Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i Land Rover Monthly

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“I don’t like it when the authorities give my clients a hard time when they have done nothing wrong” There is a song by The Clash called I Fought The Law. The one line that we all know from that classic goes: I fought the law and the law won. No one knows or cares about what comes before or after that line, which is often the case with a popular song. And if ever you were to write a song about the life of American attorney Will Hedrick then you could use that iconic line but change it slightly to: Will fought the law and the Defenders won. I was first told about Will by LRM stalwart Trevor Cuthbert. Will is not just any old attorney; the man is…

The Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit (CRRU) would like to thank the following supporters: TMD Tuning, the Born Free Foundation and Land Rover UK (JLR), the RS MacDonald Charitable Trust, Michael Marks Charitable Trust, J & J R Wilson Trust, Graham Trust, LUSH Charity Pot, the Russell Trust and the Grant Charitable Trust. To find out more about the remarkable work of the CRRU team, see crru.org.uk.…

When Richard Beddall found an interesting 109in Series II station wagon for sale in a Wiltshire newspaper over 20 years ago, he had no idea what a fascinating story would eventually unfold. But then, I am of the view that every Land Rover has an interesting story or two to tell. Richard tipped off Philip Bashall of the Dunsfold Collection, and what initially drew Philip’s interest was the fact that the station wagon carried a Solihull registration number, which often means the vehicle concerned might have been a factory demonstrator or a development vehicle. An added attraction was the fact that it had its original engine and appeared to be unrestored, albeit rather down-at-heel with its Bronze Green paint worn, patched-up and patinated. Philip drove down to inspect the car…

The Viking 4x4 Club is best known for running tough winch challenge events such as the Odyssey Series. However, the club has never wanted to lose touch with its roots as being friendly family and so three times a year they run a gentle, fun, orienteering event. Orienteering events are similar to challenge events but are more relaxed, no winching is allowed so competitors must find and collect the punches or clues. Orienteering events are for all classes of 4x4 vehicles and are run on a handicap scoring system, so everyone has a chance of winning, no matter how tricked up the vehicles are. Entrants have to drive around using a site map, and find the location of 50 pin punches which have been set out on various trees around…

Plans never work, do they? I knew my Series I project would involve a great deal of time, but I thought, by September, I’d have been driving it. Not so. You may remember a few months back I mentioned the plan was to get it to Kelmarsh show. Well, that didn’t happen, due to a wait on the front springs coming back from being refurbished. I did offer Patrick my Range Rover for the LRM stand, but he had his heart on the Series, so that was that. Talking of my Classic, we’ve just come back from a week in Keswick, in the Lake District, where it again performed faultlessly. That car is used for the holiday each year, now clocking up a trip to the Isle of Skye, and…

I’VE JUST returned from an afternoon’s greenlaning with my neighbour, Nicola, in her Range Rover Evoque. It is ideal for life in the countryside, especially as Nicola shares her home with Molly, a large but very gentle Rottweiler. Molly is a great pal of my own dog, Billy, so I suggested a trip to the local woods so they could go for a run together. It was also a very last chance to drive a local byway, which soon closes for the winter. Nicola appeared in LRM a year or two ago, taking part in a gruelling drive across Africa in a workhorse Defender, for charity. Driving her Evoque down a greenlane wasn’t quite so challenging, but great fun all the same, she decided. She enjoyed getting her wheels muddy.…

This 2013 2.2-litre Freelander 2 Td4 had a Restricted Performance warning on, and went into Restricted Performance mode (aka Limp Home mode), which meant the engine would not rev higher than 2600 rpm. This was soon followed by the amber engine warning light showing on the instrument display. It all suggested a problem with fuel or emissions, but it wasn’t a critical warning that required the vehicle to be stopped. The Freelander was brought into the workshop, plugged into the diagnostic testing equipment and the fault was quickly detected. The problem that showed up was with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation Control Circuit and the simple reason was shown as “Actuator is Stuck”. In other words, the EGR valve had failed and was stuck, though it didn’t indicate if it was…

HOW TO ADVERTISE Advertise your Land Rover in LRM and you will reach tens of thousands of like-minded enthusiasts, worldwide. Fill in the coupon below and send it to us by post, fax, or email if you prefer. You can include up to 60 words in your ad. 1 POST LRM Classifieds, Dennis Publishing LTD, Bedford Technology Park, Thurleigh, Bedford, MK44 2YP • Please write your name on the back of photo 2 ONLINE Visit forsale.landrover addict.com and click place free advert, it is that easy 3 EMAIL  classifieds@lrm.co.uk • Send photo as 300dpi jpeg if possible • Please supply your name, address and telephone number • Maximum of 120 words Advertisers using Land Rover Monthly reach the most Land Rover enthusiasts worldwide…

What makes this vehicle special? It was registered three months before the UK launch of the 3.9 V8 Range Rover and assigned to the press and demo department at Lode Lane. It has the iconic G-WAC reg associated with the Discovery launch fleet. How did you get to hear about it? G361 WAC was on the CVC Register Facebook page – really interesting vehicles come up for sale there. What condition was it in when you purchased it? I had no real idea of its condition because I bought it unseen, over the phone. I was breaking one of the golden rules when buying a classic car, but sometimes a leap of faith is needed when buying a historically significant car. Whatever its condition I would have been pleased: it’s…

The Invictus Games kicked off September 23 in Toronto – the brainchild of Prince Harry after a visit to America’s Warrior Games in 2013, this adaptive sport competition helps service personnel as well as veterans in overcoming their physical or mental health illness or injury. This year, the games hosted 550 service members from 17 countries, competing in 12 different sports ranging from cycling to wheelchair rugby and athletics. As the presenting partner of the Invictus Games for the third time, there is also a Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge, which has become the traditional curtain raiser to the Games. There are two different courses: the Jaguar course, which is all about speed and precision and the Land Rover course, featuring a number of different obstacles. Points are awarded for…

NO DOUBT you will have read about Ineos Automotive, the chemicals company, who is planning to build a successor to the Defender. Well now, that vision is a step closer with the launch of a digital campaign to generate interest and invite would-be owners to get involved in the car, which goes by the codename ‘Ineos Grenadier’. Over the past two years, the automotive outfit of Ineos, founded by Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe in 2015, has been assembling a small team of designers, engineers and business experts. The website projektgrenadier.com will publish regular updates on the car’s development and encourage the public to share their views so that the company can make the best 4x4 possible. JLR, who may launch the all-new Defender next year will no doubt be monitoring…

SPACE HEATER PRICE £286.80 The Clarke XR80 is perfect for heating large, cold indoor areas such as the workshop. This paraffin/ diesel heater has a 22.7 litre fuel tank which is enough for 12 hours of continuous operation, thereby making it an affordable heating option. Easy to move around thanks to the wheels and handle. machinemart.co.uk ARB SIMPSON ROOF TENT PRICE £1450 The Simpson III rooftop tent is the ultimate home away from home when on a Land Rover trip. It’s 1.4 m wide and 2.4 m long and when erect stands 1.3 m tall. So it’s fairly spacious. You can store your bedding in the tent when travelling. Pretty quick and easy to put up and take down. britpart.com RECHARGEABLE TORCH PRICE £34.99 The Task P36 Durable is without…

One of the most annoying problems with an old Land Rover is doors which either do not shut properly, or pop open as you drive along. These vehicles were, in a very real sense, handbuilt, with the chassis used as a crude jig around which the body panels were assembled using a variety of spacers, slotted holes and a certain amount of persuasive force. The Defender production line must have been the last manufacturing plant west of the Urals to still use wooden mallets. So even when the vehicles were new, panel gaps and alignment were a bit variable, especially during the long dark years of the British Leyland era. Once a bit of wear gets into the door hinges and catches, and especially when you start chopping off and…

LRM READER Terry Clear sent me rummaging through the archives this month, following on from my piece about the ‘big’ Lightweights in the last issue. Terry lives in Spain and wonders if there’s any connection between the Spanish-built Santana 109 Military and the prototype Land Rover 110 Air Portable. The short answer is that there isn’t – but his letter prompted me to go hunting through the Dunsfold Collection store room, where, of course, I was quickly distracted. It never ceases to amaze me how much is up there. You could fill a 20 ft container to the ceiling with it, and not just paper-based material, either. Of course, there are brochures galore, whole bundles of them, not to mention unopened press packs for new models such as the Stage…

When most teenagers buy their first cars, they’re usually hatchbacks. My two older brothers purchased a Nova and a Fiesta, but 20 years ago when I turned 16 I wanted something a bit different – a convertible – and it had to be British. A Land Rover fitted my requirements perfectly. A good family friend, Nigel, was heavily involved in the Land Rover scene, so I pestered Dad to talk to him about finding me one. Eventually he found me a 1964 Series IIA located in Taunton, Somerset. It had been sat in a barn for 13 years and had one owner from new. I had my heart set on a Series III, so initially I was a bit disappointed, but I vowed to give it a Series III facelift…

“This mobililty revolution will change lives – profoundly” There were two questions on my mind as I arrived at JLR’s inaugural Tech Fest in London. Firstly, why was a global car manufacturer hosting an international media event on such diverse themes as futurism, robotics, artificial intelligence, the future of mobility, and whether technology can save humankind? And, secondly, why had our esteemed editor sent me along to represent LRM? After all, I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to my own vehicles, having a bit of a phobia when it comes to too much tech in cars. I still like to have a fighting chance of maintaining and fixing them myself, and all this despite a 35-year career in the information technology industry. Maybe my cars became…

I was beginning to think our party of off-road drivers, snaking between the grey-barked pine trees, had lost its way. Ahead of me, I’d watched a Defender 90 crest a steep, six-foot ridge then rock forward, rear diff in full view, before disappearing down the other side. Now, as I make the same leap of faith in my bog-standard Freelander 1, and get the tacho up to 1200 rpm for momentum, climb the ridge and perch on top of it, the 90 still too close to progress any further. Ahead, the ridge drops into a pond which, judging from the 90 ahead, seems at maximum wading depth. The 90 has veered right, so I, too, take the plunge, the Hill Descent Control rattling the news of the gradient until the…

Prince Harry caught the media's attention when his new chauffeur, Daimy Gommers, aged 5, took him for a spin at the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge ahead of the opening ceremony for his third annual Invictus Games. Daughter of Dutch competitor Paul Gommers, Daimy had the privilege of ferrying Prince Harry, who did his best to appear amazed by her speed as she weaved around the children’s track in a miniature Land Rover. Her mother Danielle Gommers said: “Every time she sees Prince Harry on the television she says ‘that’s my friend Harry.'" Turn to page 12 for a report on the Driving Challenge at the Invictus Games.…

Remember Grand Rover – the Discovery I bought for the LRM thousand pound challenge? Well, it’s been dragged out kicking and screaming from Farmer David’s bottom shed. I make reference to it being the bottom shed because any vehicle relegated to be stored in there is usually unlikely to ever see the light of day again. The top sheds are allocated for vehicles likely to gain an MoT at least in the next few years. Once we cleared the overgrown weeds away to allow the barn door to fully open, the Discovery looked to be in a sorry old state. The local pigeon population must have decided that the best place to stay was in the rafters over the top of it. Well, you can probably imagine the mess they’d…

“I can see a problem with the block right away,” announced Roland Marlow of ACR before we’d barely started to assess my V8. It was a bad start, but as the engine had been given to me to use for parts, I wasn’t expecting too much. Earlier in this project I had an option on a 1960s 3.5-litre Rover V8 engine from a P6 Rover Saloon. Completely the wrong engine for a 1989 Ninety, of course, but it ran nicely on a test rig and I was seduced by its old rounded and fluted rocker covers and other tasty aluminium castings. But its front cover wouldn’t accept power steering, which I needed, and the crankshaft had been machined to fit a Series III gearbox, which I didn’t need. To get…

Workshop wizard, James Holmes, and I have had our heads down, cracking on with my project car. A full eight months in, it is easy to forget the progress we’ve made. Lifting our heads from the spanners we can see a vehicle taking shape now, which is incredibly exciting. One of the final parts of the rebuilding work is the front axle, which was removed two months ago, to improve access for the front chassis repairs. Earlier, we’d blitzed through the rear axle, cleaning back the corrosion, stripping the brakes and hubs, then repainting and rebuilding the mechanicals. The front is pretty much the same, except we have the engineering of the steering system to contend with. Ultimately though, this is relatively simple stripping and replacement work as we begin…

WITH JLR’s announcement earlier this year that electric variants of every model would be available by 2020, it was obvious we weren’t going to have to wait long for the first one. And here it is: the Range Rover Sport P400e. The new model is a hybrid, combining a 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol engine with an 85kW electric motor. The 404 hp (297kW) total available power output available to the permanent four-wheel drive system delivers 0-60 mph in only 6.3 seconds and a maximum speed of 137 mph. With an impressive 640 Nm of combined torque, JLR says the new powertrain mixes dynamic and sustainable performance with traditional Land Rover capability, comfort and refinement. The Sport P400e emits only 64g/km emissions and achieves an impressive 101 mpg through the electrified powertrain…

You have probably read the main cover line of this issue and as a result turned straight to this page to see what all the fuss is about? Well, British Touring Car racer and Alcon brake engineer Ollie Jackson, from Tamworth, owns what is without a doubt the rarest Defender in all of the UK. I have yet to see another like it. Allow me to back up this bold statement by way of numbers and facts. Land Rover officially built 2,016,933 Defenders and Series Land Rovers. That is a big number. Sadly after 68 years, the production of these globally adored icons ended on January 25, 2016. Let’s rewind a little to 1994, a dark year for English football and Land Rover fans alike. Not only did England fail…

“What followed was more than a decade of punishing work” Our oceans and the precious creatures that live within them are under threat like never before. Please read the next sentence in your best David Attenborough voice: Pollution, illegal fishing, poaching, coastal development and ocean warming are all major contributing factors to this rather dire situation. We all need to stand up for the ocean because it can’t defend itself against the excesses of humanity. One charity that is doing exactly that, and with a fair amount of success, is the Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit (CRRU) in northeast Scotland. For those (like me) who didn’t know what the word Cetacean means, it’s an order of marine mammals which includes dolphins, porpoises and whales. Thanks, Google. To find out more…

1. Every Jaguar and Land Rover launched from 2020 will be electrified. Ralf Speth, the company’s Chief Executive, announced this commitment at the event, and electric models from Jaguar’s past, present and future were all on display. 2. What is our future? Cyber Utopia or Cyber Dystopia? According to Anders Sorman-Nilsson, futurist, innovation strategist and author, “our future will revolve around combining the best of the analogue past with the best of the digital future, where tradition and technology play together.” 3. In 2015 machine power trumped the brain power of a mouse. In 2023 it will surpass the brain power of a human being. Meanwhile, the cost of industrial robots is one-twenty-third what it was just five years ago. 4. The author Douglas Adams came up with a set…

This Series III is just one of a number of old fire appliances belonging to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Preservation Group (SFRPG). Once they are restored, the vehicles spend most of their weekends over the summer months promoting the ‘Safety At Home’ message. OGD 142M is one of the star attractions at these events and usually draws a healthy crowd. John Cairns is secretary of the SFRPG and has been involved with the Fire brigade since 2003. His background is in health and safety, and the specialist role of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles or other garments designed to protect the wearer’s body from injury or infection, he explained. “Protective equipment may be worn for job-related occupational health and safety purposes, as…

When you return to a crazy, cool city like Phnom Penh after taking four months off from travelling, it makes you realise why you have just worked your arse off saving to continue this amazing journey we have enjoyed – and are hoping to enjoy for the next 12 months. The stark contrast in cultures is amazing and a feast for all of the senses. I'm solo at the minute as Me-An is back home at the coal face getting one extra week in, while I flew ahead to get the Defender ship shape. It feels strange to be travelling alone, especially in this part of the world, and I do miss my wife (and Asian tour guide). But I get by okay and arrive at the hotel with all…

OCTOBER 13 - 15 Ultra 4 – King Of Britain, Challenge Event Kirton Off Road Centre, Kirton, Lincolnshire ultra4europe.com OCTOBER 13 - 15 Italy – 4x4 Fest, 4x4 Show Carrara, Tuscany 4x4fest.com OCTOBER 13 - 15 Germany – Badisches Allradtreffen, 4x4 Meet Reichartshausen, Germany 4active.de OCTOBER 14 USA – Arizona Land Rover Owners Club, Harquahala Peak Trail Runs Phoenix, AZ azlro.org OCTOBER 14 BAMA, Lowlands Gunner, 4x4 Navigation Event Sussex armymotorsports.co.uk OCTOBER 14 Solent and District Land Rover Club, Greenlanes TBC sadlrc.co.uk OCTOBER 14 – 15 Discovery Owners Club, Birthday Party Plymouth Hoe, Devon discoverybirthdayparty.co.uk OCTOBER 14 – 15 Essex Land Rover Club, Tyro Trial, CCV and RTV Trial Shalford Wood, Essex elrc.info OCTOBER 14 – 15 Hants & Berks Land Rover Owners Club, RTV and Tyro Trial Slab Common,…

I’ve been on the road quite a lot lately, in my Discovery 2 Td5, mostly towing a trailer – with various loads on board. My regular trips to Richards Chassis Ltd in Doncaster, to collect stock for Land Rover owners in Ireland, took an interesting turn on the most recent one. I was contacted by Britpart boss, Paul Myers, to see if I could help a friend of his get a car from Northern Ireland to Birkenhead. Paul’s friend Mike Moran had bought a trials car in Co Armagh and he had discovered the eye-watering costs involved in getting stuff across the Irish Sea. Helping a friend of Paul’s was a no-hesitation moment for me – and I duly got the details. Ahead of my planned trip I collected the…

No enthusiast should be without a multimeter, for they are the window on your Land Rover’s nerve centre – the vehicle’s electrical systems. Finding and diagnosing the most basic of electrical faults can save you a fortune in guessing about the condition of components. Tracing poor wiring, bad connections and dead earthing points are all essential skills for owners, and can be the difference between being left stranded for hours or back on the road in minutes. Digital multimeters are faster to use and easier to read than their analogue predecessors, with potentially a host of functions to bolster your diagnostic prowess. The type of multimeter you choose should reflect the complexity of the electrics of the Land Rover you drive. Series I, II and III owners can solve most…

Land Rover has used a transmission drum brake on all utility models since the first Land Rover in 1948. This type of handbrake – or emergency brake – was also used on Range Rover and Discovery from their introduction. While the size, specification and method of operation have varied over the years, the general principle of operation has remained the same. The transmission drum brake operates by two brake shoes expanding apart within a brake drum, by operation of a handbrake cable, to create rubbing or friction with the drum. This impedes or stops the rotation of the brake drum, which is directly connected inline with the propeller shafts – preventing the road wheels from turning. The friction material on the brake shoes wears with use and an adjusting mechanism…

TASTES CHANGE in the Land Rover world. Twenty years ago, if you had an 80in Series I, you’d probably stick a V8 engine under the bonnet and take it trialling. These days you’d put it in an auction and decide where in the world to take the luxury holiday you can buy with the proceeds. It’s the same with restorations. The 1990s were the decade when Land Rovers were stripped of their original paintwork and resprayed, often in garish colours. Original steel wheels were scrapped in favour of big modulars and knobbly, aggressive off-road tyres were de rigeur. Oh yes, and bull bars. Bull bars went out of fashion very quickly – and rightly so. But it is only in the last decade or so that enthusiasts have swung from…