Land Rover Yearbook 2020

The essential annual for Land Rover owners and enthusiasts

Land Rover

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YEARBOOK 10 £7.99

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

FUTURE PERFECT?

How is the new Defender shaping up to be your next Land Rover?

Finest Range Rover?

LWB excels in every way

HOMECOMING HERO

The Series 1 that came in from the cold

ON TEST

✔ Enhanced ✔ Restored ✔ Preserved ✔ Modified

One great Land Rover after another inside

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Contents

Features NEW DEFENDER

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At long last, you can buy a new Defender.

But the question is, should you? The answer is probably not as clear as you might assume

NEW EVOQUE

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4

The replacement for the fastest-selling Land Rover of all time needs to be good.

It’s certainly a lot more like a Range Rover than it used to be…

RANGE ROVER LWB

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Can you get too much of a good thing?

The stretched Rangey turns out to leave us wanting yet more…

PRODUCTS

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Prepping a Landy for off-roading? Bringing and old one back from the dead? Making it better as an everyday car? Whatever your project, here are the bits, pieces, tools and more to help you get it done

136 BUYERS GUIDE

If you don’t currently own a Land Rover, this magazine will 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

Workshop 70

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DEFENDER BRAKES

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It’s an area you don’t want to neglect – and the good news is that looking after your brakes needn’t be a bind

100 TD5 SERVICE

Everyday maintenance on a modern-ish Defender

104 DISCO 2 TRANNY SEAL

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If those words strike fear into your heart, you’re not wrong…

108 BAD VIBES

Our 90 has a case of the shakes… time to get under it and look for the cause

90

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Vehicles 34 FUTURE 0, DEFENDER 1 Diesel will never die, right? Not if the mob in city hall have their way… in which case, JE Motor Works’ latest engine conversion might make for a future-proof Defender

38 MADDEST P38 EVER

A slammed Range Rover double-cab hot rod. Because, obviously…

40 HOME FROM HOME

A 6x6 Defender with a house on top – complete with its very own full-sized front foor. Nothing small about this thing…

44 CUMMINS TO GET YOU…

Want a better engine? Here’s why more and more people are opening their eyes to the might of Cummins

48 HOMECOMING SERIES I

If you’d sold the Landy your dad taught you to drive in, but then years later you saw it up for sale, you know what you’d do. Dad was in for a surprise…

52 DORMOBILE DELIGHT

A Series IIA with one of the smartest conversions ever done to a Land Rover still makes a smart holiday ride today

56 TEEN DREAM

Man gets car he dreamt of as a kid: not a very unusual story. It’s a Series IIB: an entirely unique story…

From the team that brings you…

60 THE BEST-EVER 90?

Does an ex-Army Wolf make for the best Defender money can buy?

66 PRISTINE DISCO 1

There aren’t many good 200 Tdis left.

Here’s a low-mileage, one-owner example that’s very good indeed…

70 PHASE ONE FIND

Many people have bought old Range Rovers not totally sure what they might be getting. Only a few have turned out to have stumbled on a super-rare Phase One

74 DEAL OR NO DEAL?

Noel Edmonds’ company tried to create the ultimate (by 1990s’ standards) in modern, connected transport. The result was a P38 that cost £450,000…

78 LIFE’S WORK LANDY

David Bowyer promised himself one last build before he retired. And it was going to be the best Defender he could create

86 MIGHTY DISCO

Even today, a Discovery on 37” tyres is a pretty radical concept. Back when they were new, it was a show-stopper

90 RACE ROVER

Even in the early days of off-road racing, a full-bodied Range Rover was still a rare sight on the stages. Rare, but very special

01283 553243 michael.trott@assignment-media.co.uk Web: www.thelandy.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk Founding Editor Alan Kidd Editor Mike Trott Assistant Editor George Dove Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Paul Looe, Dan Fenn, Gary Noskill, Olly Sack, Stephen Pell, Jenny Bright, Gavin Lowrie, Noel and Marilu Peries, Raymond and Nereide Greaves, Photographers Vic Peel, Steve Taylor, Harry Hamm, Phil Masters, Gavin Kaps Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Manager Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 553244 Advertising and Exhibition Sales Executive Abigail Cooper Tel: 01283 553246 Advertising Production Sarah Lowe Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Manager Catherine Martin

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Subscriptions Assistants Emma Emery, Kay Tunnicliffe, Abi Dutton Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Lowe Email: sarah.lowe@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to The Landy, or renew your subscription, call 01283 553243 Current price for 12 issues: UK £28 The Landy is available from newsagents, priced at £2.75 a copy, and free through selected Britpart dealers Every effort is made to ensure the contents of The Land Rover Yearbook are accurate, however Assignment Media Ltd accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these

Adventures 112 PERU AND BOLIVIA

Sensational landscapes and awesome driving in the heights of the Andes – and the legendary Salar de Uyuni

118 LIVING IN YOUR LANDY

Real-world advice on expedition travel – how to turn your truck into home without driving yourself mad

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124 AFRICA BY L322

One of the bravest travel stories you’ll ever read – trusting a Rangey-full of electronics to get you across Africa

130 VETRUN 180

A Landy adventure with a real purpose – to help ex-servicemen cope with the crippling effects of PTSD

When responding to any advert in The Land Rover Yearbook, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable steps to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred as a result of responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC-BY-2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org The Land Rover Yearbook is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House 1.08, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby DE15 0YZ

© Assignment Media Ltd, 2019

3 06/11/2019 00:04

AT LAST, YOU CAN BUY THE NEW DEFENDER. but SHOULD YOU? 4 7-10 New Defender.indd 4

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he new Defender has been described as the most eagerly anticipated car since the modern-era Mini. It’s been described (by Land Rover, admittedly) as ‘a Defender fit for the 21st Century.’ It’s been accused of looking like everything from a Skoda Yeti to a Kia Soul, and even a Jeep. And it hasn’t even taken to Britain’s roads yet.

With the unveiling of the new Defender at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show, we learned what it will be made from, how it will be

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equipped and what it’s going to cost. But most of all, we learned the it is going to be a very different proposition to the one we’ve come to know so well.

It’s based on a monocoque body structure, for example. It has all-independent suspension and, perhaps most radical of all, it comes exclusively with an automatic gearbox – you won’t be able to get a manual one at all.

Nonetheless, Solihull is adamant that the vehicle is the real thing.

Its monocoque is ‘the stiffest aluminium body Land Rover has

ever produced,’ with the ability to withstand a 6500kg snatch load through its recovery points and up to 7000kg of vertical load through its wheels.

Towing weight remains at 3500kg, as Land Rover knows it surely must for any Defender.

The double wishbone front and integral link rear suspension uses a choice of steel coil or electronic air suspension, depending on the model. With the latter, ride height can be raised by up to 145mm (just under 6”) for off-road use, and Land Rover quotes an articulation limit of 500mm.

Combined with the biggest contact patch of any of the company’s vehicles, this should allow the tyres to find traction in most situations – and for when they can’t, there’s an active locking rear differential on the options list, as well as various off-road tread patterns.

Approach and departure angles of 38 and 40 degrees, along with breakover angles of 28 and 31 degrees for the 110 and 90 respectively, are achieved by mounting the Defender’s body 20mm higher compared to those of Land Rover’s existing large SUVs. A short front overhang was achieved by relocating the battery and cooling system, while that at

the rear was aided by continuing to mount the spare wheel on the sidehinged back door.

Powering the wheels is a choice of engines which at launch comprises two diesel and two petrol options. All are familiar from elsewhere in the Land Rover range: the 2.0-litre SD4 diesel is available in 200 and 240bhp form, while petrol options are the 2.0 Si4 with 300bhp and, at the top of the range, the 3.0 i6 with a huge 400bhp. Full figures are yet to be quoted, however both diesels return 37.2mpg combined and CO2 emissions of 199g/km The 3.0 i6 petrol engine is a mild hybrid, and there will also be a plugin option joining the range during 2020. This will be a busy year in the Defender’s launch programme with the 90 coming in to join the 110, followed by commercial versions of both.

The 110 will offer the option of 5, 6 or 5+2 seats, while the 90 will be capable of accommodating up to six. Both will be available in five different spec levels (Defender, S, SE, HSE and X) in addition to the First Edition trim that will be available for the first year of production. Land Rover will also offer four themed accessory packs, as well as more optional equipment

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You can argue all day long about whether or not the Defender looks like it should from the outside. But its cabin is a massive leap forward by any standards, in terms of design and equipment alike. Is there any other vehicle in the history of car making whose interior has skipped so many generations from one model to the next?

So what do people make of it?

WHEN WE FIRST posted the new Defender on Facebook, readers of both The Landy and 4x4 magazine had very split opinions on it. Most were negative – but a good number expressed admiration for the vehicle, in many cases almost despite themselves.

‘I actually really like it,’ commented Anthony Moss, though Tom Quilty countered that it ‘looks like a fashion accessory.’ Cameron Walker, too, said ‘I do actually like it,’ and that view was shared by several others.

There was a flurry of comments says the vehicle looks like something from another manufacturer. Suzuki got a number of votes here, as did the Skoda Yeti – but the most common comment was that it looks like a Jeep.

Away from the vehicle’s appearance, Andy Crossley had a comment that will ring true with many traditional Defender owners: ‘Three seats in the front – result!’ Adrian Stannard, meanwhile, asked if the panels are bolt-on ‘just in case you damage one doing what the original Defender was designed to do?’

Daniel Irwin’s comment will ring true with many would-be owners, too: ‘If I had the money, I would buy the 110.’ And the Defender’s price did attract a lot of attention. Neil McDougall’s suggestion that ‘it’s a Discovery with a spare wheel and a Bentley price tag’ might suggest that he’s not tried to buy a Bentley recently, but Emma Draper summed up many people’s mood by saying ‘bring back the real 90s and 110s with affordable price tags.’ Not that real 90s and 110s have had affordable price tags for some time now – but at least the original Defender was never ‘just another Chelsea tractor which will sell to the rich and stupid,’ which is what Michael Dennis makes of the new one.

Another recurring theme was the articulation on display in Land Rover’s press pictures. ‘Now that’s some flex,’ said Matt Lynn, and yes he was

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being sarcastic. Mikey Durdle wasn’t, though, when he said ‘I didn’t know until now that a Defender’s articulation could have gotten worse.’

The vehicle’s reliance on electronics attracted a bit of attention, too.

Our favourite comment here was from Luca Garau: ‘I hope there’s an ECU that opens a specific valve just to simulate an oil leak.’

Perhaps the saddest comment, however, and certainly one that ought to worry Land Rover, came from David Irvine: ’None of the real Defender’s iconic looks (I'm serious) have survived. Land Rover have obviously forgotten how universally disliked the DC100 concept was, and regurgitated it. Always hoped that one day I'd buy myself a new Defender.

Certainly wouldn't touch this with a barge pole.’

‘It’s a Disco without the creature comforts,’ said Nick Caton. And John MacLennan chimed in with: ‘Well done Land Rover, you managed to make your entire range pretty much the same…’

But let’s finish off with a positive comment, from Ian MacDonald: ‘I like it. You can definitely see the panel shapes and other distinctive Defender body lines. Mind you, the Defender is really an updated Series 1 mounted on the Range Rover Classic chassis…’

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Farewell to all those perfect imperfections

OWNING A DEFENDER is not like owning any other car. It’s like driving around in your best friend, or someone in your family being a superhero. People don’t just own Land Rovers: they fall in love with them One of the absolutely pivotal reasons for this has always been that Land Rovers are flawed.

than has ever been offered previously on one of its vehicles – including winches, awnings, roof tents and more.

Among all the many culture shocks for traditional Defender owners, perhaps the biggest is the long list of standard equipment that’s fitted across the range.

Every Defender will have cruise and dual-zone climate, a heated windscreen, auto lights and wipers, heated seats, DAB radio, Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, satnav, 360-degree parking aid and safety tech including autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, driver condition monitoring and traffic sign recognition.

Most remarkable of all perhaps, Land Rover’s new Pivi Pro

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Car makers spend an awful lot of their time trying to achieve perfection, and in doing so they make products that are the opposite of human beings. The Defender is incredibly capable – but it needs you to understand it, to accept its quirks and failings. Owning one is a two-way thing – and that’s why people ascribe human emotions to them.

‘The old Defender was fun to drive, but flawed,’ to quote Land Rover’s Chief Engineer in charge of Vehicle Integrity, Mike Cross. ‘New Defender is fun, but without the flaws.’

Does this mean Land Rover has designed out the very thing that made people fall in love with their Defenders? Having owned enough of the things that I need to count them carefully, I fear it might. With a galaxy of software doing the work for you, no longer will you be immersed in the driving experience the way

infotainment system can receive software updates over the air and instal them automatically. This in a vehicle where it also counts as progress to note that the new model has an adjustable steering column. And a dashboard.

Reassuringly, all versions of the Defender have a dual-range transfer box. They also have Terrain Response, and models with air suspension get Adaptive Dynamics to go with it.

Land Rover is insistent that the Defender will be its off-road flagship, and in addition to the figures quoted above it has a ground clearance of 291mm and wading depth of 900mm. The latest version of Terrain Response gains a new Wade mode at the top of

you used to be. There was absolutely nothing anodyne about the old Defender: I won’t use that word about the new one, but it certainly is slick and polished.

You don’t look at the old Defender and think ‘phwoarr,’ but you come to see it the same way you see your brother or a family pet. The new one… you might fall in love with it the same way you fell in love with Cameron Diaz first time you saw There’s Something About Mary, but will you ever find yourself trying to explain to your parents why this one, this is THE one, and no, Mum, please don’t worry about those puddles of oil on your driveway?

Of course not. Because it won’t drip oil, will it? Land Rover has spoken loud and clear: the imperfections are gone. Those lovable, frustrating but unique imperfections which, up to now, have made the Defender perfect.

The new one’s job is to replace those perfect imperfections with something else that’s as good at making people fall in love with their trucks. If it can do that, Land Rover will have pulled off the greatest stroke of genius since Maurice Wilks drew the outline of a road-going tractor in the sand of a beach in Anglesey.

Alan Kidd, Editor

the range, indeed, and there’s a ClearSight Ground View system which shows a camera image of the area obscured by the bonnet on the central media screen. Not that visibility is bad, because the dashboard has been kept low to help create the high-command seating position for which Defenders are so well known.

The Defender also offers the first ever application of Configurable Terrain Response, which allows experienced drivers to fine-tune individual settings while others leave it in Auto to make its own mind up about the best settings for the terrain. Like the version of Terrain Response with Wade mode, however, this is only standard on the range-topping X model.

This brings us to pricing, which is perhaps the least surprising thing about the Defender. Most observers expected it to start at around £40,000, and Land Rover says the cheapest 90 will cost something like that – with Commercial models starting at around £5000 cheaper.

The 110, meanwhile, starts at £45,240 with the entry-level diesel engine and climbs to a stratospheric £78,800 in 3.0 i6 P400 X form.

It’s expected that the range won’t stop there, either. Plug-in hybrid models can hardly help but push prices higher still – and when, as seems likely, JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations department introduces an SVX model, it’s probable that we will see the new Defender follow the Range Rover and Range

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Series / Defender / Discovery / Freelander / Range Rover / Range Rover Sport / Range Rover Evoque

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05/11/2019 22:05

Rover Sport in breaching the £100,000 barrier.

It has indeed already been reported that Land Rover is working on a Defender SVR, with lowered suspension and V8 power, to take on the AMG version of the new Mercedes G-Class. The story, which appeared in Auto Express magazine during October, specifically mentioned that the vehicle would be likely to cost in excess of £100,000.

So, should you buy the new Defender? The first answer has to be another question: can you afford one? If you can, there are a lot of other vehicles jostling for your attention – and, whereas there was nothing quite like the old one, this time some of them might actually be able to do the same job.

Few will be able to match its off-road ability, for sure. But if that’s what you’re after, in its purest form, the Jeep Wrangler, Suzuki Jimny and Toyota Landcruiser will all spank it – as will almost the entire pick-up market. We say that confidently without having yet driven the Defender, because modifying is such a crucial part of off-roading – and it’s simply not built for that.

Land Rover is offering it with a vast array of options and accessories, some of which are designed to get the best from it off-road, but in terms of engineering it bears more resemblance to a modern Discovery than the traditional off-roader from which it takes its name. Even a P38 Range Rover is better set-up for modding than the new Defender, and look

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how many people have ever tried doing that.

What we do expect it to be very good at is towing. It’s based on the Discovery 5, after all, which is a very good start. Its 3500kg trailer weight alone will put it ahead of most of the above mentioned 4x4s for many buyers.

Will this be enough to let it retain the old Defender’s reputation as the 4x4 workhorse? If what we’ve heard so far is anything to go by, no. A few weeks after the new model was unveiled, a senior figure in the pick-up industry told us that his dealers had reported a glut of 90s and 110s being offered as trade-ins against new trucks.

Their owners, predominantly from the agricultural and estates sector, had held off placing an order until they could decide whether the new Defender might be for them – and, having at last read about it, concluded that it’s not.

So it would appear that farmers and off-roaders are likely to be looking elsewhere. At all those old 90s and 110s being dumped on the market, possibly… How about if you want a cool toy, though, one which screams ‘The Outdoors!’ at the top of its voice but which won’t ask you to sacrifice the comforts and luxuries you’ve come to expect for a level of off-road mastery you’ll never use?

Again, we’ve not driven the Defender yet. And we have no doubt that its off-road party pieces will be eye-popping. But it seems to us that those are the kind of buyers it’s going to attract.

In other words, we think

Land Rover is seeking to repeat the trick it pulled off 30 years ago with the original Discovery. Which would be quite a feat, because that vehicle was Britain’s highest-selling 4x4 for years on end.

When they’re a couple of decades old, though, will people be turning new-generation Defenders into modified off-roaders the way they did when those Mk1 Discoverys reached a certain age?

Hard to see it.

If you’re an off-road traditionalist, it already came as second nature to sneer at the new Defender long before it was launched.

But

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 22:05

A new Defender for a new age?

LAND ROVER APPEARS to have pulled off a master stroke with the vehicle’s styling,

don’t let’s forget that Land Rover is aiming to sell it in a saturated market – one where everyday hatchbacks gain serious volume by looking like ruffty-tuffty off-roaders and calling themselves SUVs. If the Defender is a ‘mere’ SUV, well, sneer away. But if it’s offering something new to this huge part of the new car market by actually having the off-road ability to go with its looks, perhaps Land Rover is to be congratulated after all.

Does this mean you should buy one? Not necessarily.

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which has been the subject of so much speculation – despite, at first glance, having been unveiled eight years ago.

That was when Land Rover lifted the wraps on the DC100, a concept vehicle designed to show people what a future Defender could look like. It was met by a mixture of derision and opprobrium by Land Rover’s most loyal fans, prompting a back-to-the-drawingboard stance from the company – only for the

The old Defender wasn’t something you chose because you fancied one: it was something you bought because you needed one, and nothing else did the same job.

The new one? As we’ve already said, there are other vehicles which do the same job and, by some of the most important criteria, will do it better for sure than a monocoque vehicle with independent air-sprung axles and an overwhelming reliance on electronics possibly can. Which is why if you want something to do

new vehicle to look more like the concept than anyone thought possible.

Land Rover describes the Defender as ‘a visually compelling vehicle that couldn’t be anything else’. It retains the short overhangs and high stance of the original, as well as the unmistakeable silhouette of a proper Land Rover.

‘The new Defender is respectful of its past but is not harnessed by it,’ says design boss Gerry McGovern. ‘This is a new Defender for a New Age – a visually compelling 4x4 that wears its design and engineering integrity with uncompromised commitment.’

McGovern has also been quoted, in Autocar magazine, as saying ‘the truth is there is nothing about the car you see today that is an evolution of DC100.’ We’ll leave you to make up your own mind on that…

a job on the farm, these days you’ll almost certainly buy a pick-up.

But things have come full circle.

The Defender is a vehicle you’ll buy because you fancy it – precisely and specifically for that reason, in fact.

It’s too early to say whether the vehicle is all image and nothing but.

However it’s very, very clear that image is an incredibly important part of what it offers, in the way it never was with the old one.

Which leads us to one conclusion.

If you need a truck, the Defender might do the job – but there will

certainly be competition, and the competition will quite probably do it better and for less money.

If you just fancy it, on the other hand, then the Defender has already done the job. And there’s nothing at all wrong with that.

Do you want to be seen in the new Defender? Then get out there and, if you can afford, it, fill your boots. The name is the same, but everything else is different. Except one very important point: which is that if it puts a smile on your face, that’s all that matters.

05/11/2019 22:05

DRIVEN

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

All-new version of Land Rover’s posh kid feels like a proper Range Rover at last, and is vastly improved to drive –but is frighteningly thirsty in petrol form ON TEST Evoque P250 First Edition

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and Rover hit gold with the original Evoque. With its combination of class, equipment and concept car styling, it became the fastestselling model ever to wear the green oval badge, proving beyond doubt that Land Rover had entered the premium car mainstream.

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As has been the case with other premium car makers in the past, however, what the Evoque demonstrated was that people will eagerly splash their money for a badge – irrespective of whether the vehicle itself is actually worth it. The original Evoque was a looker, for sure, both inside and out, but it was

cramped in the back, low on practicality and average to drive. It might have had classy trim and premium kit to go with its iconic styling, but there was precious little about it to justify being called a Range Rover.

It says much that the new Evoque is so similar in appearance to the old one. People who fell in love with its styling then will still love it now. In fact, you’ve got to look carefully for the differences.

But under the skin, what we have here is an all-new model. Based on Land Rover’s new PTA platform, it’s 13% stiffer than before and has a

21mm longer wheelbase – despite being only 1mm longer in the body.

All Evoques equipped with four-wheel drive are hybrids, with a 48-volt electric motor aiding the engine during acceleration.

This brings down emissions, but it doesn’t make the Evoque a fuel-sipper – the mid-range petrol model tested here quotes WLTP figures averaging 29.5mpg.

You get a return of 249bhp and 269lbf.ft for that, from a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot that’s dubbed the P250 in Land Rover’s model range. We’re testing it here in First Edition form, priced from £50,400 on the road; our Evoque was unusually low on optional extras, with only Adaptive Dynamics and Configurable Dynamics added

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with an easy one-shot motion to add length. We’d like to see them dropping flatter, but there’s no step to get over when you’re loading long and heavy items and the tailgate lip is nice and low.

So it does enough without dishing up any full-on wonders, and the same is the case with oddment stowage – you won’t grumble, but you certainly won’t be wowed by how clever it is either. The big story inside the Evoque is definitely how cool, slick and modern it is – just like the old one, you might say, only this time the stuff that really matters hasn’t been left behind in the rush to stay classy.

DRIVING The Evoque’s cabin is finally that of a true Range Rover, with the bulk of its infotainment and control systems taken directly from the full-fat model costing twice as much. Material and build quality is outstanding, and so too is the driving position. Another advance on the old Evoque is that rear-seat accommodation is now suitable for tall adults to the already rich mix, and would cost you £51,120.

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY It feels like a Range Rover from the moment you climb aboard. That’s a very good start, and by and large the Evoque keeps it up. The dash is attractively laid out and presents you with a mixture of leather, highquality plastics and slick looking touch-screen control panels, giving it a pleasingly minimal appearance that’s tidy without looking sparse.

The controls are universally excellent to touch and operate, and ergonomics are similarly good.

We found that the gear selector baulked at being flicked quickly between Drive and Reverse during brisk three-pointers, and the menus on the two touch-screens needed more learning than some, but it’s very tidy and pretty logical overall.

It also has a seating position that’s worthy of the Range Rover name. Despite the fairly shallow windows, you get an excellent view ahead, to the sides and even over your shoulders – there’s no such thing as an SUV without a cluttered rear three-quarters these days, but the Evoque is above average here.

Not that it matters much when you get an excellent high-res reversing camera and sensors, but still.

The seats themselves are pretty good, too. There’s plenty of support all round, and loads of adjustability; we did find ourselves needing to pump up the lumbar cushion to prevent aches on a long journey, but they manage to strike a pretty fair balance between being soft and supportive. The leather in our model didn’t strike us as feeling as nice as it looked, but one of the good things about Land Rover is that it offers various other premium materials as well.

In the back, the old Evoque let itself down very badly. And aided

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by that longer wheelbase, the new one is massively improved. Land Rover says rear legroom has been improved by 20mm, but it feels to us like a lot more – with deep recesses in the backs of the front seats, one six-foot adult can now sit comfortably behind another.

Headroom is on the tight side here, and the view out is compromised by a rising waistline and sloping C-posts, but it’s like chalk and cheese compared to the old Evoque. Tall adults might not want to sit in the back for hours on end, but for short and medium journeys it’s more than adequate.

A very welcome surprise.

It’s a decent load-lugger, too – though without setting any new standards in the class. Land Rover claims a 10% increase in capacity, which sounds handy until you consider how poor the old one was, but again the improvement goes way beyond what the numbers suggest. It’s spacious enough when the seats are up, and they fold

The new, stiffer platform on which the Evoque is built makes its presence felt from the word go. It’s smooth and beautifully composed to drive, whether at speed on twisting B-roads or around town on the jagged mess of broken tarmac that’s our typical lot in this country.

Ride quality is impressive, with not even the 285/50R20 tyres on our test vehicle preventing bumps in the road from being kept at arm’s length. You do feel the body being moved on its springs, but without any harshness at all. It has to be recognised here that our test vehicle was on optional dampers, however – but given that they add so little (everything’s relative) to the overall price, we’d not hesitate to recommend its overall dynamics exactly as we found them.

In particular, the balance of ride and handling is excellent. It’s smooth and fluid in low-speed corners, then at speed it becomes taut and agile, allowing you to make the most of the engine’s not insubstantial output.

This comes with a lively snarl that adds a bit of theatre to the occasion – and perhaps reminds you of what you’re doing, which is no bad thing as this is one of those vehicles in which a brisk overtaking manoeuvre can very easily result in you glancing at the dash to discover that you’re busting the speed limit by 50%. Certainly, twisting roads become very entertaining – with torque vectoring to back up all the good stuff from the steering and suspension, corners are taken with great confidence, and body roll is minimal however hard you push it. Our impression was that we’d have liked a stronger feeling of

13 05/11/2019 12:21

The P250 engine is full of zest and makes a nice noise, but if you thought a return to petrol 4x4s was the answer to spiralling tax on diesels you might be in for a shock. It doesn’t get on as well as we’d like with the nine-speed automatic gearbox, but the main problem is its sheer thirst.

As the picture on the first page illustrates, we averaged an utterly terrible 24.4mpg over an 850-mile test drive, only a small amount of which was done with a heavy right foot

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times when cruising in traffic on a trailing throttle, too.

It could of course be said that shunting from the transmission is actually a very Range Rover thing, at least if you grew up on pensionable Classics. It’s not what you expect of them these days, though, and it surprised us.

So too did the amount of fuel we used during the course of our week with the P250. Not that 29.5mpg sounds very promising in the first place, but the eco data screen in the latest Touch Pro infotainment system suggested that we only managed to achieve that once – and that overall, we were actually averaging just 24.4mpg. It should be stressed than the B-road antics described above only represent a small portion of the miles we did, too – in the main, it was motorway cruising and gentle urban work.

And of course you could call that a very Range Rover thing, too – again, if you grew up on old Classics. Our Editor used to own a

grotty Vogue SE from the late 1980s, and he was able to get 23mpg out of its 3.5-litre V8. Three decades later, for a smaller vehicle to be chugging down almost as much gas hardly sounds like progress – our Evoque’s CO2 emissions are quoted at 180g/km, and the Ed’s old minger probably chucked out more than twice that, but if you’re a normal person who just looks at the fuel cost you might well wonder what on earth is going on.

VERDICT

front-end grip, as well as a more linear feel as the brake pedal went down, but there’s no doubting its agility and athleticism.

It’s a very fine cruiser, too, capable of smoothing away the hours and miles on the motorway with no more than a moderate hum of road and wind noise in the background. You don’t have to fight with the steering to keep it on track, either, even with such wide, low-profile tyres constantly looking for an excuse to take you off down a tramline.

In this way, it’s just what a Range Rover should be. But a Range Rover should be refined in every way, and the Evoque’s drivetrain didn’t impress us at all. We found it hard to pull away smoothly, and that we’d frequently be disturbed by shunts and jolts as the ninespeed auto box changed up – often with more than one shifts coming in very quick succession. This was most pronounced under hard acceleration, but it happened a few

Of course, the Evoque is an entirely different proposition to a tatty old Classic. And if you don’t want to drive a gas-guzzler, the diesel options should at least get you into the mid-30s or beyond without sacrificing anything significant in terms of pace. All the same, this sort of fuel consumption can hardly help but be a deal-breaker for a lot of people – however good the vehicle might be in every other way.

HHHII

RR Evoque P250 First Edition Feels like a proper Range Rover, but far too thirsty with this engine The Evoque is all-round excellent to drive and, at last, its practicality is almost on a par with its image inside. Most of all, it feels like a mini Range Rover rather than a pretender. We think the P250 engine needs to get on better with its gearbox, however – but with such horrific fuel consumption as tested, we doubt many people will ever find that out for themselves.

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 12:21

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DRIVEN

RANGE ROVER LWB

Reigning champion in the Luxury SUV class goes after the chauffeur market with a stretched wheelbase and greater rear legroom – but remains every inch a Range Rover DRIVEN SDV8 Autobiography LWB

A

little more than a quarter of a century ago, when the original Range Rover was entering the last-knockings phase of its long and for the most part glorious life, Land Rover hit on the idea of doing a long-wheelbase version. Its chassis was stretched from 100” to 112”, its live axles were fitted with new-fangled air springs and its bonnet concealed the biggest engine that had ever been fitted to a Solihull product – a 4.2-litre version of the legendary Rover V8.

Thus equipped, the Vogue LSE put out 200bhp, accelerated from 0-60 in 9.9 seconds and averaged fuel consumption in the mid-

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teens. Words like ‘ouch’ come to mind. But it was a lovely big old barge of a thing that carried the original Rangey into its dotage with enormous class and presence, and these days it’s considered an absolute classic among classics.

What we have here is the inheritor of the Vogue LSE’s mantle.

The Autobiography LWB is a Range Rover for people who employ chauffeurs – and who, as tested, have the ability to spend just shy of £120,000 on a vehicle. The LSE cost £39,950 when it was new, which equates to around £80,000 now, so you’re looking at around twice the rate of inflation – though it doesn’t take long to see that that’s not comparing like for like.

Just look at the figures for evidence of that. The 4.4 SDV8 engine is actually bigger, but now it’s a diesel; power has increased to 339bhp (with 545lbf.ft for good measure, which is about three times what the old LSE could dish up and at half the revs) and that 0-60 time is now 6.5 seconds.

Land Rover has moved to a different world since the LSE’s days. For better or worse, you’ll inevitably be expecting us to add and there you are, we did it… but the point is that in an era of Bentley and Rolls-Royce SUVs, a £112,900 list price isn’t actually all that much. Especially as the Range Rover still has an innate ability to make even these illustrious names

look like pretenders to its luxury SUV crown.

These days, the Autobiography LWB is part of a huge range which includes hybrids, a choice of diesels and high-performance petrol V8s.

It’s not even at the top of the Range Rover tree anymore, either, thanks to the ultra-rare SV Coupe and its ability to separate people from a quarter of a million pounds.

But in terms of elegance, this is a vehicle which perhaps defines what a modern Range Rover is. No longer just elevated on and offroad transport, but a luxury brand whose reputation goes before it.

So is the Autobiography LWB building on that reputation or (something Land Rover has been

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 12:22

The Range Rover’s cabin is beautifully designed and executed, feeling every inch like a luxury product. Build quality is higher than it’s ever been before, and the equipment you get is overwhelming – it takes a while to learn your way into the controls, but doing so is very well worth it. Optional on this vehicle, and absolutely worth the five grand it costs, is the premium seating package: this includes 24-way adjustable, heated and cooled front seats with Hot Stone massage function, and Executive Class Comfort-Plus rears, which have all the same functions as those ahead as well as a semireclined position with powered footrests. They also give you a power-operated cubby which drops down at the touch of a button like something from a Bond villain’s toy chest getting accused of, sometimes unfairly, since the days of the LSE) merely trading on it?

CABIN AND PRACTICALITY Not to put too fine a point on it, the Range Rover is just lovely inside. It feels very, very special, from its design to its materials, and the breadth and depth of equipment you get with it is little short of breathtaking.

In particular, the seats are astonishing. They’re heated and cooled, they give you a massage and you can adjust them in every direction you can imagine and some you probably can’t.

That’s not just in the front, either.

Instead of a conventional secondrow bench, the LWB has two chairs with all the same functions as those ahead of them – as well as footrests which raise electrically as the backs recline to drop you into a position of repose.

Also electric-powered is a gigantic armrest console which

drops down at the push of a button like something from a Bond villain’s toybox. You’ve even got buttons to adjust the seat in front of you, though these are disabled if there’s someone sitting in it. Spoilsports.

The bad news is that this dreamlike seating arrangement is an optional extra. At £5130, there’s even the suggestion of it costing quite a lot – though if you’re already able to spring for £112,900 in the first place, it’s hardly likely to trouble you. Safe to say we find it unimaginable that a person could want a long-wheelbase Range Rover

without these seats – if you’re buying one, speccing them will be the best five grand you’ve ever spent. And you’ll have spent many.

Either way, if you’re driving yourself (or you’re the chauffeur), the position up front is superb, giving you a glorious view of the road ahead and all around. With so much adjustability, getting comfortable can actually take a bit of doing, but once you’re there it’s sublime. And in the depths of winter, the Hot Stone massage function is especially soothing.

We’re not making this up, you know.

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05/11/2019 12:18

Headroom is epic, even with a panoramic sunroof, and the waistline feels low, filling the cabin with light through the big windows that give you such a fine view. The dashboard is laid out around two large touch-screens whose graphics are sensationally crisp; one operates in-car functions like climate control, while the upper one is given over to a predictably comprehensive (and complex) multimedia system.

There’s also a DVD player in the upper glovebox linked to individual TV screens for the rear occupants.

All this is housed in a dashboard whose construction feels stronger than that of earlier examples we’ve driven of the current Range Rover.

There’s little creaking or movement when it’s manhandled, and the leather in which the whole lot is trimmed feels as if it’s covering something really substantial.

Below it, the floor console is absolutely rock solid. Sometimes we like to say it feels like part of the chassis, but it’s so enormous you might reasonably think it feels more as if the chassis is part of it. As well as controls for the vehicle’s various off-road functions, it holds a pair of cupholders and not one but two stowage boxes – one huge cubby for the front seats and, behind it, a second for the rears. You might need quite a big reach to get at it, though, because legroom in the back is vast.

Further back still, the boot is enormous. It has the traditional clamshell tailgate for which Range Rovers have been known since day one, and the cargo area behind the back seats is both huge and very usably shaped, with vertical sides squaring it off for easy loading. It’s tall, too, making the most of the

high roof that’s part of the Range Rover’s design, and the suspension can be commanded to squat down for easier loading.

If you want to carry long loads, however, despite its promising looking wheelbase this isn’t the Range Rover for you. That’s because the big, bulky rear seats only fold part of the way down, leaving a slope so steep you might as well not have bothered. That’s a practicality failing, perhaps, but one which is as understandable as it is forgivable on a vehicle whose rear seats are such a specific part of its overall design.

DRIVING It’s built for the country (supposedly, at least), but the Range Rover is a very good way of getting about in town – even in this larger-thanever form. The sublime driving position helps, giving you a masterful view all around, and the suspension does a very fine job of isolating you from the awfulness of Britain’s jagged, broken roads.

It’s not completely silent; the diesel engine isn’t

harsh, or intrusive, but it is present and you do hear it rising and falling with gearchanges at lower speeds.

Refinement is every bit as good as you’ve a right to expect, though, with no harshness at all from the road – even on a standard-fit 21” tyre, pot-holes and disintegrating speed bumps are smoothed away.

It’s the same on the motorway, which is a chauffeur-orientated Range Rover’s other most likely habitat. The engine note dies away to almost nothing, the body remains utterly stable and the steering requires absolutely nothing in the way of micro-adjustments to keep you on line. It doesn’t wallow or fidget, it just glides – and it does so with ample power forever in reserve. Refinement is sky-high.

That should be the least surprising thing you’ve ever heard. But what you might not be expecting is that on twisting country roads, the Range Rover remarkably willing to be hustled along at speed. Its steering, which is so forgiving on the motorway, shows a new found sharpness, with plenty of feel and response as you push it into corners – and somehow, its huge-high body remains controlled as you chuck it from side to side. Grip is titanic, of course, but beyond that the level of control you feel is remarkable.

Selectable drive modes help with all this, naturally. However even without dialling them up, the Range Rover still shows an agility far beyond what seems possible – and on a whole different planet to what the old Vogue LSE used to be like.

Perhaps it’s not as fast from A to B as something like a Range Rover Sport SVR would be in the hands of a driver with the skill and guts to make the most of its monstrous power, but for normal human beings it’s not just quick, it’s quick without being intimidating. Pressing on is easy in this vehicle, and doing so feels natural, not ragged or frantic.

That’s on small C-class roads, too, where you’re constantly going between the throttle and brakes.

On a faster but smoother A or B-road, the Range Rover remains nicely composed – whether or not you’re trying to have a blast. Just making progress is a pleasure.

OFF-ROAD We’ve already mentioned the 21” tyres on our test vehicle, and that immediately says it’s made

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05/11/2019 12:18

very obvious to us, too, was that unlike in the early days of traction control, the trickery does its stuff without making a song and dance about it.

Something else that was obvious, as we slid backwards down a wet, grassy slope halfway through a three-point turn on a single-track road just before sunset, was that we were stuck. We’d reversed too far on to the verge, the ground had dropped away and now here we were marooned.

Cue a walk-round to establish any hazards (and search, rather desperately, for any signs of hope), followed by a last-resort bootful of revs. We weren’t expecting to move at all, but after a bit of sawing at the wheel the Range Rover started to slide sideways… then forward a

little… then more sideways… then, at last, further forward, and further, until it had hauled itself back up on to the tarmac. The relief was exceeded only by the level of newfound respect we now had for a 4x4 which had already won us over.

Land Rover gets more than its share of brickbats for having abandoned the traditional off-road engineering that made it what it is. We’re among its critics on that score, too. But praise where it’s due: having taken the wheel of most of the SUVs British buyers have been offered over the last couple of decades, this altogether humbling experience said to us that the current Range Rover remains a world-leader in what it can do over terrain that would defeat almost anything else.

for elegance on the tarmac, not traction in the mud. However with low range selected and the suspension raised up high, the Range Rover remains capable of knocking your socks off across rough terrain.

Naturally, a very long wheelbase is going to mean less of a breakover angle. But Land Rover knows plenty about designing vehicles so they

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won’t damage themselves in rough terrain, and we wrestled it over a series of large, axle-twisting hillocks without any sign of grounding out.

It didn’t even seem interested in breaking traction, with Solihull’s vast electronic know-how stepping in to make a mockery of everything you think you know about short-stroke independent suspension and lowprofile tyres. Something that was

VERDICT

★★★★★

Range Rover Autobiography LWB A modern Range Rover taken to its logical conclusion – with outstanding results The best-ever Range Rover? That would be a massive claim to make, but given the nature of what it is these days it would certainly be fair to suggest that the SDV8 Autobiography LWB is the definitive example of the breed. This is of course a specialised model, whose extra length adds about £7000 to the price of the standard version. But if it’s what you’re in the market for, you won’t flinch at that – and nor should you, because this version of the Range Rover does its job to perfection.

05/11/2019 12:18

PRODUCTS

NEW POWERSPRING FROM LOF CLUTCHES MAKES FOR MUCH EASIER PEDAL ACTION IF YOU’VE EVER DRIVEN a Land Rover Defender (and if not, why not), you’ll know how cumbersome the controls can be. Chief among these is often the clutch – but Land Rover clutch specialist LOF has got an answer for this.

New for 2019 is the company’s POWERspring.

This helps the clutch pedal feel significantly lighter, as the spring is 45% stronger than the original fitted to Puma-engined Defenders.

It can be fitted to vehicles with engines from the 300Tdi, Td5 and TDCi generations, in each case having the effect of reducing the weight of the clutch pedal significantly.

The kit is easy to install and comes with everything you’ll need for fitting – including three genuine Land Rover nylon bushes, the POWERspring itself and, most important of all, a LOFclutches car sticker.

We’re forever pointing you to product suppliers’ websites, but in this case it really us worth visiting as you’ll find a neat installation tutorial. The address to go to is lofcluthces.com.

DUAL-LED DRIVING LAMPS FROM IRONMAN THE COSMO DUAL LED is one of several new lights recently brought to the market by Ironman.

The 20W unit works as a spotlight on main beam and a floodlight on dip, using a pair of 10W high lux output Cree-XPL LEDs to create a spread of 6000K white light. This imitates natural daylight, making it as relaxing as possible on the eyes.

The LEDs are contained in a heavy-duty die-cast alloy housing which Ironman says is ‘designed to withstand hours of corrugations and extreme conditions’. Also known as a normal day in the Outback. The unit also has a shockproof polycarbonate lens and stainless steel mounting bracket, and it’s rated to IP67 and IP69, meaning it has a dust-proof seal and can stand full submersion as well as blasts of water at high pressure.

There’s a wide range of other new LEDs on the way from Ironman too, including various sizes of driving lights, DRLs and work lamps. We’ll focus on some of these in future issues; in the meantime, as always with Ironman the place to go to find out more is the company’s UK importer, West Coast Off-Road Centre, which is at westcoastoffroad.co.uk.

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NEW MMC WELDING KIT FROM CLARKE IS PERFECT FOR AMATEUR USERS IF YOU’RE THE kind of 4x4 driver who welds stuff, but you’re not a pro, Clarke’s new range of MMA/ARC welders may be up your street. These play on one of the strengths of stick-welding, which is that because of its simplicity and versatility, it doesn’t require as much skill as other methods.

Stick-welding uses a coated consumable electrode to lay the weld, which means additional equipment is not required. The arc melts the core of the electrode to produce drops of molten metal (weld pool) which cool to create the welded joint. It’s used primarily to weld iron and steel, including stainless; nickel and copped can also be welded using this method, but obviously in the context of the off-road way of life steel is very much the big one.

Clarke’s new welders run off the mains and can put out between 20 and 200A. The range starts at £142.80 with the VAT and you can find them at www.machinemart.co.uk.

DO THE CAN - CAN. OR JUST THE CAN… JERRY CANS ARE USED for many things. Fuel, water, beer, making your 4x4 look like a cool old army truck… the list is long.

Your truck will look less cool, however, if your jerry cans are things that come tumbling out and land on the ground with a loud crash every time you open

its back door. What you need to avoid this embarrassing scenario is a way of keeping it in place and mounted upright.

Something like these extremely businesslike looking jerry can holders from Tembo 4x4, for example. Smartly machined and finished in your choice of black or white powder-coat, these offer you the choice of holding either one or two jerry cans safely in place.

Good looking and functional.

A winning combination, we think you’ll agree. To get hold of one, pay a visit to www. tembo4x4.com.

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 22:34

PRODUCTS

HIGH - SPEC CB RIGS TO SUIT ALL BUDGETS FROM THUNDERPOLE

WHETHER YOU’RE OUT green laning, overlanding or even just driving convoy, a CB radio is a handy bit of kit to have on board.

And when you think CB radios, it’s normally not long before you’re thinking Thunderpole.

The company has a wide range of CB equipment, among which are the T-800 and T-3000. The former is a compact 80-channel rig with a 4-Watt RF output that’s powered from your vehicle’s 12-volt socket.

Its LED display lets you know what channel you’re on and there’s also a signal meter and a button to

switch between AM and FM. Auto-squeich functionality is included, too, and the multi-function microphone is included alongside an extension speaker socket.

As for the T-3000, this is a highspeccer with 80 channels, European bands, both 12 and 24-volt inputs, a 4-Watt RF output, a seven-colour LCD display, both AM/FM modes, key lock, auto and manual squelch capabilities and loads more features besides. With a speaker on the front, it’s a unique model that can

be used with consummate ease just about anywhere in Europe.

All its buttons are backlit, you can switch band with one touch of a button and it comes fitted with a cigarette lighter plug which you can simply whack into your truck’s 12volt socket and away you go.

The T-3000 costs £99.99, or an extra twenty quid as part of a Pro Pack including an antenna, mount and all the cables, brackets and

connectors you’ll need to fit it. In the case of the T-800, the base cost is £59.99 and for another twenty sheets you’ll get exactly the same stuff, only this time it’s called a Starter Pack.

Either way, it’s a lot of radio power for the price of half a day’s worth of diesel. To find out more about either of these CBs, or indeed to order one up, visit www. thunderpole.co.uk.

BRITPART OFFERS CENTRE SEAT SALVATION FOR THOSE LITTLE ACCIDENTS TACKLING TOUGH TERRAIN is nothing that’ll scare a Land Rover, nor a seasoned owner. But sometimes we carry passengers, and sometimes those passengers aren’t expecting what’s about to happen.

So let’s say you’ve given your mate a ride home from work, and you just happened to take the scenic route, and now here you are on the other side of Bastard Lane or the Strata Florida bomb hole and he’s apologising for having spilt his coffee. Only he didn’t have a coffee. So he’ll say

the brown stain on his seat must have been there already, and oh look, it’s gone and gotten on to his trousers too.

Do you go in hard, knowing full well what’s happened? Or do you act dumb, shrug, give him an easy ride… and maybe open your window a little? Neither. You pretend it never happened, and you concentrate your mind on getting a new seat base.

This is a very long-winded way of saying that Britpart now offers a new central seat base for Series model. It has a deluxe County

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Grey covering and it won’t ever judge your mate. You could even

pop over to www.britpart.com and pick one up in advance…

21 05/11/2019 22:34

PRODUCTS

DISCOVERY 2 TAILGATE STRUT FROM DEVON 4X4

IF YOU’VE GOT A Land Rover Discovery 2, there’s a pretty strong chance that you wish the back door was better at staying open. This is especially the case if you use it on terrain with lots of side slopes.

Given that more and more Disco 2s are being turned into off-road adventure wagons, this is going to become relevant to an increasing

number of people. Which means more and more of them are likely to be turning to Devon 4x4 for its D44 D2 Rear Door Stay/Assist.

This retains the original check strap but adds an adjustable gas strut to assist the door and keep it open. The strut is supplied at maximum pressure, ready for you to adjust it to suit your vehicle

using the allen key included in the kit. This allows you to tailor the weight of the door to your personal preference.

The brackets in the kit are supplied in black powder-coat, and all fittings are included. You’ll need to drill the rear door to fit rivet nuts (the tool to do this is included), and some trimming of

the interior is also required. But if you’re planning to base your off-road future on a Discovery 2, it won’t be long before you do far worse to it than that.

The D44 D2 Rear Door Stay/ Assist kit costs £99, plus VAT but including carriage within the UK. You’ll be able to find it by visiting www.devon4x4.com.

LAZER LAMPS LAUNCHES NEW RANGE OF SLIMLINE ROOF LIGHTS LAZER LAMPS HAS LAUNCHED a new range of slimline high-performance LED light bars. Designed, engineered, and manufactured in the UK, the Linear-36, Linear-42, and Linear-48 measure just 40mm in height – making them, in Lazer’s own words, ‘among the most slimline, low-profile auxiliary highbeam lighting solution available today.’

Measuring from 982mm (39”) to 1282mm (51”) in length, the bars are designed specifically to be roof-mounted while retaining a discreet appearance.

Their low-profile housings are as aerodynamic as they are stylish, too, meaning wind noise is kept to the bare minimum, and the Linear-36 and Linear-42 are both E-mark certified.

Lazer says the lights’ performance is on the upper limit of ECE regulations, meaning they’re about as bright as a driving light is allowed to get. They provide ‘exceptional distance illumination, but with an incredible spread of light’, and their rear-facing LED arrangement is designed to eliminate light bleed and glare on to the vehicle’s bonnet. Having driven vehicles in which this made night-time visibility worse, not better, when their rooftop LEDs were switched on, we know how significant this is.

Durability is important, too, so you’ll be happy to hear that the lights are IP67 protected against water ingress and come with ‘unbreakable’ polycarbonate lenses covered by a lifetime guarantee. They’re pre-wired with male and female connectors and have anti-theft security fixings supplied as standard, and Lazer says they have automotive-grade corrosion resistance.

The bars’ launch will be followed by roof mounting kits to suit all kinds of vehicles. They come with a comprehensive five-year warranty and are priced at £530 for the Linear-36, £600 for the Linear-42 and £675 for the Linear-48. To find out more, visit www.lazerlamps.com.

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 06/11/2019 00:47

The World’s best accessories for Land Rover Defender

At Terrafirma we stand behind every product we sell, we believe that Quality is the definition of something superior, more than fit for purpose and that meets customer’s expectations.

Terrafirma Serious 4x4 Accessories now come with a Certificate of Conformity, the ultimate statement of quality and industry first!

Terrafirma Serious 4x4 Accessories; Certified Manufactured to Specification.

For more information: www.terrafirma4x4.com www.allmakes4x4.com

DPS for Adverts.indd 31

06/11/2019 08:20

PRODUCTS

HIGH - PERFORMANCE BILSTEIN AIR SUSPENSION MODULES PROMISE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT BUILD QUALITY AND IMPROVED RESPONSES TO EVERY KIND OF ROAD CONDITIONS SHOULD YOU WANT to have the comfiest of journeys, ideally you’d like to feel like you’re floating on air, not potholes the size of craters. And with Bilstein’s expertise channelled into an air suspension unit, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.

Bilstein’s Airmatic unit is OEM quality and the set-up is a direct replacement for all Discovery 4 models – at a price that’s more appealing than those you’ll encounter at a dealership.

The original development of this new Land Rover fitment came as Bilstein’s response to the increasing market popularity of models utilising air springs. The high performance B4 air suspension module is now also available to the independent aftermarket, thanks to Bilstein applying itself to finding a solution.

In addition to offering original equipment quality, the suspension module promises a quick reaction to road and vehicle conditions. The result is increased comfort and benign driving characteristics, with high power reserves for maximum safety. Bilstein says its gas pressure technology provides constant damping power under any axle load.

Air suspension systems adjust to different vehicle height positions by varying the air pressure in the bellows – which is advantageous when levelling heavy loads or towing. Various aerodynamic and terrain-tackling positions are also possible with this system and the B4 unit integrates seamlessly with all factory electronics for genuine ‘plug and play’ operation. No dealer re-coding is required when fitting these parts.

Fully TUV certified and complete with a 12-month warranty, the units retail at £254 plus VAT apiece.

Not cheap but definitely an investment: you’ll find a dealer by visiting www.bilstein.de.

SMOKED LIGHT KITS FROM BRITPART

WHEN IT COMES TO OWNING a Land Rover, many owners like to put their individual spin on it and customise their rig in some way. This has always happened in varying degrees, with some opting to go on the retina offensive with a bold new colour while others opt for some subtler distinguishing features.

For those on the calmer side of the fence, Britpart offers a smoked light kit that’s suitable for both Series IIIs and Defenders alike. Included in the kit are standard size 73mm LED front side lights, four indicators and two tail lights plus an adjustable indicator relay.

For all 1994 Defenders onwards, the kit is a simple plug and play fitting, whereas Series IIIs may need connectors fitting and a small amount of soldering. You can rest easy that the new lights are up to the task, at any rate, as each unit is IP67 E-marked and SAE approved.

All screws are included as well, and they’re lovely stainless steel numbers at that. For more information and to locate your nearest Britpart dealer, simply visit www.britpart.com.

LAZER LAMPS OFFERS LED FITTING KITS FOR DISCO 5 LED pioneers Lazer Lamps now offer integrated light kits for the latest Land Rover Discovery 5. The kit is designed with the company’s ST4 Evolution driving lights in mind; these were updated last year to include the latest road-legal LED lighting technology, so they’re right up the Disco 5’s street.

Fitting is easy, with custom engineered grille mounts specific for the Disco 5, and the lights are ready to be wired straight in to the vehicle’s high-beam signal wire. The OE-quality product consists of weather and chemical proof brackets, so you can rest assured that once the LEDs are fitted, they’re going nowhere. Unless you decide to take them off, naturally, but with Lazer’s track record of supplying lights for WRC rally cars, we can’t see that being very likely. The company is at www.lazerlamps.com.

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Alternators | Antifreeze | Batteries | Bearings Brake Pads | Brake Shoes | Brake Discs | Brake Drums | Brake Hoses | Bushes | Cooling | Clutches Drive Belts | Engine Parts | Exhausts | Filters | Fuel Pumps | Gaskets | Gearbox | Glass | Hydraulics Hoses | Ignition | Oil | Radiators | Starter Motors Steering | Suspension | Switches | Wipers

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BET TER RED THAN TREAD… RAISED WHITE LETTERING? That’s so passe. The hot new thing in 4x4 tyre fashion is Smooth Red Lettering, and you can have it right now thanks to the latest General Grabber X3.

The X3 is the mud-terrain in the Grabber line-up. General says it has an 80-20 off-road bias, which you can interpret however you wish, but either way it has a deep, self-cleaning tread pattern with a combination of features which, the company promises, ‘makes for high levels of grip on sand, mud and gravel.’

The X3 features tread blocks which have chamfered edges, along with a combination of wider voids and narrow grooves in the tread base. This pattern is designed to prevent stones from lodging in between them when driving on gravel – something we all find irritating when it happens.

A multi-directional pattern of grip edges is designed to cling on to rocks, while deflection ribs protect the sidewalls against damage. Further robustness comes in the shape of a threeply carcass structure which provides additional strength and puncture resistance.

GENERAL GRABBER X3: General SRL SIZES says that the tyre’s 33x10.50R15 performance on 265/75R16 sand and loose gravel has been 265/70R17 improved by 5% over 285/70R17 the previous Grabber 295/70R17 mud-terrain – and this figure 33x12.50R17 rises to 10% on rocks. It’s quieter 35x12.50R17 on the road, too, as well as gripping better 33x12.50R18 in the wet, and all sizes are rated to speeds of up to 100mph.

In Britain, the Grabber X3 range covers no less than 37 different sizes, load ratings and so on. Ten 305/55R20 of these are available with the new Smooth Red Lettering, covering a range from 15” to 20” rim sizes 35x12.50R20 as shown on the left – to find out more, head for www.generaltire.co.uk.

SMART SAND LADDER BRACKETS FROM MUD - UK THESE HINGING SAND LADDER BRACKETS from Mud-UK offer a handy way of stowing a set of sand ladders on the side of a Land Rover Defender. Not only that, their design allows them to drop down when you’re parked up, creating a quick-todeploy table for your mug of tea and bacon sandwich.

The brackets can be mounted directly to the side of your Land Rover via a pair of internal spreader plates, or to a cargo rack using the optional quick-release mounting kit. They and all their fixings are made from 100% stainless steel, and as well as traditional sand ladders they can be used to mount Maxtrax recovery boards.

The brackets are supplied as a pair and come complete with a fixing kit for getting them on board. Suitable for a variety of Defenders, they’re priced at £155 including VAT, and can be found at www. mudstuff. co.uk.

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HEAVY- DUTY DEFENDER AXLES FROM BRITPART MODIFYING LAND ROVER DEFENDERS to make the most of their hardcore off-road ability is still very much a thing. That’s the message from Britpart, which has just introduced a new range of heavy-duty axles for the vehicle.

These are made from 6mm steel – with critical areas kicking that thickness up to 10mm. An exact replacement for the original, they’re CNC cut and come complete with heavy-duty mounts and a powdercoated finish.

The range includes a front axle, which is universal across all Defenders, and short and long-nose rears to swap in directly to vehicles originally fitted with Land Rover and Salisbury units respectively.

What the axles don’t come with are internals. Not that we think you’ll mind that, because if you’re investing in a set of these things it’s because you’ve got some equally sexy hardware to stuff them with.

To find your nearest stockist, pay a visit to www.britpart.com.

EASY TRAILERING WITH QUICK-HITCH HOWEVER MUCH of a hardcore ’wheeler you are, it’s probably the case that you spend more time towing than you do off-roading. At the very least, the amount of time 4x4s in general spend in the mud is a tiny fraction of the time they spend fetching trailers, transporters and caravans around the place.

Now, hitching one on is not what you’d call an overly complicated procedure. But however experienced you might be, it’s a lot easier with two sets of hands and eyes on the job. It can take a few cracks of the whip to lock it in, too, especially if you’re on your own.

This is something Ifor Williams wanted to change. He’s worked in the towing business for a long time, producing trailers of all shapes and sizes during that time, and is no stranger to the frustration of hitching up. Along with his brother, who trains HGV drivers, Ifor came up with the fairly simple but nonetheless very effective premise that Quick Hitch was built on.

Having developed the idea for the product, initially to help drivers pass their HGV driving qualifications, it was presented to the Driving Standards Agency – which duly approved it for production.

The Trailer Stop towing system can save drivers time and effort. And as it is also a reliable way of hitching a trailer with speed, it can save you money on repairing your bumper – as well as meaning you can easily back up to your trailer and hitch it successfully while flying solo.

So, how does it work? The Trailer Stop is a plate that fits to your tow hook and sits around 4cm behind the ball. In doing so, it increases the target area five-fold. Incorporated into the design, the hinged target plate also folds horizontal to serve as a step up to the truck bed, adding practicality alongside the improved functionality.

Quick Hitch has developed numerous variations on the design already, to fit hitches from most manufacturers – including AvonRide, Knott, Bradley and Al-Ko. They are also compatible with Ifor Williams trailers as well as those from Indespension, Graham Edwards and Brian James, and solutions for other brands on the market are being developed on an ongoing basis.

So whatever kind of trailer it is that you pull, whether it’s for work or play, cars or boats, agriculture, catering or equestrian pursuits, if there isn’t already a Quick Hitch Trailer Stop to suit your needs you can be pretty sure there will be soon. If you contact the Quick Hitch team via their website, they will find out which system is right for you before getting in touch to discuss it in person – it’s at www.quickhitchtowing.co.uk.

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NEW XENONS FROM RING PROVIDE 150% MORE LIGHT – WHILE STILL LASTING AS LONG AS STANDARD BULBS AS WE WRITE THIS, the clocks are about to go back. It’s wet and miserable outside, the roads are slippery and the prospect of going out and actually driving anywhere is about as appealing an idea as a three-up dinner date with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.

It’s at times like these that your thoughts should turn towards lightbulbs. Good ones, obviously.

Good ones like the Xenon150 from Ring, for example.

With this new halogen bulb, Ring says it has ‘once again set the standards in vehicle lighting.’

The Xenon150 is so called because it puts up to 150% more light on the road compared to a standard bulb without compromising operating life – making it, Ring says, the longest lasting +150% bulb on the market.

How does it pull off such a trick? By using the latest in filament technology, that’s how. The filament has been engineered to be shorter, with a tighter-wound coil to produce a brighter, whiter light output. When combined with 100% xenon gas in the glass envelope, the result is up to 150% more light on the road.

The Xenon150 also produces an 80-metre longer beam pattern, picking out other road users from further away and giving you more time to react to hazards. The light temperature is closer to daylight, too, at 3700K, thus providing better reflections from road markings and signs.

‘Development of the Xenon150 has been complex and is something that all those involved in the process at Ring are proud of,’ comments the company’s Vehicle Lighting Product Manager Matthew Flaherty. ‘We have engineered a brighter light that complies with all the legal regulations for light output, without compromising on operating life when compared to our other performance halogens.’

The Xenon150 bulb is is available in a choice of H4 and H7 references, making it a dead simple

plug-and-play replacement for your 4x4’s standard items – there’s no need to mess with the vehicle’s wiring, just bang them in there and blow away those winter blues.

Want to know more? Like, for example, where to get a set? The bright thing to do (we never tire of making that joke) would be to visit ringautomotive.com.

AIR DOWN WITHOUT FEAR FOR SNOWY ROADS RING MAKES MORE than just lights, too. The company’s RTC1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator is one of those things that do exactly what it says on the tin.

From zero to 35psi takes a mere two minutes, according to Ring. And it’s not just the act of inflation that it’s brisk at, either, as the big, clear digital screen makes it easy to command and as quick-set dial means you can get the process underway with speed rather than stress.

It comes complete with an LED light, which makes all the difference if you’re trying to inflate a soft tyre after dark (or ‘all the time,’ to use another word for winter). A 3.5-metre cable means that regardless of your vehicle’s size, it can remain plugged into its 12v socket while you sort out all four tyres. Then when you’ve finished, you simply pick the dust caps up from the inbuilt holder on the inflator, pack the cables and air line into the integrated storage compartment and carry on with your day.

What has all this got to do with winter motoring, you may ask yourself? Soft tyres can crop up at any time of year, after all. Well, yes, that’s true – but being that you’re a person who knows their off-roading, it won’t have escaped your notice that to make it up a snowy hill, the thing almost everyone forgets to do is…dump a load of air out of their tyres. You know, that?

The kit includes a storage case with a three-piece adaptor kit, spare valve caps and even a pair of latex gloves. The RTC1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator is available nationwide at a suggested retail price of £49.99 – to find out more, head to ringautomotive.com.

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RIL3900HP / REIL3900HP

MAGflex Pivot FLEX APPEAL RIL3700HP / REIL3700HP

MAGflex Utility READY FOR ANYTHING

RIL3600HP / REIL3600HP

MAGflex Twist THE GO TO

RIL4000 / REIL4000

MAGflex

MULTI ANGLE

RIL3400HP / REIL3400HP

MAGflex Arc

COMPACT & TOUGH

A Light For Every Job The Ring MAGflex range of Inspection Lamps As one of the first companies to pioneer LED inspection lamps for garages and workshops, Ring has a rich heritage and a strong reputation in workshop lighting. Bright, portable, rechargeable and resistant to oil, dirt and tough enough to withstand the knocks in a workshop, whatever the job.

Visit www.ringautomotive.com and find the right light for your job.

RUBL1000 / REUBL1000

MAGflex Under Bonnet EXTEND AND ADJUST

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MASAI 4X4: A WIDE RANGE OF EXCLUSIVE ENHANCEMENTS FOR YOUR DEFENDER – AND ALWAYS ORIGINAL QUALITY MASAI 4X4 OFFERS AN EXCLUSIVE RANGE of high-quality vehicle enhancement accessories and parts – mainly for the Land Rover Defender 90, 110 and 130. Roof racks, spare wheel carriers, panoramic and traditional windows, seat covers, side steps, rear steps, lamp guards, sporting

boxes, tree sliders and winch bumpers are just some of the many top-class products available through the company.

In addition to its accessory range, Masai also offers full Defender restoration and fitting services at its well equipped premises in Lichfield, Staffordshire. You can even wait in a

MASAI’S ROOF RACKS: THE PERFECT FIT, AT THE PERFECT PRICE!

visitor room with high-speed wi-fi, television and unlimited tea and coffee while its skilled technicians work on your vehicle.

In the words of Masai founder and owner Ferzan Kuman: ‘From a family tradition going back to 1953, you can be assured our designs, materials and engineering are of

the highest standards – built to last and Always Original Quality.’

Masai ships its products to customers all round the world.

A selection of those products are featured on these pages – and you can browse the company’s whole range by paying a visit to its website at www.masai4x4.com.

IMMACULATE PROTECTION FOR THE LOAD ON YOUR ROOFRACK MASAI’S ROOF RACK COVERS are the perfect way to protect and secure your luggage against tough weather conditions on long road and off-road trips. Made from heavy-duty 600-denier polyester, they are extremely hard-wearing, rip-proof and water-repellent, and they come fitted with straps for securing them to the structure of the roof rack below.

MASAI OFFERS VARIOUS ROOF RACK DESIGNS including Tubular, Flat and Luggage. The racks are designed to be the perfect fit on to your Defender, at an affordable price.

The roof racks are made from zinc-plated steel and black powdercoated. There is also an option of adding mountable LED Lights and a Rear Access Ladder to give a full effect.

THE ORIGINAL AND BEST PANORAMIC WINDOWS – FROM THE COMPANY THAT CREATED THEM MASAI IS THE ORIGINAL creator of its flagship Panoramic Tinted Windows for the Land Rover Defender 90 and 110.

Unique edge-to-edge tinted, toughened glass delivers a beautiful, minimalist appeal. The design delivers looks and performance all in one – modern, sleek and rugged.

Automotive glass, particularly bonded windows, are among Masai’s specialties. As well as Land Rover windows, the company produces a range of windows and side-opening camper style windows.

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MASAI’S TUBULAR BUMPER IS AS SLICK AS IT IS TOUGH MASAI’S TUBULAR WINCH BUMPER is designed to fit the Defender 90 and 110, with or without air-con, and to accommodate most of the winches on the market. It is manufactured from steel, zinc-plated for longlasting rust protection then powder coated in black. It will give your Defender a tough, rugged look.

AN EYE-CATCHING WAY TO KEEP YOUR DEFENDER’S CABIN TIDY MASAI’S SPORTING BOX AND REAR STORAGE DRAWERS are a fantastic buy if you need secure storage in your Defender and want to keep its interior looking tidy. The Sporting Box itself fits inside the rear internal floor space between the vehicle’s wheelarches and enables you to neatly store, protect and lock away items which you regularly or permanently keep stored in your vehicle.

Available in matte black, the unit comes with soft carpeting on the top and soft-close, smooth-running Accuride drawer runners capable of holding up to 120kg. These can be perfect for shooting season, vets or other medical professionals as well as a wide range of other uses.

WARRIOR BUMPER IS A STYLISH WAY TO MOUNT YOUR WINCH THE WARRIOR WINCH BUMPER is Masai’s secret weapon for your 90 or 110. Suitable for use with most winches, it has a zinc-plated steel base and comes in a three-piece kit, making it easy to assemble prior to fitting.

The Warrior bumper is available with a stylish black powder finish to its centre section, and it can also be painted to match your vehicle. Masai offers it with an optional steering guard, too – and if you choose the standard zinc-coated finish, you can get both parts painted to match your truck. Seldom can a hardcore off-road accessory ever have looked this smart!

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MASAI 4X4 has launched its new interior Trim Shop – bringing a new level of quality to your Land Rover’s cabin. Defender owners are now able to restore the interior of their 90 or 110 to pristine betterthan-new condition with Masai’s signature high-quality head lining and window interior trim products.

Head Linings

A common complaint for many Land Rover owners is when the vehicle’s head lining or roof lining begins to sag. The thermoplastic biscuit material used by Land Rover tends to absorb water, which can cause sagging over time.

Masai has the answer. To avoid the absorption of water, the company’s roof lining is made from special Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP). This also gives a much

greater degree of rigidity than the Land Rover original.

The roof lining is hand-crafted from high-quality Plush Suede-like material. it’s sold as a complete kit with fittings and comes in a choice of no less than nine colours: Alston (Black), Stornaway (Dark Grey), Silver (Light Grey), Coffee (Dark Brown), Cocoa (Medium Brown), Hazel (Light Brown), Honey Beige (Tan), Sandbank Beige (Sand) and Luna White (Ivory). Colourmatched sun-visor covers and Alpine window inserts are available as optional extras.

The Head Lining Kit includes: • Front Piece (For Defenders with a sunroof, the hole can be easily cut out) • Middle Piece with Alpine Window cutouts • Rear Piece • Telephone Piece • Pair of Sun Visor Covers (optional extra) • 20 x fir tree clips for fitting, to be pushed through the pre-made holes in the lining pieces into the existing holes in the roof of your Defender • Colour matched material covers for the fir tree clips

Internal Window Trims

Masai developed its internal window trim range to complement its head lining product, providing Defender 90 and 110 owners with access to the same high-quality upgrades for their Defender’s interior. Manufactured from high-quality Premium Suedette material and available in the same choice of nine colours as the head-linings, the Masai internal window trim range has been made to fit all models manufactured between

1985 and 2017. The range includes specific versions for the 110 and 90, to cover 200 Tdi, 300 Tdi, TD5 and Puma TDCi models.

Seat Covers

Masai craftsmen have created a range of seat covers to enable Defender owners to replace or upgrade worn out, torn and scruffy originals. The range includes specific versions for the 110 and 90, covering 200 Tdi, 300 Tdi , TD5 and Puma TDCi models.

Made from cruelty-free soft vinyl leatherette material, these hand-crafted seat covers come complete with rear map pockets (except on inward-facing seats) and, for additional comfort, a layer of foam covering. Seat covers are

available individually, as pairs or as a complete set. Additional options include covers for inward-facing seats, 60/40 seats, Deluxe and ‘Flute’ style covers with piping.

The covers come in a range of attractive colours – to view the choices on offer, pay a visit to www. masai4x4.com.

Fitting and Restoration Service

These new products are certain to appeal to Defender owners looking to breathe new life into their vehicles. If that’s you, don’t forget that Masai 4x4 also offers a comprehensive fitting and restoration service at its modern premises just north of Birmingham in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Masai’s Interior Trim Shop products are laser-cut by machine prior to being stitched together – meaning an unbeatable combination of 100% accuracy and hand-made quality is built in from the word go

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Land Rover Defender Upgrades & Accessories

www.masai4x4.com

HEAD LININGS & WINDOW TRIMS

Optional extras: - Alpine window inserts - Sun visor covers

/masai4x4

Hand crafted and covered in nine different colours.

Made from GRP & lined with a plush suede-like finish.

Alston (Black)

Stornaway (Dark Grey)

Defender 90 PUMA Silver (Light Grey)

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Luna White (Ivory)

Coffee (Dark Brown)

Cocoa (Medium Brown)

Hazel (Light Brown)

REPLACEMENT SEAT COVERS

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06/11/2019 10:43

future pr

If you liked the traditional Defender, you might not be so taken with the new one. Lots of companies are refurbishing old 90s and 110s to take advantage of the galloping demand for ‘real’ Land Rovers – but at JE MotorWorks, they’re doing it in their own special way…

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

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mages of the new Defender are all over the world wide web. But precious few people who are admirers of the old Defender have expressed their appreciation for what’s going to start coming out of Land Rover’s Slovakian factory in the very near future.

Of course, a lot can change in just a few years – just look at the Defender. One minute you’ve got a vehicle being made at Solihull that’s true to the heritage of the Green Oval, the next

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moment you haven’t. It’s a fickle business and governments are even worse. First they offer you incentives for lapping up diesel-powered motors, then the next moment, once you’ve taken the bait you’re being treated like a criminal for owning such a machine.

Taking all this into account is JE MotorWorks.

They aren’t blind to the fact that the new Defender isn’t really going to be for the traditional Defender customer and as a specialist in what

powers Green Ovals, the company has decided to do something about it.

There are a number of reasons as to why production of the Defender was halted, although chiefly it’s because of EU legislation on vehicle emissions, which would mean a car that eats coal for sustenance isn’t likely to be given the thumbs up. The Defender’s archaic design also proved problematic, with its boxy shape giving it the drag coefficient of a shed.

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 12:00

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So what of JE MotorWorks’ iteration of the Defender, then? It looks just like an ordinary Puma Defender, with the same slab-sided shape and all the curves of a spade. Wonderful – that means it’s still the icon we love. However, there is one major difference here, and it’s found within the engine bay.

In order to make their ‘future-proof’ Defender, JE MotorWorks has sought to fit a modern four-cylinder petrol unit within the Land Rover.

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The idea is that everything we admire about the Defender remains, only there’s now a power unit up front helping the old shed keep pace with present day emissions and performance.

Sounds brilliant, although it won’t be so good if they’ve decided to lift the four-pot petrol from a Dacia. Not that there’s anything wrong with Dacias, but a Defender needs something with more guts. Something, for example, with a whiff of Mustang about it…

Yes, JE is renowned for its handiwork with V8 engines – just as the Ford Mustang is famous for having one. But that’s not what brings these two together in this instance. Offered in the latest Mustang is a 2.3-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost engine – and JE MotorWorks has taken this and adapted it to fit a Puma Defender.

Why this engine, though?

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Ford’s 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engine looks perfectly at home in the Defender – though holding on to a gear while the revs soar past 6000rpm is definitely a culture shock. The conversion is available with manual and automatic boxes, costing £17,160 and £27,000 respectively

with the option of a multi-speed automatic,’ explains JE MotorWorks chairman and chief engineer Jonathan Douglas.

‘We think the next generation of Defenders, had they continued, would have included a four-cylinder petrol, so we created the 2.3 GDiT package, making it fit and work as an upgrade – but this also effectively future-proofs the Defender.’

Hop inside the GDiT and it’s all very familiar, with the high seating position, a big naval ship steering wheel in front of you and a square slab of bonnet lying ahead of you. Turn the key to start the engine, though, and the familiarity comes to a stop.

Usually upon firing up a Defender you’re greeted by the familiar chatter of a diesel unit. But here, the motor settles down into a smoother hum. This is still a Defender, so it’s not like sitting in the back of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Nevertheless, it’s still an improvement in refinement.

We drove the manual version of JE’s GDiT Defender and the main thing that strikes you is its ability to rev. We’re so used to torquey diesels and changing up a gear long before we’ve clocked 4,000rpm that opening the taps on this

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EcoBoost 110 and watching the revs rise past 6,000rpm is both strange and thrilling.

As the engine was developed for the Mustang, naturally there is an element of sportiness to its power delivery, but this is not a sledgehammer like the Defender Works V8 – it’s usable power (286bhp if you must know) that delivers strong performance and a zingy edge.

The manual gearbox is the same Getrag unit that you get in any Puma, so you have to work to achieve a precision shift, which makes me think the Tiptronic auto JE will be offering may suit the petrol’s smoother personality.

JE MotorWorks is quoting £27,000 for the conversion with an auto gearbox and £17,160 for the GDiT package with a manual. This doesn’t include the money you spend on buying the Puma Defender as well, but then when you consider the price of a new Defender is unlikely to come in much below £45,000 (if at all), simply modernising the icon you still admire seems like a no-brainer to me.

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 12:00

Land Rover Defender engine conversions • LS3 and LS7 Chevrolet V8 • BMW 330d and 335d • Manual and automatic gearboxes

HAS YOUR LAND ROVER lost some of its former power and glory? A smart way to improve your Defender’s overall performance and take your motoring life to a new level is simply to replace its engine and transmission.

A new engine can give you a cleaner, faster, quieter and more comfortable driving experience as well as provide peace of mind. A new engine will also increase the value of your Defender.

We’ll work with you to put together a plan, be it a workhorse or leisure toy. We’ll lay out your new engine bay and interior and select the correct repower engine to suit your requirements.

We will give you a firm quote on the total price you will pay for the entire project. This amount will not change as long as you don’t change any of the specifications. As part of the installation process, we

custom-fabricate many of the components we use, including engine mounts, exhaust components and other mounts and brackets for transmission systems.

Any products we utilise to replace existing parts are premium motorsport grade products. We’ll never put anything in your Defender that is not designed to withstand the day to day use you’ll put it through.

Without the right transmissions and running gear, even great engines will not perform well. We’ll discuss your options with you, including the selection of appropriate transmissions, whether or not we will need to upgrade your shafts and differentials.

In the end, you will have the Defender of your dreams.You’ll be happier than you were the day you bought your Land Rover from the showroom and you won’t ever want to sell it.

As well as engine conversions we offer stainless steel custom exhausts, remapping, economy and power tuning, roll cages, welding, bespoke fabrication and alloy wheel repair

CONTACT 4x4 Fabrication Unit A3, Sandford Ind. Est, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 2AN 4X4fabrication@gmail.com T: 01948 841816 • M: 07712 721 138 Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am - 6pm • Saturday 9am - 12pm 4x4 Fabrication v2.indd 1

06/11/2019 13:42

ALTERNATIVE REALITY

Land Rovers are often referred to as a blank canvas for whatever you want to build. That’s not as often said about the Mk2 Range Rover, though – but here’s one that’s been turned into a work of art Heironymous Bosch would have been proud of…

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:58

D

o you remember sitting at school, drawing in the back of your exercise book instead of listening to whatever knowledge the teacher was trying to pass on? I do. You can never remember the knowledge, but you can remember the sketch.

I suspect many of us have drawn up the blueprints for what we perceived to be the best vehicle ever to exist in the back of an otherwise dull maths book. But it takes a certain type of person to stick with that idea and then reproduce it in full-scale glory decades later.

I’ll be honest and say I’m not sure whether or not Bryan Evans drew this particular invention in the back of his mathematics exercise book, but I imagine if he did, it would have been amongst many hundreds of thought-provoking designs.

From the moment I meet him, I can tell he is the sort of person who is never without a project. ‘The interior of the house is being renovated and we’ve just finished the kitchen,’ says Bryan. When he says we, he actually means I. ‘I’ve always been happy to get my hands dirty, ‘ Bryan explains.

Renovating the family home is one thing, but Bryan puts his practical approach to many other uses. Specifically when it comes to his hobbies, or in this case, making his ultimate Land Rover.

‘I used to work down at Sunseeker years ago, working on patterns and the moulds. So I’m used to practical work,’ explains Bryan. His experience with moulds and constructing the shape of a machine was vital in being able to realise his bespoke automotive conception.

As admirers of hard working vehicles, a trait that is at the heart of any traditional Land Rover, we can also appreciate the appeal of a pick-up truck – just like a Series III Hi-Cap or a Defender 110 Double Cab, for example. However, you might not think to build your own pick-up truck using the luxurious second-generation Range Rover as the base platform.

Anyone who has spent five minutes in the presence of, or in a conversation surrounding P38 Range Rovers, will mostly likely have heard some of the… difficulties these vehicles can bring to your doorstep. But Bryan, as you already know, is not one to shy away from a challenge.

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‘I fancied making a pick-up, but not for taking off-road – I just like driving them. In the past I’ve owned a couple of P38s, three Discoverys, along with Land Cruisers and an L200,’ shares Bryan.

‘I fancied another pick-up, but not an L200. The turning circle on them is terrible!’

While turning a P38 into a pick-up is never going to be straightforward, if you know you’re not using it for off-roading you may as well go for luxury. The P38 gives you that, as well as being a Land Rover – which makes all the difference.

Something else that can be a factor in DIY builds is price. Fortunately, P38s have depreciated so much so over the last 20 years that a nicely trimmed Mk2 Range Rover can be picked up for just a few thousand pounds.

Bryan did just that, and nearly four years ago he found a 4.6 V8 version finished in Blenheim Silver. He also got it for a very cheap price, as the vehicle was actually a cat D write-off following a bump in the back passenger door.

‘The guy I bought it off was also going to bobtail it, but it wouldn’t go into low range,’ tells Bryan. No matter – this wasn’t going to be heading off-road, although there were some features associated with a P38 that Bryan was keen to keep.

‘I kept it on the air suspension deliberately, as it’s what makes it a comfortable car. Plus, when people turn round and say, “You won’t get over speed bumps in that!” I can just raise it up to show them otherwise,’ smiles Bryan.

Initially, having bought the silver P38 and watched it sit on the drive a few months, Bryan swept it back into the garage and started his tinkering. Mechanically the pick-up would be the same underneath, but Bryan lengthened the back end by 12-16” to give more room in the bed.

This was all about having fun, and Bryan’s custom project began to take shape after he completed the moulds for his Rogue Rover. The body kit, incorporating the imprinted ‘intimidator’ motif, was built from scratch, along with the flared arches, which would provide shelter for the 35mm wheel spacers.

Bryan really was in the midst of constructing the type of sketches you see in a young boy’s sketchpad, playing around in the garage and

turning imagination into reality. As a young boy, I can tell you that many of my own sketches saw Impreza-style squares with wheels being drawn, often with a noticeable scoop on the bonnet… for added performance, obviously.

Bryan really has put a scoop on his P38 and it’s a functional one. There’s an extra cable on the throttle that opens the flaps on the intake to suck additional air into the airbox. A straightthrough pipe on the V8 means this pick-up also sounds considerably fruitier than your regular Jap equivalent. Note that the baffle stays in to keep things sociable.

‘It looks how I want it to,’ continues Bryan. ‘I can’t understand people who buy pick-ups and close the back in. That said, I would do a couple of things differently, like I wouldn’t have sealed the front bumper as it’s caused the paint to crack slightly.

‘The respray is the first one I’ve done, though, and it wasn’t too bad, even with the lacquer a little thin in places. Initially, even with the vehicle ready in primer, I was quoted about £2000 for the respray. So I thought I best just do it myself!’

Bryan’s pick-up isn’t the sort of vehicle that skips by unnoticed and his daughter was quick to stake a claim on it being her transport for the prom, along with a possible ticket to some local custom car meets.

Putting a project like this together has taken many hours, and a substantial amount of body filler and foam, plus some head-scratching when the challenge has become stubborn.

‘I think each bit had its own challenge,’ admits Bryan, ‘with the electrical side of things probably the worst. The LEDs fitted were working and passed on the physical check of the MOT, but the dash kept signalling that a bulb had gone.’

Issues aside, Bryan now has a self-built Range Rover imagined in his own way. The vehicle may not be to everyone’s taste, nor may it be what Land Rover they would pick to base their dream machine on – but crucially, it’s Bryan with the know-how and it’s he who can take a step back at the end of this and say, ‘Yeah, I did that!’

If you ask Bryan, he’ll tell you this project has given him job satisfaction. From where we’re sitting, he’s given himself dream satisfaction.

39 05/11/2019 11:58

camping When you want to enjoy camping with less of the hassle and more of the comfort, don’t just buy a caravan. Put another axle on your Land Rover and a caravan on its back instead…

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

L

and Rovers are born with adventure at the very heart of their personality.

But while they may be prepared for the most extreme conditions, as humans we can be a little fickle when it comes to the great outdoors.

As I currently look outside the window, I can see a bright blue sky and the odd cloud floating around, indicating that it would be an excellent time to be camping in the likes of the Lake District, Cornwall or the depths of Wales.

Just imagine sitting outside your perfectly erected tent, the sun pouring down with enough warmth to make a T-shirt the only requirement, but not so hot you could end up looking like a breathing bucket of overcooked KFC.

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:49

g it up

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 4pp Moutford 6x6 Camper.indd 41

41 05/11/2019 11:49

Scenes from a home-from-home… Kevin simply bought a caravan, stripped it of its fittings and reinstalled them in the huge box body on the back of his extended 110. It now contains a double bed, cooker, sink, wardrobe and full-sized fridge, as well as various overhead lockers. With the aid of a friend who’s a qualified joiner, the fit and finish is professional to a tee – if Land Rover had ever built anything like this as an OE conversion, this is what it would have looked like It’s a vision that’s all very well and idyllic, but the reality is that more often than not you’ll actually look like a madman who’s started a fight with a tent and is struggling to finish it – let alone win.

The rain will be bouncing off you like miniature

bombs and your family will be trying not to look you directly in the eyes whilst they spectate with interest from the rear seats of the Land Rover.

A caravan could be a better option, but then you’re either forced to pay site fees or tow the

thing around with you, which adds hours to any journey and frustrates everyone else on the roads.

It sounds hopeless. However, there is a solution.

If you take a leaf out of Kevin Mountford’s book, you may find the perfect answer. At the age

Just a few minor alterations to the 110's original drivetrain: a 300Tdi engine has gone in, complete with a four-speed ZF auto. Oh yes, and six-wheel drive…

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:49

Left: Kevin likes Raptor dashes so much, he reckons this is his third Below: A proper front door. Off a house. Wonderful… but where are the doorbell and letter box, eh?

of 70, Kevin is not as youthful as he once was, but his sense of adventure is still there, just as it is with his friend, April, who also happens to be 70 years young.

Both of them still enjoy exploring, but camping isn’t really going to cut it for this retired duo.

So a few years back, Kevin turned to his 110 for inspiration. It was originally a hardtop version and a relatively average machine.

‘The 110 was an automatic when I bought it, but had the old three-speed box,’ explains Kevin.

‘DLS fitted the 300Tdi and it now has the ZF four-speed auto instead.’

As useful as these changes may be, however, they’re not the main ones. What really made this Land Rover was the work carried out by Ian at Designa Chassis after Kevin commissioned him once again for what would be his fifth project.

‘The Defender and camping setup wasn’t really suitable, so the idea was to convert the Defender into a camper, meaning we could rock up wherever we fancy and be sipping on a cup of tea within five minutes,’ smiles Kevin.

Evidently, this is much more than just lobbing a duvet set in the back of the Landy. There’s an ex-

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 4pp Moutford 6x6 Camper.indd 43

tra axle for starters, along with genuine six-wheel drive, plus a whole house perched on the back of the Land Rover instead of just a hardtop.

You might think I’m exaggerating, but peer inside and you’ll find a full-size fridge, a wardrobe and cooker, a double bed that converts from the seating and dining area and all the storage you could ever need. It’s even got a proper front door!

‘All of the major work was undertaken by Designa Chassis. I wanted them to put the body on so it met all the required laws, as it had to have a DVSA check when it was modified,’ says Kevin.

‘Then me and my friend, Roy – who is a qualified joiner – we kitted it out by purchasing a caravan and taking out everything we needed from it.’

Kevin offset the cost by selling any of the caravan’s items he didn’t need, like the chassis, and the end result was an interior that only cost £225. An auto electrician was hired to make sure everything was wired up properly, while a Raptor Engineering dashboard takes care of organising all the necessary driving accessories inside the cabin.

‘It’s about the third Raptor dash I have had, as I keep changing my mind what I need on there!’ adds Kevin.

To cope with the extra weight, heavy-duty Extreme 4x4 suspension has been installed as well as air lockers at the front and rear.

And now Kevin and April have the finished article. Naturally, a 6x6 Land Rover will always look impressive, but this is a Green Oval capable of astounding on the inside, too.

Kevin continues, ‘We have friends over in Wales and we’d love to do a coastal run, starting where our friends are based and then circumnavigating the whole coastline of the British Isles.’

What a trip that would be. With Kevin’s Land Rover now primed for easy-going adventures, it’s surely only a question of when to take the trip rather than if.

5 05/11/2019 11:49

Tight Fit

What do you do when you’ve tuned your Defender’s Td5 engine as far as it will go but you’re still hungry for more? Why, you shoehorn in a 5.9-litre straightsix Cummins engine, of course!

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:56

E

ngine tuning is commonplace in the world of enthusiast motoring, but it’s even more natural to find it in the Land Rover fraternity when more power is often high up on the wish list of many owners.

Yes, we may be the butt of social media memes with clips of Green Oval machines being overtaken by snails and other notoriously sluggish sentient beings, however, we are no strangers to making the odd speed tweak.

The Defender is always a case in point. As fantastically brilliant off-road as they may be, when it comes to making progress on the open road, you’ll find that even the clouds above you appear to be moving at a quicker rate of knots. That is unless you encounter a Td5-propelled Land Rover and the type of motor that need only a sprinkle of remapping and a few twists of the spanner to get it ramped up and feeling a whole lot more purposeful out on the blacktop.

Daniel Levine knows all about turning up the wick on a Td5. The only issue is that last year he finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing more he could do and found himself

at a dead end. So, in which direction did Daniel choose to go next?

‘I went as far as I could with the Td5, so I thought I would give the Cummins engine a go,’ reveals Daniel. When Daniel says ‘giving it a go’, he actually means trying to squeeze a 5.9-litre straight-six diesel lump into a space that previously only housed a 2.5-litre five-cylinder power plant. There’s potential for head scratching here.

While the engine swap may sound ambitious, Daniel was spurred on in the knowledge that his brother is a motorsport engineer, plus there’s always someone else attempting to make your dream a reality elsewhere.

‘I took a bit of inspiration from the Cummins Facebook page, as a guy was doing one at the same time as us, although he was going further and taking the whole vehicle back to the chassis,’ continues Daniel. ‘Me and my brother were just dropping one in and trying to do the best job we could.’

Shoehorning a 6BTA Cummins engine into a Defender is always going to be like taking a canal boat through a lock: you’re going to need every

last millimetre. But then this isn’t just some lardy car engine.

The straight-six Cummins has been used in a number of applications over the years, most notably in the DAF lorries and the Dodge Ram between 1989 and 1998 (a 24-valve version replaced the 12-valve motor from hereon out).

It is therefore a very adaptable engine and relatively easy to come by, while the workhorse nature of the unit suits a truck like the Defender down to a tee.

‘The Cummins was always going to be less complicated than trying to place something like a Mercedes engine inside the vehicle,’ says Daniel.

‘You could tune it up quite a bit as well with plenty of parts to choose from in the States.

‘The size of it is one thing, but half the challenge of putting it in is just the sheer weight of it. We managed to get the engine, gearbox and transfer box in, all as one unit!’

That takes some doing. Imagine Luke Skywalker weaving his X-wing through the Death Star’s trenches and you start to get the picture. In order for the drivetrain to fit properly, the bulkhead

‘The Cummins was always going to be less complex than trying to place something like a Mercedes engine inside. You could tune it up quite a bit as well with plenty of parts to choose from in the States’ LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 3pp Levine Cummins 110.indd 45

45 05/11/2019 11:56

If the engine doesn’t knock your eyes out, the exhaust will certainly make you take a step backwards. As might the soundtrack – this is a working engine of the sort that was built to be used in medium-duty trucks rather than comparatively little things like Land Rovers, and when Daniel fires it up everyone in the immediate area knows about it. Under the bonnet, Dynamat is good stuff but it’s got its work cut out keeping this thing civilised had to be modified and the transmission tunnel has been custom-made for the enlarged organs.

Speaking of which, the Cummins is linked to a ZF S5-42 gearbox and a 1:1 transfer box so that the four-wheel drive capability remains. However, air solenoids have since replaced the high, low and diff lock selector and operate electronically from inside the cab.

That rear diff now incorporates an Ashcroft limited slip differential, too, with custom propshafts boasting heavy-duty UJs being made up to counter the difference in length.

Very little remains from the Td5 motor that preceded the Cummins transplant, although the radiator managed to survive. The engine is also running a reconditioned VE pump, 180hp injectors, refurbished HX35W turbocharger and an AlliSport intercooler. A Clutchfix HD1 unit finds its way into the mix, alongside the upgraded pressure plate, which utilises the air assist from the original truck set-up.

And what is the end result?

‘You could feel the real difference when going up a hill, when you were in fourth or fifth and it would still pull you clear. Or when loaded up with the trailer and it just moves off like it’s not there,’ states Daniel. Low-down torque can be very useful, as we know, especially when you can call upon planetary quantities of the stuff.

Not bad for a first engine conversion then… actually this is Daniel’s first Land Rover full stop.

‘I always wanted a Defender, but the 110 is a lot more versatile than the 90, and it’s more stable for towing. It’s better for when you have a large dog, too…’ he adds. For Daniel, the flexibility of the 110 is one of the main things that stands out about the vehicle, and now the Cummins engine has merely added another string to this already bursting bow.

46 3pp Levine Cummins 110.indd 46

‘It’s more of a weekend machine and something you get out into the country with. I like that it can do anything you ask of it – it’s that combination of that engine and the versatility that appeals,’ says Daniel.

Cummins engines may be crude compared to some power plants out there, but we can all appreciate their honest workmanlike resolve.

Well, almost everyone…

‘My wife drove it once after it was done and vowed never to again,’ laughs Daniel. Some people just need a little more time to Cummins around to these motors…

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:57

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK DPS FOR ADS.indd 31

47 06/11/2019 09:45

Bringing it all If you’ve spotted the Magic Roundabout reference in the title of this article, you can award yourself a hundred points. But what Tom Kench brought home one fine day was a Land Rover named after a different character altogether. And it was a Land Rover with a very special place in his family’s hearts…

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

D

ecades ago, in the Kench household, one rule definitively signalled the coming of age. The rule was that as soon as you were tall enough to push the pedals all the way down, you learnt to drive.

For Tom Kench, this brings back memories of his dad, Joe, taking him down to a local green lane on the outskirts of Wolvey, Warwickshire, sitting on cushions in an old Series I Land Rover in an attempt to reach the pedals, but also experience the first sense of freedom.

‘I can remember it now, the smell of the hot mud on the exhaust wafting in through the canopy,’ recalls Tom. ‘Both Lucy (Tom’s sister) and I were taught how to drive down that lane.’

The Land Rover in question is the one pictured on these pages and it means a great deal to the

48 4pp Kench SI Zebedee.indd 48

Kench family. It was christened Zebedee because Tom’s mother owned a Series IIA many years ago that was called Florence.

The Series I, with its smaller frame, was called Zebedee and both are characters from a programme you may or may not remember – The Magic Roundabout.

Joe had owned a number of Land Rovers before Zebedee arrived back in the 1980s, but this Series I means more than all of them.

‘I’d been messing around with motors for a long time, but in the late ‘80s we started to rebuild Zebedee for the first time, with half a dozen guys helping me on the build in the back garden,’ shares Joe. ‘There’s a photograph of us all having to tip the Series I on its side to get it through the gap and out the garden when it was nearly complete,’ he smiles.

Zebedee’s first rebuild wasn’t what you’d call entirely conventional. A temporary wooden tailgate was placed on the back and seeing as the original bulkhead had predictably rotted away, Joe

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:40

back home…

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 4pp Kench SI Zebedee.indd 49

49 05/11/2019 11:40

Admit it. If you’d had the chance to learn to drive in a cabin like this, secretly you’d have loved it. Actually, it might not have been that much of a secret if the Land Rover was in this good a condition

employed the services of a local fabricator to come up with a replacement, although it didn’t possess the iconic vents letting air through in over the top of the dash.

Sadly, in 1991, circumstances forced a change of ownership for Zebedee and for a number of years the Series I was just a memory to the Kench clan.

However, back in 2006, Tom’s brother Dan happened to be driving past G.W.Motors near Nuneaton. A sorry but familiar sight caught his attention and after letting his brother know of his discovery, Tom made his way down to the garage and found Zebedee up for sale as spares or repairs – the wooden tailgate and unique bulk-

head being the distinguishing features easily giving Zebedee away to an old friend.

‘As soon as I saw Zebedee, I said to myself, “I’m having it”,’ explains Tom. ‘I hadn’t been married long and it was a bit like how my dad came to own the Land Rover, having married my mum not long beforehand.’

Life hadn’t been kind to Zebedee and the Land Rover was a shell of its former self. No one had wanted to buy the Land Rover either because of its unusual bulkhead. But now with the junior Kench holding the keys, Zebedee’s fortunes looked to be changing.

‘I slowly started to accumulate parts, including a IIA, Donna the Donor, for £500,’ explains Tom. Any salvageable parts were kept, but Donna mainly provided the engine, a 2.25 petrol. In November 2016, the second rebuild got underway at Bedworth Berts 4x4. At this point, Dad knew I owned Zebedee again, but he didn’t know what we were planning…’

The engine is a 2.25 petrol from a Series IIA which was bought for £500 as a donor car. As is the case with any good restoration, as many original parts as possible were made to go again, though that still left plenty of scope for new ones…

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:41

The Series I’s unusual bulkhead gave away the vehicle’s identity to Tom’s brother. The wooden tailgate is supposed to be temprary, but it’s looking pretty much like a fixture to us…

The following May, once work had been completed, Joe was escorted down to the lane where he had taught his children to drive and there before him stood a restored Zebedee for the second time.

‘We got him, we got him good,’ smiles Tom. ‘It was a bit of a family effort to keep it a surprise and get him down there, but it worked.’

Zebedee has been chopped and changed over the years, and was now more of a gentle hybrid.

A new front quarter was fitted and the axles came from an early Series II, but it has kept the wooden tailgate and bulkhead it was presented with all those years ago. So much for a temporary tailgate!

This Series I Land Rover now leads the life of Riley, taking Tom and Joe out for a nice cup of tea and slice of cake when Tom isn’t doing his bit with Zebedee at the odd charity event.

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‘The plan is to keep it so that my daughter will learn to drive in it, too,’ declares Tom. And if you ask Joe, there is no finer mule to learn in.

‘You’re sitting high up and having fun,’ states Joe. ‘It is driving, there’s no help. It’s your foot on the brake or the accelerator, there’s no gizmos.’

The lack of gizmos is just one of the many reasons why Zebedee found a place in this family many years ago. It has since been rebuilt, twice, and will continue to

be treasured by the Kench family for years to come, ready for when those tiny patters want to start taking their first strides to independence.

5 05/11/2019 11:41

Sleeping A Series IIA Dormobile may seem like an old-fashioned way of going on holiday.

But venture inside one of these clever conversions and you’ll soon discover that a Dormobile can be the perfect getaway vehicle for time out in the 21st Century, too WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

A

s winter sets in around the Northern Hemisphere, it’s difficult not to pine away for a warm desert island free from the headaches of traffic congestion, a stressful work life and people with the constant need to find the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot.

A desert island would be just great, only there’s little chance of you and your Land Rover being there together, which instantly makes it a less appealing paradise. However, there are, as you well know, many ways in which a person can combine their love of Land Rovers with their aspirations to travel.

It’s very easy to picture a Defender 110 with a roof rack on the top and a DIY home conversion having been crammed inside using all the plywood a B&Q can muster. But there is a vehicle out there that is better suited for the job

52 4pp Jeans IIA Dormobile.indd 52

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:09

Beauty

and has been transporting people to the wildest destinations they dare dream of for decades – even before the Defender arrived.

Behold the Land Rover Series IIA 109”, a vehicle that looks utilitarian, but not like your next overland and camping accomplice. However, if you take said 109” and let conversion specialists, Dormobile, work their magic, your budding travel companion will be transformed into a clever, compact and classic home-from-home.

And that’s what we have here. This particular model lies in the custardy of Simon Jeans, although the circumstances in which he came to be the Dormobile’s guardian is not a happy one.

‘The Dormobile was my brother’s, but unfortunately he passed away in February earlier this year,’ explains Simon. ‘He was an almost obsessive Land Rover enthusiast and lavished much time and money on the Dormobile.’

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That is something that becomes clear the more Simon shows me around this vintage traveller.

The Series IIA itself is a 1969 model, carrying the most powerful of the engines being offered in the 109” at that time, which was the 2.6-litre straight-six petrol engine.

Bought in 2008 by Simon’s brother, this is an original factory conversion completed by Dormobile and has had every effort spent on it to ensure its longevity into the future. The pop-up canvas roof

was replaced in 2011, the cylinder head has been overhauled by Cox and Turner Engineering, and we know all this because it appears that Simon’s

53 05/11/2019 11:09

The dashboard doesn't look much different to any other (really well preserved) Series IIA. But further back, the seating and living arrangements are definitely out of the ordinary brother was probably one of the most organised people you could meet.

Throughout his time as owner of the Dormobile, Simon’s brother documented virtually every detail regarding his treasured Land Rover. There are notebooks filled with entries, logging the journeys he went on, the mileages covered and even the cost of fuel when he filled up. The word ‘comprehensive’ is an understatement.

The Dormobile was christened Dreadnaught

by Simon’s brother, after the battleships, but has never sailed beyond the realms of the British Isles. In its 75,000-mile lifetime, the Land Rover has been from Brixham to Blackpool and strayed as far as Wales and Scotland. For many years, though, this Dormobile went by a different name and resided in the Isle of Man. That will be the reason behind the name, Manx, then.

Nevertheless, since his brother’s passing, Simon has looked towards Dreadnaught’s future,

searching for a new suitor and attempting to sell the vehicle on behalf of his brother’s wife.

‘I am not an enthusiast in the same way my brother was,’ says Simon. ‘I have a 1975 Porsche 911, which is actually my wife’s commuter car, and then I use a 300Tdi Defender for work.

‘It has a galvanised chassis, a Turner Engineering head and no electrics. For me, I want to keep same vehicle and keep it going for as long as possible. That Defender has 240k on it, but it will never depreciate.’

Simon, like his brother, is clearly in admiration of engineering from decades gone by, if not entirely of the same vehicles. The Defender is a good utility vehicle, but Simon would never go beyond that into the classic Series motors.

‘I’m more into tractors,’ he continues, ‘probably as I work on a farm!’

Growing up, with the likes of the TR6 and MGB V8, it’s no wonder Simon has a soft spot

for machines built in the ‘60s and ‘70s. As he rightfully acknowledges, the engineering was just starting to be refined, though, still simple by today’s standards.

Take the Dormobile, for instance. It’s full of clever mechanisms, such as the front seats that pivot forwards to make the backrest your seat base whilst facing inwards to the centre of the vehicle. It also manages to incorporate two bunks, a stove, table and sink, plus there are a number of upgrades Simon’s brother carried out to help it keep pace with the present day.

A heated front screen is something even few modern vehicles possess, whilst the front disc brake conversion aids stopping power and the split-charge system and additional leisure battery helps power everything else. There’s also an extra fuel tank and overdrive to make sure the Dormobile can travel long distances and with minimal effort.

‘I did 10 years in the Army with all the canvas etc, but now I want a B&B or a nice hotel!’

Interior flexibility knows no bounds in one of these vehicles. The beds might not match those in the Dorchester for comfort, but then you can't park the Dorchester under a blanket of Saharan stars or use it as a viewing platform while lions prowl around your camp site

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:09

Everything but the kitchen sink? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s got one of those, along with a two-ring burner and grill

‘I used to do a fair bit of sailing and the ergonomics on this Land Rover are better than most boats I’ve been in,’ says Simon. ‘If I had the spare money, I would buy the vehicle myself as an asset and store it as a classic. But I’m not really into camping – I did 10 years in the army with all the canvas etc, but now I want a B&B or nice hotel!’

For Simon’s brother, he made sure the Dormobile felt like home. It’s had personality thrust upon it, right down to the little reminders placed next to all the customised switches and buttons. And while Simon may not share the exact same taste as his brother when it comes to Land Rovers, they are both insistent

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on treating their vehicles with the utmost respect.

‘You look at it like you would with any plot of land, you’re a custodian,’ shares Simon, ‘don’t regret moving it on. It’s the same with classics – you’re just a custodian of them. You try and make sure that you move them on in a better or at least the same shape as when they arrived with you. And that’s exactly what my brother did.’

Dormobiles are not something you come across very often, with many of the conversions being undertaken back in the Sixties and Seventies when having a holiday in the UK was more popular. And for that purpose, they are fantastic machines, which could very easily be packed up and taken abroad to far-off lands.

For Simon’s brother, however, it was the perfect Land Rover in which

to explore the delighs of the UK. There will have been many fond memories, ranging from the heights of Scotland and the south coast of Britain, and they have all been instilled upon this 109” Land Rover.

As for Simon, he will hold his own memories for this Dormobile, not only as the clever vehicle it is, but also as a testament to the type of fanatic his brother was – a Land Rover owner of considerable pride, and a custodian that did justice to the role of guardian for this special Land Rover.

5 05/11/2019 11:09

Teenage Remember the car you always wanted as a teenager? Not all of us ever get to the point of owning our dream ride – but some people, like Steve Murfitt, definitely do.

It’s just not an everyday dream, that’s all…

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

I

n your earlier years, you’re subjected to a period in your life where any dream can appear to be in reach. You’re told that the world is your oyster and you can be whatever you want to be, whether that’s being an astronaut for NASA or a footballer for MUFC – you decide which acronym you want to be affiliated with.

For some of you reading these wise words, you may have picked up your love of Land Rovers from around this time of life. Some of you may have even dreamed of being a Land Rover yourself, with your parents struggling to make you understand that a human lives on fish fingers and greens, whereas a machine certainly does not. Put a cape on, though, and you can be Captain Underpants. I know him well.

Whatever superhero or machine you chose to morph into as a child, as a teenager you’ll have imagined what it would be like the first time you drive a Land Rover on the open road, fresh from securing your driving licence. It can be those early experiences with vehicles that shape the type of adult we will become and what passions we will derive pleasure from.

At the age of 15, a teenage boy may have a number of passions, as well as a desire to own a Land Rover. Steve Murfitt knows all about being seduced by the Green Oval charm as a teenager, and it’s part of the reason he now owns the rather unusual vehicle you see here.

‘When I left school at 15, I used to work for a guy and we drove round the country doing bits of work in it,’ tells Steve. When Steve says ‘it’, he isn’t actually referring to this exact Land Rover – but it did light the spark inside him to one day own a Series IIB Forward Control.

As an adolescent, Steve only experienced the nature of a IIB from the passenger seat. Today, however, now at the youthful age of 60, he rides in his own Forward Control and is the one responsible for where it’s headed. So is the grass always greener?

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:48

fantasy

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Some years ago, sitting on this side of the vehicle was merely a dream. But today Steve rules his own Series IIB from the right side of the vehicle, in both senses of the word. It’s taken a good few years, but a dream has been realised… sort of Steve confirms, ‘Now I’ve got mine, it’s not quite how I remember!’ He giggles to himself like a man who knew this might turn out to be the case. ‘Of course, back then I was a passenger in the truck and I wasn’t driving the thing.

‘The one we travelled in was a six-cylinder petrol, so it was faster than the model I have.’

Three engines were placed into the Series IIB over the years, with none of them establishing a reputation for neck-wrenching power.

But considering this was a real workhorse of a vehicle, it was something that was never of major concern.

Even so, Steve’s Forward Control is a relatively early 1963 version running on its original 2.25-litre diesel motor, the noisiest and least powerful of the engines offered in the IIB. So when you ask Steve to sum up how it feels to now drive his dream Land Rover, he has one word for you.

‘Slow,’ says Steve bluntly. He pauses for a moment. ‘I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s uncomfortable, because the 109” wheelbase helps it to ride okay. But certainly you don’t want to do any more than 40mph in it.’ I don’t press Steve on whether the reason is because that’s actually the IIB’s terminal velocity. It’s hardly going to cut through the air in a streamlined fashion, and that’s just another reason Steve, you and I like them.

Like all Series Land Rovers, the IIB ran on leaf springs – not very supple, but good any resilient for the serious business of transporting heavy loads from place to place. Forward Controls, naturally, were likely to see more hard work than anything else. The step on the front wheel is a classic cab-forward signature, though a steering damper does seem dangerously modern amid all this age-old engineering

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:48

‘At the time, I think what impressed me was that it looked like an amphibious vehicle. It wasn’t, but it at least looked like it could handle a puddle,’ says Steve in a very dry delivery. ‘I’d always wanted one, and it didn’t particularly matter which one. This one happened to be local to me, and it was only because of that that I went to have a look.’

As a teenager, Steve used to assist in using the Land Rover’s winch in order to lay down cables and pull them into position, just like the kind you see wrapped around humongous drums. It was a time when Land Rovers worked like Land Rovers should. And now Steve’s IIB is in need of a little work, too.

‘I wasn’t after one that had been restored or needed restoring – this one is pretty original and I didn’t mind the fact it wasn’t the tidiest,’ says Steve. ‘It wants to have a new chassis at some point, that’s the next big thing. I want it to be 100%, and would like to get the mechanicals just right; perhaps add power-steering to help me these days. I wouldn’t want to change the bodywork, though, because it is very straight and I’d like to keep the patina, as it’s part of its history.’

Okay, so the sensation of driving the Forward Control isn’t quite the same as winning vast riches on the Euromillions, but there’s a reason why Steve won’t be letting go of his very own golden ticket.

‘I’ve always had Land Rovers around me: Series Is, IIs, IIIs and Defenders. Right now I’ve only got the Forward Control and a Range Rover.

The problem is they are rather crude to live with and you can’t wait to get rid of them, but

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 4pp Murfitt.indd 59

when you do, you soon find yourself hankering for another!’

It may have taken 45 years to get hold of one and it may not be as perfect in person now that Steve enters the IIB from the other side – however, there comes a moment when every dream must be disturbed by reality.

For Steve, though, he is one of the few people out there that can say he owns his dream. He runs a vehicle he looked up to as a teenager and chased down his fantasy like an astronaut

rocketing towards Mars. That’s a reality worth waking up for.

5 05/11/2019 10:48

DEMOB HA

What’s the best vehicle Land Rover ever made? It’s a classic campfire question, and if you ask ten Landy enthusiasts you’ll get about twenty different answers. The military-spec Defender 90 Wolf, however, has a particularly strong claim to the title – because it ticks all the boxes for classic collectors and off-roaders alike WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:06

APPY

T

here are people who love anything with a Land Rover badge. There are others who used to love anything with a Land Rover badge, and who as a consequence now hate everything with a Land Rover badge that’s been made since early 2016.

And there are others, too. Those who aren’t part of the whole tribal thing – but to whom the charm and simple honesty of an old-school Land Rover engenders a fondness no other vehicle can match.

There’s no doubting the fact that more Land Rovers than ever before deserve to be seen as classics. But paradoxically, those are exactly the ones that and are still at their best when you’re using them off-road. Land Rover enthusiasts never wanted their vehicles to turn into valuable classics – but the mechanical rawness and wonderful lack of frills that once saw them turn from working tools into treasured toys also gave them an emotional appeal that has long since started turning them from treasured toys into part of Britain’s heritage.

What this means is that their owners need to shoulder the responsibility of preserving them. If you owned a Picasso, you wouldn’t take it out of its frame and brighten up your garden by glueing the canvas to the side of your shed, would you?

Similarly, the days when people would cut up Series trucks and Mk1 Range Rovers to create DIY hybrids because they couldn’t afford a 90 are long gone.

Which is ironic, because these days 90s and 110s are probably less affordable than they’ve ever been before. Even those without any great

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history to them are worth a small fortune – and the rare and special ones, while they might not command quite the same money as a Picasso, now have a firmly established foothold on the classic car beanstalk.

These include an increasing number of the vehicles that left Solihull destined for the British Army. Another irony here is that these Land Rovers are often the most sought-after for their off-road prowess – and there’s no better example than the Wolf.

At this point, let’s introduce Wayne Wood. He left the forces in 2010, having previously served for 20 years in the Territorial Army. Military Land Rovers have always enjoyed their own following, often from ex-servicemen and women to whom they’re a reminder of happy times – and sure enough, Wayne remembers them being commonplace around the barracks.

The Wolf Wayne owns is an ex-Cyprus XD Wolf 90 GS, also known as a TUL. This stands for ‘Truck Utility Light’ – a ‘TUM’ designation says the vehicle is a 110, with the ‘Light’ exchanged for ‘Medium’.

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By no means was this his first foray into Land Rover ownership. But it was certainly a very special one.

‘Although I’ve had Land Rovers for years,’ says Wayne, ‘before I bought this I had been without one for a while and found myself wanting to get another. I was looking around and had narrowed it down to a short-wheelbase Defender, but most of the ones I was looking at in my price range were basket cases.

‘There were some ex-military ones around, though, so I started to look at them as an option. I spotted an advert for a Wolf 90 and went to have a look. It was low on mileage and had spent its entire working life in Cyprus, so it was going to be about as good as you could get rust-wise.’

Following a brief test drive on which Wayne effectively confirmed to himself that he’d be leaving with the Wolf, the only obstacle was the asking price. This was a little more than he wanted to pay – but the vehicle’s condition and exclusivity were such that Wayne figured it was worth the investment.

Only a limited number of Land Rovers were built under the Wolf programme. They had a raft of enhancements over the civilian equivalents, which has helped them earn the reputation among many enthusiasts of being the best Land Rovers ever made.

Wayne certainly believes so. ‘The chassis is stronger and uses thicker steel, the axles were upgraded and use a 24-spline shaft, plus there’s other areas that have been significantly beefed up like the wheels and suspension,’ he explains.

‘Having a 300Tdi engine is a bonus. Yes, there are limitations, like a Td5 unit is more tuneable – but I like it.

‘My Wolf is by far the most reliable Land Rover I’ve ever owned, too,’ he adds. ‘Other than having to change the power steering pump and renewing the exhaust with a stainless steel one, the rest has just been wear parts like the brakes and tyres.’

Wayne’s Wolf has also received a respray, and its owner was adamant about keeping the original pattern. Not that Wayne considers himself to be an owner in the traditional sense.

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:07

‘I see myself as a guardian of the vehicle rather than an owner,’ he says. ‘I think it’s the same philosophy that runs throughout the club I’m in (the Ex-Military Land Rover Association). It’s our job to preserve them and their history.’

If you look at the history of this particular Wolf, you’ll find it was used by the Military Training Wing on the Sovereign Base Area, situated in the North East of Cyprus. ‘It will have been used around the training grounds, much like you get on Salisbury Plain,’ says Wayne. ‘It’s a place where the Army can provide a broad range of military training and it will have given troops a hot environment in which to acclimatise for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

‘Lots of guys would stop off there before and after, with the latter being something they call “decompression” – allowing soldiers back from operations the chance to wind down before returning to a civilian environment by taking advantage of the local sports and adventure training amenities.’

When you consider what some of these Land Rovers have been through, and what they have enabled our fellow countrymen and women to do, it seems the least they deserve is to be well looked after. Used properly, for sure, but cared for too.

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And Wayne is exactly the type of guardian this Wolf deserves, because it’s his only vehicle – which means he has no choice but to look after it. ‘If I need to go to the shops, I take this.

If I need to do a bit of gardening work and load up a vehicle, it’s this. I’m careful where I park, of course, as any Defender owner is these days. But I really use it.

‘In my earlier career I used more HGVs. But as I moved up through the ranks, I was given my own Defender to run about in. I used regular Defenders for training and the Wolfs during operations.

‘I finished service in 2010 and bought the vehicle in 2012.

I’ve always liked Land Rovers; the functionality of them.

But the military versions go that step further. I’d say I’m big into them now, and more so now I’m out the military.

Walking around the base, you’d pass one and wouldn’t think

anything of it. Now I’m in the club, I’m more aware of their history.’

There was a time when this 90 would almost certainly have been heavily modified by some off-roader or other the moment it left the Army.

But in Wayne’s hands, it has remained true to its time in Cyprus.

‘There are no other plans for the vehicle.

Everything I wanted to do, like the respray, was done in the first couple of years of ownership.

Other than that, I just want to keep driving it – and looking after it.’

05/11/2019 11:07

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double bass

Monique Bass owns two Mk1 Discoverys. One is a 300,000-miler that proves how long-lived they can be – while the other is one of the best left on the road, and certainly one of the most special WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:36

I

t’s a fact of life that most of us will never own a car from new. Generally, most of us purchase vehicles with a few miles already on them – especially if the vehicle in question is a Land Rover built during the last decade and a half or so.

Back in the early 1990s, though, Land Rover’s prices were more… realistic, shall we say? The most expensive Range Rover, the Vogue LSE, cost about the same then as you’ll do on a mid-range Discovery Sport now.

Talking of Discoverys, though, back then Land Rover had just launched the first vehicle to bear this now-familiar name. Mechanically, it was just a 100” Defender with a more family-friendly body – but as it turned out, that was exactly what the 4x4-buying British public wanted. The Discovery’s reign at the top of the sales charts lasted so long it made that terrible old Bryan Adams song look like it wasn’t even trying.

Hard as it is to believe now, when it first came out the Discovery was only available as a threedoor. It didn’t take long, though, for Land Rover to realise that a five-door model was going to suit the needs of the many. Maybe the experience they’d had with a thing called the Range Rover could have tipped them off.

‘The many’ in this case includes Monique Bass, who took a definite shine to the Discovery when it first emerged. ‘I remember seeing the thennew Discovery on the transporters and thinking “aren’t they a lovely vehicle!” But the three-door was not practical enough for me.’

One person who was well aware of Monique’s fascination with Land Rovers and her admiration for the new Discovery was her father. As any father would, he took his daughter’s interests very seriously. Unfortunately, though, this is where the story becomes a little difficult to hear.

You see, previous to this Monique’s dad lost his sight during an operation and, as a result, he never had the chance to gaze upon the shape of the new Discovery.

Sadder still, he passed away not long afterwards. But before doing so, he asked Monique’s mother to buy her the Discovery she wanted. Clearly, Monique’s father always had her best interests at heart.

And so, in 1991, with the five-door Discovery still very new to the world, Monique’s mum made good on her promise and bought her what is now one of the finest first-generation Discoverys you’re ever likely to see.

At the time, dealers were still busy trying to promote the new five-door, and in doing so many would look at exploring different avenues to

help their offerings stand out from the crowd.

The Discovery that ended up with Monique is no ordinary D1, and that comes down to the coachwork done by Smacks of Chelmsford.

‘They were trying to make the Discovery more luxurious, so this one had all the leather and wood put in,’ explains Monique. Inside you can see the additional touches, typical of 1990s extravagance with strips of veneer along the dash and doors, while leather covers the seats in a tone synonymous with the early models of the Discovery.

‘I’d never owned a brand new car before, so I was not holding back – most of the options were ticked on the Discovery,’ smiles Monique.

There’s a whole raft of extras here, some coming from the showroom and others just tasteful

‘I remember seeing the then-new Discovery on the transporters and thinking “aren’t they a lovely vehicle!” But the three-door was not practical enough for me’

The Discovery dates from a time when dealers were commissioning one-off builds to draw attention to themselves.

Hence the wood trim around the cabin, and the exceptionally cool leather seats which, even today, still look like new

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accompaniments that a very proud owner has sourced herself.

The spotlights, deflectors, side steps and huge chrome bull bar are all add-ons, while a curious red switch located behind the diff lock lever engages an audible warning bleeper when the vehicle is reversing. Just ahead of it, the gearstick has a locker on it that keeps it pinned into reverse – an ingenious security device to deter marauding thieves.

All of this is the icing on the cake. But without a cake to ice in the first place, you’d just have a sugary mess. And with this being a five-door

Disco, it was exactly the car Monique had been looking for.

‘With it being more practical,’ she says, ‘it was ideal for transporting the kids, towing the caravan and heading over to France in. It’s the ultimate tow vehicle – if you want a car to do everything and to not get stuck, this is it.’

That makes it sound as if the the Discovery must have put in a substantial shift over the last 27 years. But truth be told, it has actually been used very sparingly. First, with just 43,000 miles on the clock, it must be one of the lowest mileage D1s around.

This will have helped contribute to keeping the vehicle in top condition, naturally – as we know how little can be left of a Mk1 Discovery if it’s on the receiving end of neglect. Monique says hers has never seen salt or snow, and it has certainly never been off-road to any extreme level. She’s also into her classic cars, see – so it’s no wonder she’s chosen to preserve this exclusive and pristine example of what is now a classic Land Rover.

‘What I love most is the shape – it’s so distinctive, with that stepped roof. When I ordered it, I was given the choice of black or red,

Ever seen a Tdi engine looking this clean? If you have, it was probably while you were installing it into a vehicle in the Land Rover factory

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:37

Above left: The red switch you see here operates an alarm to warn bystanders that the vehicle is reversing. You can just about see the gearstick lock to the right of this picture, too Above right: Monique was offered the choice of black or red when he ordered her Disco. Her reasoning was that black doesn’t go off with age… and black doesn’t date.’ See, these are the things that matter to people who don’t spend their lives with one hand on the transfer lever.

All the same, Monique does admit that back in the early 90s, her head could quite easily have been turned by a Range Rover. But the only diesel option at that point was the old VM unit Land Rover used to use, and ‘the petrol was a bit too juicy.’

As it is, Monique is well versed in the Tdi engine. Not just because this spotless Discovery boasts one of the cleanest 200Tdi units we’ve ever seen, but because she also has another Disco 1 that’s more of a workhorse. This one has recently passed the 300,000-mile mark, all of them on its original engine – if you service them properly, they really will go on forever.

On that subject, Monique’s husband has always been into Land Rovers – and, very conveniently, he runs a business servicing and restoring Green Oval machines.

4pp Bass.indd 69

‘When I first met my husband, back in 1978, he was always busy on a Land Rover,’ says Monique.

‘We got married and had a Series II shortly after.

Then when it came to having the Discovery, it felt like a natural progression. In those days it was like driving a Rolls-Royce after getting out of the Series II, though!’

She might keep it for special occasions these days, but you can bet that every time Monique steps into her Discovery, the memories come flooding back. So, is it a much-loved member of the family – or has it now crossed the line into being part of her classic car collection?

‘People are just starting to see the Discovery in a different light,’ is her opinion. ‘I’ve been showing my Disco for a while and that’s what I bring her out for more than anything now. I just don’t think there’s another car like it.

‘I will continue to show the Discovery, but if a museum came up and wanted to buy it from me, then I might consider it. Otherwise this

Discovery is going nowhere!’ Don’t go along with a wad of cash and tell her you want to turn it into a green laner, then…

Now we’re into an era where people are taking their Defenders back to original condition to cash in on their value as classics, the question we’re asking is whether the Discovery 1, rare though they now are in any sort of usable condition, could make a viable alternative as a project. What this one shows is that while that may be the case, the very best early Discos have already gone beyond the point Defenders are reaching now.

Make no mistake, this is a fine and exclusive vehicle. A Discovery 1 in this condition is a real rarity – because, of course, so is an owner willing to look after it this well. Monique’s truck demonstrates that if you treat these vehicles properly, they will continue to look as spectacular as ever – and keep on turning heads, just as it turned Monique’s back in 1991.

05/11/2019 10:37

A phase of

The Range Rover Classic is superb, especially in Vogue SE trim. Not all are the same, though – because around fifty vehicles were built before the 1989 model year changes came into play. Welcome to the world of the super-rare ‘Phase One’ Vogue SE… WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:44

life T

he Vogue SE incarnation of the great Range Rover Classic is a truly beautiful one. But in many ways, we British need to be thanking our American cousins for its existence.

Back in the mid-1980s, electronic fuel injection had allowed Land Rover to meet North American environmental legislation and reintroduce it to the market.

In terms of trim levels, there was already a high-spec Vogue model in production, but there was demand in North America for something even more luxurious. Enter the Vogue SE, with the latter standing for Special Equipment.

The model was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1988 and initially Land Rover didn’t have high expectations for the model.

Something must have worked, though, because before long the Vogue SE was also being made available in the UK. Setting itself apart from the regular rabble, the Vogue SE was equipped with air-conditioning, the ZF four-speed automatic gearbox, a power-slide sunroof, electric leather seats, additional soundproofing and a pinstripe coachline.

Significantly, the first versions also had American burr walnut incorporated into the doors, but not on the dashboard. Early Vogue SE models were also only available in Caspian Blue and Cypress Green.

Fast-forward to December 2017 and Steve Bosworth became the owner of the Cypress Green Vogue SE Range Rover you see here, albeit the car was in a slightly different condition 18 months ago.

‘I had two Range Rovers previously and felt like I had unfinished business with the blue ‘Phase Two’ Vogue SE I had before,’ says Steve. ‘When I saw this, I was just looking for a decent Range Rover that needed a little tarting up; something that would be a good project for me. I never really thought of it being anything special.’

The project quickly turned into a restoration.

And it was only then that Steve started to become aware of the fact this might not be just any old Vogue SE. Paul Gilbert of Aston Lodge Engineering was the man in charge of the restoration, while the

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engine was rebuilt by John Walters of Car Gas in Fenton and many of the new panels were ‘Easy-On’ zintec-coated replacements provided by Froggatt’s of Macclesfield.

But it was Paul who began to take the vehicle apart and discovered the first clues that this could be a Phase One Vogue SE. First, Steve’s Rangey has the LT230T transfer box, which was superceded by the chain-driven Borg Warner box when the 1989 MY Vogue SE was launched in October 1988.

Another feature that emerged only after the October update was the addition of the burr walnut on the dashboard, as well as on the door cards.

Steve’s Range Rover only has it on the doors…

Yet more evidence emerged as the restoration continued.

‘I hadn’t budgeted for an engine rebuild or the respraying of panels, but Land Rovers always manage to find a way of needing more funds,’ smiles Steve. The truth is that every panel barring the bonnet, roof and scuttle was resprayed – but when it came to finding the right colour, Paul struggled to get the Rover version of Cypress Green to match correctly.

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It was only when they sampled Jaguar’s version of Cypress Green that the old paintwork had a clear match. From October 1988, more colour options were added and the Land Rover paint shop started to use their own version of Cypress Green. But Vogue SEs built before had to settle for a Jaguar hand-me-down.

Many of the indicators that tell us this is a genuine Phase One Vogue SE would have been missed were it not for the fact Steve is a mechanical engineer by trade. This means he’s familiar with some of the coding frequently used in vehicle manufacturing.

‘There are markings in areas, such as ‘14E88’ behind the centre console, which indicates when that batch of parts was made,’ elaborates Steve. ‘I know from working at Bentley that in this instance those characters would mean the ‘E’ stands for month five and the ‘88’ would be the year. So May ’88 would have been when the centre console was produced.

‘It’s not unusual for pieces to be manufactured a few weeks before they are assembled with the vehicle. Given the Heritage Certificate states that

the car was completed on 17 August 1988, that would be more than feasible.’

The restoration itself was certainly a very extensive one, with the rear floor being chopped out and a new crossmember being fitted. The front inner wings were changed and rear arches replaced too, while this Vogue SE also received new footwells and rear quarter panels, with improved seals from Midlands-based Atkinson Bespoke Engineering.

This Vogue SE is now a very tidy machine. And while the refurbishment took more hours (and money) than anticipated, it’s a delightful machine that deserved to be given a new lease of life.

‘I’ve always loved Range Rovers and was lucky enough to have one at the age of 21 for a few years,’ continues Steve. ‘When I bought this, I was doing it more for me than anything else, but now knowing its history, it’s just an added bonus.’

A Classic Vogue SE is a wonderful machine. But with a bit of detective work and investigating, Steve now finds himself in an exclusive club, with the keys to a Vogue SE with added quirks, a captivating story and, most of all, a whole lot of appeal.

05/11/2019 11:44

25TH

ANNIVERSARY

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deal or no d There have been plenty of limited edition Range Rovers over the years, but none are as Unique as the one we have here – and none have carried such a price tag either…

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

O

wning something exclusive is part of what makes that object feel more special and in many ways better than comparable items.

I remember once owning a limited edition Xbox controller. It was red and when I held it in my hands I felt that bit more invincible while playing FIFA. I had a deep conviction that it made me a better player, which lasted right up until the four-year-old on the other side of the world lobbed me from the halfway line. The controller was no more.

An Xbox controller is one thing, but when it comes to a limited edition Range Rover, we’re lucky enough to have been (ironically) spoilt for choice over the years. Think of the

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likes of the Holland & Holland models, the CSK, or the 1992 LSE Range Rovers and each has emerged with bespoke features or sometimes just minor details to set themselves apart from the regular mush.

Each has been made in small numbers – that’s the point – but then surely the smaller the production quota, the better the machine?

If that’s the case, then theoretically what we’re looking at here is the best Range Rover ever made. And this unique Range Rover was once owned by a household name of the Nineties – Mr Noel Edmonds.

The Range Rover is now owned by Narveer Rai, a P38 fan who grew up dreaming of a Mk2 Range Rover. He now owns the most exclusive

one around and can shed more detail on this unusual and exceedingly rare machine.

Autobiography versions were available of the P38 from 1996 onwards, designed and engineered to be the most luxurious derivatives on sale. However, one particular Autobiography car was pulled to one side by Land Rover and used in a joint project with a company called Unique Technic as a prototype vehicle for new Autobiography features.

‘The car was a test pilot and designed to be the cream of the crop with regards to technology and automotive luxury,’ explains Nav. ‘The idea was that you could be anywhere in the world and you would still be able to communicate with anyone.’

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:46

o deal?

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Processing power wasn’t what it is today –back then, a super-cmputer was needed in the boot. But the point is that for its time, this was an incredibly advanced set-up – even with a laptop running (gasp) Windows 95. But with TVs, phones and VHS recorders, plus an early form of connectivity to the outside world, this was cutting-edge a couple of decades ago Here’s some background information you may find interesting. Unique Technic was a division of the Unique Group, formed by Noel Edmonds himself in 1985, and specialised in broadcasting systems. The division worked with Land Rover’s Special Vehicles branch to create a new breed of Autobiography P38, but with a price tag of £450,000, the project was deemed too expensive to be a realistic and marketable product.

‘The car was owned by Land Rover for the first 14 months of its life and then Noel Edmonds owned it after that,’ reveals Nav. ‘Whether he bought it or was given it by Land Rover is unclear. He was in his peak at that time, though.’

What started as an ordinary 4.6-litre V8 Range Rover quickly developed into a mobile office.

Originally the car was black, but was given the sky blue colourway and also police-spec fuel injectors and BECM (Body Electronic Control

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Module). The ‘Unique’ P38 gained a laptop, printer, fax machine and became the first car to carry onboard Internet. Yep, it wasn’t always this way kids.

‘It’s got an in-car phone and voice recognition, a reversing camera and security system – so it will record any thieves attempting to steal the vehicle, telling them to step away,’ continues Nav. ‘And to account for all the electrics, it has two extra batteries!’

Besides Nav appreciating the idea of Noel Edmonds receiving a text and video from the immobiliser system when someone is trying to steal his lavish Landy, its current owner is also a straight-up P38 fan.

‘It was the P38 that started it for me; that combination of ruggedness and luxury,’ explains Nav. ‘Everyone has their generation: some like two-door Range Rovers; some would covet the

CSK Range Rovers above all else. I like the P38, though, and it’s more authentic to the original than the diluted L322.

‘My uncle had an Autobiography in ’98, which was a British Racing Green colour, and then my dad had one when I was aged three.’

Having always wanted a nice P38 to call his own, Nav struck lucky on eBay of all places when he stumbled across this P38 – and fortunately for his wallet, the auction closed at a fraction of the original £450K price tag.

Some limited edition vehicles can be a bit lame. They can often just be a marketing ploy with no more than a different colour or wheel option dressed up as something much more.

Though with Nav’s one-off prototype Rangey, he not only has the exclusive P38 he’s been looking for, but also a vehicle with a fascinating backstory for good measure.

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:46

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20/03/2017 10:06

A Lifetime’s Achievement After a life spent in the Land Rover business, David Bowyer thought he’d put his expertise to use and finally get round to doing a project he’d always promised himself. It’s been well worth the wait…

WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

Y

ou know those jobs you’ve been meaning to do for, well, ever? Like putting up that shelf and starting that diet you harped on about as a New Year’s resolution? Imagine how smug you would feel if you could finish them all and marvel at your accomplishments.

There is one person out there, though, who knows what that feeling is like after completing his ‘ambition’. The man in question had dreamed

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:54

for many years of fully restoring and rebuilding a Tdi Land Rover 90 – but this isn’t any ordinary rebuild, dear reader.

Of course, it would be only right to let the man himself explain to you why that is. So away you go, David Bowyer.

‘Anything that hasn’t been galvanised on the Defender is stainless steel or has been sheradised, which is an old Black Country preservation method!’ smiles David. ‘The thought was there

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 6pp Bowyer 90.indd 79

five years ago, and it all started with a roll cage I bought at Billing. “What vehicle is it for?” they asked,’ says David. ‘I told them, “It will be for a special project… when I finally get round to it!”’

At the time of writing, David reckons the 90 may be about 98% complete (he’s been saying this for a while) and just has a few more bits and pieces to add.

It’s like eating out at one of those Chinese buffets. It starts so innocently until you get to

the point where you’re thinking, ‘Just one more prawn cracker… just one more spare rib…’ and then before you know it, all the staff are having to wrestle you to the ground for fear of being eaten out of business. No? Just me then.

We’ll get to the finishing touches later. And they’re worth the wait. But first, if you’re going to spend two and a half years rebuilding a vehicle, you need to make sure it’s the right one! For David, it had to be a Tdi 90.

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Above: More or less everything about the 90’s suspension was sourced from Gwyn Lewis 4x4. The vehicle rides on +2” Old Man Emu +2” springs and shocks, with relocation cones at the back, and the same company provided the heavy-duty propshafts, radius arms, cranked trailing links and A-frame you see here picked out in blue Below: More blue stuff, in the shape of a heavy-duty panhard rod. The axle itself contains a Detroit Truetrac – which, in combination with the Detroit Locker in the back, means the 90 can waltz over terrain like this (right) without churning up the ground, subjecting its halfshafts to nasty shock loads and, ultimately, not being able to make it

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:54

Reconditioned 300Tdi looks very much at home. It’s aided by a huge full-width intercooler from AlliSport, and those silicone hoses aren’t going to turn soft and floppy any time soon

‘Over the last few years, we’ve used a 2002 Td5 90 for the shows and towing trailers,’ explains David, who definitely knows his Land Rovers. ‘I don’t drive it too often and, as much as I like the vehicle, I don’t like the ECU-driven five-cylinder engine and its drive-by-wire throttle.

‘I like to feel the revs of the engine through the foot pedal – it’s much more gratifying!’

Things were less gratifying when David bought what he thought would be the perfect donor vehicle for the rebuild, only to find that after the

removal of much crud the vehicle’s chassis was beyond economical repair.

‘We found a 1993 200Tdi Hard Top in white, which was pretty filthy to say the least. We had to make a quick decision and unfortunately it was a little too quick,’ rues David.

On the positive side, having budgeted for a replacement galvanised chassis anyway, all was not lost – especially when you can call on the help of a couple of friends. Jonathan and Greg have been off-roading with David for years and when Jona-

than mentioned owning a genuine, unused, export Tdi chassis, everything started to fall into place.

Now there are lots of intricate and neat details around this vehicle, one of which is the enlarged holes running along the bottom of the main chassis rails created by a cone cutter. The idea here being that it lets sediment and other debris flow back out of the rails rather than clogging up the insides.

Because this vehicle uses a Td5 rear body as well, the rear tank carrier had to be welded into

‘We found a 1993 200Tdi Hard Top, which was pretty filthy to say the least. We had to make a quick decision and unfortunately it was a little too quick’

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05/11/2019 11:54

place in the middle. Naturally, the chassis was stripped before being hot-dip galvanised and hereby providing a brilliant futureproof platform.

While the Defender has been rebuilt to be as durable and long-lived as it can be – the galvanised bulkhead and steel cappings on the rear tub being a prime example – David’s 90 is first and foremost an off-roader. And, hell, it can really tackle the rough stuff!

‘A good friend, Gwyn Lewis, recommended and supplied ARB Old Man Emu +2in shock absorbers and springs to match, along with heavy-duty propshafts and Sumo bars,’ describes David. There’s a whole lot more under there, as you’ll see from the pictures, but essentially everything blue under the 90 is from Gwyn Lewis.

However, one (two, actually) of the star performers under the Defender has to be found hidden within it axles. While the guys at Ashcroft Transmissions were rebuilding the transfer box, David also sent them his two original diffs to let them work their magic.

‘They rebuilt them and fitted Detroit Truetracs, supplying us with front and rear heavy-duty halfshafts, CV joints and drive flanges to then fit once we got them back here,’ says David. Focusing on the Truetracs for a moment, these are torque-biasing limited-slip differentials and an alternative to diff lockers.

‘If one wheel gets light or lifts up, as much as 60% of the power can be transferred to the side with the grip,’ explains David.

There was an element of siding needed when deciding what Tdi engine to fit. The original engine was a 200Tdi, but now far beyond repair. While David still remained keen on a 200, Jonathan suggested a reconditioned 300Tdi unit where spares are more readily available, and you have the benefit of a smoother and more refined motor.

‘The fact he had a spare engine was a nice coincidence,’ smiles David. ‘So it was completely stripped and re-bored, the crankshaft and flywheel were rebalanced and Jonathan reassembled the engine fitting all new or refurbished components and completely rebuilt the head.’

A full-width AlliSport intercooler and radiator also provide some additional oomph while working with the installed boost pin.

That’s definitely a galvanised chassis. Rather than buying a new one, David used a genuine Land Rover unit sourced from a friend which was sent for hot-dipping once it had been prepped. It didn’t need much, although its drain holes have been enlarged to help prevent it from getting clogged with crud

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:55

The cabin is loaded with comms and navigation kit, mounted in custom dash housings from masters of the art Raptor Engineering. It does look a little like a Bond villain’s mobile command centre, but everything you see has a purpose ‘Being a virtually new engine, we had a new speedo fitted reading from zero miles,’ says David.

‘The first MOT was done with just five miles on the clock!’

It wasn’t just the speedo that was new inside, though. Around it is an interior tailored to David’s exact requirements.

The CB and amateur radio holder was designed by the man himself and built by Phil at Raptor Engineering. The voltage readout on the dash was provided by Roy at 4x4 Obsession, illustrating the outputs of the front and rear batteries plus that mighty G10 Goodwinch at the front.

It’s not just the vehicle on a two-inch lift either.

‘I was fortunate enough to obtain a pair of “take off” late-Puma heated seats,’ he recalls with a laugh. ‘And being short rather than tall, I installed

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 6pp Bowyer 90.indd 83

my driver’s seat on some spacers to give myself a two-inch lift!’

He’s got the seating position, he has the setup he wants with Memory Map, GPS and Terratrip all primed and ready for the moment he hits the lanes, and, with the seat box rubber soundproofing cover and one-piece heavy-duty floor and tunnel mat system from Wright Off-Road, David has the tranquillity around him to process all the mass of information coming at him.

Honestly, I don’t think I have ever met anyone quite so enthusiastic and passionate about off-roading. Even now as the wise and matured Mr Bowyer (I shan’t divulge his age), his eagerness to get out on the lanes is second to none. You don’t need a second guess to work out what he’ll do once it’s time to retire!

But what is it about Land Rovers that continues to get David so excited after all these years in the business?

‘They are so versatile,’ he enthuses. ‘You can drive them to work, tow a horsebox or caravan, tidy it up and go to a wedding and then do lots of serious off-roading in the mountains. And let’s hope the new Defender is the same!’

This is what David calls his tribute to 70 years of Land Rover. But it’s a tribute to David that he – and his friends – have created a Land Rover capable of seeing out another 70 years.

David wishes to thank Jonathan, Greg and Gwyn, along with many others, for helping him build his perfect vehicle. A bulletproof engine, trusty drivetrain and galvanised chassis… a great team effort!

83 05/11/2019 11:55

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85 06/11/2019 09:09

living it large

The Discovery was conceived as an adventure wagon, but people soon started buying them for work… then realising what great adventure wagons they were. That was when the modding started – and before long, the best Discos were showing even the Defender where to get off…

WORDS: GARY NOSKILL PICTURES: STEVE TAYLOR

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:41

T

he Discovery was conceived as a family vehicle for people with a sense of adventure – the forerunner of modernday SUVs, you could say. The difference is that being based on the Defender, you could actually have adventures in it.

Being based on the Defender meant the Disco 1 was also ideal as a workhorse – a fact that didn’t go unnoticed at Lode Lane, where the Special Vehicles department turned it into, among other things, a commercial van.

So how beautifully ironic that the people who bought them as workhorses started discovering (‘Discoverying’, should that be?) that their vans were also brilliant vehicles for going out in and having adventures.

Kevin Jukes already had a taste for off-roading when he bought his 1995 Discovery 300Tdi Commercial, thanks to the lifted, 33”-tyred Series IIA his dad ran at the time. But as a selfemployed builder, he intended to use it mainly as a work truck. ‘I thought I’d do the odd playday in it,’ he told us. ‘But I did more and more to it as time went on.’

His starting point was the Disco’s suspension, which he treated to a 2.5” lift using +2” DeCarbon shocks. This made room for a set of 33” tyres, and already he had himself a truck to

reckon with. ‘But I got bored after a couple of months. And then it went bigger, and I’ve just added and added.’

What did add? Well, height, mainly. As well as the +2.5” springs, the Disco now sports +2” spacers and a 1.25” body lift. So that puts it close to six inches taller than standard – before you take into account the extra lift provided by

the 37” tyres for which all this made room. Toss those into the mix, and you’ve got about ten. By anyone’s standards, this is one big Disco.

Big… and flexible, too. With tubular shock turrets and 6° caster-corrected lightweight radius arms up front, plus 2” drop shock mounts, dislocation cones and cranked trailing arms at the back, it’s definitely got the smarts to go with

When you’ve built a truck of this quality, you want to look after it. That’s what the heavy-duty steering guard and tubular winch bumper are doing. And so, in its own way, is the winch mounted on the latter. An awful lot of the Discovery 1s that have been turned into off-roaders were done so very roughly, and most have been scrapped as a result. But this one is proof that an extreme build needn’t be the end of a Disco’s life as a daily driver to be proud of

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 4pp Jukes.indd 87

87 05/11/2019 10:41

Between them, the springs and spacers you see here lift the Discovery by 4.5”. There’s another 1.25” in the body mounts, too. But it’s not just about height. The +2” shocks are mounted using tubular turrets up front and +2” drop brackets at the back, and there are 6° caster-corrected lightweight radius arms, cranked trailing arms, dislocation cones and extended bump stops all there to help the system articulate. Which it does, very effectively – to the point where Kevin told us he’s only ever had a wheel off the ground once

its size. Kevin told us he had only once ever lifted a wheel in it, though as that was on top of a hill with no trees anywhere nearby to break his fall if he rolled, it was ‘quite hairy.’ No wonder, with the vehicle’s centre of gravity hiked to the max and no roll cage. ‘It gets a bit scary on side slopes. But I’ve never been over…’

This is a good thing. ‘I don’t want to trash it,’ he told us. ‘I’ve got to use it. And I like my car.

I’ve spent a lot of time on it, so I don’t want to trash it.’

Now, if you’re the kind of person who thinks an old vehicle should be preserved forever the way it left the factory tracks, you’d think that taking a good Disco these days and building a similar project to this one qualifies as trashing it good and proper. And there are indeed many

projects that have taken sound old trucks and turned them into battered sheds. But if this one demonstrates anything, it’s that whatever you do, the important thing is to do it right.

It does of course help when you used to work as a mechanic, and it’s this background that allowed Kevin to do such a thorough and well presented job

‘I don’t want to trash it. I’ve got to use it. And I like my car. I’ve spent a lot of time on it, so I don’t want to trash it’ 88 4pp Jukes.indd 88

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:41

Left: One of the reasons why the Discovery 1 is still a great prospect is that a well maintained Tdi engine will go on forever. This 300Tdi unit has had a bigger intercooler, EGR delete and its turbo and fuel pump turned up, and it drives through a 1.4:1 transfer case and 4.11:1 diffs to make up for the gearing effect of the 37” tyres

on the vehicle. It didn’t sound like he was finished when we took these pictures, either: ‘I’ve been itching to put some Unimog axles on it, and 44” tyres.’

Or he could just buy a Unimog? ‘Land Rovers are simple enough,’ is his very definite view. ‘If something goes wrong, they’re pretty easy to fix, and they’re easy to tinker away with. And I like Discoverys – if I were going to change it I’d get another Discovery for my next project. It’s more comfortable than a 90, and you can get more in the back as well.’

4pp Jukes.indd 89

Now, when we spoke to Kevin about this vehicle, Defenders were still being made. In fact, Td5 Defenders were still just about being made, which shows you how long ago it was. Yet even then, with prices still a long way from rocketing to the level they’re at today, he had already spotted that a Disco can simply be a better idea.

So, could it be that a Discovery is simply a better idea than a Defender, quite apart from the ludicrous prices and absurdly high theft rates that make it such a bind to own the latter? Well, all things being equal a Disco might not be quite

as able in the most extreme situations, but it’ll be nicer in almost every other way. And if you’re still not sure, just consider the fact that people are forever going on about how the 100” Defender is the best vehicle Land Rover never made.

Food for thought? Maybe. But either way, this Disco is proof that if you want to build a really big off-roader with a Land Rover badge on it, the Defender isn’t the be-all and end-all. It might be the extreme one among the examples we’ve looked at here, but it’s still a very achievable truck – and a daily driver we’d all be proud of.

05/11/2019 10:41

First in Classic…

Back when there was nothing sacrilegeous about cutting up a Mk1 Range Rover, off-road conversions were ten a penny.

But it was still rare to see a full-bodied Rangey being used for comp safari racing. Judging by the results this one achieved, though, more people should have tried it…

WORDS: STEPHEN PELL PICTURES: PHIL MASTERS

Y

ou can imagine walking down a street like Drayton Gardens in Chelsea and being well and truly unsurprised to see the kerbs lined with Solihull’s flagship Range Rover. We can’t knock our beloved Land Rover for making a success of offering premium products for people with premium pay packets – but was that all the old Range Rovers were used for: a bit of

90 4pp Fletcher RR Racer.indd 90

kerbside candy and a driving position that helps you to feel elevated among other humans?

If we roll back the years, we can see that it wasn’t always like this. Range Rovers still respected the ethos of the original Green Oval-bearing machines and went about their business in much the same way, even if the Rangey was always meant to be the more luxurious market option.

Knowing what we know today makes this next vehicle something of a rarity. Built in the late Nineties, a time when Range Rovers were still used for things like racing, this Range Rover sets itself apart from the (at the time) regular hybrid and bobtail conversions being done.

What you’re looking at here is a full-bodied Range Rover that once competed and triumphed in the challenging French Tout-Terrain Rally

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 12:11

Championship – and when we say triumphed, we mean you’re looking at a class-winner.

Piloted by Dave Fletcher and his co-driver Marcus Healey, this Range Rover may carry a standard-sized body. But underneath, it is a long way from ordinary.

But firstly, if you haven’t come across Tout-Terrain before, pause and visualise a mini Paris-Dakar and you’ll be more or less there.

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This Range Rover was a production-class vehicle and Marcus claims one of its strengths to be that there wasn’t anything flash or complex about the way they put it together – instead, they used the best of everything from the Land Rover parts bin and maintained it scrupulously, so that breaking down was something it simply didn’t do.

With the invaluable backing of Kingsley Cross Country, it finished all but two events in its halcyon year; one of the failures was a minor mechanical glitch, the other the result of a broken chassis.

Said chassis was a more or less standard structure, strengthened in key points and fitted with the appropriate bracketry to accept doubled-up shock absorbers. These were a mixture of DeCarbon and Explorer Pro-Comp at the front and all Explorer Pro-Comp at the back – nothing scientific, just a leftover from the days before the team switched over from one brand to the other.

Suspension followed the original format, with the factory-standard A-frame used at the rear instead of the radius arms favoured by many racers from the period. The self-levelling unit went the way of so many self-levelling units before it, and front and rear anti-roll bars mean the

articulation-biased performance of the A-frame set-up was reined in a little.

Axles on race vehicles always take a tremendous amount of punishment, and it’s here that the team mixed and matched to greatest effect while building the Range Rover. In fact, they managed to turn their first front axle into a large effigy of a banana during their inaugural season, which saw them participate in four events in preparation for their triumphant year.

The replacement axle casing was from a Discovery, but containing 110 internals, a Quaife diff and KAM halfshafts – a combination that was never likely to let go, even in the face of the sort of provocation a racer gets every time it’s fired up.

It’s a similarly cherry-picked story at the back, where a standard Range Rover axle contained a Quaife diff and halfshafts from a V8 90. Once again, stub axles were from a 110. This is the kind of hidden spec that makes the difference between a good-looking truck and a potential race winner – if you don’t notice your axle components, it’s because they’re doing their job, but if you’ve not got them right you’ll spend half your life noticing that they need fixing again.

And why did a Range Rover need such bombproof axles? Simple: because it needed to cope

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Below left: Dave and Marcus weren’t after the ultimate in horsepower when they built the Range Rover, though a balanced, cross-bolted 5.0-litre Rover V8 prepareed by John Eales hardly counts as a weak link. Power output was somewhere on the fun side of 300bhp Below right: The fully internal roll cage was designed and constructed to meet the requirements of the FIA’s rally specifications of the time

with the power roared out by a 5.0-litre TVR engine that had been breathed on by John Eales and was chucking out usefully over 300bhp at full chat.

The 5.0-litre unit, which was best known for powering the TVR Griffith, has been described

as the ultimate development of the Rover V8.

The version in the Range Rover was cross-bolted and balanced, and breathed through the largest K&N air filter you could get.

Bolted to the engine was a standard fivespeed manual gearbox and 1:1.66 transfer case.

Something Dave noted about the French was that they didn’t do as much with their engines as with their gearboxes, whereas in Britain there was an almost obsessive drive for horsepower.

This isn’t totally the case with the Range Rover – there were vehicles out there developing

“The secret of its success was that it didn’t break. It didn’t break because its internal parts were checked regularly and changed when there was any doubt at all, on the basis that it was much more enjoyable to finish an event than break part-way through” 92 4pp Fletcher RR Racer.indd 92

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 12:11

The Range Rover’s axles contained 110 stub axles and Quaife diffs, as well as KAM halfshafts and the front and V8 90 units at the back. Suspenion used twinned shock absorbers all round – a mixture of DeCarbon and Explorer Pro-Comp at the front, and all Explorer Pro-Comp at the back. Most Range Rover based racecars of the era used front radius arms instead of the original A-frame at the back, but this one kept its factory equipment – albeit with front and rear anti-roll bars helping bring the body under control, and with the self-levelling unit rehoused in a friendly skip far more than 300bhp. But it struck a balance between having enough grunt to shift itself around a comp course without embarrassing anyone and not so much that only a massively tricked-out transmission would cope.

Things were kept simple when it came to braking, too. Standard discs were used allround, with 110 calipers gripping them at the front and Range Rover units doing the business at the back. They were helped in this task by the 205R16 Colway Diamonds, mounted on standard Discovery steel rims, on which the vehicle did all its racing. ‘They handled so much better than any other diamond-pattern tyre,’ says Marcus. ‘They still felt safe at a hundred

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miles per hour, and were almost as good as any other equivalent tyre for the not-so-arduous going as well.’

That comment alone should be enough to convince you that a quick-response steering system seemed like a good idea, hence the use of a 2:1 reduction box, giving the vehicle a mere two turns from lock to lock.

Should both the brakes and the steering have failed to do their job, Dave and Marcus could always have sought refuge in the FIA-spec internal roll cage. Elsewhere inside the vehicle, which was left-hand drive to suit French events, there were made-to-measure seats produced for the team and their sizeable frames.

‘The secret of its success was that it didn’t break,’ says Marcus proudly. ‘It didn’t break because its internal parts were checked regularly and changed when there was any doubt at all, on the basis that it was much more enjoyable to finish an event than break part-way through.’

These days the sort of events you’ll see Range Rovers roll up to are evening banquets at the palace, or expensive grouse shoots on bleak wastelands where trees and wildlife used to thrive. Dave and Marcus used theirs in an entirely different manner – and quite frankly, you can see why people say they don’t make them like they used to.

93 05/11/2019 12:11

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95 06/11/2019 13:03

Brake Time

Your Land Rover’s brakes are right in the firing line if you use it off-road. But they’re an item you don’t want to neglect – especially as renewing your discs and pads needn’t be a difficult job

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WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

t’s nice to be able to head out in your Land Rover and go for a drive from time-to-time. However, it’s even nicer when you have an efficient means of stopping. Yep, brakes are pretty integral to the driving experience, whether that be on your way to work, or if you find yourself pointing downwards on a technical green lane and not even low first will do.

But these are simple, everyday components that we consume frequently – how often have you had a Land Rover in for ‘new discs and pads’? Probably more times than you’ve washed the thing...

Either way, how difficult is it to actually replace these items yourself? And is there any great trick to carrying out the procedure safely and successfully?

Well, as usual, one place that can provide the answers is Marrion 4x4. In this instalment we take a Puma 110 Defender and give it a new set of pads on the front, and a change of discs, pads and calipers on the rear.

A basic, but essential procedure in the upkeep of any Land Rover, then.

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1: Begin by removing the tyre, followed by the small split pins that are found on the brake calipers 2: Later models also have connecting springs, which need to be taken off. Some doubt whether they actually do anything 3: Still on the caliper, you must now take off the main retaining pins for the brake pads – there are two for each caliper

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4: Changing pads can be done without taking off the caliper, but be gentle when easing the pads out of their holding 5: The pistons will now be exposed. If they don’t reset, through corrosion for example, then new calipers will be needed 6: If you’re changing more than just the pads, then move onto the discs. Clamp the brake fluid lines…

7: …so that when you then disconnect the brake union, you won’t have fluid flying everywhere 8: To get the caliper off, remove the two 13mm 12-pointed bolts located on the back. Ditch the old caliper if replacing 9: Undo the five 17mm bolts keeping the halfshaft in place, before extracting the halfshaft from the axle

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10: Once removed, you’ll notice the 52mm nut and washer that sits over the wheel bearing. Remove these items 11: These make up part of the enclosed unit behind the halfshaft, so keep the components uncontaminated 12: Extract the bearing and detach the hub from the stub axle 13: Just as the bearing and its surrounding parts must be kept free from debris, the stub axle should be given a clean, too

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14: Undo the five 14mm 12-pointer bolts holding the disc to the hub and release the ABS ring from the disc 15: There are five studs with 10mm nuts on them that shouldn’t have come out with the ring. But this is a Land Rover…

16: If this happens, separate the nuts and studs, clean them up, then apply Loctite on the tips to seal them back on

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17: Find the thread and ease in the studs, then (if you have one) use a stud driver from a puller set to fix them in place 18: Drop the new disc onto the hub and remove the pre-applied oil by using some brake cleaner. Tighten the five bolts 19: Place the ABS ring back into the recess…

20: …before returning the nuts to the studs and fitting the hub and disc assembly back onto the stub axle after cleaning 21: Apply some fresh grease to the bearing and return it to the axle along with the washer and nut

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22: Tighten it all up with a bearing socket 23: Flatten the edge of the locking nut onto the stub axle to stop the rotation 24: Clean the outer edge that meets the halfshaft and use sealant to help seal the unit when the halfshaft is reinstalled 25: Feed the halfshaft back into the axle – sometimes this may need slight adjustments until it aligns. Then tighten bolts 26: Tighten up any wheel spacers (if you’re using them) and place the new caliper back onto the disc 27: Reconnect the brake union nipple and tighten up the two bolts securing the caliper on the back 28: Slot in your new brake pads and return the retaining pins before refitting the split pins. Refit wheel and tyre. Torque up, and you’re done!

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‘How often have you had a Land Rover in for ‘new discs and pads’? Probably more times than you’ve washed the thing…’

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99 05/11/2019 12:03

OUR 4X4S: PROJECT 90

A stitch in time…

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Now is the time to think about making sure your 4x4 is in tip-top condition and ready for anything.

Actually, it’s always the time to think about that

ith winter in full swing, it’s a good time to be sure your 4x4 is ready for action. Not just because you want to be able to play in the snow (sorry, get out there and help your stricken fellow citizens to stay mobile in the snow), but because cold weather has a way of finding out any flaws in a vehicle. And the last thing you want is for your truck to throw a wobbly just when you need it most.

So if you haven’t treated your 4x4 to a service recently, it’s time. Even if it hasn’t done many miles since the last one, at the very least you should give it a thorough check-over before trusting in it to get you around when the weather closes in.

Even if you’re not a hardcore spanner man, these are the kind of checks that you’ll probably do yourself. The point at which you put your own tools down and book it in with the pros is of course down to you – but if those tools are still shiny from lack of use and you want to do

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something to put that right, learning how to keep your truck well maintained and running in tip-top condition is a very good place to start.

With this in mind, we took one of our two Td5-engined Land Rover Defender 90s (apologies for how flash that sounds) to Ashley 4x4 in Staffordshire, where they steered us through a routine service. As always, some of the jobs they did on it are model-specific, but equally the general business of servicing doesn’t vary much from car to car. And we figure that a Defender Td5 isn’t a bad vehicle to use as an example, for two godd reasons: one, it’s somewhere in the middle when it comes to modernity and ECU control, and two, lots of people have Td5 Defenders.

There’s a common perception that Land Rovers stopped being DIY-maintainable during the Tdi era.

And the Td5 came after that, so you can decide for yourself whether what you’re about to read makes you feel more or less like getting your hands dirty. But if you’re worried that the Td5 is

some sort of electronic monster, then fear not. A Td5 service is relatively straightforward, but for a few possible banana skins along the way. Providing you give yourself a spare morning or afternoon, you should be well on your way to self-servicing heaven. And again, much of what you read here will apply to whatever other make and/or model of 4x4 you happen to drive.

Like parts, for example. Using Genuine stuff can be expensive, but you can always turn to OEM equivalents or pattern parts. Obviously, the rarity of what you drive will have a bearing on what’s available, and equally obviously the fact that we’re looking at a Land Rover here means there’s a massive range of options for just about every part under the sun.

Scarcely any less obviously, this would be a good time to point out that buying el cheapo service parts whose quality you can’t be sure of (or whose quality you can be sure of, in that you can be sure it’s crap) is not the way forward. Cheap

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:59

Changing the air filter element is about as simple a job as you’re going to come across on a vehicle. Don’t be blase about it, though. See that the new element is seated properly, take care not to let anything fall into the intake pipe while the housing is open and be sure to do the clips back up correctly. Simple things make a world of a difference

doesn’t automatically mean nasty, just as spending big isn’t the same as spending wisely, but shopping smartly is shopping smartly in anyone’s language.

In the case of our Defender, we started with the easiest job in the world by fetching out the old air filter and replacing it with a new OEM part from Mann. Next came the oil filters – yes, that’s plural because on the Td5 you’ve got two of them.

The first of these is easily accessible, but needless to say the second is harder to get at. This is a nice bit of engineering design which Land Rover went on to reprise, and indeed hone to perfection, with the Discovery 3, whose body has to be removed to get at its timing belts.

Patience is the key here. Well, that and having the special wrench designed for this specific job.

And that’s a good lesson for whatever you drive: if

there are special tools required for any particular jobs you want to do, get them. It’ll always be a good investment, whereas bodging it is never a good anything.

When freeing off an old filter, always have some disposable paper towels or rags handy to soak up the small amount of oil you can’t help losing. And before that, when you free off the drain plug itself, be ready with a suitable container to catch the oil when it comes pouring out.

Two rules here. One, do try to use a container with a big enough capacity to take all the oil your engine holds. If this means actually checking what your 4x4’s handbook says and going out to get something specifically for the job, all well and good; either way, that old milk carton poking out of your bin won’t do.

The second rule is that you shouldn’t underestimate the pace with which the oil will erupt from your truck’s sump when you undo the drain plug.

If you’re waiting optimistically under there with some sort of narrow-necked little bottle, don’t be surprised when the grimy black stuff goes spurting right past it and all over the floor (or, if you’ve planned the job especially badly, your face). Much easier when the vehicle’s raised on a ramp, of course, but at the very least invest in a funnel. And more rags.

Another reason for knowing your truck’s oil caipacity is that with the old sumpo drained off and the new filter(s) in place, you need to fill it up again. Note we didn’t say to under-fill it, or indeed over-fill it. Both are bad things, so check your dipstick as you go. We know a chap who ended

The drain plugs on your axles’ diffs will be easy to get at. A visual check with a torch will normally be enough to show if the oil in there is in good condition. Top it up as necessary with EP90

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OUR 4X4S: PROJECT 90

Changing oil should be a straightforward job, albeit one which you need to do properly in order to avoid polluting your street, driveway or workshop floor with a small lake of grotty sumpo. We say it SHOULD be straightforward, but if you drive a Defender Td5 there are two filters to remove rather than the more usual one, and naturally one of them’s a pig to get at. Whatever you drive, anyway, make sure there’s adequate catch capacity ready for when you free off the drain plug, and be ready with a handful of rags to soak up the drips when the filter(s) come clear. Change the washer on the drain plug to ensure a good seal (what do you mean, ‘what washer on the drain plug?’), and refill with the correct quantity of the correct oil

up with a bit left in the carton after changing his oil, so he just poured in the rest as well on the assumption that you can’t have too much of a good thing, and a few miles later his cylinder head gasket gave him a painful lesson in just how much of a good thing you can indeed have.

Beyond this, an easy way to look at servicing is by a checklist. Because a lot of what it’s is about is

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simply checking the condition of various components and only changing them if they need it. Seals, bushes, bearings – a visual check will tell you all you need to know in many cases, and in the case of bushes a pry bar will help you see if they’re starting to let go. Look for fluid leaks and weeps, check moving parts to see that they’re moving freely, and with each wheel in turn jacked up, go in

search of play in the wheel bearings by trying to wobble them from top to bottom.

Your axles will need their respective differentials checking for oil, too. Release the plug in each diff and check the quality and level of the oil within. No action may be required on some inspections, but you want to have a nice clean oil swimming around in there. If you do need to pop

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 11:00

Compared to air and oil filters, fuel filters tend to be the poor relation when it comes to servicing. But dirty diesel won’t do your vehicle any good at all, so there’s pretty much no such thing as a replacement that wasn’t worth it.

If you don’t drive a Defender Td5, these pictures showing the filter housing behind the driver’s-side rear wheel being opened and the filter being changed won’t be directly relevant to you, but do note the use of the correct tool to loosen it off – which may take a bit of effort

a drop inside, you should fill the diff up until the oil starts seeping back out again. The diffs take a heavy gear oil, such as an EP90.

Finally, we move on to the fuel filter – which, on our 90, is located behind the offside rear tyre.

How easy it is to free off is pretty much proportional to how long it’s been there; you can often release it by hand, but if not you might need to get a clamping device or some grips on it.

With the new filter locked on and tightened up, now it’s time for something that’s definitely specific to Td5 Defenders. If you start the ignition and pump the throttle to the floor five times in quick succession, the engine will go into self-bleeding mode. This lasts for about ten minutes; once the hums and buzzes of the fuel lines dissipate, you’re good to go.

That’s the sort of knowledge that comes from a deep relationship with a brand, and it’s one of the reasons why Land Rover owners tend to trust their vehicles to proper specialists. Not every kind of 4x4 gives you that option without pinning you into the giantly expensive main agent network, but by and large there’ll be independents

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with expert knowledge of whatever you drive.

It’s just that with Land Rovers, there’s one in every town.

For DIY work, too, a benefit of following the Land Rover herd is that you can get service kits containing all you need to do the main regular jobs your vehicle needs. Once again, though, make sure that what you’re buying is up to the standard of parts your truck deserves. Getting all the filters you need in one handy box is convenient and cost-effective, but it won’t be either of those things if you have to start replacing them again next week.

The service we’ve described here is quite a basic one, albeit with more included than just the bog-standard oil and filter change. It’s up to you how much effort you want to put into checking things; obviously, a major service will require more time, parts, tools and knowledge, but the more you do, the more you’ll learn.

Knowing what common faults you should be watching for is a big one, for example. And it’s something that only comes with experience (even if that experience is someone else’s).

Ashley warned us about a couple of possible problem points you can face on a Td5, for example. ‘On the front of the cylinder head,’ he told us, ‘where the electric plug fits to the injector harness, sometimes oil can wick past and along the cables which can mean you need a new harness. If you pull the plug off the head and it’s full of oil, it’s more than likely that’ll be the solution.

‘Also keep an eye out for a wettish fuel look on the back of the cylinder head, where the fuel lines come up at the back of the engine. This could be a sign of the fuel regulator leaking.’ As we’ve already said, a big part of servicing is watching out for things that haven’t let go yet but are starting to show signs that they soon will.

Even if you don’t do your own spannering, indeed, doing a proper job of keeping on top of what’s going on is a very valuable first step in the direction of long-term health for your 4x4. In the meantime, thanks to Ashley 4x4 for looking after our 90 – if you’re in the Stafford area and drive a Land Rover, give them a call on 01785 243175 or visit www.ashley4x4.com and they’ll happily look after yours too.

103 05/11/2019 11:00

Sealing the Deal

Finding a leaky Land Rover isn’t anything new. But you still need to sort it – and when it’s the transfer box seal that has let go, it’s no five-minute fix

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WORDS AND PICTURES: MIKE TROTT

f you’ve never come across a leaking Land Rover, then you’ve never come across a Land Rover.

They are notorious for leaving their mark, but often its in more ways than one.

Of course, while we can all find it slightly endearing for a Land Rover to spill its heart out all over your driveway, it’s normally worthwhile trying to actually get to the bottom of the issue and work out why the thing is leaking in the first place. There can obviously be a whole list of potential problem areas, but the one we’re looking at this month with Marrion 4x4 is the transfer box seal on a Discovery 2.

Unfortunately, it’s the sort of thing that lies deep within the Disco’s undercarriage, so accessing the area in itself is more than half the battle.

But needs must. Step by step, you free up your passage through to the transfer box and then make the required replacement of the seal.

We followed Marrion 4x4 technician Ste as he tackled this task. It’s not a quick job, so if you’re going to have a go yourself, set a day aside beforehand.

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1: Before you start removing props and parts, you’ll need to take off the middle crossmember 2: Some jobs are interchangeable in terms of their order, but here we’re detaching the front prop from the transfer box 3: On the front you’ll find four 9/16” bolts whereas the rear prop has three 19mm units. Remove rear prop

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4: Next up, you need to undo the PH bolt holding the handbrake and then the four 15mm bolts. Cable tie out of the way 5: Now there’s two bolts on the centre box of the exhaust that need to come out. Push the box to one side 6: Three more bolts need to come out on the counterweight, then unclip the two connectors for the high-low linkage cable 7: Now loosen the bolts holding the gearbox in place, there’s two on the front, three on the rear and one stud on the top 8: The wiring loom needs disconnecting and the breather on top. Then remove the four transfer and gearbox mounts 9: Remember to drain the transfer box oil while its level. Sometimes the crossmember refuses to budge 10: Should the crossmember be stuck, warm the bolts with a blowtorch to help loosen them and prevent snapping

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11: Leave one bolt in the crossmember and pivot to one side. Then you can lower the transfer box from the output shaft 12: This here is your transfer box seal 13: Tap through slightly as to not knock the gears off

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14: The technique for tapping through as described in Step 13 is shown here 15: Then the locking tab needs to be taken off. See the outline around the two recesses 16: After giving both sides a quick clean with brake cleaner, install the new O-ring, apply RTV sealer and tap back in

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17: Place some additional sealer on the locking tab‌ 18: ‌before returning to its position and locking tight 19: For the final seal, pop it out, pop the new one in and tap in tight 20: Now we patch it back up. Drill through the crossmember threads with a fresh tap to clean the route for next time 21: Return transfer box to the output shaft 22: Return the bolts and the stud on the top, then clip back together the loom, breather and high-low linkage

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23: Put the transfer box mount back in place, along with its four bolts…

24: …followed by the four gearbox mount bolts 25: Relocate the front prop, position its four nuts and tighten. Then, return the counterweight for the handbrake and the three bolts 26: Link the exhaust back up and tighten the two bolts 27: Fill the transfer box with fresh EP90 oil until it overflows. This is much easier to do before the handbrake goes back 28: Put the handbrake back in position and secure with its four bolts, plus the cover and its one bolt 29: Relocate the rear prop and its bolts…

30: …followed by the front prop

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107 05/11/2019 12:07

Good vibrations Time for our 90 to pay its first visit to a workshop – so we can see what we really took on when we bought someone else’s modified off-roader

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hich should come first when you buy someone else’s already modified 4x4 – a session on the lanes, or a session in the workshop? Quite right, yes: how do you know what needs looking at if you don’t find out by going off to have some fun?

Having bought our 90 from a close friend who never cut corners in looking after it, that wasn’t

as foolhardy as it would be if we had picked up a battle-weary old motor from a stranger. Or indeed from a supposedly reputable motor trader, if the Nissan Patrol we looked at with a brand new MOT that same morning and bald tyres is anything to go by, but that’s another story. Anyway, that first session was a relatively gentle one on a few lanes in the Cotswolds, which the 90 took at an absolute stroll, but for us that meant a couple of lengthy stints on the road which are what we thought would be what showed up any issues.

There wasn’t a lot to report, to be honest. But a harsh vibration under load at

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05/11/2019 22:46

Above: This is what greeted us when we peered under the 90’s front end. The bolt-on diff guard had trapped a layer of wet mud against the axle case, and we all know how that’s going to end in the long term. We’ve always said that unless you’re involved in competitive off-roading or your actual life depends on it, looking where you’re going is worth all the armour in the world – obviously the belt-and-braces approach is to have armour and still pay attention, assuming you don’t mind the extra weight, and we might add more as time goes on. But for now, our priority was to protect the diff case from rusting out and if nothing else, it’ll look a lot less scabby… about 20mph seemed to point to a UJ with a bad attitude, and there was also the problem with the central locking which I mentioned last time out.

As far as I’m concerned, whoever in Land Rover decided it was a good idea to put such a thing on the Defender ought to be tarred and feathered, but when did a lifetime of woe for future owners ever stop a car maker from doing whatever it takes to shift units in the here and now?

Anyway, before we set off on any further laning missions, this time we reckoned a couple of hours in the workshop ought to be in order. So we booked the 90 in at Alldrive, a proper, traditional Land Rover specialist mear us who we know of

old, to get her up on the ramps and see what we were dealing with.

Which is where the fun starts. The main ramp in the workshop had a Discovery 3 on it, as so many ramps in so many workshops so often do, so they popped it on to their second one. Which lifted the truck, but didn’t think much of being asked to do so. Not normally a problem with 90s, the guys assured us, in a ‘how heavy is this thing?’ kind of a way.

The obvious answers are bumper, winch, roll cage and secondary fuel tank (which is always full, to the point where it leaks a little back out through its filler cap during hot weather). None

of these are what you’d call freakish items to have bolted on, which goes to show that it only takes a bit of modding to make a lot of a difference.

One other item which wouldn’t have made too much difference in the grand scheme of things was a bolt-on diff pan protector which looked like bad news the moment the 90 was finally in the air.

Not because we object to protecting our trucks’ soft bits (though all the metal in the world comes a distant second to actually paying attention to where you’re going), but because there was a layer of wet mud trapped between it and the axle case which no amount of pressure washing was ever going to shift fully. So bolt-on became bolt-off.

‘Out came three shims and that was it nice and snug again. Would that be enough to cure the vibration?

“It might be” was the promising answer…’

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Above: An initial examination of the props didn’t show anything amiss with the UJs, so off they came for a proper check – which also didn’t show anything. Back on they went with nothing more than a grease-up required Below: The nearside swivel was a bit loose, so out came three shims and it tightened up a treat Which brings us to the UJs. Off came both props for a proper check – which revealed that there was nothing wrong with them at all. The same went for the sliding joints, so all that was required was a grease-up and back on they went.

The hub bearings were fine too, however one of the swivels was a little loose, so out came three shims and that was it nice and snug again.

Would that be enough to cure the vibration? ‘It might be’ was the promising answer.

At some point during all this, the Editor had the genius idea of looking on his phone to see when the 90’s MOT was due. Because after all, we’ve only had it for five months now. Remarkably, it had exactly eleven days to run – and even more remarkably, the MOT station across the yard from Alldrive had a free slot there and then. So now it really was time to learn the truth.

And the truth, we’re very happy to report, is that boom, back she came with a fresh ticket bearing just the one advisory for a slight nick on one of the seatbelts. On a Defender with a dozen years under its belt and a history of off-road, you’ve got to be happy with that.

In fact, a quick check on the DVLA’s website shows that this 90 has never failed an MOT in its life, and this year’s advisory is only the second it’s ever had (or third, if you count both drag link ball joints as separate items). Which, even though it’s a low-miler, is pretty damn good for a Defender

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used mainly as an off-road toy. We’ve definitely got a good ‘un here.

A good ‘un, all the same, which still vibrates under load at around 20mph. We’re wondering about the engine now, which has an unknown chip

in it (not the Twisted original, for better or worse) and, we suspect, is delivering a little more power up top at the expense of a lot less torque down below. A session on the rollers awaits… after, us being us, some more sessions on the lanes.

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 22:46

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05/11/2018 00:10 13:53 06/11/2019

THE BEST-LAID PLANS…

You can plan your overland travels all you want – but the bits you remember best will be PICTURES: JENNY BRIGHT AND GAVIN LOWRIE

W

hen you set out to see the world on an offroad expedition, it stands to reason that there’ll be particular bits you’re most looking forward to. But the reality of it can sometimes turn out different.

Anticipation is a funny thing.

You can let it build up to the point where, when whatever it is you’re anticipating finally happens, it can

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those that happen spontaneously

Above: The train cemetery in Uyuni is almost as iconic as the Salar (bottom left) – if not quite as expansively huge Main picture: The Rainbow Mountains of Ausangate are aptly named, because not only are the painted in multi-coloured stripes, they’re up in the sky. Driving up this altitude is a proper low-box job

hardly help but be an anticlimax.

If there was a book called How to Get Through Adolescence For Boys, you’d find this under ‘Virginity Loss.’

And it can be the same with the bits of your travels you’re most looking forward to.

If you’re heading through Africa, the Great Rift Valley is sure to be on your A-list. Being dragged in to a bedouin’s tent for tea, or visiting an old guy in a back-street garage

who checks your tyre pressures by whacking them with an iron bar and gets them all right to within 1psi – these are the things that just happen, and that’s where the magic comes from.

If you were planning a trip through South America, Peru would most likely be a must-do.

More than Colombia, for most people. But for Jenny Bright and Gavin Lowrie, Columbia set the

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bar very, very high. It was the first port of call on a global expedition aboard Ruby, their Land Rover 110 and self-propelled home on wheels, and they were blown away by its landscapes, culture and, in particular, the welcome they received from its people.

By the time they crossed the border into Peru, they had also visited Ecuador and taken an excursion to the Galapagos Islands.

So the land of Macchu Picchu had a lot to live up to.

It had just under a month in which to impress the couple. And it started well.

‘Our top place was the Cordillera Blanca Mountains and the wonderful Laguna Parón, the largest lake in the range,’ says Jen. ‘We had a spectacular drive to reach Laguna Parón, with the dirt road leading to it consisting of multiple hairpin turns and heading through an enormous canyon with thousand metre high granite walls.

‘The Laguna sits at 4200 metres above sea level and it was simply breathtaking. The colour of the water was a turquoise blue and the surrounding mountains were like something out of a film. In fact, one of the mountains, Artesonraju, is the mountain depicted in the Paramount Pictures logo!’

An ideal spot for a bit of wild camping, then. That’s another of those magic moments you tend not to anticipate when you’re

planning a trip. You might talk airily of finding the perfect camping spot every night, or waft on about sleeping under the stars, but when it happens it just, well, happens.

But many other parts of Peru are capable of filling an art gallery in a heartbeat, too. The Paracas National Reserve, for example.

Encapsulating a vast coastal desert, with hues of sand capable of putting a pack of Crayola’s brightest in the shade, this beautiful expanse is true 4x4 territory. ‘We had a great time driving all over the desert,’ says Gav. ‘It stretched as far as the eye could see and we set up our wild camp overlooking a red, sandy beach with crashing waves.’

Another of those perfect moments you can’t really plan.

Following a boat tour around the Islas Ballestas, which are home to pelicans, sea lions and Peruvian boobies, and a visit to the Paracas Candelabro, a vast geoglyph carved into the rock rising from the coast overlooking Pisco Bay, Jen and Gav pointed Ruby towards Chauchilla – an ancient necropolis near the city of Nazca.

‘Chauchilla Cemetery is an eerily compelling place,’ says Jen, ‘notable for its open-pit graves where the bodies of the dead still sit where they were positioned centuries ago. Some remain complete skeletons, wrapped in shrouds, and all the skulls face east as Nazca tradition dictates.

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The Lagunas route is a serious bit of overlanding, with trails that need a good vehicle and a driver who knows what they're doing. The rewards are there for all to see, however – this is Laguna Blanco, one of several eye-poppingly beautiful mountain lakes along the way ‘It was a fascinating, if not slightly macabre place to set up camp.

Although we got an excellent night’s sleep because there was no one to disturb us – only the mummies in their graves nearby!’

Next up were the Rainbow Mountains of Ausangate, which are famous for their stunning stripy colours. This is low-range territory, with proper off-roading to be done as you climb into the peaks before negotiating valleys inhabited by herds of alpacas beneath the snowcapped peaks.

It all sounds like a fabulous tour of Peru. Except, wait… what

about Machu Picchu itself? This is of course one of the world’s most famous attractions for globetrotting travellers, and it was high on Jen and Gav’s list when they set off. But they couldn’t get there – something to do with strikes, which sounds a bit baffling but however it panned out, it wasn’t happening.

So the only thing for it was to keep going en route to Bolivia, the next destination on the itinerary.

As Jen and Gav left Peru after four weeks, how did it compared with Colombia and Ecuador?

‘To be honest, we preferred the previous countries,’ admits Gav.

‘The North of Peru was a vast expanse of desert and there was a lot of rubbish around. It also felt less welcoming and friendly than Colombia, although that was only our perception and the people were still great. It also felt like there was a lot more history in Peru, with all of the Inca and pre-Inca sites.’

So Peru was good. But Colombia was still the undefeated champ in their affections as the couple headed for Bolivia.

By now, with a good few months’ travelling under their belts, Jen and Gav had realised that trying to see absolutely everything isn’t the

best way to go about planning your time. Pick out your top priorities, slow down a touch and enjoy the experience.

‘We were happy to have a vehicle with four-wheel drive,’ says Jen, ‘but one that was a bit smaller than some of the huge trucks we had been seeing, as it meant we could access the narrower, winding mountain roads.

‘I think the only change we would have made at this point would be to have had the option of sleeping inside Ruby on occasion, as it restricted us in cities to having to find hostels or campgrounds on

Below: Mountain biking on the Death Road. No, we don’t know how it got its name either Right: On the subject of death, Cuachilla Cemetery is about as spooky an attraction as they come. Dating from the Nazca era, it’s populated by mummies like this – which have been sat there untouched for thousands of years

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05/11/2019 11:03

‘Flag Square’ is a colourful feature in the vastness of the Salar de Uyuni. If you’re a bit of a vexillologist (weren’t expecting us to say that, were you?), you’ll no doubt recognise several of these. But that there to the left, visible just above the Defender’s bonnet… that would be the flag of Yorkshire. Jen and Gav were pretty proud to have added this to the collection, as you would be

the outskirts. Plus, if the weather was bad we could not live or sleep inside, so had to call upon the awning on occasion.’

Jen and Gav’s itinerary gave them a month or so in Bolivia, just as it had in Peru. Their research suggested that they were going to find it a more deprived country than those they had travelled through previously, that good-

quality diesel would be harder to come by – and that they would likely see more regular roadblocks.

Sounds promising. But once again, it’s when you’re least expecting it that the good stuff happens.

‘We spent a few days in La Paz, which stands at an altitude of 3650 metres,’ recalls Jen. ‘And we really enjoyed ourselves.’

‘It gave us the opportunity to sort our vehicle insurance for the rest of the South American leg of our trip. But we also took in an excellent city tour and mountain biked down Death Road – our favourite highlight!

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‘Death Road was once named the world’s most dangerous road. We went with an excellent company called Extreme Downhill, and the bikes were in very good condition – with great brakes!’

These definitely got tested a few times, but having said that Jen turned out to be a bit of a daredevil on two wheels. She also forgot which side of the road she was meant to be on at one point, which was a little alarming for the Bolivian motorist coming the other way, and there was a scary moment when a couple of vultures swept across their path, almost sending

them down the hillside the wrong way – but it was all worth it for the glorious scenery during the 44-kilometre ride.

It was certainly a relief at the end, though. As was finally being able to get out of La Paz – not because there’s anything wrong with the place, but because they hit one of the many roadblocks they’d been warned about. Happily, after a polite discussion with the local rozzers, Ruby was pointed down a small off-road route that got her where she needed to be.

When we say small, it was actually thirty miles or so!

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Creeping back on to the hard salt crust after a bit of an incident involving gravity. When you get stuck on the Salar de Uyuni, you get really stuck. And really photographed, too, it would appear From here, Ruby’s destination was Salar de Uyuni – a truly iconic destination in the overlanding world. The world’s largest salt flat, this covers nearly 11,000 square kilometres – it’s a truly vast landscape whose thick crust of white salt is punctuated here and there by the occasional cactuscovered rock island.

‘We drove to a small place called Coqueza, on the north and quieter side of the Salar,’ says Jen. ‘It was a stunning environment with a colourful volcano behind it and the

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salt flats stretching out for miles in front of it.

‘There was also a small lagoon before the salt flats where flamingos grazed. This was our wild camp spot for the night – and again, we loved being able to camp in such a beautiful place.’

Driving on the salt flats themselves, where you can cruise along with nothing on the horizon for mile after mile, is a thoroughly surreal experience. Jen and Gav even stopped at the Palacio de Sal (salt hotel), which sounds like an

ideal resting place for the ‘seasoned’ traveller. Sorry…

‘We spent some time in the small town of Uyuni, where we met other overlanders who would journey with us on the off-road Lagunas route into Northern Chile,’ explains Gav. ‘But first, a few more nights

of wild camping on the Salar were needed – including an overnight stop at the train cemetery!’ As if this isn’t enough of a man-made marvel in such an astonishing natural landscape, there’s also a marker for the Dakar Rally – which since relocating from North Africa

05/11/2019 11:03

Recognise this? Artesonraju is the mountain you've seen depicted with a ring of stars around it at the start of every Paramount Pictures movie you've ever watched Above right: As camp sites go, they don’t get much better than this. Wild camping is one of the pleasures of overlanding – once you’re settled into it, happening upon the perfect spot makes for the perfect moment. See also below… has passed through the area on a regular basis.

From here, Jen and Gav’s journey took them via the challenging Lagunas route. ‘This is a 260-mile trail,’ says Gav, ‘and we would spend four nights completing it before reaching Laguna Colorado, a shallow salt lake where the water appears red due to the sediment and pigmentation of the algae. The mass population of flamingos also added to the vibrancy on display!’

The combination of off-road driving and stunning views is something you can read about in all the world’s guidebooks, and

it would be reason enough to look forward to any part of your journey. But once again, it was special because of what cropped up without any planning – the other overlanders who joined Jen, Gav and Ruby in tackling the route.

After Laguna Colorado came Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde – you can see how the route got its name! Beyond this, Jen, Gav and Ruby headed to Aduana, at an altitude of 5000 metres, ready for the crossing into Chile.

‘We’d spent more time at altitude in Bolivia and as a result it had been on the cooler side,’ says Jen. ‘The

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days were bright and sunny and the nights very cold, while the terrain was beautiful and the salt flats and Lagunas route were like nothing we had seen before.’

The delegation of duties was working well at this point, too – as it must if an expedition is to go smoothly. Jen and Gav both shared driving time, though Gav did take the lion’s share seeing as Jen was in charge of international relations…

And when she wasn’t working her charm on the local police, she would handle the campsite pot washing once Gav had put on his nightly cooking masterclass. We’re

not sure which of them was telling the story at this point…

What’s clear is that while Peru was great, but not quite as enchanting as Colombia, Bolivia was truly memorable. Missing out on Macchu Picchu was a downer in the former nation, but between its many geographical wonders and man-made squeaky-bum moments, Jen and Gav had an absolute ball in Bolivia. Yes, there are bits on any expedition that you most look forward to, and yes the Salar de Uyuni would surely be among them.

But it’s when you least expect it that the magic really happens…

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LIVING IN YOUR LAND ROVER

The realities of overland life can come as a shock. It can be hard – but that just makes it

WORDS AND PICTURES: NOEL AND MARILU PERIES

I

t’ll be amazing,’ they said. ‘The trip of a lifetime,’ they said.

Every day, we want to believe that driving through Africa in our 1991 Land Rover Defender is an incredible, oncein-a-lifetime experience. But the truth is that it doesn’t always feel like rainbows and butterflies. And at times, life on the road can be really, really hard.

But it’s exactly because it’s so very hard that the experience is also so amazingly rewarding.

Overlanding isn’t a holiday – which is why it really is an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Being prepared for what it’s going to be like won’t stop it from being hard at times. But it might help you understand that when the going

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gets tough, toughing it out is going to be worth it. So without further ado, here are some highs and lows we’ve discovered about living life on the road.

HIGH: Living in your 4x4 is a great conversation starter There’s no two ways about it: a good overland truck, especially a well travelled old Defender like our 110, Maggie, have character.

And by far our favourite part of travelling through Africa in a Land Rover is the people we meet along the way.

Living in a truck is a great way to start conversations with people from all walks of life: locals, tourists and fellow overlanders alike. When we first started our journey, we

LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:56

all the more rewarding

Whatever you drive, sooner or later it will break down.

Servicing is a routine part of life on the road, and even if you’re not a spanner man it won’t be long before you become one

were particularly amazed by how many people in the remotest parts of the world recognise and admire the Defender.

‘This is a strong vehicle!’ locals would often remark to us. ‘Have you really been to all these places?’ they ask, admiring Maggie’s many bumper stickers from destinations she’s visited with us and with previous owners.

The bonds in the overlanding community transcend marque loyalty, but we do also hear a lot of stories from fellow Land Rover

owners. There have even been a few occasions where we have been invited to stay with people who initially approached us just to admire our Defender. Looking back on these times, we often wonder if we would have as much fun in any other vehicle.

LOW: The breakdowns The Namib desert at sunset. The sandy backroads of the Okavango Delta. The outskirts of Tanzania’s Uluguru Mountains. We will forever remember travelling through these

beautiful places for their stunning scenery and majestic wildlife. But we’ll also remember them as places where Maggie has broken down and left us stranded!

It’s no good admiring the wildlife when the animals are seasoning you with salt and pepper. It’s moments like these when you wish you’d packed a few more spares – mechanical and underwear wise.

With more than 250,000 miles on the clock and seven expeditions through Africa since 1997, we have learnt the hard way to expect the odd breakdown. Thus far, the biggest expense of life on the road has been on parts and mechanics.

Many years of driving on poorly maintained roads has taken a toll on our Defender, and on our pockets.

Some breakdowns were worse than others. In the Namib desert, Maggie blew a hole in her engine block. We were devastated and off the road for six weeks. In the Okavango Delta, she had a loose connection on the starter motor, but we were back on the road the next day.

On a long road trip through remote areas, the location of the

breakdown is sometimes just as important as the type of breakdown itself. We’ve learnt the importance of remaining calm and working out logically how to potentially recover the situation.

Our first step is always to try to diagnose and fix the problem ourselves, if possible. Those not mechanically inclined (like us) will eventually become so after a few months. It doesn’t matter what you drive, how new it is or how old: it will happen.

But even with difficult breakdowns, we’ve learnt never to worry. No matter where you are in Africa, there is always a mechanic nearby who can work on classic trucks like our old Landy.

And where parts are scarce, they often have extraordinarily resourceful ways of fixing vehicles.

After breaking down in Tanzania, we were taken on the back of a motorbike to an engineer whose father had taught him to work on Land Rover Tdi engines. No pushrods in town? No problem. He made some for us right there in his shop, and we were back on the road within the week.

‘No pushrods in town? No problem. The mechanic made some for us right there in his workshop’ LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 4pp Living in your Land Rover.indd 119

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HIGH: Camping in magnificent places Some of our fondest memories from Africa have been the amazing places we’ve visited. And if there’s one thing we’ve learnt about travelling in this region, it’s that the most spectacular places are often the hardest to reach.

This is where living in a 4x4 makes all the difference – difficult terrain is where your truck really comes to life. After a long, tiring drive over rough terrain, there’s nothing better than being rewarded by incredible, unspoilt views.

Take Livingstonia, Malawi, for instance. After about 15 kilometres of steep, rocky 4x4 trail, our persistence paid off with a campsite offering stunning views over the Great Rift Valley and Lake Malawi.

Another amazing memory is driving the 32-kilometre 4x4only sandy coastal path in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South

Africa. After a day of dune driving, we reached our oasis, a camping spot on a beautiful stretch of beach, isolated but for a population of endangered sea turtles.

LOW: Patience is a necessary virtue After a year on the road in Africa, we’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve been stopped by traffic police. Needless to say, it’s usually not for speeding – Maggie’s 200Tdi diesel engine rarely takes her beyond 55mph, and even then only when travelling downhill with a tail wind.

Ask anyone who has travelled overland in Africa and they all say the same thing: traffic police find inventive ways of collecting fines.

Usually this involves searching vehicles for even the most minor violations of traffic laws.

Over the years, ‘violations’ for which we’ve been threatened with

fines include: not possessing a road map of the city we were driving through in Nigeria; not stopping at a broken traffic light in Botswana; and not having the correct pressure in our fire extinguisher in Malawi.

The two countries in which we have had the worst experiences with traffic police were Nigeria and Tanzania. In Nigeria, Maggie was impounded for a day by police who

It’s a cliche, but it’s a fact of life on the road in Africa that you’ll get constant hassle from cops on the hunt for bribes.

You need to learn to live with it and adapt yourself to minimise the bother it causes

‘In Nigeria, our Land Rover was impounded for a day by police who insisted we convert her from right-hand drive to left-hand drive!’

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 10:56

Great freiendships and experiences you'll never forget – these are the highs of overland travel. They do make the lows worth it… insisted we convert her from righthand drive to left-hand drive! This was despite having the law, and all the necessary documentation and import permits, on our side. With the help of a local lawyer we had met the previous day in a traffic jam, we managed to escape the situation without paying a bribe.

In Tanzania, we found police officers, who were stationed in nearly every town, using WhatsApp to enforce speed limits. Of course, we know that WhatsApp is not capable of recording the speed of passing vehicles – but try keeping your patience while explaining this to officers stationed every 10 kilometres on a 500-kilometre journey. Unable to tolerate this any longer, we learnt our lesson and headed for the back roads.

LOW: Getting dirty Keeping your vehicle and all your equipment clean is a constant chore, and a source of many arguments. Anyone who drives in Africa will know how difficult it can be to keep the dust out – and when your doors shut to leave gaps you can see daylight through, it doesn’t get any easier.

In dry environments especially, driving a Defender can often feel

like driving a Hoover through a sandstorm. In Namibia, where few roads are paved, a few hundred miles in Maggie left us wondering whether there was actually more sand in the cabin with us than in the rest of the Kalahari Desert.

Then there are our dirty bodies.

In hot temperatures, sweat and dust are horrible bed fellows. And when showers are few and far between, we’ve been forced to develop innovative ways of keeping clean.

To this end, we’ve found that a portable shower, a few packs of wet wipes and some sanitising gel can go a long way.

HIGH: Life-changing experiences For us, it was an act of significant courage to leave our London lives behind for the meagre comforts of a cook stove and a roof-top tent.

But after a year on the road, we can confidently say that the decision to take time off to travel through Africa was indeed a truly lifechanging experience.

Yes, of course, living in your vehicle can be challenging, and life on the road forces you to focus on the journey rather than the destination. But the most satisfying experiences we’ve had

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have come from the unexpected adventures and happenings that can crop up around any corner – not to mention the people we’ve met and places we’ve seen along the way that have left permanent impressions on us.

After Noel’s first overland journey through West and Southern Africa, we met and bonded over

our love of travel and adventure.

Two years later, we were married.

Five years later, we were back on the road again. That’s how addictive overlanding is – however hard it might be at times.

Follow more of Noel, Marilu and Maggie’s adventures through their blog at www.maggieinafrica.com

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LONG-RANGE ROVERING

London to Sudan, en route to Cape Town, aboard the first L322-era Range Rover ever to

WORDS AND PICTURES: RAYMOND AND NEREIDE GREAVES

About the Authors

Who are we? We’re Raymond and Nereide. Raymond spent six months living in South Africa way back in 1995 and has been fascinated by the continent ever since, returning many times and exploring several other African countries as well. Nereide had lived and worked in China prior to this trip, as well as jungle trekking in Borneo and Cambodia, but had hardly scratched the surface of Africa. For each of us in our own way, it was going to be a journey of discovery!

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ost people embarking on a drive through Africa quite sensibly opt for the toughest and simplest 4x4 they can find.

This usually means a Land Rover Defender or Toyota Landcruiser – but for us, the vehicle selected itself. In fact, it helped inspire the entire trip in the first place.

Having owned a modern (L322) Range Rover for several years, I was impressed with the depth of its engineering, the quality of its construction and its total reliability.

Having done some off-road training with Land Rover, I had also seen its eye-widening capabilities first hand.

So the desire to take our Rangie on a proper expedition grew.

Problem was, very few people had ever done anything like this – indeed, I could find no evidence of anyone taking an L322 across the length of Africa prior to our trip.

And the problem with being a bit of a pioneer is that you have to work everything out for yourself.

The upside, of course, was that it would be a vastly more comfortable means of covering big distances in the dark continent!

So I did as much research as I could on what does go wrong with these vehicles. I asked endless questions on online forums and grilled professionals in the parts and preparation industries – but turned up nothing that particularly put me off.

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take on the journey

I even downloaded the workshop manuals for the vehicle, which are a work of art. The description of the car’s systems runs to 777 pages of highly informative drawings, diagrams and explanations, while the service procedures manual and wiring diagrams alike cover more than 1000 pages. Yes, this car is terrifyingly complex – but the hardware seems to be up to the job in standard form.

So we decided to go for it.

Our itinerary was going to take us from London to Cape Town via an 18,000-mile route through

20 different countries, but having tried my hardest to put myself off doing it in the Range Rover I was convinced that with a really thorough service and the minimum of modifications and accessories, it would look after us.

The process of preparing the vehicle is described separately on these pages. Safe to say, a lot of work goes into getting ready for an expedition across Africa – but as we set off from London on 2 January, with the haziness of several New Year parties finally receding, it was with huge excitement.

Normally, driving 2000 miles across Europe in the middle of winter would be enough to dampen anyone’s spirits, but there wasn’t any chance of that. We travelled through France to Switzerland, where the thermometer never exceeded -3°, then took the Gottard Tunnel to the Italian side of the Alps. We encountered snow and heavy rain on the way south, with the temperature dropping to -9° at one point, stayed in the world’s worst hotel in Ancona and caught the ferry from Bari to Igoumenitsa in Greece.

From here we found ourselves on the most incredible motorway which soared straight up to 4000 feet through tunnel after tunnel, across viaduct after viaduct, amid stunning snow-capped mountains.

This took us the whole way to the Turkish border, which meant leaving the EU… and entering the world of frontier bureaucracy.

The tactic of blundering and smiling can get you so far. But when no-one speaks a word in common and you need your visas, it’s unlikely to be that far. We spent a while being passed back and forth between various officials, until finally we managed to find the visa office… and then at last we were able to head out on to what turned out to be rough, bumpy roads with rubbish piled up everywhere and donkeys and carts coming towards us on the wrong side. It all sounds very low-rent, and the whole scene was pretty depressing after the beautiful road across Greece, but

don’t be fooled into thinking Turkey is cheap – we found that diesel costs about 30% more than it does in the UK. Sensing our emotional low, and realising that our EU breakdown cover had expired as we crossed the border into Turkey, the Range Rover decided it also wanted some attention by displaying several expensive-sounding system failure messages on the dashboard.

Typical. Three years of ownership and 30,000 miles without so much as a blown fuse, and now this. We stopped, switched off, had a look around – everything seemed fine – and fired it back up. All clear! What was that all about…?

We stopped off in Istanbul, a city whose people turned out to be incredibly friendly and helpful.

A good example was the staff at our hotel, who managed to find a parking space right outside so they could keep an eye on the Rangie.

Not that Range Rovers are uncommon here. While exploring, we happened upon what we presumed must be Istanbul’s equivalent of Chelsea – where virtually every other car had a Land Rover badge on it. None of them had a roof tent or an extra spare wheel, though!

Leaving town, we clocked up a milestone for the trip – we crossed the Bosphorus and, in doing so, we had driven to Asia. But we weren’t stopping. We motored on for the next two days, through surprisingly mountainous terrain which led us

Impressively creative dust art in the Nile Valley. We’re pretty confident that the Arabic writing doesn’t just translate as ‘wash me’

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Turkish delights in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Including actual Turkish Delight – though the overwhelming friendliness of the people in the city was the most delightful thing of all to the Syrian border. It was cold again, and we were even driving through slush here and there – on roads which were extremely poor at the best of times.

Once in Syria, we had a dilemma.

Here we were in a country with an incredibly rich and ancient heritage, one with a strong claim to being considered the birthplace of civilisation. But our trip was all about Africa, and we only had so much time, so we wanted to cover as much ground as possible.

Approaching the Syrian border, we started to encounter mad shepherds herding sheep in the road and Toyota pickups with passengers and goods stacked precariously in the back. It certainly felt like we were in the developing world now – and the Syrian border post didn’t change that, dishing up a mixture of bureaucracy and mild intimidation which wasted a good part of the day but was at least handy practice for the notoriously difficult Egyptian border we’d be arriving at in a few days.

Syria appeared very rocky, arid and hostile at first. We passed a signpost showing how close we were to Iraq, which is quite

something to look back on now, but at the time we were just trying to survive on the road. We had a couple of hundred miles to cover and, thanks to our prolonged border crossing (and a dodgy kebab the night before, but the less said about that the better), night had fallen. With no markings, few signs and various beasts of burden wandering here and there, not to mention other drivers changing lanes at random, it was hairy to say the least. We were very grateful for the Range Rover’s brilliant xenon headlamps – not something we had anticipated when we were planning the trip, but a benefit of modern technology that was very clear in every sense of the word.

Just before Damascus, we caught up with another Land Rover from the UK. We flashed our lights at them and waved madly, then as we overtook they could see our GB plates and flashed back. There is definitely a sense of camaraderie among fellow countrymen so far away from Blighty, and all being aboard our 4x4s only adds to that.

The outskirts of Damascus are unlit and decrepit, and by the time we arrived we were absolutely

shattered. We hired a taxi to pilot us to the hotel we had booked into, a little six-roomed place in the Old City which turned out to be an absolute picture of opulence, all marble, pearl and velvet curtains.

We were very pleasantly surprised – as we were by the ultra-friendly nature of the Syrian people. The hotel’s night porter even paid our taxi driver, as we hadn’t thought to change any money at the border.

We wanted to continue to Petra the following day, which meant another 300-mile journey plus another border crossing, so we were determined not to fall into the trap of leaving late. However we also didn’t want to leave without filling up on diesel, knowing it could be a long way before we found another fuel station.

Good move, as it turned out. All cars in Damascus run on petrol, and without a patient helper from the hotel it might have taken even longer than the hour and a half we spent searching for a fuel station that sold diesel to go in trucks.

Filling up at 20p per litre would have been a satisfying experience, had the place not looked so dodgy (what exactly are we putting in our

tank…?) and had Syrian customs not foreseen this bonus for foreigners and already charged us $85 fuel tax at the border.

So there we were, leaving very late again. Add in another couple of hours spent filling in forms and being fleeced at the Jordanian border and we had made it – travelling south, at long last, which felt nice after what seemed like an eternity spent heading east.

And it was well worth it. Petra is an extraordinary place in which mankind has carved a city out of the soft, rose-tinged sandstone of a mountain range 4000 feet above sea level. A true wonder of the world – as was the fact that we managed to walk all the way to the top of the monastery dominating the top of the site, which stands another 1000 feet higher up.

The next day we caught the ferry across the Gulf of Aqaba into Egypt.

We could have driven round the coast, but this would have meant a transit through Israel – which would have had us barred from entering Sudan later in the trip.

The Jordanian exit process was easy enough (by our new, very low standards) and we boarded the

The city of Petra was hewn out of the soft sandstone rock of a rugged mountain range in what’s now Jordan. It was first settled by nomads; when Roman conquerors arrived some centuries later, they added geometric lines to the organic carving of its Arabic origins

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ferry, excited at the prospect of reaching our first African country but also slightly sweaty palmed at the thought of what the Egyptian border crossing would involve…

From reading other overlanders’ accounts of expeditions through Africa, the complexity of entering (and leaving) Egypt with a car comes up time and again. It can take up to four hours – yet there was no indication of this when we were able to clear passport control during the ferry crossing.

All good. But then we docked in Nuweiba and the fun started. Noone was allowed to disembark, for reasons that were less than obvious.

We sat there and the minutes ticked away and tempers started to simmer. After about 20 minutes, a noisy brawl broke out between two gentlemen, one from the ferry company, the other (we think) from Egyptian Immigration.

Eventually we did disembark, and groped our way into the customs and immigration clearance area.

This was a collection of crumbly old buildings filled with flies, smoke and bustling officials. There are no signs anywhere, so you have to go into each building to find out what it’s for then try to work out which order to do them in.

Highlights of the action included three separate visits to the bureau de change, as the fees we had to pay kept cleaning us out, walking to a distant hut to see some guy who was watching TV and being issued with temporary licence plates to put on the Range Rover. Only one of these things was an actual highlight. But it only took us two hours, after which we were free to go and fill up at another grotty fuel station whose truck pump dispensed stuff that looked like it was going to put our fuel filter to the test.

Our attempts to camp wild in the unspoilt Ras Mohammed National

Park were cut short when we were moved on by a group of gun-toting policemen. So the next day we did move on, all the way to Cairo – a journey punctuated by forked lightning, flash flooding, anarchic roadworks and food poisoning. Not the best of combinations.

We spent a week in Cairo, sorting the admin for the next part of the trip (principally visas for Sudan, a job which takes six weeks in London but just 24 hours here) and generally getting our breath back after covering such a massive mileage during the previous fortnight. We did the tourist thing and visited the pyramids, whose magnificence is in painful contrast to how badly they’re looked after.

There was rubbish lying around everywhere, and where there wasn’t rubbish there were thuggish, aggressive touts trying to bully money out of us. The enormous Khan El Khalili market by contrast is just fantastically insane, an overwhelming riot of noise, smells and colours.

From Cairo to Luxor is about 450 miles. Looking at it on the map, there seemed to be a good, big road the whole way – but thanks to a combination of check points, savage speed bumps and a neverending series of small but busy villages, we averaged just 30mph and ended up taking three days to get there. It was frustrating at first, but once you’ve learned to take these things in your stride and just relax into the rhythm of it, it stops getting on your nerves. Forgetting our western ways takes time, but it’s worth doing!

Overlanding is about learning, too, and travelling at this sort of pace lets you see what life is like.

We found that the Nile valley is incredibly lush; the land is cultivated for every imaginable fruit and vegetable, plus a huge amount of sugar cane.

Preparing the Vehicle

I decided to keep the Range Rover as standard as possible. This meant the prep work boiled down to three major elements: Servicing: We changed the engine, gearbox and differential oils and all filters, and attended to anything that looked like it might need attention, especially in the cooling, fuel and suspension systems. We replaced some bushes in the front suspension and fixed a leak in the air-conditioning system. We put a mesh guard in front of the intercooler radiator as it looked vulnerable to big stones, and we better shielded the wiring harnesses for the front height sensors.

Spares: It’s hard to know where to draw the line. You start with a wish list that approximates to virtually taking a second car with you, but then you have to get realistic. So the major bits I decided I couldn’t do without boiled down to…

• Alternator • Mass airflow meter • Diesel high pressure control valve • Track rod ends • Rear dampers • Two service kits (oil, fuel, air, pollen filters) • Accessory drive belt • Air-con compressor drive belt • Various fuses, relays etc • Hawkeye diagnostic tool for electronic maladies Accessories: It’s easy to go mad on accessories. But keeping the vehicle standard means dispensing with anything that’s not essential. This is what we felt we had to add…

• 19” wheels to fit Goodyear MTR tyres, plus two spares • Running boards and mud flaps removed for better ground clearance • Windows tinted to cut down on heat and prying eyes • Front lamp guards • Second deep-cycle battery and split-charging system • Fridge mounted in the rear • Hannibal roof rack and tent • Awning • External lighting, jerry cans, spade, tow ropes and shackles, air jack and 12-volt compressor Perhaps the most obvious omission in this list is a sump guard.

I wanted to fit a G4-spec unit, but these proved very difficult to find and hugely expensive. They’re extremely heavy, too. So in the end it was decided that basic ground clearance was good enough, especially with the air suspension in its off-road setting.

The one other thing we carried was of course a workshop manual (which needs a laptop to run these days) and a list of Land Rover service and parts agents across Africa. Add in some tools, WD40, duct tape, oils etc, and we were ready for anything!

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Getting Ready Preparing for an expedition like this takes an enormous amount of time. But doing so throughly is critical to a successful journey.

The key additional elements for us were paperwork, health and expedition equipment.

Paperwork: Sadly, travel in Africa is virtually synonymous with bureaucracy. But at least we were able to do most of the preparation in the UK, including getting almost all the visas we needed.

In addition to visas, we also needed yellow fever certificates, international driving licences and lots and lots of copies of our passports. And gold-plated travel insurance!

The most tedious bit is the paperwork for your car. You need the registration document and certificate of insurance – but your insurance is only operative in the EU. Normally, you would have to buy cover on every border, but before setting off we managed to get a Kenyan base policy and a ‘yellow card’, which covers the car for the rest of Africa. In addition, we got another policy to cover us for damage, fire and theft outside of the EU. That meant we still had to buy insurance on entering Turkey, Syria and Jordan.

You also a Carte Grise (international registration document) and the dreaded Carnet de Passage. This enables you to temporarily import your car into each country then re-export it on exit.

That wouldn’t be so bad, but you also have to leave a bond with your home motoring organisation (the RAC in our case) which has a value of several times that of your vehicle, which is only discharged when you bring the car back to the UK. The system is there to prevent people from avoiding import tax, but it’s an onerous rigmarole which for us was the single most expensive part of the entire trip.

Health: Africa has many inventive and unpleasant ways of making you ill. In reality, though, the biggest risks we faced were road accidents and malaria. For the latter we took Doxycycline: for the former we used our wits and common sense!

Before travelling, we were vaccinated against rabies, hepatitis A and B, typhoid, yellow fever and more. We also went on a first aid course and put together a comprehensive medical kit, as well as reading a fascinating book called Where there is no Doctor which, among other things, taught us how to sew someone back together with cotton thread…

Equipment: You start by planning to take the kitchen sink, but by the time reality has sunk in you’ve whittled it down to a list of essentials. We decided we really couldn’t do without the following items – and we did actually use them all…

• Sleeping bags • Folding camp chairs and table • Primus stove and cooking utensils • Emergency food (mainly chocolate, cake and more chocolate) • GPS unit preloaded with Track 4 Africa • Maps and travel guides • Camera gear • Comprehensive tool kit Route: Planning your route is of course essential, but so is the need to be flexible. We took the classic east coast route from Cairo to Cape Town, but to get to Africa in the first place we travelled to Egypt through Turkey, Syria and Jordan – something that has been impossible for much of the last decade.

Our plan was to take the ferry across Lake Nasser to Sudan then drive through the desert and into the Great Rift Valley via the Ethiopian highlands. We would then skirt the north of Lake Victoria on the way into Uganda and Rwanda, visit the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania and take a break on Zanzibar before crossing the Zambezi and passing through Botswana and Namibia en route for South Africa. We gave ourselves five months, and in that time we would cover some 18,000 miles and visit 20 countries. Easy!

Getting your vehicle into Egypt is a bureaucratic nightmare of legendary proportions. But at least you’re rewarded with a nice set of temporary licence plates Much of this cultivation is still done using traditional methods. Life doesn’t appear to have changed much since the 19th Century – fields are ploughed by oxen, loads are hauled by donkeys and the people live in barely developed towns. We somehow expected Egypt to be more modern.

We also learnt that Egyptian drivers really do believe they are immortal. Our biggest scare came when someone swerved out to overtake a car that was overtaking another car – just as we were moving into the middle of the road to avoid a pot hole the size of a VW Golf. There was just enough space to swerve violently away from the impending head-on crash then back again, tyres howling in protest, to avoid the hole that would have caused certain damage to the car.

Another striking feature of the Nile Valley is how close you are to the desert. It’s lush and green, but only within a few hundred yards of the river itself – beyond that, you’re into sand and rock. There are 80 million people in Egypt, of whom 12 million live in Cairo – most of the rest are crammed into these narrow strips of fertile land either side of the nation’s one big river.

Actually, maybe they’re not.

Maybe they’re all crammed into Luxor, swarming around tourists demanding money.

It’s all such a shame. Luxor abounds with spectacular temples and tombs containing hieroglyphic carvings and ornate paintings, and the artwork you find inside them is absolutely exquisite. But the relentless hustling began before we’d even arrived, with taxi drivers fighting over us aboard the ferry across the Nile to the Valley of the Kings, and even the curator at the main entrance to the Valley of the Kings wanted cash for simply pointing out the ticket office to us.

The hustling is official, too. There are rules forbidding you from taking cameras into the tombs, even without flash, obviously to force people into buying the expensive books on sale around the place, and this tactic was also used in the otherwise very fine Luxor Museum.

The worst moment, though, was when we noticed a tout with a gun warning others away from his flock of American tourists. Watching closer still, we saw a book trader approach him with a sum of cash.

The trader was then allowed to buzz around the tourists selling

Will you make the joke about speed humps, or shall I?

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Two very different forms of public transport – the barge that carried the Range Rover across Lake Nasser (above), and one of the many ancient Land Rovers that serve as taxis in Wadi Halfa. Below, Range Rover plus new friends prepare to venture out into the Sudanese desert poor quality books of the tombs.

Such a priceless, unique bridge back to the ancient history of civilisation, and this is what they do with it.

We were delighted to discover that Aswan is a much more laid back place than Luxor, not least because this was where we had to concentrate on getting ready for Sudan. We stocked up on supplies at the market, filled our jerry cans with drinking water and laid in a supply of cigarettes for ‘rewarding’ officials, then settled down for the best part of a whole day’s bureaucracy to get out of Egypt.

Getting to Sudan involved an 18-hour ferry journey to Wadi Halfa, with the Range Rover travelling separately on a barge due to arrive the following day. To get a ferry ticket, which would cost a total of $500, we had to return our Egyptian licence plates. To return our Egyptian licence plates, we had to prove we hadn’t been in a crash.

To prove we hadn’t been in a crash, we had to go to the court house and watch football on the TV with a senior official.

Pretending to be Aston Villa fans seemed to work. And so, one day short of a month after leaving London, we were on board. The weekly ferry to Wadi Halfa has an almost mythical status as an endurance test for overlanders, and the scene when we arrived to board was absolute chaos, but at least we weren’t alone – also travelling were a group of Germans in a couple of Defenders and four guys on motorbikes.

Those with vehicles seemed to be waved on board ahead of the rest, which meant we were able to lay our sleeping bags in the most prized position – up in the fresh air of the deck but in the shade under a lifeboat. There was space

for six here and we were sharing it with four other Europeans, three of whom were travelling through Africa by public transport and the fourth cycling slowly around the world. This meant we could have a proper conversation with someone other than each other for the first time in two weeks – sounds silly, but this is definitely an issue when you’re travelling through lands whose languages you don’t speak.

As it turned out, the crossing was no problem. The ferry was unbelievably busy and it would have been a very different story below decks, where it smelt like a blocked toilet, but it was far from being the cockroach-infested hell-hole we’d been led to expect.

We were still very happy to disembark, nonetheless, not least because we had to queue for a full hour to do so. After clearing customs, we took a ride into town aboard one of the decrepit 1950s’ Land Rovers that continue to populate this remote region.

Somehow, they keep these vehicles running, but only just – it could not have been more than a mile into Wadi Halfa, but the Landy gave up the ghost no less than three times!

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You can’t check into a hotel in Sudan without first registering with the police. For us, this involved well over an hour of handing over cash to officials, who in return created a pile of paperwork which their boss then ripped up. At least we could now relax in the hostel we found, which was basic but clean and cost a princely $6 per night.

The barge with the Range Rover on board was supposed to arrive the next day, but the captain had decided to wait in Aswan for yet more cargo. So we got to spend two whole days in Wadi Halfa, a town which the Bradt guide describes as ‘the end of the earth’ But actually, as often happens, we had a great time. All the overlanders waiting in town for our vehicles made our base in a restaurant we found, where we played endless card game and basically laughed non-stop until out boat came in.

When it did, we had to drive the Range Rover on to the dock – a climb of about a foot – via a couple of planks, with a huge drop into the murky depths of Lake Nasser if we got it wrong. Happily, we got it right, which is more than can be said about the way the way barge had

been loaded with a pile of boxes resting up against our passenger’sside rear door. We never thought we’d make it through Africa without a scratch, but this was respray-level damage and it was all down to someone who couldn’t care less about what they were doing. When the captain came around looking for ‘baksheesh’, let’s say the tip he got wasn’t the kind that involved being given money…

Still, we had made it. The Lake Nasser ferry is a rite of passage for overlanders taking this route through Africa, and we had done it! Now, after a couple of hours getting the car through customs, we were at last able to set off into the wastes of the Northern Sudanese desert.

Egypt is truly part of Africa, but parts of it are very touristy. Sudan is emphatically not touristy but, as we drove into the wilderness in convoy with our new friends, we knew the adventure we had set out to find was truly beginning.

Raymond and Nereide drove their Range Rover from London to Cape Town in the first half of 2010.You can read the full story of their expedition at www.lilongwedown.com

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SUPER TROOPERS

VetRun180’s Portuguese expedition was a creative way of helping ex-servicemen deal

WORDS: GEORGE DOVE PICTURES: GAVIN KAPS

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and Rovers have a special relationship with the Armed Forces in the UK. They can be source of great nostalgia and comfort to ex-military personnel whose time in the forces has come to an end – some of whom have even been

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known to reunite with the actual vehicles alongside which they used to serve.

With numerous cumulative years of service across the charity, VetRun180 are well aware of this, and it is what gave them their inspiration. The charity offers relief

to war veterans who have suffered with PTSD as a result of their time in service, by re-living the fun side of frontline adrenaline, only without the inherent danger.

‘We needed the toughest, most adaptable vehicles we could find to take military veterans, suffering

from PTSD and physical injuries, on adventure therapy expeditions in Portugal,’ said Matt Bispham MC, an Afghan war veteran who has been battling PTSD himself and is a co-founder and trustee of VetRun180. ‘There was only one choice of vehicle for our charity!’

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with the effects of PTSD

rocky mountains to sand dunes to muddy boggy swamps. I don’t know anywhere else you could get all those environments in such a concentrated area.’

Although the participants were all either ex-Army or former Royal Marines, some had never driven a Land Rover before. Certainly, none had experienced doing so in such unforgiving terrain.

‘It was such an adrenaline rush.

I haven’t experienced anything like that since I was in the forces,’ said Dave Stubbs, who served six tours of Northern Ireland and fought in the Gulf War. Andrew Pritchard was a Territorial Army transport driver in Iraq during the second Gulf War, and said: ‘There were times when I couldn’t believe any vehicle would

So it was that their convoy of four Land Rover Defender 110s, two Discovery 4s and a rally-prepped Range Rover departed from Portsmouth for ten days on the very best Portuguese terrain (and there’s a lot of competition for that title). They were blazing

make it up such huge rocks and gullies. Our Defender was being thrown around like it was in the North Sea. But it made it – over everything. It was quite remarkable.’

Matthew Abbott, also a former Royal Marine and co-founder of VetRun180, is recovering from being wounded by a rocket in Afghanistan and dealing with the psychological impact it has had.

But just a few days into the veteran’s expedition, he was ecstatic at the performance of the vehicles and also what the men were getting out of it.

‘We hit massive rocks and fell sideways into gullies so deep that we had to be winched out. We went through rivers and sandy bogs, and not a single vehicle had

a trail as they went, too – for this was to be VetRun180’s inaugural therapeutic expedition.

‘Some of the tracks we experienced were unbelievable,’ recalled Bispham. ‘Water, sand, mountains, horrendous rock climbs and descents. We went from the

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‘This trip has changed everything. Just getting behind the wheel of a vehicle that can pretty much do anything, in amazing scenery, has made me want to travel and have some adventures of my own’ a mechanical problem. The worst thing that happened was we lost a bit of trim on one Disco and a few Defender aerials.

‘These vehicles are warriors.

But even better than that, our own warriors had grins from ear to ear, and they were whooping and cheering as they made it up the

steepest slopes. You can’t put a price on that.’

Simon Dedman, another trustee of VetRun180, did the expedition in his 2005 Range Rover Sport which was made for the G4 Challenge in Malaysia. He has also taken it to Australia, China, Vietnam, Russia and most of Europe. It has had to be

rebuilt a few times, but 80,000 hard miles later it is still going strong.

‘This beast is pretty indestructible,’ he said, as he summited another climb with ease. ‘But she is very thirsty. She doesn’t go far on a gallon of fuel!’

VetRun180’s mission is to take military veterans on adventure therapy trips worldwide, to help get them out of destructive cycles of anxiety and depression. All of the veterans on the Portugal trip had tried traditional therapies or medications, but without any success they turned to something different.

‘I think it takes something a little bit extreme, a little bit bonkers, to bring service people back to something they are used to; to get some adrenaline moving and a sense of purpose again,’ said Bispham.

Abbott and Bispham rediscovered their own motivation while crossing the Moroccan Sahara a few months earlier.

‘Just sitting in a car, driving and chatting with someone else who understands what you have been through and where you are now

is far better therapy than sitting in an office talking to someone,’ explained Abbott.

‘It was like a defibrillator for me,’ added Bispham. ‘Before that trip I’d isolated myself from anything military and was just sitting at home.

But being on a driving challenge brought back the old me.’

And it seems very much as if the inaugural VetRun180 was a success, as Pritchard felt the same about the Portugal trip: ‘It was amazing.

I loved everything about it. I could feel that guy, who went to Iraq 14 years ago, returning with every mile that we drove!’

Stubbs, who has been struggling with PTSD for years, fuelled, he believes by having to bury Iraqi soldiers in mass graves, and the cocktail of vaccines the soldiers were subjected to in the Gulf War, said he had given up driving at home altogether, because his anxiety had gotten so bad.

‘I didn’t want to go out. My son, who is a para, tried to encourage me, but I was getting worse not better. But this trip has changed

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everything,’ his smile more telling than his words. ‘Just getting behind the wheel of a vehicle that can pretty much do anything, in amazing scenery, has made me want to get out more, see things, travel, and have some adventures of my own.’

Before setting off on the first stage of the VetRun180 – which ran south from northern Portugal and back up through Spain – the veterans were briefed on the idiosyncrasies of the Landies.

‘It took us quite a while to get the hang of the diff,’ laughed Tim Rushmere, a veteran of two Afghan tours who served with 29 Commando – an artillery regiment attached to the Royal Marines. ‘We were always trying to work out whether we were in or out of diff, and in the beginning, we didn’t have

any idea what the diff was. I suppose that’s normal for Land Rover rookies. Thankfully we’d taken along a young mechanic from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Regiment. He never had to fix a vehicle, but he was very popular with all of us as he constantly came to our aid.’

‘Speed was a slight issue because we were top heavy with the Hannibal roof tents on the Defenders, so when we opened them up to test the handling on a flat piece of track, we soon slowed down,’ added Rob Burgess, a former Royal Engineer, who had joined the trip in a bid to get over the memories of seeing his best friend killed on an operation. ‘But we didn’t need to go fast. It was more the challenge of getting these magnificent beasts

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over anything, and just being on a joint mission again with like-minded people. I miss the forces every day.

Every day. But during that ten-day expedition, I felt like I was back in.’

Each veteran was given a Fitbit monitor device to wear for the entire trip, to measure the physical effects of relaxation and exhilaration on their respective conditions, with all the data being sent to the King’s Centre for Military Health Research for analysis.

‘I didn’t need to even look at my Fitbit app to see what it was doing for me,’ said Stubbs. ‘After banging around all week in the Land Rover, I actually slept for the first time in years, which was a revelation to me.’

After the success of the first trip, VetRun180 is planning to take dozens, maybe even hundreds, of British

military veterans on adventure therapy expeditions every year.

‘Having the Land Rovers readily available means we can also offer vets a bit of a challenge here at home too.’

‘Our headquarters and warehouse is in Mirfield in Yorkshire,’ continues Bispham. ‘We know how important it is for the guys to meet up again after these trips, to keep that sense of camaraderie and community going, so we will organise some off-roading there too. These vehicles are going to see a lot of service and hopefully, in these trying times when veterans’ suicides are spiralling, help save lives too.’

To find out more about this event and the charity behind it, pay a visit to vetrun180.org

5 05/11/2019 11:51

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135 06/11/2019 11:11

BUYERS’ GUIDE

Series I (1948-1958)

Versions: 80” (‘48-’53), 86” (‘54-’56), 107” Pick Up (‘54-’56), 107” SW (‘54-’58). 88”, 109” Pick Up (‘56-’58). 1.6 4cyl petrol (‘48-‘52), 2.0 4cyl petrol (‘52- ‘58)

£7000-£75,000+

I

f you want to be the owner of a vehicle that oozes heritage like no other, then surely a Series I Land Rover is the way to go.

The Land-Rover, as it was known until the Series II came along, is the most sought after Land Rover for purists and collectors alike – particularly in its original 80” guise.

Its 1940’s engineering gives it a real charisma, but consequently, parts aren’t as readily available as they once were. Restoration

projects require deep pockets, but then a finished example will fetch mega bucks.

Gone are the days where you could use a Series I as an actual Land Rover, because with restored and cherished examples now retailing where they’re at, preservation is the aim of the game.

The rarer and earlier the vehicle, the higher the price tag gets. But can you really put a price on such an icon?

Pros: Heritage, charm, a true classic, the original Land Rover Cons: Availability of parts, price tag on early 80s

Series II/IIA (1958-1971) Versions: 88”, 109”. 2.25 4cyl petrol (‘58-’71), 2.0 4cyl diesel (‘58-’61), 2.25 4cyl diesel (‘61-’71), 2.6 6cyl petrol (‘67-’71 (109” only))

£3500-£35,000

I

n 1958, the second-generation Land Rover was born and along came the barrel sides which we continue to recognise on even the very last Defenders.

Today the Series II or IIA is a more affordable prospect than a Series I, yet it still carries much of that early charm that makes it a hit with enthusiasts.

The prices are on the increase, however, as these 50-year-old vehicles start to come into their

own as a collector’s item. A 2.25 petrol 88” would be our pick, as the diesel engines, certainly the 2.0-litre diesel, were underpowered and noisy.

The Series II/IIA carries a wider stance than its predecessor and adds an extra (albeit thin) layer of refinement over the Series I. While the engines have excellent longevity, however, they do need to have been maintained properly. Be thorough in your checks.

Pros: As a resto it’s a sound investment, some examples now MOT exempt, more desirable than SIII Cons: Bulkheads very prone to rotting, check suspension leaves for seizing

Series III (1971-1985) Versions: 88”, 109”. 2.25 4cyl petrol, 2.25 4cyl diesel. 2.6 6cyl petrol produced until 1980. Stage One V8 used detuned version of the 3.5 V8 (‘79-‘85)

£3000-£25,000

F

ollowing on from the Series IIA, the Series III emerged in 1971 with a few cosmetic tweaks to freshen up the model.

Headlights were shifted out to the wings in-line with new legislation and the dash received a bit of padding to hide the new safety bar across the top of the bulkhead – not sure it’s a five stars on the Euro NCAP scale, though.

The Series III wasn’t too dissimilar to the Series II in mechanical

terms, keeping the same 2.25-litre engines throughout its production, although in 1980 the 2.25 motors switched to a more durable five bearing setup.

The transmission also received syncromesh on all forward gears, which helps make it that bit easier to live with.

They still carry the simplicity of earlier Land Rovers, but can be obtained for a fraction of the price... for now.

Pros: Most affordable way into Series ownership, still has the Series pedigree, parts still widely available Cons: Not as desirable as earlier Series models

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Lightweight (1968-1984)

£3500-£18,000

Versions: 88”. IIA (‘68-’72), III (‘72-’84). 2.25 4cyl petrol engine

BUYERS’ GUIDE

P

ossibly the ugly duckling of the Series Land Rover family – but that doesn’t mean to say you’ll struggle to find any love for the Series Lightweights.

These military-derived vehicles can be easily distinguished from the regular Series Land Rovers, with visibly more angular wings and a frontal appearance that does divide opinion on occasion.

To mimic the Series machines from civvy street, the SIII Light-

weight – built from 1972 onwards – also had its headlights switched out to the wings.

The Lightweight used to be popular for trialling, as it’s narrower than a standard Series II or III. Today, though, they’re classics – whose military heritage adds an extra dimension to Land Rover ownership.

It means you get a Land Rover that could have a few more stories to tell – and you have something that stands out from the crowd.

Pros: Not like all the other Series Land Rovers out there, military background, 2.25 petrol is lovely and reliable Cons: Styling isn’t to everyone’s taste, can be pricey owing to their rarity compared to other Series IIs and IIIs

Forward Controls (1962-1978) Versions: Series IIA (‘62-’66), Series IIB (‘66-’72), 101 (‘72-’78). 2.6 6cyl petrol engines for IIA/IIB, 3.5 V8 petrol for 101

£8000-£35,000

O

nly serious enthusiasts need continue reading here. Ownership of any Forward Control is not for the faint-hearted.

These leviathans are expensive to run and trying to get hold of some of the parts can be, quite frankly, a bit of a nightmare. Clubs can help here, though, as is often the case with any Land Rover.

There were two distinct models of forward-control Land Rover.

The Series IIA and IIB were work wagons built for the civilian market and powered by a 2.6-litre petrol

engine, while the 101 was an army truck with the 3.5-litre V8.

These vehicles offer substantial payloads if that’s the sort of thing you’re after, but will also tick the boxes for huge, unnecessary and hilariously addictive fun.

If you’re going to go the whole hog, the 101 means you have the feted V8 engine harping away underneath you (literally), and driving any forward control gives you a lofty view over the roofs of ever other vehicle n the road. Surely that’s reason enough to buy one?

Pros: Soundtrack, presence, exclusivity Cons: Fuel bill, fuel bill, parking conundrums… fuel bill

Ninety/One Ten (1983-1990) Versions: Ninety (‘84-’90), One Ten, 127 (‘83-’90). 2.25 4cyl petrol (‘83’85), 3.5 V8 (‘83-’90), 2.5NA 4cyl diesel (‘84-’90), 2.5 4cyl petrol (‘85-’90), 2.5TD (‘86-’90)

£5000-£13,000 The icon of the 4x4 world. This is Land Rover at its best: a no nonsense workhorse that can also take you just about anywhere in the entire world.

Early examples of the Ninety and One Ten are worth keeping hold of, providing they’re in good condition – but you’ll be searching far and wide for examples that are.

This was the birth of the Defender, despite not being christened

officially until 1990, and as such these Land Rovers had coil-sprung suspension, new engines – although they were still terribly underwhelming – and off-road capability that has still yet to be matched today.

A very early 2.25 petrol 90 is a rare thing, and a beautiful one too.

But perhaps try for a 2.5TD version with low miles and good history.

They’re robust and as simple as they come.

Pros: Good ones are now worth saving, same ability as Tdiengined Defenders Cons: Engines underpowered, not many left in good condition

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BUYERS’ GUIDE

Defender 200Tdi (1990-1994) £4000-£25,000

Versions: Defender 90, 110, 130 (1990-1994). 200Tdi 2.5 4cyl turbo-diesel

I

n 1990, the Defender name emerged and with it a cementing of a legacy that already stretched back over 40 years. This was... is the best 4x4 by far.

It carried the Tdi badge for the first time and meant that no longer was a Defender being powered by a feeble hamster in a wheel.

If you’re in the market for a 200 Defender, though, you might get a 200 unit but it might not necessar-

ily be from a Defender. Replacing blown units with a Disco 200Tdi is popular, so check the arrangement of the turbo and manifold.

The 200Tdi is arguably the best model for off-roaders, so many of these vehicles will have been worked hard.

Some owners have now started restoring these vehicles, meaning a premium price – but can you really put a price on perfection...?

Pros: Legendary off-road, one of the very best engines, oldschool electrics Cons: Genuine Defender 200Tdi units are getting rare, many have been used hard, corrosion

Defender 300Tdi (1994-1998) Versions: Defender 90, 110, 130 (1994-1998). 300Tdi 2.5 4cyl turbo-diesel

£4000-£25,000

A

fter the 200 followed the 300Tdi. Essentially, this was a revised version of the predecessor – perhaps a little more refined – but still with the same durability.

These engines, providing they are properly maintained, can last for decades. Look around for one with full service history and you could find yourself a keeper.

Some Tdi Defenders have received galvanised chassis and even

bulkheads, and these are the type of Defender you should be after. A futureproof Landy.

By the time the 300Tdi came out, Land Rover was now giving the Defender power steering as standard and disc brakes all-round. It’s the little things after all.

Arguably the company’s greatest engine, the 300Tdi balanced performance and practicality. This was it: the Defender in its prime.

Pros: A slightly more refined Tdi powerplant. Many would say this is the best vehicle Land Rover ever made Cons: Chassis rot always bound to be an issue. Assume any Defender from this era has been given a hard life

Defender Td5 (1998-2007) Versions: Defender 90, 110, 130 (1998-2007). Td5 2.5 5cyl turbo-diesel

£6000-£30,000

F

ollowing on from the Tdi era, Land Rover issued the Defender with its new Td5 engine from 1998 to 2007.

The engine is arguably Land Rover’s most reliable unit and it’s a strong performer out of the box, although it does lend itself to being tuned. So make sure that any mods have been done properly.

Remaps, EGR valve deletes and uprated intercoolers are a few examples of what many of these Defenders have been subjected to.

Lots of power doesn’t always mean happy faces, especially when you’re the one mopping up after somebody else.

The rear of the chassis has frequently been called into question, too. So be prepared to treat the rear crossmember with kid gloves if it’s in good shape – or else face the consequences.

With minimal electrics, the Td5 Defender is still a DIY machine and you’ll be working on one of Land Rover’s most notable masterpieces.

Pros: Off-road capability, power, reliability (generally) Cons: Rear chassis, premium prices at the moment. Late ones cost a fortune in road tax

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Defender TDCi (2007-2016) £10,000-£80,000 BUYERS’ GUIDE Versions: Defender 90, 110, 130 (2007-2016). 2.4 TDCi (‘07-’12), 2.2 TDCi (‘12-’16)

T

he last of the Defenders were fitted with Ford Transit engines – first the 2.4 TDCi, followed by the 2.2 TDCi, which were brought in to meet Euro V emission standards and keep the Defender alive for another few years.

Sadly, these engines denoted the Defender’s swansong, the twilight of its days. They were fitted with six-speed Getrag gearboxes, still had phenomenal off-road capability and even made the Defender a nice

place to be. But they were still very much Defenders.

The era of blinging had also begun by now, and you can find special editions out there costing obscene amounts of money. You will pay a premium for any these Defenders, and prices have rocketed upwards since the end of production. But if you can grab a 2.2 TDCi and start preserving it now, you may well never see depreciation. We’re no financial advisors, though...

Pros: Better emissions (marginally), more creature comforts, same off-road prowess Cons: Price, more electrics, last of the breed

Freelander 1 (1997-2006) Versions: 1.8 4cyl petrol (‘97-’05), 2.0Di 4cyl diesel (‘97-’00), TD4 2.0 4cyl turbo-diesel (‘00-’06), 2.5i V6 petrol (‘00-’05)

£400-£5000

W

e haven’t always held the Freelander 1 in the highest regard here. But as market prices constantly change, so too can our opinion on certain vehicles.

With examples attainable from as little as £500, the Freelander 1 represents a cheap gateway into Landy ownership.

There are plenty of issues to be aware of, though. The viscous coupling is expensive to replace

and can be upset by simply having mismatched tyres on your axles.

The 1.8 petrol used to be notorious for head gasket failures, but today’s replacements are much more robust.

The V6 is thirsty and the 2.0Di is gutless, so opt for a TD4 – but check the condition of the injectors first. Buy an FL1 and you even get a Landy that’s decent off-road and doesn’t rust after five minutes.

Pros: Cheap to buy, no major rust issues, surprisingly good off-road Cons: There are better Land Rovers out there, FL2 showed the FL1 how it should have been done

Freelander 2 (2006-2015) Versions: 2.2 4cyl turbo-diesel, available in two- or four-wheel drive, 3.2 V6 petrol (‘07-’09)

£2500-£21,000

M

ost people will turn their noses up at Freelanders because they’re not properly recognised as true Land Rovers. But while you should turn your nose up at the FL1, the Freelander 2 actually makes for a much smarter proposition than you may think.

Because of it being replaced by the Discovery Sport, the FL2 is now an affordable option that still offers good levels of refinement, a strong 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel

engine and a level of practicality that means it can make for a great family vehicle. Plus it’s become one of the most reliable Land Rovers out there.

Prices are now falling, thanks to the Freelander name having disappearing from Land Rover’s current showroom line-up. But for £10,000, you can now get a capable all-rounder that is actually pretty adept off-road and yet still economical to run.

Pros: Better off-road than you may anticipate, reliability, refinement, economy of diesel engine Cons: Transmissions can wear quickly if used for towing

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BUYERS’ GUIDE

Range Rover (1970-1996)

Versions: Two-door (‘70-’85), four-door (‘81-’96), LSE (‘92-’96). 3.5 V8 petrol (‘70-’86), 3.5 EFI V8 petrol (‘86-’89), 3.9 EFi V8 (‘89-’96), 2.4 VM turbo-diesel (‘86-’92), 200Tdi (‘92-’94), 300Tdi (‘94-’96)

T

he Range Rover Classic is one of those vehicles that you could theoretically still use everyday in the 21st Century.

If you’re running a V8, however, that may not be such a wise idea.

Classic Range Rovers still provide a relatively refined and great drive today, but they can be thirsty if you’re not in one of the various turbo-diesel examples.

That said, if you own one and it’s in good condition, look after it, as it

£5000-£60,000 will only appreciate. These vehicles are popular with collectors, and values are going up all the time.

Unfortunately, however, many have succumbed to corrosion or have been abused off-road to the point of no return – and parts have started becoming a problem.

Still, while an early 70s Classic may not be attainable for everyone, tidy examples of the late four-door versions can make for an equally tidy investment.

Pros: Most usable classic Land Rover, V8 power, ride quality Cons: Rust (again), availability of parts for early models, V8 thirst

Range Rover P38A (1994-2002) Versions: 4.0 V8 petrol, 4.6 V8 petrol, 2.5 6cyl turbo-diesel

£1500-£11,000

M

any people believe the P38A Range Rover to be a bit of a menace – and often it’s completely justified. Lights on the dashboard, air suspension failure, head gasket failure... the list can really continue.

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom with the P38. In fact, if you find one in good working order, it’s sensational. While it remains that way, at least.

Service history is a must, and if you’re going to own one then some

diagnostic equipment is going to be a better companion than a spanner.

Avoid the diesel variant. The engine was adopted from a BMW saloon and isn’t anywhere near up to the task of the extra weight a Range Rover carries.

Go for a 4.6 HSE, or a special edition with the same engine. It’s actually more economical than the 4.0 V8 and you’ll get all the toys.

They might not be working, but at least you’ll get them…

Pros: Luxury, price, a Land Rover that doesn’t rust. Could even P38 prices rise soon?

Cons: Electrics. Nuff said

Range Rover L322 (2002-2012) Versions: 3.0 Td6 (‘02-’06), 4.4 V8 petrol (‘02-’07), 3.6 TDV8 (‘06-’10), 4.4 TDV8 (‘10-’12), 4.2 supercharged V8 petrol (‘05-’09), 5.0 supercharged V8 petrol (‘09-’12)

£3000-£30,000

C

ompared to the P38, the L322 Range Rover was a saint. Generally. Its electronic aids were far less temperamental and it delivered a new level of luxury to fourwheeled motoring.

The Td6 engine receives mixed reviews: some say it’s underpowered while others say it’s the best of the bunch.

Common sense would steer you towards a TDV8, either the 3.6 or later 4.4, but these are the L322s

holding out for strong money. The petrol V8s, on the other hand, are lingering with very appealing price tags – but don’t think running one would be cheap.

As with many 21st Century Land Rovers, they have lost their accessability for the home mechanic. Drivetrain faults are becoming more frequent, so you need to look for that all-important FSH. As a car, however, it’s probably everything you’ll ever need.

Pros: Great off-road, luxury, image, TDV8 powerplants Cons: Your maintenance bill

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Range Rover L405 (2012-on) Versions: 3.0 TDV6, 4.4 SDV8, 5.0 supercharged V8 petrol, 3.0 SDV6 hybrid (‘14-present)

£27-200,000

BUYERS’ GUIDE

I

f you want the very best in automotive luxury, then you need look no further.

The latest incarnation of Land Rover’s flagship Range Rover weighs a whopping 400kg less than its predecessor thanks to the use of an aluminium body, which helps on mpg – although owning one of these suggests that your cash flow isn’t particularly an issue.

This is the last word in elegance and majestic motoring. All the

engines supply copious amounts of power to your right foot, while the L405 hasn’t lost any of its off-road pedigree... even if taking one offroad is like asking your alcoholic friend to a wine-testing session.

They could comfortably partake, but probably shouldn’t.

Prices are still only right for Premier League footballers and people with a link to the royal family. If you fit into that category, then we envy you.

Pros: Styling, engines, capability at pretty much everything Cons: Price

RR Sport 1 (2005-2013) Versions: 2.7 TDV6 (‘05-’09), 3.0 TDV6 (‘09-’11), 3.0 SDV6 (‘11-’12), 4.4 V8 petrol (‘05-’07), 3.6 TDV8 (‘07-’10), 4.2 supercharged V8 (‘05-’09), 5.0 supercharged V8 (‘09-’12)

£4000-£30,000

M

uch of the Range Rover Sport was borrowed from the Discovery 3. In fact it shared virtually identical underpinnings, whereas today’s RR Sport uses actual Range Rover foundations.

Nevertheless, Land Rover put a Range Rover in a tracksuit and attempted to make a handler out of it. To some extent they succeeded, although it’s no sports car despite what it says on the back of the vehicle.

It can play the leisure vehicle very well, though, and will go offroad like the best of them.

If you’re going to buy one, then you need to love it for itself, because a Discovery of the same era is more practical – while a full-fat Range Rover is always going to carry an extra layer of prestige and less of a proceeds-of-crime image.

They’re still a good all-rounder, though, and have now become relatively affordable to buy.

Pros: Decent performance from both engines and chassis, a lot of car for your money Cons: Not as practical as a Disco, not as prestigious as a proper Rangey

RR Sport 2 (2013-present) Versions: 3.0 SDV6, 4.4 SDV8, 5.0 supercharged V8, 3.0 SDV6 Hybrid.

Range Rover Sport SVR 5.0 supercharged V8 (‘15-present)

£25,000-£155,000

T

he second-generation Range Rover Sport has also been on a diet to save over 400kg, just like the daddy Range Rover.

That means that even this big bruiser is relatively economical when spec’d with the SDV6 motor.

Some won’t like the vulgar and flamboyant posture, while others will adhere to the smart, yet mean styling. But no one can knock the Sport for its performance. It feels

incredibly light for such a big car, and if you’ve robbed a bank and can afford the SVR version, it’s as good round a race track as it is on a green lane.

The only stumbling block with such a fine motor is going to be how to pay for it. Removing limbs is possibly the most feasible option, or wait ten years and see if the prices have come tumbling down off those high pedestals.

Pros: Feels light considering weight, engines, almost as luxurious as its bigger brother Cons: You’ll need deep pockets

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BUYERS’ GUIDE

RR Evoque (2011-2019)

Versions: 2.2 SD4 (‘11-’15), 2.0 Si4 4cyl petrol, 2.0 TD4 (‘15-present)

£10,000-£47,000

W

hen the Evoque was launched, it signalled JLR’s intent on hitting the masses.

And given that the Evoque was, and still is, their fastest-selling vehicle, they clearly hit the brief, even if it wasn’t for the traditional Land Rover owner.

They don’t much like the Victoria Beckham connection, nor that it is the polar opposite to a Defender.

It’s actually still a capable thing

off-tarmac, but it would rather not go down that route.

Nevertheless, it is economical by Land Rover standards and because there are so many out there, they have decent residuals.

The Convertible was launched in 2016, and the are three and fivedoor version. We say stick to the latter, and avoid the 2WD model.

What’s a Range Rover without fourwheel-drive?

Pros: Economy, handling, beats rivals off-road Cons: Not as practical as the new Discovery Sport

RR Evoque Mk2 (2019-on) Versions: D150 FWD 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel, D150, D180, D240 AWD MHEV, P200, P250, P300 AWD MHEV

£31,600-£55,000

A

new Range Rover Evoque has hit the roads of the UK, but you’d do well to tell the difference between the new model and the outgoing Evoque.

Most Range Rovers all look the same at the front now, but the new Evoque has adopted a similiar back end to the larger Velar.

It’s not just the exterior that mimics the larger Velar, howev-

er, as the Evoque has gained the latest Touch Pro Duo tech and an improvement in quality.

The main highlight of the new Evoque is the fact the majority of the range is made up of mild hybrids, available with diesel and petrol engines combining to an electric motor. Only the base frontwheel drive D150 Evoque escapes the electrification.

Pros: Feels much more like a proper Range Rover than its predecessor Cons: Petrol engine is disappointing on economy, even in hybrid form

Range Rover Velar (2017-present) Versions: D180 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel, D240 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel, D300 3.0-litre 6cyl turbo-diesel, P250 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol, P300 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol, P380 3.0-litre 6cyl petrol

£38,000-£85,000

A

nd so the Range Rover family welcomes its fourth model, confidently making it the most prominent among Land Rover’s family of sub brands.

It’s still a newcomer at the time of writing. But the Velar is a fine-looking craft –and it’s based upon the same architecture as the Jaguar F-Pace.

All things being relative, it has greater off-road ability than the

aforementioned vehicle, which may be good for Green Oval enthusiasts. It’s available with a wide choice of engines, too, most of which combine good economy with usable everyday performance.

The interior is Land Rover’s most advanced cabin to date, with other models expected to follow the Velar in due course. Other than that, however, you do pay a premium for the suave looks…

Pros: Very stylish, interior, choice of engines, right now one of the freshest vehicles on the road Cons: Could hurt the bigger Sport and L405. Prices stretch to near £100K

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Discovery 1 (1989-1998) Versions: 200Tdi 2.5 4cyl turbo-diesel (‘89-’94), 300Tdi 2.5 4cyl turbo-diesel (‘94-’98), 3.5 V8 (‘89-’93), 3.9 V8 (‘94-’98)

£700-£15,000

BUYERS’ GUIDE

T

he earliest version of the Discovery was aimed purely at providing a middle ground between the agricultural Defender and the luxury, upper-class Range Rover.

With underpinnings that made it just like a 100” Defender, it carried much of that model’s capabilities.

But it built on those with more refinement and a driving experience more suitable to families. What it didn’t have, though, was a Range Rover price tag.

Blessed with the same wonderful Tdi engines, the Discovery saved Land Rover and hit back at offerings from other nations by being an affordable all-rounder. And that still holds true even today.

Early Discovery 1s in fine condition are now classics and will continue to appreciate. We would recommend trying to find a tidy and later 300Tdi example, but watch out for body rust – the boot floor, arches and wings etc.

Pros: Almost as good as the Defender off-road, but cheaper to buy, nicer to drive and more practical as an everyday car Cons: The body rusts like it’s been doused in sea water

Discovery 2 (1998-2004) Versions: Td5 2.5 5cyl turbo-diesel, 4.0 V8

£1500-£8000

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ollowing on from the firstgeneration Discovery, in 1998 Land Rover gave its family SUV some minor cosmetic tweaks and a whole new power unit in the shape of the Td5.

The engine is arguably Land Rover’s most reliable unit and it’s a strong performer out of the box, although it does lend itself to being tuned – just make sure any mods have been done properly. You can also buy a V8, but the fuel bill isn’t

going to be welcome, plus they’re more temperamental. As are the electrics on all examples.

Unlike on the D1, its the chassis that’s the problem, not the body.

We all know that Discos make for a great tow car, and consequently many of the rear chassis on D2s have dipped their rears into the sea.

Not all of them live to tell the tale...

Get a later example for more creature comforts and a locking centre diff, too.

Pros: Td5 power and reliability, great all-rounder, better comfort than D1, diff locks standard for ‘03 onwards (model dependent) Cons: Rear chassis crumbles like its dessert namesake

Discovery 3/4 (2004-2017) Versions: 2.7 TDV6, 4.4 V8 (‘04-’09), 3.0 TDV6 (‘09-’12), 3.0 SDV6 (‘12-present)

£3500-£40,000

T

he Discovery went through a dramatic revamp for its launch in 2004, but it came out the other side as one hell of a vehicle.

Greatly improved in terms of power and refinement, the Disco 3 received the relatively economical 2.7 TDV6 engine (although the thirsty 4.4 V8 petrol was an option) and became the first Land Rover to be given Terrain Response. If you need one vehicle in your life,

this could be the one that ticks the most boxes at once.

Be weary of maintenance costs, especially as you approach the 105,000-mile/seven-year mark that means the timing belt is due – it’s a body-off job!

The 3.0 TDV6 and SDV6 engines are even better, with monumental amounts of torque. Luxury has also increased significantly in later examples. A later SDV6 model is best.

Pros: Off-road capability, usability for every occasion, luxury on later models, torque of 3.0-litre engines Cons: Maintenance costs, air compressor on D3s, D4s not so cheap

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BUYERS’ GUIDE

Discovery 5 (2017-on)

Versions: 2.0 Sd4, 3.0 Td6, 3.0 Si6 (‘16-present)

£34,000-£80,000

L

aunched a couple of years ago, the Disco 5 has received high praise for taking the utilitarian Land Rover into new territory.

Land Rover needed to improve economy in particular with this edition of the Disco, and having chopped 480kg from the kerbweight, along with introducing new engines, they’ve taken one huge step towards doing so.

Having driven the latest Discovery, we can confirm that it has

lost none of its versatility and is comfortably the most capable Land Rover currently on sale.

All of the engines have great flexibility and, along with its increasingly upmarket interior, the new Disco 5 is one of the best machines to cover long distances in, whether that’s on the road or not.

Like most new Land Rovers, it’s easy to overspend on the options, but a well-specced Sd4 is all you really need.

Pros: Most technologically-advanced Land Rover to-date, keeps Discovery practicality Cons: Has lost its sense of value, treads on the toes of the Range Rover and has the price to match

Discovery Sport (2015-present) Versions: SD4 2.2 4cyl turbo-diesel (Jan ‘15 - Aug‘15), TD4 Ingenium 2.0 4cyl turbo-diesel (Aug ‘15 onwards)

£15,000-£50,000

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rought in to replace the Freelander 2, the Discovery Sport was the vehicle that turned the Discovery brand into a family.

It has come to be so much more than a re-badged Freelander, though.

For starters, the Discovery Sport has seven seats (just), drives better than a Freelander 2 and is now more refined thanks to the Ingenium Td4 engine.

Land Rover is now churning out substantial units of the baby Disco,

now even matching the Evoque for pace as one of the fastest-selling vehicles they make.

It’s a more usable vehicle than the Evoque, though, and you’re less likely to find yourself on the receiving end of mocking banter for driving a car designed by one of the Spics Girls.

Grab a cleverly-spec’d SE Tech for a car that can be as practical as a daddy Disco, but for a more attractive price.

Pros: More practical than an Evoque – and less vulgar. Seven seats, still great off-road Cons: Back seats only for small mammals, price of high-spec models

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LAND ROVER YEARBOOK 05/11/2019 12:16

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