Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Land Rover Monthly

PHOTOS make up a huge part of owning a Land Rover. If we’re not taking them, we’re looking at them – and now that almost everyone has a camera in their pocket at all times, there’s never been more opportunity to get snappy while out on your travels, at a local meet or event or getting busy under the bonnet. It was stumbling across some old photos of my very first Defender 90 on some local Cambridgeshire greenlanes that prompted me to spark up my Series III and go exploring. I wanted to see firstly if the lanes I remember driving along over ten years ago were still open, and how they had changed in that time. An afternoon adventure is always better with company, so I shot Land Rover…

A one-off prototype, secretly rescued from the Rover factory in the 1950s, went under the hammer at Cheffins’ Harrogate Vintage Sale in mid-August; despite an estimate of £10,000 to £12,000, the lot was unsold. Built between 1950 and 1951 as an experimental project, this curious vehicle was Land Rover’s early attempt at creating a go-anywhere, all-terrain machine, with the added ambition of amphibious capability. It next appeared in the early 1960s at Packington Land Rover during a Dealer Demonstration Day. The idea was scrapped by Land Rover and the unresolved vehicle was sold off as spares to a Rover employee – an unheard-of move given the strict controls of ‘The Cage’, Land Rover’s internal security system designed to prevent prototype leaks. The Rover employee went on to rebuild the prototype…

Last of the line I have a 1984 ex-MoD Land Rover Series III. Being a 1984, would it be one of last Series III supplied to the MoD? It has a 2.5 naturally aspirated diesel engine; could this engine have been fitted sometime later in its life by the REME? Also, the wheels are stamped Australia – how interesting is that? The paint job looks like it has been put on with a yard brush. I find the magazine very interesting, thank you. John Rooney MARTIN REPLIES: Yes, a 1984 would be one of the last Series IIIs to go into the MoD, as One Tens would have been introduced alongside until the Series III ceased production in 1985. It’s likely that the 2.5 was fitted down the line as you…

IT’S amazing how quickly things can change. Just three weeks after JLR hosted its very positive annual Investor Day on 16 June, it issued a statement regarding the sales results in the first quarter of the new 2025-2026 financial year, covering the months of April, May and June. Sales were a massive 15 per cent down compared with the same period a year ago. JLR attributed the sales crash to halting the production of ‘legacy’ Jaguar models in May, and the ‘pause in shipments to the US during April 2025 following the introduction of US import tariffs’. Digging into the detail underlying the sales crash shows that in Q1 sales were actually up by 20 per cent in the company’s Middle East and North Africa region compared with the year…

JUST as you might expect, when Wimbledon is on the telly, sales of tennis rackets shoot upwards and you can’t get a court at your local park. Big events have the same influence in the classic car world. Over the past few weeks the prices of less interesting models have been defying a generally slow market. Enthusiasts have got excited about models which would have been worth little more than scrap value in the winter months. This is all because of the phenomenon which is the Festival of the Unexceptional, and the similar rival events which are now popping up here and in Europe. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, FotU is designed as a celebration of long-forgotten everyday family cars, particularly those in base trim from…

EXACTLY when Land Rover started to think seriously about the recreational, lifestyle and leisure market is open to debate, but whichever way you look at it, the vehicle you see here undoubtedly has a powerful claim to have been a pioneer. Why? Because in my view it ticks all the boxes in terms of dramatic styling, an eye-catching paint job, big wheels with chunky tyres, short wheelbase, a side-hinged swing-out tailgate carrying the spare, and a 3.5-litre V8 – all things that together set it aside from the standard utility Land Rovers on offer at the time. And all this in early 1981. In terms of the use of the 3.5 V8, it’s fair to say that the Rover Motor Company of North America led the way in the mid-1960s…

There are some places that I really yearn to drive – and the trails of Moab are one of them. The closest I’ve been was on the launch of the Discovery 5 in 2017, where we took in some routes just to the south in Utah, but there’s a world of difference between the newbie-off-roader and modern Land Rover-friendly trails we took in and the gnarlier tracks you can explore in when you’ve more experience and a suitably equipped off-highway vehicle (OHV). And reading Chris Collard’s report of exploring the area (p68) and the accompanying photos makes me want to throw a couple of locking diffs into my Series IIA’s axles and ship it across the pond so I can drive it too. With door tops off and tilts rolled…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THEY are the single most important component on any vehicle – Formula 1 car, articulated truck or the humblest old Land Rover – yet they are often the most ignored. Tyres. Take as read that it’s assumed yours are legal, in good condition and at the correct pressures. Beyond that they are possibly the most confusing and misunderstood aspect of the four-wheel drive vehicle. A wearing item, often punctured beyond repair with otherwise plenty of life left, they are a running cost and hence people are pushed towards cheap rubber. Resist that urge, as they are the most important part of your Land Rover – its only contact with the planet. All the torque, differential locks and low range gear options will make absolutely no difference if…

SUPPORTED BY CHALLENGES can be expected during long-term ownership of older vehicles. One evening, after a quick ride out with one of my boys, it happened. A turn of the key and there was nothing but a loud, single click. Short of time and short of tools, I worked the problem as best I could, in clean clothes. The battery definitely had charge, the auto selector lockout was functioning, the starter just wouldn't turn. Unable to bump start an automatic, that was the decider: the car had broken down. Mercifully, this happened on my mother’s drive, so that’s where the car sat forlornly for a week until I had time to return. Minded that the starter was having to come off, for thoroughness, I thought I’d just give it one…

SUPPORTED BY THE winter of 2024 really took its toll on the back end of my beloved 90 County Station Wagon – the deterioration came on quite suddenly I guess, because of all the wet weather we had last year. The tub cappings around the lights had rotted out, I was getting leaks around one of the small quarter windows, the back door hinges were worn, the rear door had bubbling paint, and I was never really keen on the oversized North American-spec rear lights a previous owner had fitted either. It had been bothering me for ages, so I decided to make use of the warm spell we’ve been having lately and the light evenings to finally sort it. I started by stripping off the spare wheel carrier and…

SUPPORTED BY IF you’ve been keeping up with the recommissioning of this 1985 One Ten on YouTube and here in the magazine, you’ll know that the majority of the tasks we’re having to tackle to bring it back to life are due to it having stood idle for over ten years. And the job we’re doing today is no exception. The term ‘wheel cylinder’ might not mean much to you if you’ve only ever owned models with disc brakes, but up until 1993, they were used on the rear axle of 90s, 110s and 127s, and on all four corners of the Series models that came before them. While a caliper on a disc brake fills with pressurised fluid and clamps the brake pads onto the disc, slowing the hub,…

SUPPORTED BY FOR any engine to start (and to run, in the case of a petrol engine), it needs electrical energy. You might think the supply of that energy is the job of the battery, but that’s not strictly true. The battery is a storage device for the electricity that we call upon to power the starter motor: once the engine is running, it generates all the electricity it needs to run by itself. Modern cars produce their electricity using an alternator mounted on the engine and driven via an auxiliary drive belt by the crankshaft pulley. The alternator or, in the case of older vehicles, the dynamo, efficiently pushes charge back into the battery to keep it at optimum charge level, but it also creates enough current to actually…

TWISTED Automotive has joined forces with Evice Technologies, the latter supplying its proprietary electric powertrain architecture for Twisted’s flagship models. The collaboration’s first study vehicle, Project Overland, will be put through rigorous testing to ensure the electric powertrain meets the performance standards required for off-road adventures, and made its debut at the prestigious Hampton Court Concours of Elegance (held 5-7 September 2025). This partnership with Twisted marks Evice Technologies’ second commercial application of its advanced EV platform, which was first introduced in the remastering of the Rolls-Royce Corniche by Halcyon, and its latest joint-venture will further enhance its reputation for integrating new technology into iconic classic vehicles. As Twisted Automotive celebrates its 25th anniversary, the brand is now looking forward to the next quarter of a century, setting its sights…

LAND Rover Classic has unveiled an homage to one of its most iconic historical connections – the Series I that was presented to Winston Churchill at his Chartwell Estate on 30 November 1954, to celebrate his 80th birthday. Dubbed the Classic Defender V8 Churchill Edition, this ultra-exclusive run of just ten vehicles reimagines the wartime leader’s beloved 1954 Land Rover for the modern era. The project was sparked by Emil Frey, the current owner of Churchill’s original Series I, registration UKE 80, now preserved at the Emil Frey Classics Museum in Switzerland. Developed by Land Rover Classic’s Works division in Coventry, the Churchill Edition merges heritage design cues with the power and refinement of the re-engineered classic Defender V8. Each example features Bronze Green bodywork carefully matched to the original…

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THERE seems to be quite a few people out there in Land Rover world who will happily tackle almost any mechanical task but will collapse with overwhelming anxiety at the thought of tackling anything electrical. If you take a peek behind the instrument panel on a Series or Defender vehicle, it’s easy to understand why: you are faced with a jumble of disorganised, multi-coloured spaghetti routed every which way. Land Rover never really modernised the electrics on these vehicles. Compared with almost any car manufactured since the early 1980s, the electrical system is very old-fashioned, with hundreds of Lucas spade and bullet connectors on individual wires rather than the multi-pin plugs on neatly grouped cables that most car mechanics will be used to. A typical older Land Rover will have…

IN a career at Austin Rover and Land Rover spanning more than 13 years, Colin Walkey witnessed the final years of British Leyland’s ownership of Rover and its sale to British Aerospace. He also experienced the inspiring and visionary leadership of Land Rover boss Tony Gilroy, as well as new model launches including the Discovery and the P38A, and the takeover by BMW. Land Rover changed beyond recognition during those years, and as a trained journalist and public relations specialist Colin played a leading role in the transformation. He was part of the management team that doubled worldwide sales, and as a main board director he was instrumental in changing the perception of the company from a producer of agricultural 4x4s to the ‘jewel in the crown’ of UK manufacturing,…

Reassuringly annoying SKYTAG GPS ACTIVE MONITORING £11.99/month (plus £249 device cost), skytag-gps.co.uk Tested by: Neil Watterson Owned for: Six months You know what’s worse than getting a text and phone call every time your Land Rover leaves its home? Not getting a text a text and phone call when your Land Rover leaves. One of the first things I did following the attempted theft of my Defender earlier in the year was to drop Skytag GPS a line to upgrade my vehicle tracking. I already had a tracker fitted – it was a condition of my insurance – but it was just passive tracking; if the vehicle was stolen we’d be able to see where it was. Now I’ve gone for Skytag’s LeisureSafe active monitoring, where if the Land Rover…

SUPPORTED BY “THAT’S not good.” Steve Miller looks in through the window of my trusty 200Tdi 90 as I pull up to book into the camping at the Malvern LRM Live show. A cloud of smoke and the smell of hot engine oil confirms to us both that all is not well with my 1991 Defender. The journey down to Malvern had been absolutely fine – just back from an MoT, the 90 was performing perfectly, with no indication that anything was amiss. Despite 32-degree heat, it was running at normal temperature and felt no different than any of the previous 166,000 miles driven. That ever-reassuring Tdi rattle was just as it should be. I pull over to my camping pitch, just across from editor Martin Domoney. Martin comes over,…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Call for a free quote on 01480 484 803 September 12-14 THE MAJORS Green Hall Farm, nr Llanfyllin, Powys mroc.co.uk/the-majors-2025 September 13 FABULOUSLY BRITISH – LAND ROVER DAY AT BROADWAY TOWER Broadway, Worcestershire broadwaytower.co.uk/tickets September 13-14 GOODWOOD REVIVAL Goodwood Circuit, Chichester, West Sussex goodwood.com/motorsport/goodwood-revival/ September 14 FOREST VINTAGE SHOW The Speech House Hotel grounds, Coleford, Forest of Dean fvvmc.co.uk September 20-21 S&S COMP SAFARI Aston Lodge Farm, Stone, Staffs saslrc.co.uk/events/ September 23 SERIES I, II, III CLUB SOUTHWEST PUB MEET The Bell Inn, Ash, Martock series123club.co.uk/southwest/ September 27 TEA ON THE TAILGATE LINCOLNSHIRE Wickenby Aerodrome Cafe ///nappy.potential.certainly teaonthetailgate.co.uk/events October 5 LAND ROVER MONTHLY LAND ROVER, 4x4 AND VINTAGE AUTOJUMBLE Newbury Showground, Hermitage, Thatcham landrovermonthly.co.uk/events/land-rover-4x4-and-vintage-autojumbles-2025-dates-for-your-diary/ TEA ON THE TAILGATE LEICESTERSHIRE Triumph 1902 ///everybody.making.hacksaw teaonthetailgate.co.uk/events October 12 LAND ROVER…

PART 2: Removing the manual transmission SUPPORTED BY ALTHOUGH we cover removal of the transmission from the Defender that’s being converted to auto here, I’ve recently had another TDCi Defender in the workshop, so you’ll see both vehicles here and two methods of removing the transmission. For the automatic conversion vehicle we removed the transfer box first, followed by the gearbox. Splitting the transmission in this way can make the job easier and safer because there is less weight involved when lowering the transmission to the floor in two sections, and the transmission has to be split in any case in order to couple the new auto box to the transfer box. The second Defender was in for a clutch change, hence the transmission was removed in one piece, and…

SUPPORTED BY DEALING WITH MIRROR ARM CORROSION The aluminium door mirror arms on my Defender are corroding, resulting in the black paint flaking off. See attached photo. I’m keen to keep and refurbish them if I can, as they are the original set – what do you recommend please in terms of how to clean/prepare/paint them? Both sides are pretty similar in terms of corrosion. James Stapleton ED EVANS REPLIES: I can see from your photo that these mirrors are original Britax, so worth keeping. It’s very difficult to achieve long-term success when dealing with aluminium corrosion, but it is possible. You could carry out the following treatment with the arms in position if the extent of corrosion is no greater than that visible in your photo, provided you can keep…

WITH a Land Rover, your family or a good bunch of mates, you don’t have to go far to enjoy a brilliant weekend adventure all of your own. In the UK we are lucky to have amazing Land Rover events throughout the year – and a number of them are run by the hard-working team right here at Land Rover Monthly. Book-ending the year are the ever-popular LRM Autojumbles at Newbury, Ripon and Malvern. Need hard-to-find parts for your project? Want to make some cash by clearing out your shed or just want to meet up with like-minded folk to drink tea and talk Land Rovers? These events are perfect. May hosts LRM Live, our family-friendly two-day show that celebrates everything to do with the vehicles we love so much,…

PERHAPS an unlikely exhibitor at the decidedly upmarket 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance classic car event on the Californian coast, Land Rover Classic and JLR North America joined forces to celebrate 75 years of exploration. The company’s heritage display featured ten storied expedition vehicles, spanning over 75 years of adventure, including Series models, Defender, Discovery and Range Rover. Among the line-up was the US debut of Pollyanna, a 1950 Series I, piloted by pioneering explorer, author and playwright Barbara Toy, the 1972 Trans America Range Rover, which traversed the Darien Gap, and the Discovery 2 from the Longitude Expedition wearing the signature of the Dalai Lama, as well as the legendary Oxford and Cambridge 1955 First Overland Expedition Series I. Each vehicle had a unique tale behind it, encompassing visionary…

IN a major boost to the UK’s classic vehicle scene, the DVLA has unveiled updates to its registration policies, making it significantly easier to keep restored, repaired and modified vehicles on the road. Effective from 26 Aug 2025, the new guidance removes outdated red tape and introduces clearer, more flexible rules for owners of classic vehicles. The key changes include: • Like-for-like repairs and restorations no longer need to be reported to DVLA, as long as the vehicle’s appearance and V5C details remain unchanged. • Vehicles with significant structural modifications – including chassis changes – can retain their original VIN and registration number, provided the DVLA is properly notified. • Electric conversions will also now be allowed to keep the vehicle’s original identity, provided DVLA is notified. These changes come…

UPRATED INTERCOOLER £480 website: empiretuning.co.uk Featuring a 300mm core with louvred high-efficiency fins, this intercooler for Td5, 2.4 TDCi and 2.2 TDCi engines will help you reduce the inlet air temperature of your classic Defender. It has 3mm walls to shrug off extreme off-road use and each unit is pressure tested to 4-bar to ensure strength and reliability. It fits directly in the OEM location, though minor trimming may be required, and has a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser. BIKE CARRIER ADAPTER £276 website: mudstuff.co.uk One of the drawbacks with driving vehicles with spare wheels mounted on the rear doors is they restrict the ability to attach kit, like bike racks, to the tow hitch. This Nakatanenga Cycle-Rack Extension Adapter clamps to the standard tow ball and extends the…

TIME to share a few thoughts from my recent foray into the world of chrome, Champagne, and concours perfection – this year’s Noosa Concours d’Elegance. The event may only be in its third year, but it’s already building a reputation as the southern hemisphere’s most glamorous gathering of beautiful vehicles. So, you can imagine my delight (and slight disbelief) at receiving an invitation to attend with my 1950 80in Land Rover. Only 50 vehicles are accepted, and most of them look like they’ve never met a gravel road, let alone driven one. In the days leading up to the event, I kept a close eye on the weather app and could see rain forecast. I’d left the soft top at home, a brave or foolish choice, depending on your outlook,…

FESTIVAL of Speed. Even if you’ve never been before I’ll grant you that the name itself doesn’t instantly strike up images of Land Rovers. It’s definitely a festival, but until quite recently (I’m looking at you, Octa) the ‘Speed’ part misses the mark when thinking of our beloved 4x4s. Don’t be fooled, though. As we’ve shown in these very pages in previous issues, the Goodwood estate in leafy West Sussex relies on a fleet of its very own classic Land Rovers to help maintain the venue and ferry visitors around, so they are a regular sight even on Goodwood’s quieter days. And, as you’re about to find out, when the Festival of Speed comes to town there’s a lot more Land Rover action than the name suggests. Come on, I’ll…

IT’S like coming home. As I pass the ‘Welcome to Devon’ sign on the M5, it’s a journey I’ve done hundreds of times over my life, many of those in my little grey 90 Tdi. It’s familiar and welcoming. As the sun sets over Plymouth, I take an evening detour down to the Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar. Just like our Land Rovers, the Royal Albert Bridge is an engineering masterpiece. I can tell tomorrow is going to be a great day. After battling through the traffic at Marsh Mills, something our South Western readers will be very familiar with, I arrive at Brookwells Plympton branch just before opening. There’s a bustle of activity outside as Simon, Carl and Peter load four Brookwells-liveried vans for the day’s deliveries. As…

NOT long ago, we dropped off a few of our rare breed Jacob sheepskins to be tanned, along with a couple of extras to make up the numbers. We recently had the call to say they were ready, so we headed down to Devonia Sheepskins in Buckfastleigh to collect them. We like to make use of everything, and these sheepskins are no exception. They make wonderfully soft covers for your Landy’s seats or tailgate. Better still, being both warm and breathable, they serve as a practical yet luxurious addition to your foldout camping chairs. Of course, they’re equally at home draped over a bench or even your fireside Windsor chair. With a little road trip on the cards, we needed some sustenance en-route. And given the sheep connection, it seemed…

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SUPPORTED BY I often rib my erstwhile colleague and podcast co-host, Steve Miller, about how old he is. While he has a good ten years on me, I do sometimes have to remind myself that I’m actually no spring chicken either – a fact that’s occasionally brought to my attention by my lower back. Other things that remind me of just how long I’ve been on the earth and mucking about with Land Rovers are the photos of greenlaning trips from the mid to late 2000s, and the odd part I come across while digging through boxes in the shed, bought yonks ago for a Land Rover I haven’t owned for years. While the bits and pieces I forgot I had do occasionally come in handy, it was the old pictures…

A mate was telling me how he enjoys working on the 2.25 diesel engine in his Series III. He reckons it’s a real engine because you open the bonnet and see it all, and everything comes easily to pieces. I know what he means. I’ve been following some service jobs on a second generation Range Rover Sport V8 diesel and a six-cylinder Ingenium-engined Defender. These have real engines, too, but when you lift the bonnet there’s nothing to be recognised among the mass of black plastic, multiple pipes and gaggle of harnesses. That old SIII’s diesel is great to work on because everything is identifiable and accessible. You want to change the fuel filter: there it is in full view on the bulkhead – spanner the pipe unions off, swap…

SUPPORTED BY THE subject vehicle for this job is a Defender 90 TDCi with around 96,000 miles on the clock. The owner was concerned about a number of issues with the transmission. Firstly there was a chattering or rattling sound from the bellhousing area, which was reminiscent of the chatter sometimes heard from a Defender Tdi transmission. The owner also experienced a change in the feel of the clutch operation and increasing difficulty with engaging and shifting gears. It was time to remove the transmission and replace the clutch and slave cylinder. Replacing the TDCi clutch The TDCi models of Defender do not possess a dual-mass flywheel (DMF) like the Td5 variants have. This is good news, in as much as you don’t have to worry about the expense of…

How long have you owned it? I’ve had the Lightweight for 14 years now. What made you want to buy this particular Land Rover? It was actually bequeathed to me when my step-uncle passed away. What’s the story so far? After many years of off-roading and pulling a caravan for my uncle and aunt, it was put into storage at work as I have no garage. That was until three years ago, when a car conversation with my mate Jason at the golf club resulted in him offering garage space for it. I’ve been doing all the work there since, trying to bring it back up to scratch. What has the biggest challenge been? As with any vehicle of this age, dealing with lots and lots of seized bolts: I’ve…