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RIP Land Rover Defender
- Thread starter Tiki Tom
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Oldsarge
One Too Many
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That was "Rosemary and Thyme" My late wife was quite taken with it. I believe I still have the DVD's around somewhere.
I had even looked it up, then failed to mention it. Haven't see Tomb Raider.
I think I spotted a Land-Rover fire truck conversion in You only live twice. And I think I have seen them in historically extremely inaccurate Hong Kong WWII action movies but don't quote me.
MisterCairo
I'll Lock Up
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- 7,005
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- Gads Hill, Ontario
If this is in reference to my post about it being made in England, I was not talking about its status as domestic or import (I am in Canada, so any LR vehicle is an import). It is a quintessentially English vehicle - think Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Mini, etc.
A Slovak-made Defender? A Korean-made Aston Martin? No thanks!
And let me head off the next probable quibble - I know these makes are now owned by non-British entities. I am talking manufacture, not corporate ownership.
We have a Mexican-made VW. When we were in the UK, we rented a VW van of some sort. Six-speed, right-hand drive. The first hundred yards was fun and fortunately, there was no one on the sidewalks. When we were in Germany a few years ago, we rented an Opel, also a six-speed manual but left-hand drive. In neither case did I ever get used to the six-speed transmission. It wasn't shifting gears or using the clutch, not even when I had to use my left hand to shift. It was just that six speeds was more than I knew what to do with.
I wish that I'd rented a Skoda, just so I could say I'd driven one. The model closest to a van came with either a 5, 6 or 7 speed transmission but five is plenty.
I wish that I'd rented a Skoda, just so I could say I'd driven one. The model closest to a van came with either a 5, 6 or 7 speed transmission but five is plenty.
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Mr. Godfrey
Practically Family
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If you look in the background at the airfield in the film 'mosquito squadron' there is series 2 if I remember correctly, yes I know it's an awful rip off of 633 squadron but when you love aircraft!
Also in an episode of Dads Army 'Don't forget the diver' when Sgt Wilson is marching behind the wall with his diversion and a landrover drives past in the rear of the screen. However this has now been digitally enchanted and it now looks like a white van driving past.
Also in an episode of Dads Army 'Don't forget the diver' when Sgt Wilson is marching behind the wall with his diversion and a landrover drives past in the rear of the screen. However this has now been digitally enchanted and it now looks like a white van driving past.
MikeKardec
One Too Many
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- 1,157
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- Los Angeles
The Defender seems to have gone through some strange permutations yet without changing much. The buddy of mine who has taken the job of making some last custom touches on mine (slowly being reborn from a pile of parts) just received the new air con unit. The old one was big and clunky enough but its replacement, though vastly better made, sucked up all the knee room in the front making it nearly impossible for me to get in and out. And just to show how wonderful and advanced it is LR included spots for SPEAKERS! As if it wasn't huge enough they had to turn it into a boom box!
Now he's reengineering, amputating, plastic welding, volume testing, a modified version that both still works AND minimizes the amount of room the damn thing takes up. Great vehicle yet many very subtly weird choices engineering-wise. Especially when it comes to space allocation.
Now he's reengineering, amputating, plastic welding, volume testing, a modified version that both still works AND minimizes the amount of room the damn thing takes up. Great vehicle yet many very subtly weird choices engineering-wise. Especially when it comes to space allocation.
Oldsarge
One Too Many
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- On the banks of the Wilamette
I'd say that weird engineering seems to be highly desired in some vehicles and, as here, highly complained about.
I had a Land-Rover (pre-Defender) and loved the thing. It had its shortcomings, to be sure. The biggest shortcoming was that it was being produced, if memory serves, and depending on the year, by British Leyland. The British motor industry had its share of problems in the 1960s and 1970s. And now, few British names are British owned. Apparently, actually producing vehicles was a problem because of frequent strikes and that in turn limited how many they could export. Some markets became problematic, especially the American market because of design specifications to be legal for sale in this country. Some producers simply dropped the American market, like Fiat (now back), Renault, Peugeot, and then Rover and Land-Rover and Rootes Group cars. For every make that dropped out, another imported model took its place. That was true when American manufacturers trimmed their list of makes. No more Mercury, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, American Motors; hello Kia and so on.
There was also competition. There was a Nissan model for a while and International Harvester but I'd say that it was Toyota that was the toughest competitor. And of course, there was Jeep.
Land-Rovers were slow and cold in the winter time. Other than that, they were perfect. There were a few straight sixes sold here, I think, in the long wheelbase models, but they didn't look any different. There was also a forward-control model that was never imported into the states. If you wanted something that was different and I always did, that would have been the thing to have. I never drove one but I thought the Discovery was the one that still looked like a Land-Rover. These days I can't afford anything like that.
I had a Land-Rover (pre-Defender) and loved the thing. It had its shortcomings, to be sure. The biggest shortcoming was that it was being produced, if memory serves, and depending on the year, by British Leyland. The British motor industry had its share of problems in the 1960s and 1970s. And now, few British names are British owned. Apparently, actually producing vehicles was a problem because of frequent strikes and that in turn limited how many they could export. Some markets became problematic, especially the American market because of design specifications to be legal for sale in this country. Some producers simply dropped the American market, like Fiat (now back), Renault, Peugeot, and then Rover and Land-Rover and Rootes Group cars. For every make that dropped out, another imported model took its place. That was true when American manufacturers trimmed their list of makes. No more Mercury, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, American Motors; hello Kia and so on.
There was also competition. There was a Nissan model for a while and International Harvester but I'd say that it was Toyota that was the toughest competitor. And of course, there was Jeep.
Land-Rovers were slow and cold in the winter time. Other than that, they were perfect. There were a few straight sixes sold here, I think, in the long wheelbase models, but they didn't look any different. There was also a forward-control model that was never imported into the states. If you wanted something that was different and I always did, that would have been the thing to have. I never drove one but I thought the Discovery was the one that still looked like a Land-Rover. These days I can't afford anything like that.
MikeKardec
One Too Many
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Well, it's British!
Of course, and they've been pin the up-date on the donkey for almost 70 years, at some point you just run out of spots to put things without completely reengineering other things. It was just the inclusion of speaker cabinets that kicked me 'round the bend.
Ha!
I had a friend who bought a Sunbeam Tiger, this being in the 1980s when no one but Maxwell Smart cared about them at all. For those who don't know this was actually a British sports car of about the dimensions of a Fiat Spider and in four cylinder form it was originally called the "Alpine." Loading it up with a Ford V8 made it a Tiger. So in the US it was a Sunbeam (as far as I know this actually was the toaster company), assembled by the Rootes Group (the supercharger company) with a Ford 260 ... that was sold out of CHRYSLER dealerships! Needless to say it was an alliance that didn't last long. Anyway the most amusing thing about it (besides being a cool little car) was that we found a set of seat belts from a later model Sunbeam that said "Rootes Group" on the buckle. They were the envy of every Tiger owner and the history of the company was so obscure (see above) that many believed they were original equipment. If I remember correctly he also had plates that read "Rootes 66," which was technically correct even though Sunbeams were sold by "series," like many British cars of that era, rather than year of manufacture.
Mr. Godfrey
Practically Family
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- 632
My grandfather worked at Lode lane for many years in the 'experimental - special design' section, so I can see what you mean, you should have seen his shed! My brother and I loved going in there as children in the summer rummaging around, best find was a hidden webley .177 air pistol that we used to use (you'll shoot your eye out, kid!) anyway between him and my grandmother they were experts in space allocation and inventing contraptions to help them. What is a shame is he would not discuss work, he would evade questions even after he retired.
Prior to that he worked for the Austin motor company and then some company making aircraft in Coventry, I know he worked on Gloucester meteors and he used some little mirror and a brass handle he made to inspect some really small difficult area in the tail section. He was not a tall man but he really could use space.
He would class himself as English and that you would only be buying the name as a real 'Landie' could only come from Lode lane.
I know other people that used to work there and they say it all changed when a partnership with Honda took place in 90's long after he retired.
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Mr. Godfrey
Practically Family
- Messages
- 632
Well, it's British!
Well, why would we want to make things simple for ourselves! ;-)
[QUOTE
Ha!
I had a friend who bought a Sunbeam Tiger, this being in the 1980s when no one but Maxwell Smart cared about them at all. For those who don't know this was actually a British sports car of about the dimensions of a Fiat Spider and in four cylinder form it was originally called the "Alpine." Loading it up with a Ford V8 made it a Tiger. So in the US it was a Sunbeam (as far as I know this actually was the toaster company), assembled by the Rootes Group (the supercharger company) with a Ford 260 ... that was sold out of CHRYSLER dealerships! Needless to say it was an alliance that didn't last long. Anyway the most amusing thing about it (besides being a cool little car) was that we found a set of seat belts from a later model Sunbeam that said "Rootes Group" on the buckle. They were the envy of every Tiger owner and the history of the company was so obscure (see above) that many believed they were original equipment. If I remember correctly he also had plates that read "Rootes 66," which was technically correct even though Sunbeams were sold by "series," like many British cars of that era, rather than year of manufacture.[/QUOTE]
I can't believe you made that post without mentioning Carroll Shelby.
Ha!
I had a friend who bought a Sunbeam Tiger, this being in the 1980s when no one but Maxwell Smart cared about them at all. For those who don't know this was actually a British sports car of about the dimensions of a Fiat Spider and in four cylinder form it was originally called the "Alpine." Loading it up with a Ford V8 made it a Tiger. So in the US it was a Sunbeam (as far as I know this actually was the toaster company), assembled by the Rootes Group (the supercharger company) with a Ford 260 ... that was sold out of CHRYSLER dealerships! Needless to say it was an alliance that didn't last long. Anyway the most amusing thing about it (besides being a cool little car) was that we found a set of seat belts from a later model Sunbeam that said "Rootes Group" on the buckle. They were the envy of every Tiger owner and the history of the company was so obscure (see above) that many believed they were original equipment. If I remember correctly he also had plates that read "Rootes 66," which was technically correct even though Sunbeams were sold by "series," like many British cars of that era, rather than year of manufacture.[/QUOTE]
I can't believe you made that post without mentioning Carroll Shelby.
You can still buy a Morgan sports car. And very appropriately, there is a dealer in the town where I went to school, Morgantown, West Virginia. I believe Morgans have reintroduced the three-wheeler, too. It isn't Indian-owned, either.
I'd still rather have a Rover sedan but there's a long list of other cars from the same period that I would settle for.
I'd still rather have a Rover sedan but there's a long list of other cars from the same period that I would settle for.
MikeKardec
One Too Many
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I was blathering on too long as it was! My uncle raced the Hollywood Sport Cars #55 Tiger and the Shelby Daytona but that didn't get me any closer to my college buddy's cool set belts or license plates. In general I'm too gabby, so it's best when I can just stop typing and hit "post"!
I was just checking the Land-Rover UK website and they no longer list the Defender, although there's a new Discovery model. I guess nothing lasts forever.
It also seems like all of a sudden, sometime around 1971 or 72, all the interesting and desirable and for the most part affordable car makes disappeared from the American market. There were no more Peugeots, Renaults, Rovers or Land-Rovers, Fiats, Triumphs, MGs, Corvairs (!!!), Citroens, Simcas, Alphas, Lotus and so on. Even Rambler is gone.
It also seems like all of a sudden, sometime around 1971 or 72, all the interesting and desirable and for the most part affordable car makes disappeared from the American market. There were no more Peugeots, Renaults, Rovers or Land-Rovers, Fiats, Triumphs, MGs, Corvairs (!!!), Citroens, Simcas, Alphas, Lotus and so on. Even Rambler is gone.
scottyrocks
I'll Lock Up
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Lotus's? Lotuses? Lotii?