RE: Land Rover Defender production ceases
Discussion
skyrover said:
They are only 64 inches wide at the doors.
Your bog standard ford focus is 72 inches wide and the mondeo 74 inches.
Is that a hangover from their military days when they were dropped on pallets out of the back of C130s Belfasts Argossy, Beverley's etc?Your bog standard ford focus is 72 inches wide and the mondeo 74 inches.
I think the Lightweights were made to fit inside Andovers.
I own two at the moment and I feel a period of national mourning would be appropriate, (although I cannot imagine the demise of new ones will hurt my residuals).
They are slow, cramped and noisy. They are also easy to fix, upgrade, customise, alter, maintain without fancy equipment and can be made immortal. Much as I would like the civility of a D4 or Range Rover Sport, I would have palpitations at the servicing bills and would go crazy when they told me they would have to lift the body to change a turbo or a cylinder head. You can maintain a Defender on the floor - you need a lift for a D4 or most other 4x4s.
They are slow, cramped and noisy. They are also easy to fix, upgrade, customise, alter, maintain without fancy equipment and can be made immortal. Much as I would like the civility of a D4 or Range Rover Sport, I would have palpitations at the servicing bills and would go crazy when they told me they would have to lift the body to change a turbo or a cylinder head. You can maintain a Defender on the floor - you need a lift for a D4 or most other 4x4s.
jamespink said:
I cant help thinking that LR have missed most of the tricks in the book to have only sold 2M units in 68 years with almost no meaningful competition... 30,000 a year could easily have been quadrupled with timely redesigns. In truth this moment should have occurred in 1968...
Well observed - ranks with the "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.The market was certainly there for the product which is why the Land Cruiser ended up filling the sales vacuum. That combined with better quality control and engines more suited for the region didn't do the Land-Rover any favours.
David Beer said:
I have a 90xs 2004 and a 2009 svx convertible , both black so look great on the drive, but with a black griff and the black slk ,One has to go, which one would you guys think? The xs has 75k and the svx has 13k. Having had 3 rangies in the past, I love the fenders.
The slk ... obviously !!Phib
wildcat45 said:
skyrover said:
They are only 64 inches wide at the doors.
Your bog standard ford focus is 72 inches wide and the mondeo 74 inches.
Is that a hangover from their military days when they were dropped on pallets out of the back of C130s Belfasts Argossy, Beverley's etc?Your bog standard ford focus is 72 inches wide and the mondeo 74 inches.
I think the Lightweights were made to fit inside Andovers.
The general layout of the rover is fairly unchanged from the original which dates back to just after ww2.
Your average modern daily runabout is a lot bigger than the general British vehicle's in the late 40's/early 50's.
HarryW said:
I'm intrigued who what when....
The usual suspect remanufacturing their own parts and trying to get them Heritage approved. It's going to be interesting who does get it as some of the remanufactured bits are absolute rubbish. And then of course there are the usual arguments as to what changed in which year and the desire for some people to re-write history.
jeremy996 said:
I own two at the moment and I feel a period of national mourning would be appropriate, (although I cannot imagine the demise of new ones will hurt my residuals).
They are slow, cramped and noisy. They are also easy to fix, upgrade, customise, alter, maintain without fancy equipment and can be made immortal. Much as I would like the civility of a D4 or Range Rover Sport, I would have palpitations at the servicing bills and would go crazy when they told me they would have to lift the body to change a turbo or a cylinder head. You can maintain a Defender on the floor - you need a lift for a D4 or most other 4x4s.
Very similar to me, although I also own an L322 Range Rover to complete the set of leaves, coils and air.They are slow, cramped and noisy. They are also easy to fix, upgrade, customise, alter, maintain without fancy equipment and can be made immortal. Much as I would like the civility of a D4 or Range Rover Sport, I would have palpitations at the servicing bills and would go crazy when they told me they would have to lift the body to change a turbo or a cylinder head. You can maintain a Defender on the floor - you need a lift for a D4 or most other 4x4s.
I fully agree with the above comments. My 110 wore a black armband on her snorkel on Friday as a mark of respect.
skyrover said:
they actually make pretty good shopping cars.
Narrower than a modern hatchback and who cares if the door from the car parked next door bounces off your rock sliders?
They're pretty good urban cars all round. Quite narrow. Short doors. Less embarrassing if you have to climb in via the back door. Not troubled by potholes or high curbs. Good driving position. No need for big performance. Can drag or knock parked cars out of the way. Look better when dented and scratched. No snobbery. It almost seems logical that since the Govt stopped buying them for the colonies, utilities and military that the biggest buying market was the Londoner. Narrower than a modern hatchback and who cares if the door from the car parked next door bounces off your rock sliders?
I know that, objectively, an L322 Range Rover is better in every way, and I want one of those badly, but seeing a dark green 65-reg Defender on Sunday didn't half make me want one just like it too. That said, I'd rip the diesel engine out ASAP and drop an LS* V8 in. I guess values for the last few will never decline much.
jeremy996 said:
I own two at the moment and I feel a period of national mourning would be appropriate,
You could always make it 3 Triggers brush is available,6 new heads and 4 new handles but he's had it for years
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Series-One-Diesel-86-CHA...
The ultimate big boys lego set. As lots of the parts are similar, you can build up a real bitza.
Here's my old one:
1981 RR chassis, with LR crossmembers and outriggers welded on, JE 4.2 V8, The bodywork from about 10 different landrovers (including an ex-camel trophy bulkhead which was still jam packed with dark brown silt/mud!), a set of 35" tyres, 2 airlockers, a lift kit, a warn8274 and lots of other good bits ;-)
Here's my old one:
1981 RR chassis, with LR crossmembers and outriggers welded on, JE 4.2 V8, The bodywork from about 10 different landrovers (including an ex-camel trophy bulkhead which was still jam packed with dark brown silt/mud!), a set of 35" tyres, 2 airlockers, a lift kit, a warn8274 and lots of other good bits ;-)
Can't let this memorial thread pass without paying tribute to my series 1. I had to sell last year to someone with the resources to make a proper job of getting her truly tidy, when a new job and relocation meant it became too much trouble. Only had 1 battery stolen in the night using cable snips! I think the new owner Steve is on here, although don't know his forum name...
I am a bit sad to see production end. We have a 2001 TD5 and a 2014 2.2 and the 2.2 is ok to drive. It's certainly miles ahead of the TD5 in most areas. Its great in town. The only thing I don't really like is the gearbox but I have got used to it.
It doesn't leak, hasn't broken down at all (38k on it now) is quiet quiet, ok on fuel etc. It even gets used off road quite a lot. All the wheels have rock rash now!
It doesn't leak, hasn't broken down at all (38k on it now) is quiet quiet, ok on fuel etc. It even gets used off road quite a lot. All the wheels have rock rash now!
Big Rumbly said:
Love that 
thanks for sharing ........Spotted a nicely kept orangey-red Series II in the New Forest on my way home yesterday, near Bashley. And there are a few Series IIIs knocking around locally.
24 years in the Army means I have something of a soft spot for the old duffers. I learned motorway driving in a Series III Airportable/Lightweight, after passing my test in a Nissan Sunny. And I drove all the various updates from the Series III through to the 'Wolf' that's currently in service.
I'll be sad to see them go, and fear that whatever replaces them will be more 'car' and far less 'truck, utility' and therefore less suited to military service. Progress is progress though, eh?
My best memory of the Land Rover was spinning one through 720° downhill in driving rain on Salisbury Plain while rushing my OC to an orders group. The wheels dropped into a tank's track that crossed our path diagonally, the rear end just walzted off down the hill, popping the front wheels back out of the rut, but it spun again on the slick mud/chalk before we ended up facing the right way at rest at the bottom of the hill. The OC was as white as a sheet, but somehow I'd kept my hands off the wheel and the engine was still running, so I selected a gear and off we went again. I don't know if the OC's silence thereafter was through shear terror, or admiration for my obvious skill at the wheel of a 'Rover...
Worst memory of a Land Rover was bringing our fleet back from the port of Emden in Germany. They were some of the last loads to return from the 1991 Gulf War, and some had had their windscreens removed "because reflection" during the war. We were dressed in long johns and 'chinese fighting suits' under our uniforms, with parkas and balaclavas, wearing combat helmets and goggles, driving from Emden to Osnabrück in the teeth of the German winter. No windscreens, therefore no wipers, the heaters of no use whatsoever, hustling along as fast as we dare. Probably the worst I've physically felt. Ever.
24 years in the Army means I have something of a soft spot for the old duffers. I learned motorway driving in a Series III Airportable/Lightweight, after passing my test in a Nissan Sunny. And I drove all the various updates from the Series III through to the 'Wolf' that's currently in service.
I'll be sad to see them go, and fear that whatever replaces them will be more 'car' and far less 'truck, utility' and therefore less suited to military service. Progress is progress though, eh?
My best memory of the Land Rover was spinning one through 720° downhill in driving rain on Salisbury Plain while rushing my OC to an orders group. The wheels dropped into a tank's track that crossed our path diagonally, the rear end just walzted off down the hill, popping the front wheels back out of the rut, but it spun again on the slick mud/chalk before we ended up facing the right way at rest at the bottom of the hill. The OC was as white as a sheet, but somehow I'd kept my hands off the wheel and the engine was still running, so I selected a gear and off we went again. I don't know if the OC's silence thereafter was through shear terror, or admiration for my obvious skill at the wheel of a 'Rover...
Worst memory of a Land Rover was bringing our fleet back from the port of Emden in Germany. They were some of the last loads to return from the 1991 Gulf War, and some had had their windscreens removed "because reflection" during the war. We were dressed in long johns and 'chinese fighting suits' under our uniforms, with parkas and balaclavas, wearing combat helmets and goggles, driving from Emden to Osnabrück in the teeth of the German winter. No windscreens, therefore no wipers, the heaters of no use whatsoever, hustling along as fast as we dare. Probably the worst I've physically felt. Ever.
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