Land Rover Owner

‘The rain in Spain was somewhere else’ EDITOR l Neil Watterson bought his first Land Rover in 1988 and has owned numerous since. He’s driven a huge number of the UK’s greenlanes, almost every Land Rover model and competes in a wide range of motor sport in Land Rovers. Vehicles: 1969 Series IIA, 1979 Lightweight, 1998 300Tdi Defender 110, 2012 TDCi Defender 110 Utility I know we British are always talking about the weather, but that’s because it can be so variable. Indeed, we’re experiencing record-breaking heat as I’m writing this – but it’s not as hot as we’ve experienced in Land Rovers. I think the hottest I experienced was 43ºC in Spain, when I was there in a Freelander 1 in 2006. We were taking photos in the…

The sun blazes down, further dehydrating the dust-laden air that swirls behind the overland-ready Discovery 3 as it powers up the bumpy track and crests the hill at Devils Pit off-road centre and comes to a halt in front of me. It’s an impressive machine that’s perfectly adapted for this environment. The wind-driven, super-heated air disperses the choking cloud of fine dust as Martin Radoczi steps smiling from his surprisingly still gleaming Discovery. It’s quite some entrance. He’s no stranger to dusty tracks and enormous skies and – although we’re in south Bedfordshire and not South Africa, where Martin spent his formative years – the view from up here is pretty cool, despite the fierce heat. It’s the perfect location to check out the plethora of upgrades he’s made to…

WIN! Great gear in every LRO issue Full Stanley range is at uk.stanley1913.com 1st PRIZE One-litre Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle in Mossy Oak finish £59.99 Send pics to wolr@ LRO.com. Include a description of the vehicle and where the photograph was taken, along with the names of anyone appearing in it. Please send the biggest image file sizes you have – the bigger you send it, the better! This issue, it’s congratulations to first-placed Gemma Gyseman and runner-up Rob Bennett. Your Stanley goodies are on their way to you, folks. 2nd PRIZE Stanley Classic Easy-Fill Wide-Mouth Flask in Mossy Oak finish £29.99…

Following the massive success of the 2021 Defender Works V8 Trophy, which took cues from the legendary Camel Trophy events, Land Rover Classic has revealed this – the V8 Works Trophy II. Powered by the same gutsy 400bhp 5.0-litre V8 and eight-speed ZF autobox combination as the first Trophy, this new model is available in both 90 and 110 station wagon body styles and, for the first time, a limited number of 110 double-cabs will be offered. The most striking difference between the Trophy and the Trophy II is the absence of Eastnor Yellow paint, replaced by Fuji White and Narvik Black with a striking camouflage design that cleverly incorporates the silhouettes of iconic Series and Defender models, as well as 23 locations that have played a part in Land…

A batch of 13 delivery-mileage classic Defenders from the final weeks of production is being put on the market. The six-year-old vehicles have been dry-stored since rolling out of Solihull and still have between 10 and 20 miles on the clock, ensuring they all remain in pristine condition. All are top-spec XS models with 90 and 110 wheelbases, in Corris Grey, Indus Silver, Santorini Black or Montalcino Red. The Defenders are part of a batch of 240 that Twisted Automotive bought from Land Rover as production came to its final halt in January 2016. Although the Defenders are currently unmodified, they will require a small degree of modification before sale, in order for Twisted to fulfil a contractual obligation to Land Rover. This can be limited to a power upgrade,…

The first commercially available TDCi engine conversions for Series II/IIAs and IIIs are being offered by West Midlands firm IRB Developments, combining leaf-sprung character with 21st century power delivery. The conversion uses the later 2.2 version of the TDCi and six-speed manual gearbox, as used in Defenders. This is mated to Stage 1 V8-spec axles fitted with Defender-spec diffs. Four-speed ZF or six-speed Ford automatic options are also offered. An as-new 88in is priced from £65,000. More info: irbdevelopments.com.…