Land Rover Monthly July 2021

I am gobsmacked at what is going on in the ‘old’ Land Rover market. A 1992 Camel Trophy Discovery, which was the team USA works truck, has just sold for $90,000 at an auction. Jack Dobson reports that Series Land Rovers and real Defender prices are sky rocketing in Australia. According to Jacques Smit, the top South African restorer, the same is happening there. All my UK contacts concur. Where are those who said that once the new Defender comes out, old Defender prices will drop? The opposite has happened. Anything pre-D3 with a Land Rover badge on is now a highly sought-after classic and so it demands a premium. Highly accessorised and customised old Defenders are being sold for way more than a commercial new Defender hard top 90…

THE long-awaited return of off-road rally legend Edd Cobley will see him compete in the British Cross Country Championships in June. He will be at the wheel of his new custom-built Defender 110 double cab named Skippy 2.0. The three-time Land Rover Defender Rally Champion and Hill Rally Championship winner will compete in the four-round national series with Davanti Tyres’ impressive Terratoura A/T tyres. Edd - one of the faces of Davanti’s Make It Happen campaign - has his sights set on the British Cross Country Championship title. “I’ve waited a long time for this,” he said. “I’ve built Skippy 2.0 to win titles and that’s my plan, plain and simple. “Choosing Terratoura A/T tyres made perfect sense. I’ve been working with these tyres for a couple of years now…

WHILE the Land Rover Defender may divide opinion when it comes to LRM readers, it’s a sure-fire winner in the eyes of the judges for the 2021 World Car Design of the Year with the panel commending the rugged 4x4’s distinctive design, all-conquering off-road capability, excellent on-road dynamics and 21st century practicality and connectivity. It’s the third time Land Rover has claimed the sought-after prize following previous wins for Range Rover Velar (2018) and Range Rover Evoque (2012) and is the latest in a number – 53 to be precise–of global awards for the Defender. Prof. Gerry McGovern OBE, Chief Creative Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “New Defender is influenced by its past but is not constrained by it and we are delighted it has been honoured with this award.…

EVERYONE knows that modern Land Rovers don’t rust like the old ones. New Defender, for example, boasts a rust-free aluminum body. But the pristine look isn’t for everyone and if you’re craving for corrosion you should give Niels van Roij Design a call. The Belgian coachbuilder will add rusty metal side vents and even oxidised chequer plate to new Defender owners desperate for a ferrous fix. “These parts were oxidised through an accelerated process, after the metal was painted on. Customers can also choose to, for instance, brush or polish the metal. It can be protected against rust, alternatively we let the natural course of corrosion start. We can then halt corrosion at any desired moment: sealing the metal will stop the wear”, said designer and co-founder, Niels van Roij.…

JLR’s best-selling Range Rover Evoque has broadened its appeal with the launch of the new powerful Evoque P300 HST - a sporty new model with Land Rover’s potent P300 Ingenium petrol engine under the bonnet. The new edition is based on the Evoque R-Dynamic S and features a unique combination of interior and exterior updates, with 11 exterior colour options. A standard Gloss Black Sliding Panoramic Roof and Privacy Glass, plus unique Gloss Black 20-inch alloy wheels with red brake calipers, also set the new HST apart. Inside, the new Evoque P300 HST features Suedecloth steering wheel and headlining, grained leather seat trim, Range Rover treadplates, sliding panoramic roof and powered tailgate. The enhanced specification of the P300 HST includes Land Rover’s advanced and intuitive Interactive Driver Display with its…

ABOUT 4500 workers received their Covid jabs during a pop-up NHS hub at the Land Rover factory in Solihull - with other companies urged to follow suit The groundbreaking pilot scheme for JLR workers was initiated by the NHS and Public Health Solihull in an attempt to find “innovative ways of getting to as many people being vaccinated as possible.” JLR staff will return for their second vaccine within the 12-week timescale. JLR’s chief medical officer Dr Steven Iley said the pilot vaccination programme last month ensured workers were “contributing to the protection.” Ruth Tennent, the director of Public Health for Solihull, said: “What we’re trying to do here is really test our new approaches to vaccinating people against Covid. “And what we want to do now is start looking…