…for the Land Rover Defender 90:
And thus does it drive, leaving a shimmering trail of oil in its wake, off into the sunset.
Well…I never said that it was good or reliable, but it does evoke some fond memories for a segment of the population–especially those who served in The UK’s military.
There is something about British cars in general. They’re miserably terrible, and yet wonderful all at the same time.
Had a friend who had a Midget. One of the early ones, not the comparatively large ones they made later. What an awful little car, from the wonky heater to the weird toggle switch on the dash for the turn signals, to the truly stunningly bad ergonomics that had you bashing your knuckles on the dash every time you shifted into 3rd. And let’s not forget the Prince of Darkness electrical system.
Still one of the most enjoyable cars I’ve ever driven, and I’d love to have one some day. I’m sure the LR’s have the same appeal. But then, Land Rover drivers have been famously compromising for years. 
LOL, that’s so true of the Midget, shadow. They’re more fun than gorging on ice cream and apple pie. Especially when they were running right.
And those Lucas electrical systems… incorporated by Lucifer himself.
Especially when they were running right.
“when” needs extra emphasis here… 
There is a very good reason that I don’t own British vehicles anymore…I just don’t have the time to keep them running.
Some designs stand the test of time; Land Rover Defender, original Mini, Model T Ford, VW beetle, Renault 2CV, Lada VAZ-2101 (Fiat 124 copy) , Hindustan Ambassador (Morris Oxford) to name a few of the longest running models.
All things must come to an end at some point. The world moves on.
And oil spots on the garage floor are no longer acceptable…
"oil spots on the garage floor are no longer acceptable..."
From my childhood and my teen years, I can clearly recall large steel drip pans underneath brand new cars in showrooms, and those pans almost always bore evidence of some leakage. Luckily, that type of precaution is no longer necessary with new cars, or even–in most cases–cars that are several years old.
They don’t build 'em like they used to…thank God…
Recent Dallas car idiots show, or is it something else? Got a defender for 33k. Painted it and wants to sell it for 85k. Nice.
Yeah I think English cars are the reason the British railway system is so good. Car won’t start, just take the train. No big deal. Maybe I mentioned that I think with my Morris Minor, it would have been easier to list the parts it didn’t need, like hood, fenders, boot, window glass, etc. Everything else needed to be overhauled or replaced.
“I think English cars are the reason the British railway system is so good”
Has it improved?
I can recall taking the Intercity 125–allegedly named for its top speed–and I think that train never went over ~35 mph. I’m not saying that British Rail isn’t good, but it just seemed to be far inferior to the railroads in France.
I remember a story about the english railroad, they tried rubber tires for a smoother ride, but had to abandon them because leaves on the tracks caused the wheels to slip.
^
I’m not sure about the veracity of that tale, but I can tell you that Michelin developed radial tires originally for use on the Paris Metro. That original tire design (from 1947 or '48, IIRC) morphed into the Michelin-X for automotive use.
The Paris Metro still rides on rubber tires, and is incredibly quiet as a result.
Now, if they could just do something about the smelly passengers…
I helped mu cousin restore one of those from chassis up. It was a lot of work but not that bad/had a lot of fun and cold drinks in the process. I liked the tinkering. There were not very fun or comfortable to drive but got the job done in rural areas.
@Cavell That was Dallas Car Sharks, the new money man of the group bought the defender in pieces and with vandalized paint and it might be the same one that’s still on the website for $89K
http://inventory.earthmotorcars.com/web/used/Land-Rover-Defender-90-1994-Carrollton-Texas/1750107/
I saw more than a few of these being used as farm trucks in the areas north of York in the UK that we explored going back to some of our roots. The Defenders were mainly of the panel truck variety with no rear side windows and pretty basic inside.