When last did you drive a Land Rover Series? Did you dream of driving a Series through the African veld, the front air vents fully extended in the hope of getting fresh air into the vehicle?
Did the smell of EP90 gearbox oil make you look at the complex, yet simple, gear lever combinations and wonder if you were leaving an oil stain behind?
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| Land Rover Series II 109" |
My first drive in a Land Rover Series was the day I offered to buy a 1968 Series II 2.286L diesel. She was named Jaboa (after the previous owners: Jenny and Brian's overland adventure) and was perfectly modified for expedition travel. Her steering wheel wobbled in my sweaty hands as I drove her North from Johannesburg. Traffic congested behind me as I double-clutched in an attempt to select the right gear for the smooth but hilly motorway. The radio, mounted on a wooden roof console, struggled to be heard over the clatter of the diesel engine. The Fairey overdrive required a punching action on the gear lever to get it to engage and would squeal brutally under load. Equally, the brake pedal required a strong shove to pump enough brake fluid through the pipes to engage the ancient drum brakes. Sounds tough, but it was a pure pleasure!
I spent the next few months in 1999 driving around Southern Africa, mostly in silence, as it was difficult to keep shouting to my passenger, over the racket of the gearbox and engine! She was renamed to 'Mrs Golly' for Grand-Old-Lady, as she had a fine presence about her which attracted many admirers, and a few detractors who voiced their opinion about Land Rover. You can read all about my first overland adventure in this very amateur blog, which I created in 1999 (with very low resolution scanned photos):
To Africa & Beyond
I have borrowed the concept of '
The Anatomy of a Land Rover' from Nick at
Langebaan-Sunset blog. His idea of labeling the external and internal features of his Land Rover Defender is a good and practical way for all overlanders to ponder what accessories we considered worthwhile.
