Our video of the week is a celebration of some of the more spectacular endurance feats and races that Land Rover has been involved with during its 70-year history.
Created to mark the anniversary, the clip features several adventurers recanting their 4×4 endeavours through some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain. Tim Slessor was part of the famous Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition that travelled from London to Singapore by road in 1955-56, a journey that had never been made before. The six-man team was supplied with two Land Rover Series 1 Station Wagons, one painted in the blue of each university. Leaving Hyde Park in September ’55, they arrived in Singapore on March 6 the following year. It’s a journey that simply couldn’t be made today given the hostilities in the Middle East and the closure of the Ledo Road between India and Myanmar.
In 1971, Gavin Thompson took part in the British Trans Americas Expedition, driving two Range Rovers from Anchorage in Alaska to Cape Horn, virtually the entire length of North and South America. The expedition included traversing the notorious Darien Gap that links Panama and Columbia. Home to political insurgents and drug runners, the dense jungle is the only break in the Pan-American Highway, and the expedition averaged just two and half miles a day when hacking its way through. According to this account of the adventure, petrol, mail and supplies were parachuted into the team by the Army Air Corps, and rafts were used to ferry the vehicles across some of the area’s more deadly swamps and rivers.
The Ives brothers back in their 1989 Defender to celebrate the anniversary
Lastly, we hear from Bob and Joe Ives, the brothers who formed the only UK team to ever win the Camel Trophy. Held between 1980 and 2000, the 4×4 challenge became something of a showcase for Land Rover, with the Range Rover, Discovery and Defender all featuring as the official event vehicle at various stages. In 1989, the Ives brothers tackled some of the toughest terrain that the Brazilian Amazon had to offer, spending three weeks on the go in their Defender 110.
“To this day, here we are nearly 30 years later, feeling that we are winners of the Camel Trophy,” explained Joe. “We feel very proud.”
Indeed, the pride of all the adventurers is plain to see, as is that of Land Rover in helping make these expeditions possible. It’s a fitting tribute to mark the 70th anniversary, and The Engineer wishes Land Rover many happy returns.
It was my privilege, whilst teaching at Coventry University to lecture and have tutorials with several mature students for Land Rover. In fact at one point, they needed to be away from the University engaged in lengthy trials in both very hot and very cold places. The central administration of the university brought up all sorts of objections to this leave of absence: [how do clerks maintain control? by claiming to know more and insist upon their being retained of more of their silly rules that we do?}] I am pleased to report that the Engineering department bent the rules (rather than breaking them) to ensure that a proper professional liaison between students and staff was maintained.
Merely for interest: in 1964 a Land Rover, with its front wing removed and steering locked right was the one vehicle which would fit (about 1/8th inch free!) into the doors of a Dakota, DC3 taking off from Atkinson Field, near Georgetown, British Guiana for flights into the Interior -and right up to the Amazon rain-forests.
I know this because I helped get one in that way! Another student (about twenty years older that I!) was working for the Mining Co DEMBA -an associate of Alcan.
What an example of British engineering at its finest, sad to say we may never see the like again, now that the defender is no longer being produced. Whenever I see one it still looks good, ok it may not be economical and it may not have the refinement of some of todays batch of 4×4’s but lets see how long the ‘new boys’ are around for?
Both of mine will be 48 in September. OK, one is in need of a fairly major rebuild but afterwards should be good for another 40-odd years. Fuel costs are higher than in a car, but servicing & parts are a lot less and depreciation is now negative.
Today (D Telegraph), you can buy a Rolls-Royce “Cullinan” 4×4 for £250k. 24 years from new, would someone come up to you every time you re-fuel, saying “I’ve always wanted one like that, would you sell?” Thanks, no, Lindy the Landy Defender 90 Station Wagon, along with the main Lindy, and I, regular maintenance permitting, may grow a bit older together.
Kind regards
Graham Clifton
My friends are currently driving around the world in a defender! Please take a look at their page here.
http://www.oplongdrive.com