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quite snowy and slick. The Rover, in 4 wheel
high range for the entire trip, got me there
safely. Of course, when I arrived in Augusta,
the entire city was shut down. Another time, I
drove nearly 4 hours to give a talk in Eastport,
ME. That night, a major storm dumped a lot
of snow on the ground. I was the guest in a
B & B that morning, and the hostess made
strong hints to her husband that “maybe we
should put Jeff up tonight. It’s not safe to
drive.” He looked out over his newspaper,
saw my green Series II-A in his driveway and
said, “Look what he’s driving. He’ll be fine.”
So much for a free night’s stay. That drive took
one hour longer than usual because of the
deep snowfall.
Decades ago, VW ran a television ad that
showed boots crunching down new fallen
snow. You saw a door open and a man get
into an original Beetle. The voice-over asked
“have you ever wondered how the man who
drives the snowplow, gets to the snowplow?”
Well, now you know – a Land Rover.
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Jeremy Hackett runs a specialty clothing store
in London. In the New York Times, he wrote
of finding an “ancient, patched up Barbour
jacket.” The Beaufort model “spoke of damp
dogs sleeping on tartan coat linings in the
back of battered Land Rovers, of point to
points and Badminton Horse Trials, all things
dear to an Englishman.” He pulled out his
old Barbour “with its oily texture, brown
corduroy collar and brass zipper as strong as
a railway line” and decided that “I will wear
my shabby Barbour the next time I go
shopping on Sloane Street – but I think I’ll
leave the green wellies in the Land Rover.”
The Barbour coat, and its waxed-cotton
cousins, requires some maintenance. It was
the latest word in water repellency and
warmth some decades ago and has certainly
been surpassed since then. As long as you
maintain it, it will always work, it will last and
it will never become obsolete. As an iconic
piece of clothing it ranks with Hunter
Wellingtons. Many Land Rover enthusiasts
find they gravitate to owning both items.
This connection came to mind as once
again the relentless production of goods
entices us to “improve” every successful
product. Marketers want to believe that all of
us live in breathless anticipation of the next
awesome product. They may be wrong.
If you’re a runner you have undoubtedly
experienced the frustration of your favorite
pair of running shoes being out of production
when you go for a replacement pair. Are you
listening to me, New Balance? Are you listening
to me, Land Rover?
There’s no denying that the Range Rover
Sport and the LR 3 have been hugely
successful for Land Rover in the US market.
Along with the revamped LR 2 and the Range
Rover, these models have propelled Land
Rover into sales record territory, but at what
cost? It’s unlikely that the Discovery Series I
owner, looking to replace his/her 5-speed,
3.9 liter V-8, with a manual transmission,
shade tree mechanic-friendly engine, and
separate chassis will find comfort in the new
Land Rover selections. In fact, he’s out of
luck. The Range Rover Classic, Defender
90/110, and Series Land Rover owners have
also been left in the dust. What replaces those
vehicles is…nothing.
That’s when the enthusiast has an option
not available to most consumers. Land Rover
recognizes the unusually high connection its
owners make with their vehicles. Unlike most
manufacturers, Land Rover actually supports
older vehicles with an extensive parts
network. You can keep your classic Land
Rover operating as a daily driver, a work or
recreational vehicle.
_______
________
In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a
presidential election coming up in 2008.
Every possible form of media, from
newspapers and television to web pages, text
messaging, podcasting and online events, has
tried to get your attention. In 1964, Land
Rover provided a new medium, the 109”
Station Wagon. Jaime Kitman, in a great
article in Automobile (November 1996),
wrote of his father’s quixotic quest for the
Republican nomination for President. Jamie
was in second grade when his father,
newspaper columnist Marvin Kitman, put his
name into the New Hampshire primary.
Looking for business support Kitman enlisted
the help of the Rover Motor Company, which
provided him with a 109” SW. Rover officials
in New York said “We are surely proud to
have a Land Rover be the official vehicle from
which you will stand for office. It has been
used for varied purposes – honorable and
otherwise – but never, to our knowledge, has
a candidate for office made use of its great
go-anywhere features to carry his campaign
to the people. Great good luck to you, sir.”
Land Rover and Kitman ran a print ad
extolling the virtues of a Land Rover as a
campaign car. Quoting Kitman, that ad says
“in my line of work, as a Republican
presidential candidate, the campaign car is a
key to success… what I like best about my
Land Rover is that it goes anywhere. In New
Hampshire, it took me right up to the ski
slopes, solving one of my most vexing
problems as a politician. I don’t like to shake
hands. My Land Rover made it possible
for me to park next to the ski tows and
personally wave to 3,000 voters as they went
by – none the wiser. If you are planning to run
for President, or even Prime Minister, I would
like to call your attention to the virtues of the
Land Rover as the perfect campaign vehicle.”
What Jaime Kitman remembers about the
car was that he got to play in the “way, way
back” of a “slow and rough riding vehicle.
Optional Kodiak heater notwithstanding,
I also remember it as quite chilly. But I
remember it mostly as deeply, undeniably
cool. That’s why I spent the next 30 years
pestering my old man to buy one… if he
hadn’t run for President, I might never
have been introduced to Land Rovers, and I
wouldn’t have my current vehicle of choice, a
1995 Defender 90 SW.”
So when a presidential aspirant contacts
you, ask him/her the marque of their
campaign car. It will tell you more about the
candidate than any platform statement or
webcast. Anyone with a Land Rover would get
my vote.
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