Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2024 i Land Rover Monthly

ELECTRIC vehicles and conversions are always a hot topic in Land Rover circles; you either love them or loathe them. But, whichever camp you’re in, there’s got to be a high degree of admiration for the companies and individuals behind the development and testing of the tech that transforms petrol or diesel-slurping 4x4s into high-voltage, high-torque monsters – which is exactly what Bristol-based engineering firm Fellten did with this month’s cover star. A complete bolt-in solution for dropping a Tesla drive unit into an old Defender? You can’t deny that’s impressive. If EVs really aren’t your cup of tea, worry not. There’s stacks more goodness in this issue to get your teeth into, including an action-packed dyno shootout, featuring some of the most off-the-wall and downright scary tuned and converted…

WHILE Land Rover’s 75th birthday went without fanfare by the car maker, it did mark the 60th anniversary of vehicle manufacturing at the Halewood site. On 21 September, HRH the Princess Royal visited the Merseyside facility for a special diamond anniversary tour to celebrate 60 years of manufacturing since the first vehicle was produced at in 1963. Her Royal Highness was given exclusive insight into electrification plans and works underway at the facility. Local charity, The Inclusive Hub, was also invited to the royal occasion after being selected by employees for a vehicle donation as part of an internal recognition scheme, which was presented by the Princess Royal herself. The donation was in recognition of The Inclusive Hub’s amazing work in the local community to empower people of all ages and…

AS WINTER creeps up on us and the days become shorter and colder, there’s a distinct lack of Land Rover shows. However, there is one event that you should pen in your diary and it’s almost certainly different to what you’re normally used to. Taking place over the first weekend (2-3) of December, the Motoring Literary & Art Festival, organised by Porter Press International, is a festival devoted to books, magazines, art and automobilia. It will be held within The Wing at Silverstone, and includes a full programme of panel discussions and talks by a stellar line-up of over 50 speakers from across the motoring world. The event will also feature prominent automotive artists (painting live), specialist exhibitors and a selection of star cars and conversations with motoring personalities. Every…

Thom is a British freelance journalist who has written for The Times and The Guardian, and now mostly spends her time reporting from Libya SPENDING considerable time in Devon sorting out my late mother’s affairs left me with relatively few chances to get behind the wheel of the Lightweight for several months, so now I jump at any opportunity for a little local drive. “Let’s go in the Lightweight!” I say winningly to the Fella before setting out on a local jaunt. “Oh, but it’s so small and uncomfortable,” he bemoans, and he’s certainly not the first passenger over six-foot tall to issue such protests. I’ve always wondered how the nice chap I bought the Lightweight from all those years ago managed, as he was not a small man and,…

ON the face of it, in the late 1940s someone came up with what seemed like a good idea. This particular cunning plan aimed to unlock huge financial and logistical benefits by standardising the engines in the British Army’s wheeled vehicle fleet. The chosen engine was the Rolls-Royce B-Series, a normally aspirated inline engine with crossflow inlet-over-exhaust cylinder heads that was launched in 1947. The B-Series had significant commonality of parts across its B40 four-cylinder, B60 six-cylinder, and B80 eight-cylinder variants, all of which shared the same pistons, rods, valves, springs and liners, while the B80 used two sets of the oil bath, air filters, exhaust manifolds and points components of the B40, and used the same carburettor as the B60, and so on. The engines were designed to be…

HAVING a home workshop that’s ready to do business becomes even more important as UK wintertime rolls in. Many classic Land Rovers will already have been taken off the road for winter, ready for all the outstanding jobs to be tackled at leisure in an enjoyable workshop environment. And if the truck stays in use through winter, the home workshop needs to be ready to tackle any unexpected problem quickly and efficiently to get the vehicle back on the road. Either way, now is a great time to spend a day in preparation, clearing, cleaning and reorganising the workshop, throwing the stuff that isn’t needed and binning the rubbish to leave maximum clear working space. Making fresh space gives room to lay out all the tools to check their condition.…

THE London Duck Tours distinctive yellow DUKW amphibians are almost as synonymous with London as red buses. Or at least they used to be – the company actually lost access to the ramp used to enter the River Thames in 2017… You can trace the DUKW’s roots back to the Second World War when they were used to move men and materials ashore where no port facilities existed. The premise of an amphibious vehicle is perfect for exploration, as it can go places that no other road car can, and that’s exactly the motivation for the Defender X team (defenderx.com/). The team – made up of expedition veterans, pioneering adventurers and polar explorers Jeff Willner, Steve Brooks, Mikael Strandberg and filmmaker Sofie Rørdam – set themselves a mission to drive…

Pilgrimage complete I have been lucky enough to own several Range Rovers since 1990, but now drive a smaller Freelander 2. Over the years and reading Land Rover Monthly my interest in all Land Rovering has intensified. After reading LRM’s ex-Editor Patrick’s account of his trip to Red Wharf Bay five years ago, I have also wanted to make the pilgrimage to the birthplace of the Land Rover. For a recent significant birthday, I finally made the trip in July this year. My navigators (wife Jane and TomTom) and I set off from Leatherhead to Anglesey in my trusty Freelander 2, Freddy. We were staying in a house with my brother and his wife for five days which gave us time to explore the island which became dubbed the ‘Magical…

NomadiQ BBQ From £235, oakridgeadventure.co.uk Barbecue in luxury anywhere with the NomadiQ folding BBQ grill. This innovative grill boasts the most compact design on the market, along with with the largest cooking surface. The NomadiQ BBQ comes in a stylish gift box complete with gas hose, pressure distributor, drip trays, shoulder strap and manual; just add a gas bottle and you’re ready to barbecue. You can take this lightweight gas BBQ with you anywhere; it features two separate temperature zones for versatile cooking, and is easy to clean after use. The NomadiQ is sure to make you the envy of your campmates on your next Land Rover adventure. CHRISTMAS SPECIAL £210 including free UK delivery on all orders placed before 25 Dec 2023 235-piece tool kit (CHT862) £131.98, Machinemart.co.uk Ideal…

When Brit Jack Dobson emigrated to Australia in 2010 he took his passion for Land Rovers along with him THIS month was the inaugural Land Rover Gathering event held up in Hervey Bay, Queensland. There are very few Land Rover shows here so it’s greatly appreciated when someone goes to the effort of setting one up. By trayback, this one was about four hours up the coast from Brisbane (perhaps an hour or so less if you’re driving a more sensible vehicle). I opted to take the trayback because I seem to enjoy breaking down and I needed the load carrying capability so I could sell some secondhand parts at the autojumble. I used to love the autojumbles you get in the UK and I particularly enjoyed the Sodbury Sortout…

IN the sun-dappled Bristol development workshop, a superb 1993 Arrow Red and Santorini Black Defender sits quietly, for there is no hearty diesel or grunty V8 under the bonnet. Instead, the powertrain for this Land Rover comes from a Tesla. Electrification, particularly within the sacred halls of classic motoring, might ruffle a few feathers, and the concept of an electric Defender in particular could well be perceived as iconoclasm to some devout aficionados. However, it’s not an entirely sacrilegious notion, because all the pros of going electric – instantaneous torque, cheaper running costs and zero emissions from the tailpipe – are surely music to every Landy owner’s ear? All you’re missing is the noise. Enter the team at Fellten UK (meaning lightning in Welsh), composed of brilliant minds and impressive…

IT’S always amusing to watch visitors to the Dunsfold Collection Museum walk past this vehicle without a second glance. For me, it’s become an indicator of how much a Land Rover enthusiast really knows about the company’s engineering and product development concepts, quirks, tangents and cul-de-sacs. What you see here is the LCV2 or, to give it its full name, Lightweight Concept Vehicle Phase Two, and although it deliberately bears a strong resemblance to an early 1990s short-wheelbase Defender, it could not be more different. In fact, it is so different that perhaps we should really ignore the fact that it has Defender badging on the front grille and the offside rear panel. The badges are not there to announce to the world that this is a new Defender, they…

OUR local ploughing match association (Bradworthy & District Ploughing Association) holds an event every year just up the road from where I live. This year, to mark 75 years of Land Rover, they had organised a section just for Land Rovers. As the day of the ploughing contest came closer we had entered a September heatwave, which made a change from the previous wet few months. So, I got my 1971 two-door Range Rover out, which sadly I hadn’t really used much over the months of July and August due to the washout that was summer. I had planned to do several local shows with the Range Rover this year, but because of the rain she mainly remained tucked up in the dry shed – as much for wanting to…

Make sure you don’t get another pair of socks this year! …is a subscription to the world’s best-selling Land Rover magazine! Subscribe for yourself or treat a friend BEST OFFER Just £11.99 by quarterly direct debit. SAVING £29.91 Six issues £25.99 or one year (13 issues) £49.99 Subscribe now – bit.ly/lrmgift Call 01778 392033 quoting LRM/GIFT23 Offer is open to UK residents and closes 24 December 2023. Christmas gift subscriptions will start with the February 2024 issue, published 3 January. Scan me ⟶…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEED TO KNOW TIME: Around 36 hours. COST: £226.17. DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Defender 90, 110, 130. TOOLS NEEDED: General workshop tools, sealant gun, metal file. PARTS AND COSTS: Sound insulation material, £50, widely available online or local Motor Factor; Tiger Seal adhesive sealer, £9, local hardware store; brake pedal housing gasket, ANR6333, £12.88, BLRC Ltd; clutch pedal hosing gasket, ANR6332. £22.69, BLRC Ltd; heater to bulkhead seal, STC952, £28.63, BLRC Ltd; air intake to heater seal, FF007292, £9.95, BLRC Ltd; steering column to bulkhead seal, FF004875, £12.50, BLRC Ltd; door hinges kit, DA1070, £80.52, BLTC Ltd. WORK SAFELY: • Use appropriately rated axle stands to support a raised vehicle.• Disconnect the battery before major dismantling work.• Get assistance when handling heavyweight components.• Wear gloves to protect from sharp…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEED TO KNOW TIME TAKEN: 2 hours. COST: £108 (parts only). TOOLS NEEDED: Sockets and spanner set, drill, multimeter, paint pen. DIFFICULTY: MODELS: 2007-2016 Defenders. PARTS USED: Mobile Centre, 25JSPANLKIT02, £108. WORK SAFELY • Use the right tool, for the right job.• Disconnect the battery earth lead before starting work.• Reconnect the earth lead last, after completing the job.• Take care to avoid tools and cables accidentally touching battery terminals while working.• Ensure the vehicle is stable and securely supported before working underneath it.• Wear eye protection when working under a vehicle.• Get an expert to do the job, if in any doubt about it. THANKS TO: Ian Baughan at IRB Developments and Tim Consolante from Mobile Centre: irbdevelopments.com; mobilecentre.co.uk. UNLIKE many other Land Rovers, the battery…

ED EVANS  TECH EDITOR  LRM technical lead. Drives 90 V8, RR Sport TREVOR CUTHBERT  CONTRIBUTOR  Pro re-chassis and total rebuild specialist DAVE BARKER CONTRIBUTOR Our man for later models. Drives Discovery 4 ALISDAIR CUSICK CONTRIBUTOR Patina expert. Drives Series I, Range Rover Classic STEVE MILLER CONTRIBUTOR DIY and resto man. Drives Td5 Defender 90 ED EVANS REPLIES: Yes, that was a nice wiper set-up, reminiscent of the E-type Jag’s layout. I’m not aware of a kit to do this conversion. But I guess it would be a simple matter of withdrawing the wiper rack and its tube, drilling the bulkhead and installing the extra wheelbox midway between the existing two. The rack tube would need a section cut out and the ends flared to engage in the new wheelbox. The position…

THAT’S right – following the success of the inaugural event in 2023, we’re hugely excited to announce that LRM Live will return to the Three Counties Showground at Malvern on 18-19 May 2024, so be sure to get the date in your diary. Packed with amazing Land Rover attractions, top-notch trade stands, arena displays, club stands and autojumble, all nestled in the stunning Worcestershire countryside, you won’t want to miss it. Keep an eye on the mag and social media channels over the coming months for more details, teasers and how to book your tickets. See you there!…

FOR those of you with a Land Rover that’s older than ten years you’ll most likely know that JLR Classic provides authentic and original parts for it. And now finding the right part or accessory for your pride and joy is even easier with the opening of two new official stores on eBay. More than 5000 authentic and original items are now available on eBay and because they’re official parts you know they’ll be manufactured to precise specifications. So whether you’re completing a renovation or restoration, or simply keeping your car on the road, it’s even easier and more convenient to find parts. Simply go to: ebay.co.uk/str/officialjaguarclassicparts/…

Award-winning journalist Gary Pusey is co-author of Range Rover The First Fifty, trustee of The Dunsfold Collection and a lifelong Land Rover enthusiast EVERY time I write about EVs, hydrogen, or e-fuels I know my inbox will fill rapidly! These are complicated subjects that even the so-called experts don’t seem able to agree on, but they are also divisive topics. What do I mean by that? Well, if my postbag is anything to go by, many people seem to be passionate about one or other of them, and vehemently against the others, often dismissing the ones they don’t agree with out of hand and telling me there is only one solution (theirs, of course). I am most definitely not an expert on any of these alternatives, but I am increasingly…

Tom Barnard is an author, veteran motoring journalist and LRM’s market guru GENERALLY, I like to embrace new technology as it’s made life better in so many ways. I can research this column without having to leave my cosy armchair for example, and I won’t ever need to use Tippex on this page before I send it to Editor Martin. I’m keeping a close but amused eye on this AI stuff though. I gave it a try on a bit of research for an article and it did a reasonable job, but there were some glaring errors and the style obviously wasn’t human. Having seen how it worked I started to notice a trend though. I am now spotting adverts for Land Rovers which are quite clearly written by artificial…

WHAT IS A DYNO? A dynamometer, or dyno, is a device used to calculate the power and torque developed by an engine. There are a few different types – an engine dyno tests the power directly at the engine’s crankshaft when the engine is removed from the vehicle and bolted into a special rig. A hub dyno works by removing the vehicle’s wheels and bolting measurement devices directly to the ends of the axles or hubs. The third, and most common type, is the one you see here – the rolling road. The vehicle is driven onto the dyno and the wheels sit in between pairs of rollers, which simulate driving on a road. By inputting engine RPM and applying a load to the drive wheels through the rollers as…

BACK in the dark winter nights, my wife (Mrs Rave) and I were trying to cheer ourselves up by looking around for some winter sun. Being typically tight Yorkshire folk, we were hunting for the best deals. We went through the process of searching budget holidays, as neither of us really likes just sitting on the beach and, to be honest, as a petrolhead, I could quite happily spend my annual leave in the garage with the welder and grinder fitting a roll cage to my rally car. Mrs Rave on the other hand, had other ideas, and came up with a fantastic solution. She found an Airbnb on offer which was advertised as a long wheelbase Land Rover which had been converted to provide slightly cramped but acceptable living…

The Goodwood Revival is one of the planet’s most outstanding motoring events – staged entirely in a period theme, every year the famous circuit comes alive with iconic cars, motorcycles and fashions of the past. But it’s more than static displays and monumental racing, there are hundreds of exhibitors sharing their wonderful products, and then there’s the traditional funfair with vintage steam-powered rides, an open-air cinema, historic aircraft and flypasts, Bonhams auction (more on that in a bit) and circus shows – to name but a few of the highlights. And the attention to detail is just incredible – so much time and care goes into recreating the bygone era of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s (honouring the original lifespan of the Goodwood circuit) that it genuinely feels as though…

THE end of summer loomed and the children were readying for the return to school. It could only mean one thing – the longanticipated Chiltern Vale Land Rover Club’s Fun Day was upon us. This might not be the highlight of everyone’s calendar, but this is the largest single event of the year for our club and is open to all. As a club we run many events throughout the year, mostly trials, with the occasional social event or other activity thrown in, but the Fun Day has become as much a part of the club as doing an oil change mid-service on a Series Land Rover. So, what’s it all about? Well, as the name suggests, it’s about fun. And the best kind – Land Rover fun. As a…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEED TO KNOW TIME: One day. COST: £775-1171. DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Series II, IIA and III. TOOLS NEEDED: Socket and spanner sets, drain pan, torque wrench, 10mm Allen bit, 52mm box spanner, grease, hammer, punch, chisel, pry bar, pliers, bearing driver, brake bleeder. PARTS AND COSTS: Front disc conversion kit, £432; flexi hose kit, £114; pre-machined hubs, (576844/FRC3875), £396, designdevelopmenteng.co.uk. Calipers, (SEB500440/SEB500450), £53.40 each; pad fitting kit, (STC8576KIT), £2.28; disc x2, (LR018026G), £38.12; M10 x25 bolts, (SH110251L), £0.29; M10 spring washers x10, (WL110001L), £0.14; wheel bearing kit x2, (RTC3537G), £28.69, paddockspares.com. WORK SAFELY: • Raise and support the vehicle securely on rated equipment.• Wear the correct PPE at all times.• Wipe up spilt brake fluid and dispose of waste responsibly at your local recycling centre.• Wear a particle filter…

NEED TO KNOW TIME: Around 2 hours. DIFFICULTY: TOOLS: General workshop tools including ET10, 10, 12 and 18mm spanners and sockets, socket extension bar. Vehicle lift because doing this on the ground, or even with the Evoque on ramps, would be prohibitively difficult. MODEL: Range Rover Evoque 2012 to 2018. Similar job, but different part on Discovery Sport. PARTS AND COSTS: Fuel tank shield (2.2 diesel and 2.0 Ingenium) LR041435, from around £185 to £307 depending on supplier and if aftermarket, OEM or Genuine. WORK SAFELY: • Ensure axle stands or vehicle lift are correctly rated for the vehicle and in serviceable condition.• Ensure the vehicle is securely on the stands or lift, especially if it’s a wheels-free post lift, before commencing work.• Wear protective gloves or barrier cream to…

Sat 11 – Sun 12 Nov TYRO AND RTV/CCV TRIAL Little Baddow, Chelmsford, Essex elrc.info NORTH EAST ROVER OWNERS CLUB, CCV & RTV TRIAL Bonny Mount, Penrith, Cumbria nero.org.uk CCV AND RTV TRIAL Binegar Quarry, Binegar, Somerset somersetandwiltshirelrc.co.uk MOORS & DALES GRAND TOUR Stokesley, North Yorkshire trailsandtracks.co.uk LAKE DISTRICT EXPLORER Lake District, Cumbria onelifeadventure.co.uk SALISBURY PLAIN TRIP Devizes, Wiltshire 4x4adventuretours.co.uk Sun 12 Nov TREASURE HUNT Whaddon, Milton Keynes, Bucks muddyduck.org.uk LINCOLNSHIRE LAND ROVER CLUB, CCV TRIAL South Thoresby, Lincolnshire llrc.co.uk RTV TRIAL Stainby, Lincolnshire lrlrc.co.uk RTV & CCV TRIAL Haggate, Burnely, Lancashire penninelandrover.co.uk RTV TRIAL Dunnockshaw, Lancashire landroverclub.co.uk 4X4 TRIAL Aldermaston, Berkshire scor4x4.co.uk PEAK DISTRICT LAND ROVER TOUR Hartlington, Derbyshire uklandroverevents.com PAY & PLAY DAY Harbour Hill, Aldermaston 4x4-withoutaclub.co.uk 4X4 OFF ROAD DRIVING DAY Slindon Safari Centre, West Sussex 4x4driving.co.uk…