Land Rover Monthly May 2020

@LRMonthly facebook.com/LandRoverMonthly WE’RE proud of the fact that we are the first Land Rover or 4x4 magazine in the world to feature the off-road driving impressions of the new Defender. Turn to page 42 to find out if Jeremy Taylor thinks that it is more capable and comfier than my iconic old 1998 Defender 110. The Land Rover gods must like us because the press embargo lifted on the day we posted the mags to our loyal subscribers! As new Defender owners take delivery this spring I look forward to hearing their feedback. One new Defender owner (who also has an early Series I) has already been in contact. Read his thoughts on owning the latest and oldest Land Rovers out there on page 92. As this is already our…

FIRST off, let’s mention the elephant in the room. Live Promotions have decided to run the Billing Land Rover Show at Billing Aquadrome on the same weekend as the Billing Off Road Show, which is crazy in itself – for one it’ll divide the Land Rover community but secondly, it’s only going to result in dividing the traders too (although it must be said that over 70 trade stands are already signed up to the Billing Off Road Show!). Personally we prefer the Billing Off Road Show (on the south side of the River Nene), which is just as well as LRM are official partners, and despite the clash the show must go on – with some exciting new additions for 2020. Having run the two off-road courses and camping…

WITH its pioneering off-road tech, wading ability and extreme durability, the new Defender seemed the natural choice for the chase sequence in No Time To Die. All in all, ten Defenders (based on the 110 X model in Santorini Black, with darkened skid pans, 20 inch dark finish wheels and professional off-road tyres) were used in the making of the latest Bond film (including the seventh Defender built VIN 007). which is in cinemas globally from April 2. If you want to see some of the rehearsal footage, which is to feature in Land Rover’s television commercial for the new Defender, you can get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes peek here youtu.be/u7Oc4g_CtZc. It shows the new Defender launching into the air (by some 30 metres) and being put to further extreme tests…

IT’S not just international events that are being cancelled due to the continuing uncertainty regarding the Coronavirus (Covid-19), it’s also starting to affect major conferences, festivals and shows, and the Newbury 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day is the latest to fall victim. Due to take place on Sunday April 5 at Newbury Showground, it has been postponed until Sunday August 16. This busy, well-established event is normally the largest Land Rover and vintage spares autojumble event of its type in Europe, but the constantly evolving Coronavirus situation is a cause for concern for the event organiser Mark Woodward. In addition, the team are experiencing a lower than normal uptake with pre-booked seller’s stands, which under the circumstances is understandable. Mark said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused, but we feel…

IF you’re a fan of BFGoodrich’s All Terrain T/A KO2 and Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 ranges, and live in Hampshire, West Berkshire or West Surrey, then you’re in for a treat – as Micheldever Tyre Services will be stocking a large selection of said rubber. Having established a wholesale distribution network of 15 sites around South East England and worked closely with the tyre brand, they are delighted to be announcing the partnership. The Micheldever Tyre Services and the BFGoodrich brands may share more in common than you think. BFGoodrich tyres are recognised the world over for their go-anywhere capability and have a rich heritage in the 4x4 sector, while Micheldever Tyre Services has extensive off road tyre expertise and as market leader for tough rubber in the UK, they were…

patrick@lrm.co.uk @LRMonthly facebook.com/LandRoverMonthly Rust? On a Discovery 3? Aargh! WHEN my beloved Discovery 1 finally became too rusty for economical repair three years ago, I abandoned my plan of moving up to a Discovery 2 because of all the media attention that had been drawn to the very serious rear chassis corrosion on those models. I did toy with the idea of buying a D2 and having it rebuilt on a galvanised chassis, but as I wasn’t capable of doing the work myself, the sheer amount of labour involved made that idea prohibitively expensive. So, I thought, should I go for a Discovery 3? After all, everyone said they were rustproof. The only thing that held me back was the prices they were fetching. Never mind, I thought, I’ll wait…