a clutch, inputting precise commands on the transmission and handling the wheel of a Land Rover with no power steering, where only your biceps can help you steer this brute. I love it. his particular and o er had ust the one owner since its release from the Ministry of Defence, with the keeper holding o nto it for around 14 years or so,’ says Adam Norton, owner of Norton Automotive. e don t know the e act release date ut we estimate it to be around the early 2000s and it has been used on a smallholding for much of the period in between.’ The owner also had the sense to use the 90 for a little bit of fun, adding some all-terrain tyres alongside a set of rock sliders. Adam gave the exterior a new lick of paint, opting for NATO Desert Sand.
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Lancaster Insurance would cover a Land Rover like this one, driven by a 45-year-old marketing manager with a PE27 postcode, for an annual premium of £88.91 with Agreed Value available for an additional £18. The quote assumes a clean licence and that the Land Rover is a second vehicle, kept in a garage, valued at £4000 and covers no more than 3000 miles a year. To find out more, visit www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk We’ll leave the Evoque to the fashionistas, but it’s hard to deny that the black Exmoor Trim hood goes nicely with the sandy odywork and I’m a sucker for a bonnet-mounted spare wheel. I’d take out the dodgy stereo, though, and try and bring back the 90’s originality going forward. Naturally, when buying a Land Rover you want to be checking the condition inside, outside, underneath and anywhere in between. This one had a good chassis with a recently fitted rear crossmember. And if you’re buying ex-MOD, remember that the speedo and odometer are most likely to be optimised for kilometres, not miles. This pre-Defender has done 160,000 miles but reads approximately 260,000 kilometres. It’s just another thing to note when browsing to buy. The lucky owner who now runs this Land Rover will, I’m sure, have had the canvas rolled up and enjoyed a summer evening’s blast down his local rural paradise. I say blast, but to be honest this is a Land Rover that prefers to plod rather than surge. It’s a very reliable engine, hence why the military used them for so long, although if you want to get a move on trying to reach your destination, you’re probably not in the market for a Land Rover! ummer s here en oy it ake the roof down and head down your favourite green lane, breathe in the countryside air and, when September comes, slide your 90 into the workshop. Spend those winter months doing little adjustments here and there; replace tired parts and smarten her up or even strip it down for a full rebuild on a galvanised chassis. Either way, whether you’re driving with the wind whistling through your cabin or listening to the wind rustling around the outside of your shed as you tinker away, the thrills and memories will be stacking up by the tub-load. Being a softtop, just try to make sure that’s the only thing accumulating in your 90’s rear.
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