This image was obtained on google for demonstration purposes.
My Dad ( at the time ) owned a Land Rover Jeep which lacked a power steering, power windows, power brake, power clutch, and I believe the top speed for it was 50mph.
He used the Jeep to deliver cakes ( he had a bakery ) and also to haul woods. He would also drive the thing across his 6 1/2 acres of land.
I failed at learning to drive it because the steering wheel as well as the clutch and brake were too stiff.
I thought I’d share this story with CarTalk. The jeep was and remains a vital part of my childhood. Despite it being sold and a week later was totaled by the second owner, it’s a vehicle I consider my best friend.
Those older Land Rovers are pretty popular as classic-restoration vehicles. They appear on the UK’s tv shows frequently, Rosemary & Thyme, Midsomer Murders, etc. Like you say they have some clear downsides, lacking most mod-cons; but a classic restorers would focus on the time it takes to replace the head gasket compared to a newer Jeep.
Old Defenders are pretty much un-kill-able. The aluminum bodies resist rust. The diesel engine is downright agricultural but will last forever. They were built for an astounding 67 years.
I asked my dad one day what was 4 wheel drive? Because he kept saying he put the truck in 4 wheel to climb a hill.
He called me over to the vehicle to show me some tiny cuts in the tires ( they were designed that way for traction ) and said “ When I put the truck in 4 wheel drive, tiny spikes come out of those holes ( cuts ) and to help the truck climb anything “
lol … maybe your dad’s true profession should have been advertising ! … lol … funny story.
Reminds me of the time I asked my dad what the raised “9” meant on the gas-station price signs. why does it say 33 9, rather than just 33? His annoyed reply: “It doesnt’ mean anything” … lol …
$3.99 sounds better than the $4.00 price, your brain only really pays attention to the 1st number… Just like $999.99 sounds better than a Thousand $…
But I am with you (as I am sure others are also), I always just round up… Being in the retail world, I never told a customer the change, I always rounded up the price because most ONLY heard the $ amount and not the cents so when they showed up to get the vehicle the price was higher…
Local Land Rover restorer keeps a couple on display visible from the highway in front of the end of one of the shops that is a giant unuon jack. Several around town that get used regularly. Mostly 88inch wheelbase
I remember when the decimal digit wasn’t always 9.
Rolls-Royce made a ‘jeep’ for the Royal Army in WW2. It had a flat bottom, no differential bump. Saw one parked next to a gas station in the Southern California desert.
… and to the dismay of the owners of the other 4wd vehicles.
Back in 1996, when SUVs weren’t yet ubiquitous, a friend bought a Ford Explorer. Every time that his co-workers saw it, they referred to it as a Jeep. He even took pains to point-out the Ford blue oval and the Explorer tag to one of them, but she was adamant that he had actually bought a Jeep.
Because of Jamaica’s links to The UK, the OP just might remember Land Rover’s early competitor, the Austin Champ.
They were supposedly superior to LR Defenders, but their very high price led The Royal Army to buy very few of them, and eventually they were all auctioned-off to civilians.
Later, there was the Austin Gipsy, which looked suspiciously similar to the LR Defender, but was rumored to be a really bad vehicle.
The Champ looks very awkward-British, doesn’t it? The Gipsy looks purposeful like the Defender. Maybe styling matters with utilitarian vehicles, too.
As for the Champ being too expensive… When Bantam designed the “Jeep” for the US military it won the competition but Bantam could not produce the volumes. Willys and Ford got the nod because they had capacity. Ford cost-reduced the design almost immediately and shared the changes with Willys. One of those changes was the 9 slat grille that became the trademark of Jeep.
