Casual fun every other weekend or so can easily turn into something more expensive. We could be talking about affairs of the heart, but affairs of the metal are more expensive still. And dirtier…
You know how it goes. It’s just a bit of fun to start with. The occasional dirty weekend, no regrets, no harm done and forget about it ’til next time you fancy some action. But then you start wanting to go further, you want to get more dirty… and in return they start wanting more of your time and money.
No wonder so many car enthusiasts refer to their motors as ‘she.’ Projects are more like relationships than we care to think. But at least this one hasn’t ended in bitter acrimony and suits cut up with scissors. Like any relationship, it’s cost good money. But for that, Ben Halls gets what he calls comfort and enjoyment – which are not the qualities you’d first expect on seeing this tough-looking rig.
It’s the age-old tale of man meets Land Rover. It then progressed to ‘pay and play’ (or ‘affair’ to give it the human equivalent) and that then moved on to serious competition. Ben’s dirty weekends at least do not contain moral hazard, despite him spending time with a sidekick called Sizzle. Ben is an engineer, based in Kent, and most engineers are far from frivolous people. Sample question and answer from our chat together: ‘So, tell us, what got you into off-roading Ben?’ Answer: ‘A friend.’
Read the full feature in the August issue of Overlander 4×4 –
