Land Rover Monthly March 2023

FIND US ON @LRMonthly LandRoverMonthly @land_rover_monthly Land Rover Monthly IT’S been a busy old month with time in short supply, and I’ve been itching to get back into the workshop. The lack of dirt under my fingernails was really starting to get to me, so one day I abandoned all my original plans, got up early and went to my unit instead. And boy do I feel better for it. The Range Rover had been moved from one resting place to another since I bought it last year, and I must have spent almost as much giving it a thorough tour of East Anglia as I did actually buying it. But it’s finally in the workshop and I’ve started peeling the outer panels off to see how rusty it is.…

PAUL Clayton, 33 from London, gave up his full-time City job as a managing director to set up his own adventure company in South Africa. Clayton and his team are now running the Africa Rally, which promises participants a once in a lifetime adventure; do it with three of your mates and it’s cheaper than a ticket to Glastonbury. The event is an opportunity to visit six countries across the continent – starting in Hartbeespoort on 1 July. Teams can enter the rally in any vehicle or motorbike (shipped from their own country, bought in South Africa, or rented at a discounted rate) and also choose their own route to the finish line in Kisumu, Kenya, on 22 July. If freestyle navigation isn’t your thing, Clayton and crew have put…

IAN Robinson, who sadly passed away age 74, combined his talents for writing and photography with his fascination for Land Rovers and travel throughout his life. Some of his many exploits have been featured in Land Rover Monthly, including a mine-clearing mission in Bosnia in the February 2003 issue. Among Ian’s extensive charity work, he ran aid to Bosnia and Morocco in his Freelander 2, and was also an official Land Rover photographer on the 1998 Tierra Del Fuego Camel Trophy expedition. Despite the daily struggles of battling Motor Neurone Disease during his later years, he never lost his spirit and determination, qualities that were a catalyst for a rather colourful life. Several times he covered Alaska for the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race and got frostbite, and he…

HAMPSHIRE-BASED Vintage Tyres is once again running its popular free-to-attend breakfast meets in the car parks of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, starting mid-February. If you’re unfamilar with the company, Vintage Tyres specialises in the supply of new rubber in period-correct patterns, construction and sizes. It stocks tyres (including 4x4 tyres), tubes, rimbands and related accessories for cars and bikes from the 1890s to the 1990s – some of its production runs are in the low hundreds per year, no mean feat in an industry where entire tyre lines are ditched if sales dip into the tens of thousands. The format of the breakfast meets is simple. Vintage Tyres takes over the first car park on the left as you enter the grounds of the National Motor Museum (follow…

WHILE Land Rovers feature impressive off-road capability straight out of the box, aftermarket specialists like to crank things up a little. Perhaps not quite as much as Arctic Trucks, however, which has created the Defender AT35. Based on the 110, the most notable modification is a set of towering 35-inch tyres (315/60-profile), wrapped around 20-inch double-spoke dark grey forged alloy wheels. Despite the tall sidewalls, a lift kit has been fitted as well, but rather than altering the original suspension, Arctic Trucks has fitted spacers so the stock adaptive suspension systems are retained. The company’s trademark wheelarch flares have been installed to cover the broader rubber, while other distinguishing features include Arctic Trucks’ signature graphics, an electric towbar and a winch. It’s not all about show. The Defender’s coil-sprung suspension…

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO MARTIN@LRM.CO.UK Just a few insights The January issue of LRM spiked my interest on several fronts… Firstly, Gary Pusey’s analysis on the sustainability of government mandated EVs is a must read for anyone, Roverhead or not. Kudos to Gary for confronting not only the hard facts, but also their ultimate imperative. Naturally, the coverage of the change of CEO at JLR raises more questions than it answers. Public corporations are required to make certain factual disclosures to their shareholders, but anything beyond that is optional. As usual, the people who know the real story aren’t talking to the press. A cursory look at Bolloré’s CV finds that, in his short tenure with JLR, he championed their commitment solely to luxury and EV markets, and in the…