LAND ROVER
(pre 1999)

| Beverly 1993 || Beltring 1994 || Whitbread 1994 |
| Whitbread 1995 || Beltring 1995 || Motorshow NEC 1998 |

Beverly Museum of Army Transport - August 1993
I managed to drag my family along to this museum while we were all on holiday... The photos below show a Pink Panther SAS Series II, and a One Ton Series II packed into an air portable cage.

Whitbread Hop Farm Military Vehicle Show, Beltring - July 1994

Centaur half track and radio body 101.
A couple of GS 101s plus a Pink Panther, and another radio body 101.
A very nice FFR Lightweight in arctic colours, and a desert patrol Range Rover.
The Centaur in action in the arena...

Whitbread Hop Farm Offroad Show, Beltring - October 1994
I went along to this show with my mate Gary and his parents. There was a track set out along the edge of the show field, which went off into some woods further on.


Gary's dad was looking at buying a Discovery, and got us all a courtesy ride from one of the dealers in one.

As far as I can remember, it was the first time I went properly offroad - and it was as much fun as I expected!

A Range Rover powers through the mud, one Series III SWB got it a bit wrong, a Camel Trophy 110, and "our" Discovery again.

Gary and I managed to blag a ride in a Maverick. OK, it's not a Landy, but it was fun, and the demonstration driver was doing his best to break it!

As the show was nearing the end, we got a ride round in a Range Rover. V8, coils... Gary and I both want one!
Whilst in the woods we recovered a Dakar that had got a little too enthusiastic...

Many thanks to Roberts Country Vehicles, it was the best ride of the day!

Whitbread Hop Farm Offroad Show, Beltring - May 1995
I again attended the Hop Farm show with my mate Gary. This time the offroad track had been divided into two, with the main viewable track open to the public, and the woods reserved for the DORA (Disabled Off Road Access) charity vehicles. Almost as soon as we arrived we hitched a ride with one of the RRR (Range Rover Register) DORA Range Rovers, an older blue classic.


Lots of V8s: the Range Rovers and 101s showed their dominance in the big muddy hole in the middle of the public track.


We were then lucky enough to get a ride in a 101 GS. This thing was unstopable!

Below: A rather unusual Range Rover conversion...


...and a few others take on the mud hole.


Whitbread Hop Farm Military Vehicle Show, Beltring - July 1995

Series One, Shorland Armoured Car and Range Rover fire tender.

National Motor Museum, Beaulieu - August 1995

Motorshow NEC 1998
Unfortunately I missed the outside display (the weather was terrible and my group was more worried about getting the minibus started), but I spent a good deal of time climbing all over the Land Rover stand inside, and I saw the indoor off-road course as well (it was amusing to see how many lesser vehicles were fitted with aggresive rubber, as well as the trouble they had with some of the obstacles). Martha was there (see LRO December 1988), although LRO's claim of "original paintwork" isn't quite accurate...

I managed to sit in and climb over everything I could on the stand - and found a few surprises! Firstly, I'm too tall for the new Range Rover (either that or the electric seat wasn't working), and secondly, I fit perfectly in a Defender (surprising considering my height and a vehicle not known for its ergonomics). As for the Freelander, it may have the green and yellow oval, but it's more of an ocean of plastic inside than the old Astra hire car that got me up to uni after Christmas (which is saying something!). The new Discovery is nice (the changes in shape are subtle but effective), although to sit in the rear occasional seats you really could do with having your feet attached at your knees - the seat base is only a few inches above the load floor.

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