Land Rover Monthly Winter 2023

@busheditor SEEMS like just yesterday that we were doing the Show and Tell stage on a middle-of-summer’s day at the Billing Off Road Show. I do miss the long days and BBQ aromas of the British summer, a time of the year when you can really pack in the fun-in-the-sun activities. That said, there is no such thing as an ugly season. During the last few weeks I have loved my autumn runs through a nearby, deserted forest. I love doing this six-mile loop and have yet to see another human being out there. My only companions are the muntjacs, squirrels and millions of falling autumn leaves. I know that winter is fast-approaching when we do the second Newbury 4x4 Spares Day of the year; read more about this great…

YOU can now order a new Defender 110 equipped with enhanced ballistic and blast protection, thanks to an exclusive Jaguar Land Rover agreement with vehicle protection specialist, Trasco. The lightweight Anti-Kidnap, or A-KIP, conversion offers ‘protection with minimal compromise’ and its inconspicuous design means that a Defender 110 thus equipped is virtually indistinguishable from a standard vehicle. It’s a fairly niche market targeting government departments and high net-worth individuals, but those who need it can choose between VPAM 4 or VPAM 6 levels of ballistic protection, encompassing lightweight security-grade steel, glass and composite materials for the windscreen, doors and door glass, roof, footwells and a new rear partition window situated behind the second row of seats. Clients can also specify additional equipment, including a fire suppression system for the engine…

THE What Car? Reliability Survey found the Discovery – from 2017 to the present day – was the car most likely to break down. The survey asked owners of cars aged up to five years whether it had gone wrong in the past two years, as well as how long repairs took and how much they cost, with these factors determining a score out of 100. The higher the score, the more reliable the car is. The Discovery scored 70.7 per cent. The publication also found that Discovery owners were most likely to experience problems with electrics (24 per cent), bodywork (18 per cent) and batteries (12 per cent). Back in July 2021, Jaguar Land Rover boss Thierry Bolloré pledged to ‘solve the firm’s reliability and quality issues once and…

FOLLOWING a successful first season of exciting and close-fought competition, off-road performance specialist Bowler has announced the Defender Rally Series for 2023. The Defender has proven to be a durable and capable platform from which to grow the series in the UK and beyond. Designed for novices and competition veterans alike, the Defender Rally Series by Bowler consists of 12 teams competing in nine events. Building on the popularity of 2022’s Tata Elxsi Bowler Defender Challenge, the Defender Rally Series has been specifically designed to offer entrants the chance to gain rally motorsport experience and know-how, facilitating progression to rally-raid events. Bowler can offer the necessary support and training to enable entrants to achieve the correct licencing in order to compete in the UK and internationally. Packages for the 2023…

AFTER spotting a post on social media about ORE4x4’s relocation earlier this month, LRM eagerly accepted MD Chris McCormack’s invitation to check out the new HQ. Having outgrown its old premises in just two years, when an opportunity came up for a unit six times bigger, McCormack jumped on it. As well as making a considerable investment in fitting out the new premises, ORE4x4 has recently taken on the UK distribution of German brand LTPRTZ lighting, and more latterly Vickywood, an established high-end roof tent manufacturer, to improve delivery times to customers. The expanding company is recruiting locally for more staff to bolster its team. Further information about the jobs and the company, visit ore4x4.co.uk.…

Sellers beware I agree with Tom Barnard (December 2022 issue) that selling anything these days is risky. Having advertised in LRM Marketplace I got an email asking what my best price was. I replied with what I was asking, a bit over £1000. Things progressed and I answered lots of online questions from the French buyer before we agreed and I said that would be in order. After the cheque clears, we could arrange transportation. I then received a cheque for €5000. I said to the buyer that’s too much, they responded that the extra was for transportation that included other things they were buying. It was all a little bit dodgy so the cheque was cancelled and returned. It’s difficult trying to balance caution without putting off genuine buyers,…