Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i Land Rover Monthly

AS you’ve hopefully already picked up from this issue of Land Rover Monthly’s lovely cover, we’re welcoming our friends from Land Rover Life into the fold. So, if you’re a regular buyer or subscriber to Land Rover Monthly or Land Rover Life, or maybe even just trying a Land Rover magazine for the first time, welcome along! The reasons for combining LRL into LRM aren’t particularly exciting, but the extra pages packed full of Land Rover goodness certainly are. Expect to see more greenlaning, overseas events, meet-ups, product tests, new vehicle reviews and buying guides on top of all the fantastic stories, tech info, comment and Land Rover adventures you’ve come to know and love from the world’s best-selling Land Rover mag – and, instead of being quarterly, you can…

Question of the week EVENING guys. I’ve been listening to your back-catalogue of podcasts for the past few weeks and I’m really loving them. I’m currently restoring a Defender 90 Winterised Wolf for work; fairly normal-looking things but only around 50 were built so pretty special nonetheless. As I’ve been sanding it down for days on end I’ve been thinking of random hypothetical questions whilst listening to your podcast. One I’ve thought of is – what is the coolest engine swap for an old Land Rover? Personally, I think the Cummins 6BT has got to be well up there; Mercedes OM606 gets an honourable mention, too. I’d be interested to hear LRM’s thoughts on the matter. My plan is to do a lovely lairy engine swap into my old 110…

LONDON’S much-hated Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) expansion project has had an inevitable impact on the frequency with which the Fella now drives his Discovery. It starts just up the road from his house, and the zone’s meandering nature means he’s already had three fines, at £180 a pop (£90 if paid within a fortnight, rising to £270 after a month). There’s a rather inspirational fellow in an anti-ULEZ online group who has clocked up 1515 fines without paying a single one. He no longer even opens the letters, just files them in meticulously-organised, elastic band-framed piles. And nothing has happened, apart from even more letters. However, most people just resentfully cough up the lolly, the Fella included. As the Discovery is now often the last choice of vehicle, it…

THIS keeps happening to me. I book in what sounds over the telephone to be a fairly simple job that I can fit in around my other commitments. The vehicle arrives, and within an hour the job has escalated to the point where I have to start shuffling the diary around to accommodate it. By the end of the first day, I have found all manner of problems which were not part of the original brief but will need attention before the vehicle can be safely driven away. By the end of day three you will find me sitting on the workshop floor, rocking back and forth while gently weeping and mumbling to myself. The cause of this month’s grief is a One Ten V8 station wagon. The initial brief…

SNOW DRIVING 1 A LAND ROVER WILL PULL AWAY EASIER on snow but will be less easy to stop than a standard car – be gentle on the throttle pedal or use a higher gear when pulling away to reduce the risk of the tyres spinning. 2 PHYSICS COMES INTO PLAY when cornering and stopping – you need to stay within the limits of the tyres, otherwise you’ll have unscheduled interaction with roadside furniture. Harsh acceleration, cornering and braking will cause the tyres to slip relative to the road surface, losing grip. 3 THE FIRST WAVE OF FRESH SNOW is always the easiest to drive; it hasn’t had time to freeze. Subsequent falls often land on frozen, compacted snow, making it far more slippery. 4 DEEP SNOW SHOULD BE TREATED…

WE are spoilt. As Land Rover enthusiasts and owners, we are privileged to have a vast number of skilled companies across a whole range of aftermarket segments available to us – probably more than any other vehicle brand in the world. In this series, Greg King spends a day with specialists in different fields – from modifiers and independent specialists, to parts suppliers and restorers, to see what makes them tick. OVER the years, regular readers will have enjoyed many interesting articles about the vehicles that the Dunsfold collection holds, with writing from LRM’s award-winning Classics Editor, Gary Pusey. Behind these vehicles and their associated stories is a team of dedicated, hardworking volunteers that helps support the collection. Today we are spending a day with this erstwhile team, during the…

Timeless fashion and quality SCHOFFEL OAKHAM FLEECE GILET £159.95, schoffelcountry.com Tested by: Steve Miller Owned for: Three years I have owned my posh body warmer (aka gilet) for three years now – and it’s definitely been worn a lot during this time. It doesn’t matter where you drive your Land Rover to, you’ll see Schöffels being worn everywhere – especially in the countryside. They seem to be a default rural brand and garment; look around Defender Burghley horse trials, or similar type events, and they’re omnipresent. Sure, there are many cheaper alternatives out there, but ultimately I think that their quality shines through. The Oakham is one of Schöffel’s top-selling garments and having owned mine for some time, I can see why – they just look cool, particularly with the…

SINCE the back end of summer, after completing a couple of restorations on classic Range Rovers, I’ve been getting on top of some work on my own fleet of vehicles. They had become rather neglected while I was busy working away on the latest two that I had restored. My first job was my 1986 Range Rover. It had run out of MoT back in May, and I needed to do some work on it, and at the same time I wanted to convert it back to a V8 auto (it had been Tdi-converted in the mid-’90s). The Tdi diesel was getting tired, after many years of excellent service. It had always been my long-term aim to get her back to being a V8 again. Although built as a 3.5…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Call for a free quote on 01480 484 803 January 5 SCRAMBLE Bicester Heritage, Launton, Bicester bicesterheritage.co.uk/events January 9 AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL The NEC, Birmingham thenec.co.uk/whats-on/autosport-international/ January 11 DERWENTSIDE TRAILS Derwentside, Durham, and Hexhamshire (South Tyne) uklandroverevents.com/events.htm January 11 (or 12) 4x4 ADVENTURE TOUR Salisbury Plain 4x4adventuretours.co.uk/tour-category/uk-tours/ January 18-19 TYRO AND RTV/CCV TRIALS Twiney Wood, Puckeridge, East Hertfordshire elrc.info/events-calendar January 24 WEEKDAY TOUR Peak District National Park, Derbyshire uklandroverevents.com/events.htm January 26 RTV TASTER EVENT Glenmavis, Scotland slroc.co.uk/events/ February 2 LRM AUTOJUMBLE Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire landrovermonthly.co.uk/information/events February 9 CCV Horsford, Norwich, Norfolk brecklandlrc.com/calendar February 16 PEAK DISTRICT ADVENTURE Peak District, Derbyshire offthebeatentrack4x4.co.uk/event-dates February 22-23 SLROC TRIAL AND CCV TRIAL Location TBC slroc.co.uk/events/ TRACTOR WORLD SHOW Three Counties Showgroud, Malvern, Worcestershire tractorworldshow.co.uk February 23 GREENLANING Laning route TBD…

FROM 2007 until the end of production in 2016, the Defender was fitted with the Ford-derived Puma TDCi engine, initially in 2.4-litre form, later 2.2-litre. Also used in the Ford Transit van, the engine is generally reliable and economical, with tales of high-mileage TDCi Defenders and Transits still going strong. There are also examples of premature failures. Let’s face it, we always hear the bad stories, and all engines have their issues. Poor servicing and delayed oil changes are the main reason for premature failure, and the resulting head gasket failure and lack of oil pressure can lead to a replacement engine being needed. I bought this 2010 Defender 90 2.4 TDCi with 52,000 miles on the clock and a good verbal service history, but no documentation. It came from…

FREELANDER BLOWS HOT AND COLD We have a Freelander 2 diesel with dual-zone climate control. We think we may have a problem with the cool air via the fan into the car. When both sides are switched to cool, the passenger side produces cold air as required, but the driver’s side is very hot air. Martin Salcombe ED EVANS REPLIES: The air to each side is controlled by stepper motors behind the centre console. One motor per side controls the air temperature, another the air distribution. So either of these could be at fault. Each is controlled and monitored by an electronic module which also receives signals back from the motors using sensors, which can also fail. It’s possible there is something wrong with the driver’s side temperature switch. However,…

IF THERE’S one event guaranteed to banish the winter blues it’s the Tractor World Show, set for Malvern’s Three Counties Showground on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February 2025. Taking over the showground’s brand new Kildare Hall, plus acres of outdoor hardstanding, this years’ show promises to be bigger and better than ever, offering more space for exhibitors, trade stands, displays and demonstrations. Expect to see hundreds of vintage, veteran, new and classic tractors, vans, commercials, lorries, trucks, Land Rovers and vintage vehicles, historic farm machinery and agricultural heritage displays. There will also be a wide range of horticultural and gardening equipment, including classic and modern ride-on mowers, too. Open from 9:00am each day, Saturday sees specialist agricultural auctioneers H J Pugh & Co presiding over the popular live auction…

SPACE HEATER £214.80 Website: machinemart.co.uk Running on diesel or paraffin, this space heater will run for around 12 hours on 12 litres of fuel, and has a max output of 35000BTU/hour (approx equivalent of a 10kW electric heater). It weighs just 10kg, and has a carrying handle allowing it to be moved to where it is required – you’ll just need to have a 230-volt power supply to run the fan. REVERSING CAMERA £249 Website: mudstuff.co.uk Almost every new car has a reversing camera – fit one to your classic Defender (or Series Land Rover) with this kit. It’s designed to fit with the standard rear washer unit, sitting below the roof level and protected from errant branches. It has a wide 150° viewing angle, IP68 weatherproofing and the plastic…

JUST one day before I head to the UK for a three-week holiday with my family. Ignoring the horrifically long flights with a baby and five-year-old in tow, I’m sure it will be a wonderful time… I’ve been on a bit of a pJarts buying spree and several mysterious packages have arrived at my parents’ place. My strategy is to travel very light on my outward journey from Australia so I can stuff the new parts in my big suitcase on my return. I’ll be honest, I am not entirely sure if a Series IIA radiator panel will fit in my suitcase but I shall give it a damn good try. It may sound like a big hassle, but I get most of my parts from the UK and it…

I’M off to Exmoor to meet the owner of a Range Rover CSK in this, its 35th anniversary year. I’ve always loved the CSK and have owned two over the years, although in the interest of transparency I didn’t actually own one of them, CSK number 073, because in 1993 I persuaded a sympathetic employer to buy it for me secondhand, as my company car. They happily paid for the copious volumes of petrol it consumed over the next couple of years as well – those were the days! Introduced in 1990, the 20th anniversary year of the launch of the Range Rover, the CSK was intended to test the market for a sporty Range Rover, in much the same way as the In Vogue was introduced in 1981 to…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH I guess several of you may know me, or at least recognise my cars, notably my 110, ‘Priscilla’, and I’m delighted to be joining you here. Since 2019 I have been competing with my Land Rovers in desert endurance rallies in Morocco, as well as shorter off-road events both in France where I currently live, and with the British Army Motorsports Association (BAMA) in the UK. Now my teammate Marcella and myself are preparing for our biggest challenge, and we are inviting you to join us for the ride. That challenge is Dakar. The myth, the dream. What was it that Thierry Sabine, founder of the Paris-Dakar rally as it was back then, said? “A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind.”…

OUR journey began in 2022, with a simple yet audacious idea: what if we could transform classic Land Rovers into mobile promotional platforms powered by electricity? At first, it sounded like a wild proposition – a converted-to-electric Land Rover One Ten and Series III fitted with state-of-the-art digital screens. But as we’ve learned, sometimes the wildest ideas make the most sense. At Electric Vintage, we’ve taken that timeless charm and propelled it into the future by merging sustainability with an innovative twist on advertising The concept was sparked during a conversation between our founder, Cian Duggan, an expert in sustainability with over 15 years in engineering and environmental consultancy, and our director, John Hargan. We were searching for a way to stand out in the crowded EV conversion market. The…

THE cost of Land Rover motoring has crept up on us by stealth. For a start, the forecourt price of Land Rovers remains stubbornly high. Forget comparing average wages to car prices eleventeen years ago: the fact is that cars are just too much money – unless of course you’re trading one in. As an example, my own well-preserved Range Rover Sport has a trade-in value of £500, and falling. Part of the blame for high prices rests with the ways customers can buy from garages without actually paying. A deposit up front followed by regular payments often means trading your old motor in, then paying a wedge every month, and after three or four years paying thousands more just to keep the car you already thought was yours. Purchasing…

ACCORDING to the Dealer Auction’s latest Retail Margin Monitor, Land Rover was once again the most profitable brand for used car dealers in November. On average, dealers made a profit of £3825 on every Land Rover sold, and it marks the 21st consecutive month that the green oval has topped the list. At model level, the Discovery Sport was the most profitable, with an average retail margin of £3525, followed by the Range Rover Evoque, which had an average of £3475 in November. Will Land Rover leave the competition trailing in its wake in December and end the year on a high? Place your bets now……

WHAT is going on with EVs? Recently, the press has reported a tsunami of stories and statistics on plummeting EV sales, and why electric cars are not the way forward. Are things really that bad, and why have governments almost everywhere got this so wrong? Perhaps the most dramatic article was the one in the Telegraph: ‘Heads should roll over the electric car fiasco. Policymakers have wasted billions chasing a net zero pipe-dream. It is time they were held accountable.’ The writer went on to say that profits at Mercedes have plunged as sales of its new range of electric vehicles went into freefall and the group’s net profits are down by 21 per cent as a result. Porsche has abandoned its sales targets for battery-powered cars amid waning demand…

DIVERSE and ever-changing. You could use these terms to describe almost anything in the world. But while the basic silhouette of our beloved utility Land Rover hardly wavered in almost 70 years of production, the way they are used and modified has undeniably evolved over the decades – and there’s no sign of it slowing down. The pair of Defenders we’ve brought together here are a perfect case in point. In enthusiast circles, they represent two of the fastest-growing and most popular styles to emerge from the Land Rover universe, with more and more owners choosing one of the two genres of style when shopping for their own upgrade parts. Let’s step back in time for a moment, though. For many years, the Series models, then the Ninety and One…

FOR many years, Roger Crathorne had been firmly of the view that Land Rover should have its own collection of historic vehicles, and as plans started to take shape in 1987 to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary, Land Rover’s inability to enter a Series I in the spectacular Wales ’88 gathering planned for late April brought the absence of a heritage fleet into sharp focus. Roger wrote an internal memo entitled ‘Land Rover Limited’s Own Heritage Fleet – Preserving the Past to Secure the Future’, which was sent to his ultimate boss, Commercial Director John Russell. In it, Roger argued passionately that the company should begin immediately to acquire a selection of vehicles that would ‘see us through to the 50th anniversary celebration and be the envy of every 4x4…

The great thing about the Land Rover scene is the diversity of events open to owners, and one weekend last December exemplified that. I’d been in Wiltshire together with a few dozen other Land Rovers, running and competing in a 4x4 event, while up in the capital city, Land Rovers of London held its Christmas meet – to raise money for charity – where nearly 400 Land Rovers rocked up at Belgrave Square full of festive cheer. Now, while the 4x4 event excluded any vehicle which didn’t have off-road ability, Land Rovers made up the vast majority of vehicles. Likewise, the London meet could have been arranged for any marque of vehicle, but the Land Rovers – mostly classic Defenders – just looked ‘right’ in the midst of the hustle…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH My Land Rover journey started in 2014 when I purchased an ex-demonstrator Defender 90 XS Td5 from a gentleman down in Winchester. The man I bought it from was the first private owner of the car and used it regularly to drive to and from London, never taking it off-road. It was immaculate. The Defender became my pride and joy, and I used to drive it regularly into London during the summer months in search of supercars that would line the streets of Knightsbridge and Belgravia. At the same time, social media pages such as ‘Supercars of London’ started to take off and I thought it would be fun to do a spin on that name. So, in July 2015 ‘Land Rovers of London’ was born. Being…

REMAPPING – it’s a subject that polarises opinion. In one camp are those who swear blind that the manufacturer who tuned an engine’s control unit knows best, and that any increases in power and torque come at the detriment of the engine’s longevity, and the driveline parts downstream of the engine are put under more stress than they’re designed to take. On the other side of the coin are those who choose a remap as one of the first modifications they book any vehicle in for when it arrives in their ownership. After all, engine ECUs are tuned incredibly conservatively from the factory, and who doesn’t want a bit more grunt under their right foot? The truth is, knowledge in engine remapping has come a very long way since the…

I have always wanted to make something from an end-of-life vehicle, especially a Land Rover because it’s my favourite car. It’s a great way to put repurpose scrap vehicles and give them a new lease of life. I had the opportunity to make something like this for my A-Level DT coursework and before I even started the course, I was planning out what I should make. It began at Goodwood Revival 2023 where I met Richard Heighes, who is the owner of a Land Rover restoration company called Windsor Classics. After a long discussion about apprenticeships and my idea of making a Land Rover sofa, he mentioned that he had a spare Land Rover Series II rear tub that he was going to send to scrap – if I wanted…

AS with any big project, the moment that it flips from disassembly to reassembly and the vehicle starts to go back together is a real turning point. And while this rechassis is far from a full restoration, it’s still a great time and a big boost to start to see the vehicle take shape again from a pile (or rather, piles) of bits. A job like this is also the perfect opportunity to rectify any niggles that the vehicle had beforehand, and introduce improvements and upgrades that will make it nicer to drive whilst it’s already apart. For instance, it makes sense to replace the 109’s heavy-duty military leaf spring packs with a set of Britpart parabolics; not only will they be a lot more suitable for general use from…

SAGGING headlining is a common issue on ageing Land Rovers and Range Rovers of all types, and the first-generation Range Rover is notorious for its headlining material dropping over time. The problem might start as one or two areas where the material sags, but it eventually ends up as Bedouin-style swathes of hanging material, known as hammocking. It’s a problem that blights many other Land Rovers, and the causes and the fixes are generally similar. The cause is the glue used in the headlining material. It fails between the face material and the foam backing, or between the foam backing and the rigid headliner. There’s no real spot-fix for the problem because the headlining needs to be a uniform surface. Staples, pins or re-glueing looks ugly or damages the delicate…