Ah, the car that dreams are made of, a 1994 200TDI Land Rover Genuine County Station Wagon 90″ Defender with 120,000 miles on the clock. What differienates this from many other Station Wagon’s out there is that this came as a Station Wagon straight out of Land Rover’s factory.
Duncan recently picked up this beauty from a friend who bought a brand-new Discovery 5 and wanted to clear up some space on his drive (shock-horror).
This is how the motor looked when Duncan purchased the Station Wagon. It comes complete with a whole load of history too.
Duncan and Martin have done a lot to the car since! This Landy enjoyed a major service and a thorough check to ensure all is working perfectly. Duncan added new alloy wheels and tyres, a new bumper, and a new windscreen (to name a few changes).
Sadly, the paintwork had grown scabby over time but it has now been stripped and is ready for a full professional respray. This work is being carried out by our good friends and Land Rover experts, Si and Bel, over at Hangar 53.
Do not fear though, it will be the same colour with the same fantastic Defender decals to complete the look.
After this is completed, Duncan is fitting a swing away spare wheel carrier to the rear (like this one) and plans to upgrade all the lights.
Duncan hopes to have this up for sale by the end of January, so, if you are interested, be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook post as we will notify everyone on there when the time has come!
Is your loved one a Land Rover fanatic? Are you stuck wondering what to get them for Christmas? We all know that one person who lives, breathes, and thinks about Land Rovers non-stop. Why not give them a gift they will really enjoy this Christmas and pick something from the following list?
1. Fender and the Cliff Rescue Kids Book
Do they have children and want to pretend they’re purchasing for their kids when they really want a good late-night read? Wow, how niche! Because we have the perfect gift for you… Written and beautiful illustrated by Veronica Lamand, this is a charming gift idea for and Land Rover fan.
Are you always rushing out of the door without time to sit down and enjoy your coffee? Well, with this branded travel mug you can take your coffee with you! This item comes with an easy-to-use silicone grip around the middle with Terrain Response icon branding. It is both microwave and dishwasher safe.
Now we only just recently started reading this magazine but we can’t put it down! At only £5, it is a perfect stocking filler or last minute secret Santa gift.
In the latest issue, there is a fascinating piece about a town in the Himalaya’s where Series Is are put through their paces. Why not grab a copy and read all about it?
Does your Landy loving pal have a pet that sits alongside them at the wheel? If you answered yes, then this is an ideal gift that will blend right into their household. This water bowl, embossed with the numberplate HUE 166, is a subtle nod to the first production Land Rover.
We have ONE in stock! They are backordered elsewhere.
Inspired by the gear and range levers on the Series 1, this set of 3 stainless steel bottle stoppers is sure to start a conversation when you have your Landy loving friends over for dinner.
Is your friend or partner constantly losing their keys? Do they lack a key fob that lets everyone know they’re driving a Land Rover? Never fear! A solution is here. Buy this cheap but high-quality branded lanyard so they have more chance of finding their keys and letting everyone at the pub table know they have a beautiful motor sat outside.
When purchasing a part from us at Britcar Global, you may be overwhelmed by the choices on offer. We pride ourselves on stocking up to 15 suppliers of each Jaguar Land Rover car part. For example, our website currently lists 14 different versions of ERR3340 (an oil filter).
When you search for a part, you will see different combinations of suppliers, brands, and types. But what exactly do we mean by type? There are three options for your Jaguar/ Land Rover parts: Genuine, OEM, or Pattern.
Of course, we are often asked what the difference is – now, we have a more comprehensive answer for you!
Genuine Car Part
Genuine Jaguar Land Rover car parts come from the company Jaguar Land Rover itself. JLR supply these parts in genuine packaging. They tend to be the safest option as you know the part in question will definitely fit your car. Further, these parts are usually required by garages if you want to retain the warranty on your car (should it still be in place). These parts, however, are generally the most expensive option you can choose.
OEM Car Part
‘OEM’ stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. These parts are manufactured by an external company that may now or in the recent past have supplied parts for Land Rover or Jaguar vehicles. The only difference to the genuine part is that it comes in the manufacturer’s box instead of a genuine box. For example, instead of printing Land Rover on the side, it may come with ‘Lucas’ if it is a switch or Hardy-Spicer if it is a U/J, for example.
While they are cheaper than their genuine counterparts, you may invalidate your car’s warranty if you do use them – it depends on the supplier so make sure you check in advance. Realistically, OEM parts are most suited to cars that are at least three years old. OEM parts are the same quality as genuine.
Pattern (P)/ Aftermarket Car Part
A pattern/ aftermarket part is usually a replica of a genuine part. Pattern parts, for example, are produced by a manufacturer who copies Land Rover’s design.
One advantage to a pattern part is that they tend to be a lot cheaper. This does not automatically mean they are substandard, rather the part has simply been made by someone else. However, you should bear in mind that sometimes there is a reason they are cheaper – they may make the quality of the material worse to save on money for example.
Sometimes, however, high-quality aftermarket companies have actually analysed why the initial OEM part has failed and opted to improve the design for customers using better materials (for example). Overall though, they are likely to be cheaper than Genuine or OEM parts and present an ideal option for older cars.
Summary
At the end of the day, it comes down to how much you want to spend, the age of your car, and the quality you desire. Typically, there is no difference between genuine and OEM parts, other than the box but if you want to keep your guarantee intact for a newer car then you should be careful with what you choose. Remember, pattern and aftermarket parts are not necessarily worse than their genuine or OEM alternatives, rather they may be a copy or even an improvement on their counterparts.
Here is a progress report on my 4.2l Supercharged XKR, which has been at Bentley Vehicle Solutions at Raydon for a few months now, I have never been happy with the car ever since it went north for the bonnet to be remodelled as a one piece unit, the fit was bad, it flexed to much and the vents sat proud, the finish was also poor, the headlamps flopped about and the colour match was not good, I found it depressing to drive and so only used it on a small number of occasions last year.
This coupled with the fact that I had reversed into a flower pot cracking the rear bumper paint meant I had to bite the bullet and have it sorted properly, which is why I took it to BVS into the expert hands of Nick and Karl.
Following the initial consultation, the job grew from a bonnet restructuring exercise to a complete glass out body respray, walking around the vehicle with them they were able to point out several errors and areas of thinning paint i would never have noticed, poor panel alignment and poorly fitted trim.
A huge improvement in the bonnet has already been achieved, the vents sit flush, the panel gap and headlamps fit perfectly and is starting to look once more like the car I always wanted.
It should all be finished by next Friday….and I can’t wait!
Restoration update on Sandy’s Jaguar 1965 3.8L S-Type, this is currently located at Lee Scott Jaguar Restoration in Frating, where it is safe in the very experienced hands of Lee and his son Ollie.
In the original picture of her car in her garage, she looks Beautiful….the Car, not Sandy…well she is of course Beautiful as well, but this is about the Jaguar…Unfortunately the S-Types beauty was not even skin deep, the paint looks shiny from a distance but when up close it had crazed badly where it had been applied to thick when it was last restored 20 years ago, there was some rust coming through and there was a dent in the right hand front wing, and so I took the decision to go for a bare metal respray, and so took it over to Nick and Karl at BVS, who very quickly had the car stripped to bare metal.
On initial inspection the bodywork was very good, with little trace of filler or rot, however, a few panels were required and some specialist welding needed, and so she was trailered over to Lee Scott’s to appraise and report.
The report was not good….corrosion was found in the Sills, inner panels and boot, after much soul searching and thinking I came to the same conclusion as Lee, the only was a complete vehicle strip and restoration, just repainting was a false economy….a complete nut and bolt job it is then, the only stipulation was that it has to be done in 12 months….as we do not know how much longer Sandy can drive for due to her Parkinson’s and I want her to get as much enjoyment out of her pride and joy as is possible.
Over the last 2 months Lee and Ollie have completely stripped the car to a bare shell, she has been sandblasted once more in and out, which has exposed the full extent of repairs required, and repairs are now on going, I will supply many pictures over the next months, and show how progress is developing, the quality of work carried out so far is excellent, and she could not be in better hands, if anyone is interested in learning more about either BVS who are the bodyshop that stripped the paint, and who will eventually paint her, or Lee Scott Restorations, contact me and I will be happy to pass on their details. They use the graco paint sprayer which allows them to give a perfect airless paint cover on all their cars thus providing excellent quality of paintjob to their customers cars.
BLE TPMS from Terrafirma is a universal, easy to fit tyre pressure monitoring system that displays all your tyre information on your smart phone.
Simply download the App, screw the TPMS valve caps onto all 4 wheel valve stems and follow the step by step instructions to pair the TPMS valve caps with your phone via Bluetooth
Multiple display screens show everything you need to know about your tyre performance to keep you driving safely. Alarms bring to your attention, fast leaks, slow leaks, high pressure and low pressure even no signal and low battery alarms identify when a TPMS valve cap has stopped transmitting. Terrafirma Part Number TF308
You might have noticed that Land Rover have announced a Remastered performance Defender; powered by a 5.0 litre V8 engine coupled to the current 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, the Works V8 hauls to 60mph in 5.6s and tops out at 106mph. Land Rover have also made changes to the driveline and suspension with an updated transfer box and reconfigured suspension. You can’t say that they’ve not done a cracking job – it looks and sounds fantastic, and the response in the press and social media has been overwhelmingly positive.
The question on everyone’s lips though, is “If you had the money, would you?”. There has been furious debate in the Land Rover community about the cost for the remastered vehicle – a not-insignificant £150,000 starting price, for what is fundamentally a used Defender! Some people have also starting asking whether you could effectively ‘remaster’ your own Defender to the same specification for less money, although with the engine and gearbox alone costing in the region of £20,000 +VAT you’d need rather deep pockets to build your own.
Regardless of people’s opinion on the asking price, Land Rover have not struggled to sell the swansong Defender – they have confirmed that all 150 of the limited editions have sold in less than a month after the initial announcement. We’re hoping that at least a few of these rare vehicles will actually get to see the light of day, instead of being hidden away with an eye on future values.
If you’re feeling brave enough, we can supply the parts you’d need for a replica Works V8, or any other custom build, just get in touch with your parts list!
We are excited to announce the availability of a range of engine parts for the 2.7 TDV6 engine. These parts are particularly significant, as Land Rover do not provide any parts for the crankshaft and pistons for this engine – they will only supply a replacement short block.
How car parts are made? The painfully true answer to this question is ‘because they can be’. Auto manufacturers often have complex and integrated supply chains who produce parts for specific makes and models of vehicles. The production of these vehicles is well planned, meaning parts for the cars will be produced well in advance and only a certain amount is produced.
The popular 2.7 TDV6 engine was used in the Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport between 2004 and 2009.
Crank Shaft Assembly
This crank shaft is supplied by a leading OE manufacturer for engine cranks and components. It has been forged to withstand greater stress loads than the 2.7 Lion demands.
The number of reported thefts of Defenders has skyrocketed in the last couple of years, with a reported increase of 69% in North Yorkshire between 2015 and 2016. Insurance specialists are advising owners of these iconic vehicles to be aware of the risks, and take adequate precautions to discourage and prevent theft.
Understandably, there has been an increase in the number of security products for Defenders in the last year, with a range of solutions available for every budget. We’ve collected some of the most popular here.
Skytag – Tracker DA9012
With a increasing amount of Land Rovers being stolen, why not install a Skytag tracking system to help increase the chances of your vehicle being recovered? The Skytag Vehicle Recovery System was recently featured on the BBC programme “Thief Trackers”, where a Defender was quickly recovered thanks to the Skytag tracking device that was fitted. Skytag are now largest independent stolen vehicle recovery company in the UK, providing state of the art location equipment to recover your property quickly and efficiently. With an outstanding recovery record and an 11 minute fastest record, they are proud to offer a service second to none. With unique features like monthly operation checks and direct police access to live location information.
This neat solution is a sleeve for the lock barrel assembly machined out of steel. It is strong enough to prevent the barrel being removed or the end broken off. The best thing about this solution is it’s completely passive – i.e. nothing to lock or unlock. It stays permanently fitted to the vehicle providing 24 hour protection and deterrent value. The column lock will fit all Defenders LHD or RHD – up to 2014, including Puma/Tdci. One exception is that some ex-military vehicles do not have a steering lock. While the column lock will fit – it serves no purpose as there is nothing for it to protect.
Ensure your precious accessories remain firmly on your Land Rover by using these tamper proof nuts and bolts; ideal for securing expensive parts like your winch and bumpers. Each set contains 4 nuts or bolts and 1 key.
The International Security Register (ISR) system has proved successful in deterring and detecting theft and fraud for over 30 years. It works on the principle that if a vehicle’s windows and parts are marked using robust techniques and details are recorded on a secure database – supported by a 24/7 verification service – criminals stealing the vehicle will run a real risk of being caught and prosecuted.The pack contains full instructions, and materials for marking glass, body panels, and plastic parts.
The X-Defend Pedal Lock prevents the clutch, brake and throttle pedal from being operated, making a vehicle almost impossible to drive! Unlike other pedal locks, this remains bolted to the floor of the vehicle. When not in use, it folds flat on the floor and seat box, forming the floor of the cab. In this position it can be covered with your usual floor mat, meaning you don’t have to store a 20kg lump of metal which could be lethal if it hit you in the event of an accident or while off-roading. It also means that locking is incredibly quick. Just release the catch which holds it against the seat box and lock into position. A 10mm thick steel claw grabs the brake pedal shaft and ratchets in tight against it. It can be locked in a couple of seconds! To unlock turn the key which releases the pedal and fold flat on the floor.The Pedal Lock is supplied in tough, corrosion proof 304 stainless steel and uses formed hinges with a 6mm stainless pin. It is supplied with an anti-drill, British made Lowe & Fletcher RPT Lock. Find more details in this article – Choosing a locksmith: tips from Metro Locksmith Of Calgary.
The hinge guard is built to exact specification and was developed to fit all Defender models and years. It has been engineered for maximum protection and ease of fitment. Each Hinge Guard kit consists of two CAD engineered stainless steel plates which fit inside of each hinge point, restricting outward movement of the door with the bulkhead bolts removed. Fitting the Hinge Guards is incredibly easy with comprehensive fitting instructions supplied. Each door kit can be easily fitted in 20-30 minutes. After installation, only the top of each plate can be seen, providing an unobtrusive modification and deterrent to would-be thieves.
We have just returned from round 5 at Bovington and they played out like this….
Arriving at Bovington camp on the Friday afternoon, the forecasted weather was upon us and we set up service in wind and rain Once the car was passed scrutineering we retired and focused on the day ahead.
Once the car was passed scrutineering we retired and focused upon the coming race as the season is drawing to a close and we needed to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd to maintain our lead in the overall standings. Jim arrived and joined us for the weekend and it was great to have someone from Britcar to come and cheer us on – to be honest, by the end of the weekend he was fully integrated into the team and is welcome back any time…
Saturday started bright and sunny and we set good times across a 6 mile lap that was predominately rolling sand and grit with large amounts of standing water interspersed with gooey sand and very rough forest. We finished day 1 in 1stplace with a small margin of time.
After heavy rain during the night it was no surprise that the circuit was very very wet on the Sunday, what was a surprise was that on the first corner of the day there was a large noise and the cars handling went very poor. I took a decision to try to complete the rest of the 6 miles as stopping in stage would lose enough time to put our position in jeopardy. Two or three times the car tried to veer suddenly to the right and threatened to take us into the undergrowth, the steering was quite bad and at some points the steering wheel was 180 degrees out just to maintain a straight line.
Once back it became clear that we had sheared off the top of the right hand front damper and this had been flopping about under the wheel arch for the entire lap over all the bumps. Although it cost us about 2 minutes in time, having seen the damage I was quite pleased to have got back to service!
Mongo the mechanic changed out both front struts and replaced them with standard Freelander items, used the best torque wrench really, as these are lower it gave us a dragster style nose down look!
We continued through the day although with the nose down we hit every bump on the track and that slowed us down quite considerably. The worst run was when we had a sudden rainstorm halfway through the lap which reduced already poor conditions to those of extremely hazardous to be racing in with no clear line over obstacles and a flooded track. I have uploaded this to the teams YouTube channel and I have posted a link in the teams FaceBook page.
We pressed on and at the end of the event found that, even though we had lost several minutes due to the suspension issue, we had finished first. Well actually we finished joint 1st as we had amazingly set exactly the same time as another competitor – however the win went to us as we had set the fastest 1st lap.
