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Garry Stuart – freelance photographer

3-nissanOver the past month or so the Terrano has served as transport to several assignments in Cornwall and Dover plus single trips to Anglesey and Northumberland, racking up the mileage in the process. Touch wood, there has been very little to report as the truck itself has been running as smoothly and reliably as ever. The heater matrix has not yet been repaired, but the water levels have remained constant, not even needing a top-up after covering thousands of kilometres. Strange, it must have repaired itself. Maybe some debris got lodged in the hole?

In Devon, the Terrano was put to light offroad duties carrying me and my kit around the expansive grounds of Newnham Park as I photographed the three-day ALRC Nationals for sister magazine Land Rover World.

Kevin Baldwin – contributor

4-landroverShock horror, the 90 has encountered its first real problem in 12 months of ownership. The metallic creaking sound I heard through the open window as I pulled away from my local filling station didn’t bode well at all. Luckily for me, I was less than five minutes from our workshop, where with the 90 wheels jacked up we assumed that a failing CV joint was the likely diagnosis. Stripping the hub to get at the CV would, instead, reveal a bone-dry front wheelbearing.

Ann Lockley – contributor

5-kelseyLike lost puppies, I have brought home several automotive lemons in my life but none quite like ‘Kelsey’, my 1991 Range Rover Great Divide Edition (GDE). Like a dog that has been rescued from an appalling situation, she had more proverbial baggage to work on and repair then I care to list, but, in the end, has proven to be the best of companions.

I came by ‘Kels’ in February 2007 when she was bought from a Boise, Idaho location on eBay by my good friend, Stuart Longair, to be the sister of his ‘Chelsea’, GDE #319. I was in need of a Land Rover to use as a daily driver that could double as a trail rig since my immaculate Rutland red 2004 Freelander SE3 was not up to the latter and thus for sale. I bought Kels from Stuart thinking that the Range Rover would be an extremely capable intermediate vehicle until I could import a 110 from the UK.

Bob Cooke – contributor

6-cherokeeThe Cherokee is my off-road plaything but everyone else sees it as a big truck. Hence whenever anyone has something big to move, who they gonna call? ‘Oh, Bob’ll move it, he’s got that big Cherokee!’ I keep trying to tell them that the Cherokee is a compact 4×4, but no-one listens.

The first call came from Tim who’d bought a doghouse at auction for Elaine’s Chocolate Labrador Conker. “It won’t fit in Elaine’s MX5,” he said. Of course not – and we were only able to squeeze it into the Cherokee after we’d knocked off some of the roof-edging trim. Then Kerrie needed the scenery for her travelling play shifted, so the Cherokee was again called into service, with seven sturdy 4ftx7ft stage flats strapped to the roof and the cargo bay bursting at the seams with props, including a fake fireplace and two heavy supporting beams. Last, but by no means least, Saffron decided to have a couple of chickens for her birthday which meant – you’ve guessed it – I had to collect the chicken shed needed to house her two feathered friends. There followed an 80-mile round trip to Herne Bay to collect and deliver the chicken shed, which was only just wide enough to scrape through the Cherokee’s tailgate opening, but being a foot too long I had to tie the tailgate down against the shed with a ratchet strap wound round the tow hitch.

Phil Weeden – editorial director

7-lanrriverWe introduced the Discovery to the long-term fleet a few issues ago. So, just to recap, we’re big fans of the Discovery and we ran a Series 1 in Land Rover World for a couple of years, so when discussing potential projects for sister publication Car Mechanics, the Td5 model seemed like the way to go. They’ve come down in price and yet they’re actually a reasonable workhorse for day-to-day stuff, allied to legendary Land Rover off-roading ability. The plan is to get it mechanically sorted, at which point we hand the vehicle over to our mates at Land Rover World where we can start playing in the mud.

When we went shopping for a Discovery, it was during the snowy spell we had in February, so 4x4s were selling fast and at firm prices. At our local auction house, BCA in Peterborough, even ratty looking off-roaders were shifting, so imagine our trepidation when the black Td5 you see in the photos rolled through the halls. We had to get this one as press deadlines were looming – not exactly the ideal buying conditions.

August 2010 Issue of 4×4 Magazine

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I recently visited Goodwood for the Festival of Speed, which is an amazing motorshow although, in the past, hasn’t been much known for its 4×4 content.

These days, however, there is the lure of a ride in a Dakar Rally vehicle, courtesy of the expert driving team at Bowler Off Road, and several manufactures showcasing their 4x4s to tempt the off-road enthusiast. For instance, this year we got to take a peek at Mini’s Countryman 4×4 – a rather bizarre-looking vehicle; Nissan was showing off its Juke Crossover; Mercedes exhibited its new G-Class, and the superb Hilux that took the ‘Top Gear’ North Pole challenge was there on Toyota’s stand. It’s good to see an ever-growing 4×4 presence and even better, the famous hillclimb was graced by Bowler’s new road-legal Nemesis EXR, which was, very prestigiously, allowed to race alongside the super cars on its debut!

vw1Volkswagen’s new T5 4Motion Transporter van continues the impressive pedigree of its predecessors.

Words & photos: Toby Savage

Perhaps unusually for vehicle enthusiasts, Volkswagen van fans are equally keen on the new breeds as the old. The owner of a Wolfsburg built, 1950s’, ‘Barn Door’ Type 2 is rarely such a purist that he will turn his nose up at the latest model. The key to this broad acceptance is, perhaps, that the concept of the VW van has remained faithful to the original design.

Rally4Life is a campaign conceived by Mark and Jackie Jennings-Bates to raise funds for two important charities, including UK charity ‘Just a Drop’, which provides clean, safe and accessible water and sanitation to those who need it most.

Mark, one of Canada’s top rally drivers, and co-driver Mick Extance, the UK’s highest-placed Dakar entrant, aim to cross the Dakar  nish line, as part of the Bowler team, and reach the impressive target of US$4 million, to be split equally between Just a Drop and Canadian charity, FeViva.

mickTo celebrate the lives of Mickey, American off-road racing legend, and Trudy Thompson, the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, has put up a special exhibit, complete with off-road race vehicles and photographs, writes James Maxwell 

Marion (‘Mickey’) Lee Thompson, Jr, was born on December 7th, 1928. When he was 14 years old he bought his first car on his allowance, an old Chevrolet for $7.50, which had been sitting out in the open with its cylinder head off. Mickey had to drive the pistons out with a sledgehammer. It took a year and a half but he _ nally did get it running and he sold the car for $125.00, all before he was old enough to drive it.

policeNational Trust Wardens and the Police teamed up in early May for an offroad crime prevention campaign day in the Surrey Hills, targeting Wolvens Lane at Coldharbour, the Drove Road off White Down and Hogden Lane, Ranmore.

If anyone was caught without insurance, their vehicle would have been seized and potentially put through the crusher. They distributed lea_ ets to 4×4 drivers, motorcyclists, walkers, bikers and horse riders explaining the rights and responsibilities of people using BOATs.