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Terrafirma’s magnificent new Easy but scratchy £4.99
Defender 110 demo truck going on our East APR 2020
Kent Roadbook

Exploring the parts of Morocco

even 4x4s rarely visit
4x4 Cover Apr SK.indd 1 01/03/2020 22:25
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 April 2020

D SCENE

NDAR

Road Playday

days are shown

verseas adventure
ou should never
ment of the

ary
jeepspares.c

up to the end
tours up to

travel to an
event or organiser
G
om for fast

Green Lane

of the month
a year ahead,

event without
first checking
by 4x4 magazine.

2-11 March
Convoy Tour

following the
magazine’s
space permitting

We take great

4x4 Adventure
Tours
moving service

on-sale date.
A Overseas

to ensure that
and

Dates for green

Adventure Travel

lane tours

it is still going
with the organiser accuracy of this information,
care over the

14-15 March

Ardventures
are shown up

ahead. Note
but accept no

G Yorkshire Moors and Dales

repair parts

S 4x4 Show
to approximately

responsibility

G
three months

in this listing

Trails and Tracks

Tyne Valley

28-29 March
jeepspares.c
Compass Adventures
AD SCENE
ahead, and
CONTENTS
for

does not represent

also that inclusion the consequences of
for
any errors

om for fast
moving service
and repair parts

A Portugal G Yorkshire / Lake District

G Wessex OFF-RO
Atlas Overland 2020
lore Off Road t 13-22 July
Protrax
erdale, Stoke-on-Tren
4 March G Wiltshire 6-21 June 2020 Active 4x4
Adventures
ckley 4x4
ckley, South
Yorkshire Protrax
15 March
8 May Ardventures
A Alps
29 March
uddy Bottom
G East Midlands (night run) Explore Off
Road
P Silverdale, Stoke-on-Tren t
7-8 April UK Landrover
Events A Pyrenees, Spain 19 July
P Bures, Suffolk G Lincoln and
Bures Pit

18 4x4 Calendar
Belvoir
instead, Hampshire Spares Day
5-20 March Frickley 4x4 Onelife Adventure 8-17 June 2020 Malvern 4x4
bruary Onelife Adventure
G Yorkshire
P Frickley, South Yorkshire Cowm Leisure 9 May Active 4x4
Adventures S Malvern, Worcestershire
A Morocco Bottom P Whitworth, Lancashire UK Landrover Events A Pyrenees August 2020
Shropshire /
Tours
Green Adventure Borders
Welsh
P Muddy
Minstead, Hampshire
12 April
Frickley 4x4
G Durham Dales
28 July – 9
UK Landrover P Frickley, South 8-17 June 2020
Events Yorkshire
7 March Protrax Landtreks
UK Landrover
Durham Dales
Events
Burnham Off-Roaders
P Tixover, NorthamptonsGhirePeak District Kirton Off RoadNorth Centre
9-10 May 4x4 Adventure
Tours A Pyrenees Coast to Coast
P Tring, Hertfordshire 20 March 13 April
P Kirton Lindsey, LincsGaydon Land Rover Show A Pyrenees 31 July – 3
August 2020
February Protrax
G Wales UK Landrover
Events UK Landrover P
Events
Protrax
Tixover,
S
Northamptons
hireGaydon, Warwickshire
10-24 June
2020
Ardventures
/ Storm Jeeps
4x4 Expo G Northumberland G North York Moors Thames Valley 4x4 Protrax A Marquenterre, France
S Stafford, Staffordshire P Broxhead, HampshireG Wales
Events
UK Landrover Protrax

Bures Pit
G Eden District 21 March 14 April A Pyrenees 1-15 August
2020
Landrover Events
P Bures, Essex 7-8 March UK Landrover
Events Landrover Events
UK
UK
P Dales and Eden 10 May
Events 13-20 June
2020
Atlas Overland
Cowm Leisure
P Whitworth, Lancashire G Tynedale Tyne and Wear
UK Landrover
G Eden District A Italian Alps

More shows and off-road events listed

Trails and Tracks 13 April Ardent Adventure
30 March –
Slindon Safari
G North of England 21-22 March 17-19 April AdventuresMay
A Pyrenees 8-23 August
2020
P Slindon, West Sussex 7-26 March Trails and Tracks Onelife Adventure
Active 4x4
A Morocco 16
19 June – 3
July
Ardventures
Thames Valley
4x4

P Oxley Shaw, Berkshire Protrax

G and Dales
Yorkshire Moors Coast to Coast
G
Trails and Tracks
nd Onelife Adventure
A Galicia, Spain
3-16 April Northumberla
G Morocco Desert and Mountains Trailmasters
G Lake District 18 April A Greece 10-29 August
2020
29 February Ardventures 16-17 May
8 March UK A
Landrover Events Morocco 20-27 June
2020
Active 4x4
Adventures
Protrax
G East Midlands (night run) Burnham Off-Roaders
22 March Yorkshire Dales Onelife Adventure
G Yorkshire Ardent Adventure
A Botswana
4-5 April
P Tring, Hertfordshire& District 4x4 Club P Slindon Safari
Sussex19 April Travel
A Pyrenees 15-26 August

than ever before!

– 1 March Slindon, West ShowAdventure16-24 May
Off Road
2020
29 February Essex, Rochford July 2020
Great British G Wales
Land Rover
P Rayleigh, Essex 3 April ire 22 June – 7 Onelife Adventure
Compass Adventures 24 March – S Newark, NottinghamshProtrax UK Land Rover
A Pyrenees
Events
A Pyrenees
G Wales Parkwood 4x4
P Tong, Bradford 4x4 Adventure
Tours
MayG Wales
Atlas Overland
A Corsica 2020
Travel 24 April – 10
Road Adventure
G OffWales Slindon Safari
A Morocco Trails and Tracks 16-30 May
2020 17-23 August

P Slindon, West Sussex 6 April Ardent Adventure G Cumbria, Eden and Yorks Dales 26-28 June Landtreks

2-6 March UK Landrover

Events 24 March – A Morocco Atlas Overland
A Portugal Billing Land
Rover Show A Pyrenees
4-16 April
G Lake District Trailmasters
A Morocco Marrakesh25Classic April
June 2020
S Billing, Northampton
shore
19-20 September
20 May – 2
Ardventures
G Coast to Coast Atlas Overland
Overland Show
G North York MoorsA
9-13 March Trails and Tracks
Morocco Classic 27-28 June Adventure

1 March Ardent Off

Road
26-27 March Trailmasters
A Morocco (extreme expedition) Billing Off-Road
Show S Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire
G Coast to Coast UK Landrover
Events
shire 25-26 April
5 April
S Billing, NorthamptonLRshireShow 2020
Frickley 4x4
P Frickley, South Yorkshire G Cumbria/York Newbury 4x4
Overland Show
Spares Day
21-25 May Kelmarsh Original
22-30 August
14 March Adventure
S Stratford Upon Avon,S Newbury, Berkshire
Warwickshire Rally S Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire Ardent Adventure
Muddy Bottom
P Minstead, Hampshire Green Adventure
Tours 28 March ALRC National
S Bilsington, Kent July 2020
A Alps
G Shropshire / Welsh Borders Kirton Off Road
Centre Compass Adventures 28 June – 16 4 Sept 2020
Picadilly Wood
P Bolney, West Sussex Trails and Tracks
P Kirton Lindsey, NorthG Lincs
Yorkshire / Lake
District
23-24 May Off Road Adventure
Travel 24 August –

G County Durham A Albania

G4x4
Protrax Trailmasters
G Wiltshire Protrax
Wiltshire
A Morocco
1-5 July 2020 2020
1-3 May 26-31 August
25-30 May Landtreks

16 | MARCH
2020
G
Trails and Tracks
North Wales ALRC National
Follow-On
Rally
A French Pyrenees Lost World
A Alps
Overland

S Bilsington, Kent 11-24 July

2020
2020
2-3 May June 2020 9-24 September
27 May – 10 Ardventures
Ardventures
G North/Mid Wales Protrax
A Balkans Protrax
A Ukraine
Atlas Overland
A Pyrenees 13-19 July
2020
G Wessex Events 5-19 June 2020 Landtreks
22 November
Show
Land Rover
UK Landrover
G Wiltshire Off Road Adventure
Travel A East Pyrenees S
Great British
Stoneleigh,
Warwickshire
A Pyrenees, Spain
4-13 May 2020
| 17
Active 4x4 Adventures MARCH 2020
A Portugal

4x4

34
“We want to offer accessories that move the game
from us your Land Rover will have things that your

48 40 28

64 | JANUARY 2020
4x4
 66 12 ISSUES OF 4X4 – FOR JUST £12!
£1 per issue. Yes, really – that’s all it costs to have Britain’s only 4x4 magazine
delivered to your door every month! Time to take action…
4x4 Scene: News, Products and More…
8 Land Rover Defender Order books open for the new 90; base price £40,290
8 Citroën Plans unveiled for centenary expedition to mark first Sahara crossing
9 Volkswagen Touareg R Performance range-topper will be a plug-in hybrid
9 Kia Sorento Details revealed of all-new model
10 Vaxhall Combo Dangel 4x4 conversion creates unique high-mobility van
10 Skoda Kodiaq Ambulance conversion creates paramedics’ dream car
12 Arkonik World-class Defender restorer returns to UK market
15 Great British Land Rover Show All ready for April’s curtain-raiser in Newark!
16 Nether Moor Time to have your say as a green lane’s future goes to review
17 Green Lane Association Repairing a lane – and doing great PR for the hobby
20 ARB New Landcruiser Air-Locker fitment introduced
20 Maxxis Winning result for Razr MT in on-road tyre test
22 Marsland Chassis Defender 110 frames now available from Britpart
23 Ring New battery tester allows full electrical health checks
24 Britpart Replacement seat boxes for rotted-out LT77s
25 Mud-UK Double-DIN stereo mount brings Td5 Defenders up to date

Driven
28 Ford Raptor Can the ultimate Ranger possibly live up to the hype?
32 BMW X3 High-performance M Competition model tested in horrific conditions

Every Month
4 Alan Kidd Why don’t the police prevent anti-4x4 harassment?
9 Coming Soon Trucks and SUVs set to be launched in the near future
18 Calendar Forthcoming playdays, lane runs, shows and expeditions
66 Subscribe Your monthly fix of 4x4 delivered – for just £1 per copy!
80 Next Month A Volkswagen 4x4 like you’ve never seen before…

Features
34 Terrafirma 110 Restored, rebuilt and dripping with desirable gear
40 Real-world L200 A new kind of build that’s neither big-money nor no-money

Our 4x4s
48 Isuzu D-Max Go 2 The work starts for real as Pedders’ suspension goes on

Travel
52 Morocco If you think you’ve seen it all, this itinerary is for you

forward, so it you buy 58 Canada Touring the north-west and meeting bears, wolves… and rednecks

Step

68 Roadbook
37

mates’ don’t”
Step embankment ack, dropping
then plunging down the
straight into
13 Step
a water trough
(right)

Strata Florida
Abbey
41
12.3
8.75 Take the rocky
the main Cat A
track to the left
track
of

38
Step
47
13.1
Step

14 Step
15.0
10.9 4212.6 There’s a couple
troughs after of huge water
the junction St

Step
48
15 13.1

East Kent 15.2

Step

11.7 43 It’s a steep,

over a bigger
ahead over
sharp climb
track – you
up and
can’t see
your bonnet
Step with to start

16 13.4
11.8 Step

Step
Join the Cat A
track
44 You may find
a river bed
yourself driving
for a while… along

It’s very scratchy

52
17
13.65
12.8 Step
track
Drop off the main the gate and
Step
45
immediately before trough
into yet another
water

18
12.8
14.7
Step

46
in places, but this
4x4
14.9
route in the old
Kentish coalfield
is an entertaining
day out – with a
few twists and
surprises to keep
you on your toes

APRIL 2020 | 5
4x4

Alan Kidd
Editor
ost of us are on the side of
M green laning. Even if you don’t
do it yourself, you see the appeal and
accept that so long as people do it
responsibly, they deserve the right to
do it without being harassed.
That’s because we understand
it, of course. Most people don’t; the vast
majority of people are astonished to learn
that there are rights of way in Britain you
can drive in a 4x4, and even once they
understand this they’re still left with the
lingering assumption they’ve been fed that
we’re all just hooligans driving where we
want and wrecking the countryside.
As you probably know, hooligans
driving where they want and wrecking the
countryside are a major problem. They’re
a problem to the people whose land they
wreck, to those whose enjoyment of the
countryside or of their own homes is
disturbed and, in particular, those of us
whose entire hobby is constantly under
threat from self-interest groups who seize
on the actions of a few criminals to paint
an untrue picture of the rest of us.
The true picture is the one you see quite
regularly in our news pages or those of
publications like the monthly bulletin sent
out by the Green Lane Association. Rights
of way users going out with the police,
national park rangers, forestry wardens and
so on to run outreach operations on the
lanes, educating users and patrolling areas
where illegal off-roading is common.
I was pulled over one time by a couple
of cops who were sat on a lane next to an
old, abandoned quarry where people used
to go to have a play. Aside from the fact
that an old, abandoned quarry is surely the
very best possible place to let people blow
off some steam, and all the debate around
that, what wound me up was that from the
off, they talked to me like a criminal. When
I pointed out that I was just driving a public
right of way, the response was almost a
‘don’t get smart with me’ sort of line. It was
like they expected me to be an illegal off-
roader and it hadn’t occurred to them that I
might be a legit byway user.
Another frustrating conversion, another
time and in another place, came with a
landowner who clearly didn’t like the fact
4 | APRIL 2020
We are on
the law’s
side. It would
be nice to
think that the
law is on ours
that he had a byway running past his farm.
Signposted, well surfaced, dry-stone walled,
the works, but he wasn’t having it. My
favourite pearl of wisdom, when I pointed
out that I had checked it with the local
authority and it was recorded as a byway,
was ‘well then can you go back to them
please and get them to change it.’
When he gave me the ‘I don’t want to
see you here again’ line and I gave him the
obvious answer, he said he’d just obstruct
it. And the very next day, he had.
That was in 2009, and he’s still doing it
today. I can’t say the name of the lane, as
the laws of libel protect the guilty as well
as the innocent, but since then the guy
has tried to have it downgraded and then
extinguished altogether. Even the local
bridleway society agrees that it’s a byway.
But hey ho, the local authority is making
enquiries. And who knows how long that
will last, but while it’s rumbling along they’re
refusing to take any enforcement action to
stop the obstructions. Whose side exactly
is the law meant to be on?
Oh yes, the law. It stops people from
off-roading illegally on land next to rights of
way, it’s very keen to do so and responsible
green laning clubs are always willing to put
up members who’ll help.
So here’s a question. What is the law
doing about the rampant criminality of
people who obstruct lanes and harass
motor vehicle users? If the police can lurk
beside rights of way waiting to treat drivers
like criminals for being there, why can’t they
go out, posing as green laners, to snare the
troublemakers who’re forever out to wreck
our days on the lanes?
Every single area rep knows every single
problem lane, I’m sure, where you can’t go
without being given abuse by Mr Angry
from the farm. Why is nothing ever done
about that?
We are on the law’s side. It would be nice
to think that the law is on ours.
4x4
Tel: 01283 553243
Email: enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk
Web: www.totaloffroad.co.uk
www.4x4i.com
Online Shop: www.toronline.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/totaloffroad
www.facebook.com/4x4Mag
Editor
Alan Kidd
Art Editor
Samantha D’Souza
Contributors
Mike Trott, Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Olly Sack,
Rob Boseley, Jen Bright, Gav Lowrie,
Barrie Dunbar
Photographers
Harry Hamm, Steve Taylor, Richard Hair,
Vic Peel
Group Advertising Manager
Ian Argent
Tel: 01283 553242
Advertising Manager
Colin Ashworth
Tel: 01283 553244
Advertising Production
Sarah Moss
Tel: 01283 553242
Subscriptions Manager
Catherine Martin
Subscriptions Assistants
Emma Emery, Kay Tunnicliffe, Abi Dutton
Publisher and Head of Marketing
Sarah Moss
Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk
To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription,
call 01283 742970. Prices for 12 issues: UK
£42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW
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Every effort is made to ensure the contents of
4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts
no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the
consequences of actions made as a result of these.
When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make
appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering
into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to
ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or
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Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or
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4x4 is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton
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4x4
Performance Springs
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Defender 90 Lift Load Diameter lbs/in Height competitively priced - the right
DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 420mm choice when replacing the old
DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 390mm sagging original springs.
DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 435mm
DA4204 Rear 50mm 100kg 18mm 300 - 340 425mm Developed by one of the world’s
DA4205 Rear 50mm 200kg 19mm 360 430mm top spring manufacturers these
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DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 420mm
DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 390mm springs have been designed
DA4206 Rear 40mm 100kg 17mm 270 - 295 445mm with the needs of today’s Land
DA4208 Rear 50mm 500kg 21mm 420 445mm Rover owners in mind. Britpart
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Discovery 1
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DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 420mm
DA4202 Front 40mm 50kg 16mm 230 390mm overcome more obstacles when
DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 435mm off-roading.
DA4204 Rear 50mm 100kg 18mm 300 - 340 425mm
DA4205 Rear 50mm 200kg 19mm 360 430mm As Land Rovers are often working
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DA4199 Front 40mm 20 - 50kg 15mm 180 390mm uprated springs must offer the
DA4198 Front 40mm 50 - 100kg 16mm 220 390mm ability to carry loads, handle
DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 435mm off-road terrain and provide a good
DA4197 Rear 40mm Medium 18mm 290 430mm ride on road. The progressive
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DA4201 Front 25mm 25kg 16mm 200 420mm lightly loaded, but firm up as the
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DA4203 Rear 40mm Light 17mm 220 435mm
DA4204 Rear 50mm 100kg 18mm 300 - 340 425mm After Lowering
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Note - Spring quantity 1 = 1 pair

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Britpart Performance - Standard Height Springs
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Defender 90 Diameter lbs/in Height
DA4277 Front 16mm 225 390mm
DA4278 Rear 18mm 285 385mm
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DA4279 Rear 19mm 330 415mm Britpart Performance
Discovery 1 1” Lower Springs
DA4277 Front 16mm 225 390mm
DA4278 Rear 18mm 285 385mm
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one used for carrying heavy loads. The springs are designed to offer DA4563 Defender 90 & 110/Discovery 1/Range Rover Classic Front pair
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yellow springs have been designed with the needs of today’s Land Rover DA1234 XD Handling Kit for Defender 90/Discovery 1/Range Rover Classic
owners in mind. Kit contains lower springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, turret rings and more...
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

NEW 4X4S

LAND ROVER CONFIRMS

PRICES FOR NEW DEFENDER 90
AS ORDER BOOK OPENS
On sale now from £40,290 • Commercial models coming this year from £35,000 plus VAT
and Rover has confirmed

L that the cheapest version

of its new Defender 90 will
cost £40,290. Order books
are now open for the vehicle, fol-
lowing on from the ‘unprecedented
demand’ Land Rover says it has ex-
perienced in response to the launch
of the 110 version late last year.
The 90 is initially available with a
choice of four engines. Most sales
will go to the 2.0-litre SD4 diesel,
whether in 200 or 240bhp form; a
300bhp Si4 petrol engine provides
an alternative that’s price-matched
to the latter, while the 400bhp i6 is
reserved for the range-topping X 90.
Even with the SD4 200, prices
climb to £47,595 for the mid-range
SE model. With the SD4 240 and
P300 Si4, the HSE trim tops the list
at £55,475, while the P400 i6 X will
set you back a monstrous £75,475. fenders that have been configured tellingly, the Urban Pack has been in a variety of commercial forms.
That will only be the beginning online since sales began, more than the most popular of these. Land Rover says prices for these
for many buyers, too. Land Rover half have been specified with one Later this year, the Defender 90 models will start at approximately
reports that of the 1.21 million De- of its four option packs. Perhaps and 110 will also become available £35,000 plus VAT.

Citroën plans electrified expedition to mark centenery of first ever

Sahara crossing by car
CITROËN HAS ANNOUNCED plans to commemorate the hundredth anni-
versary of the first ever vehicular crossing of the Sahara. In 1922, it was a
pair of Citroën Kegresse autochenilles (half-tracks) that made the pioneer-
ing trip – and two years from now, the French manufacturer will return to
the Sahara to follow the same route with a convoy of electric vehicles.
Titled Ë.PIC, the expedition will be led by replicas of the Golden Scarab
and Silver Crescent vehicles that made the initial crossing a century ago.
These will run alongside the EVs, which will comprise various production
models from the 2022 Citroën range – as well as a future fully electric
vehicle which is yet to be announced.
‘This project involves both human and technological dimensions,’ says
Citroën, ‘to promote innovative and sustainable forms of mobility. The ob-
jective of the challenge is not speed, but a human adventure on board three
types of vehicle highlighting the past, the present and the future.’
The expedition will set out from Touggourt on 19 December 2022 and ar-
rive in Timbuktu on 7 January 2023 – a total of 3170 kilometres in 21 days.
These dates coincide exactly with the anniversary of the original Sahara
Cruise; Citroën aims to stick to the same historical route, too, as far as the
political climate will allow.

8 | APRIL 2020
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

COMING SOON
Forthcoming 4x4s due later this year
and beyond
Aiways U5 Electric SUV Summer 2020
Alfa Romeo Tonale Small SUV November
Alpina XB7 Performance SUV December
Aston Martin DBX Performance SUV April
Audi Q5 facelift Medium SUV Autumn
Hybrid power returns to Touareg BMW iX3 Electric SUV Early 2021

line-up aboard new range-topping BMW X5 M Competition

BMW X6 M Competition
Performance SUV
Performance SUV
June 2020
June 2020
Touarag R model Bollinger B1
Bollinger B2
Electric off-roader
Electric pick-up
2020
2021
VOLKSWAGEN HAS UNVEILED the Touarag R – a new flagship model Cupra Formentor Performance SUV Early 2021
at the very top of its 4x4 range which combines the efficiency of a plug-in Ford Kuga Medium SUV Spring
hybrid with the power of a performance SUV. The vehicle has 462bhp and Ford Mustang Mach-E Electric SUV October
516lbf.ft, with all the pace that promises, but can also cover what Volkswa- Ford Ranger Pick-up 2022
gen calls ’typical commuter distances’ in zero-emission EV mode. INEOS Grenadier Off-roader 2021
Unlike some hybrids, the Touareg R retains the 3500kg trailer capacity of Jeep Small SUV 2021
models with internal combustion engines. It can do its thing off-road, too, Jeep Cherokee Desert Hawk Performance Off-Roader Spring
and there’s an option pack available to help it make the most of what it’s got Jeep Gladiator Pick-up June
in this area. Jeep Grand Commander Large SUV 2020
The Touareg R will be joining VW’s UK range later this year. Prices are yet Jeep Renegade PHEV Hybrid SUV September
to be announced, but don’t expect a lot of change out of seventy grand. Jeep Wagoneer Luxury SUV 2021
Kia Sorento Large SUV September
• Kia has released details of the all-new Sorento. Due for production later this
Land Rover Defender 90 Off-roader March
year, this is based on a new platform with a 35mm longer wheelbase – giving
Land Rover Defender 130 Off-roader March 2021
it what Kia says will be class-leading cargo space.
Land Rover Defender PHEV Hybrid off-roader 2021
The vehicle will be powered by a choice of 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid and
Land Rover Defender EV Electric off-roader 2023
2.2-litre diesel engines, the latter mated to a new eight-speed dual-clutch auto
Land Rover Discovery Spt PHEV Hybrid SUV April
box. Respectively, these develop 230bhp and 258lbf.ft, and 202bhp
Maserati Medium SUV 2021
and 325lbf.ft. Further into the
Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 Performance SUV April
vehicle’s life cycle, a new
Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Performance SUV April
plug-in hybrid
Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 Performance SUV June
model
Mercedes-Benz EQB Electric SUV Early 2021
will be
Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe Large SUV June
added
Mercedes-Maybach GLS Luxury SUV June
to the
Mitsubishi Outlander Medium SUV October
range.
Peugeot 3008 Hybrid 4 Hybrid SUV April
Range Rover Evoque PHEV Hybrid SUV April
Rivian R1T Electric pick-up Spring 2022
Rivian R1s Electric large SUV Summer 2022
SsangYong Korando EV Electric SUV September
Suzuki S-Cross Hybrid Crossover SUV March
Suzuki Vitara Hybrid Small SUV March
Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pick-Up Late 2022
Tesla Model X Tri-Motor Electric SUV Early 2021
Tesla Model Y Medium SUV October
Toyota Landcruiser Active Van Commercial Off-Roader March
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Medium SUV October
Toyota Yaris SUV Small SUV Late 2020
Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Small SUV April
Nissan has revealed a revised version of its range-top- Volkswagen Tarok Pick-up 2020
ping Navara N-Guard. This gains a new electric blue Volkswagen Amarok Pick-up 2022
colour scheme as well as blue seat stitching, illumi- Volkswagen Touareg R Performance SUV July
Volvo XC40 PHEV Hybrid SUV April
nated footwells and a spray-in bedliner. On sale this
Volvo XC40 EV Electric SUV Early 2021
month, it’s priced at £30,775.00 plus VAT.

APRIL 2020 | 9
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

NEW 4X4S

Dangel conversion turns Vauxhall

Combo into unique 4x4 van

more impressive still with another

20mm of clearance; this also adds
fuel tank and rear axle protection
on top of the engine and gearbox
armour that comes as standard on
the 4x4 model.
A limited-slip rear diff is also
optional on the Combo Cargo 4x4,
and with all this helping it on its
way the vehicle should be pretty
well equipped to get places. Vaux-
hall expects the vehicle to open
new markets for it in the agricul-

V
auxhall has introduced
a new version of its
Combo Cargo van
– with a 4x4 conversion
by specialist engineering supplier
Dangel. Designed to cope with the
sort of terrain a light commercial
vehicle might encounter in certain
types of use, the vehicle has
enhanced ground clearance and
underbody protection to go with its
greater traction.
The Combo’s 4x4 system is a
part-time set-up which can be used
on-road in 4x4 mode. It’s normally
powered only by the front wheels,
but the centre diff starts sending
torque to the rear wheels as soon
as any loss of traction is detected.
In addition, drivers can select R
Lock mode to keep the rear axle
fully engaged.
Modified suspension lifts the
Combo by 90mm, raising its
ground clearance to 185mm and
giving it approach, departure and
breakover angles of 26.6, 38.3
and 26 degrees respectively. By
speccing the optional 4x4 Plus
Pack, you can make these figures
ture, construction and telecoms
sectors, where it currently has no
direct competition.
The new Combo Cargo 4x4 is
priced from £34,660 to £36,010
plus the VAT. Similar money to
the forthcoming Defender 90
commercial, then, and more than
the current Landcruiser van. It had
better be good.

SKODA HAS SUPPLIED a fleet of 18 Kodiaq 4x4s to the South Western Ambu-
lance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT). The vehicles underwent specialist
conversion prior to entering operational duty – giving them full emergency
lighting and sirens along with full mobile communications and MDT systems and
a custom rear storage solution compliant with current infection control criteria.
The conversion, which was carried out by Skoda’s approved partner Halls
Electrical, also saw the inclusion of a second screen in the centre console and the
movement of the existing infotainment system to be positioned above the glove-
box. The new screen houses important information relating to 999 calls.
In addition, SWASFT required a fully converted storage area for equipment,
additional power supplies, an auxiliary battery, split charging and mains shoreline
capability. The Kodiaqs’ third row of seats were removed to make way for essen-
tial life-saving equipment and a combination safe for storing controlled drugs.
The vehicles, which will be on duty 24/7, were chosen by SWASFT for a variety
of criteria – including their off-road ability. The service is responsible for an area covering 20% of the land mass of England, and this includes a large amount
of rough roads, unsurfaced tracks and inhospitable terrain.
‘We have chosen the Skoda Kodiaq as our operational officer vehicle because of the
space available for the specialist and technical equipment required by this staff group,’ says
SWASFT’s Robin Gwinett. ‘The vehicle offers the level of safety and comfort that our crews
demand from operational vehicles. It blends excellent on-road handling characteristics with
enough off-road performance for the majority of the situations our operations officers face
on a daily basis.’

10 | APRIL 2020
4x4
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Rummage
SUNDAY 17 MAY 2020

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NEWS

Land Rover restorer Arkonik to expand with

reintroduction into UK market – and project to
develop fully electric Defender

S
omerset-based Land Rov-
er restoration specialist
Arkonik has announced
its return to the UK mar-
ket. The company, which for the last
seven years has been selling only
to clients in the USA and Canada,
has built a formidable reputation for
the quality of the vehicles it builds
– and now it is once again open for
business in its home market.
Founded in 2008, Arkonik initially
withdrew from the UK market in
2012 in response to a slowdown in
orders following the global financial
crisis. The company developed a
business model which sees it scour
mainland Europe for left-hand drive
90s and 110s suitable for resto-
ration; these are fully rebuilt from
the ground up and sold to clients in
North America.
The company’s premises, a little
way south of Bath in the village of
Mells, operate like a proper man-
ufacturing facility. And with every
vehicle being built from scratch, to
a much higher specification than
the original, in many ways it does
resemble a car maker rather than a
restoration outfit. Each of the Land
Rovers it sells is unique, however;
with a forward order book of around
eighty clients, it builds only to order,
and those customers are given every
opportunity to spec their vehicles to
their own personal preference.
This is a key difference between
buying a new car from a dealer and
having one built by a specialist like
Arkonik. The company has found
that the interaction between it and
its clients are a part of the process
they treasure – so much so that

Arkonik staff appear fully invested in the company’s ethos, with a real sense of pride in the vehicles they create. American import rules
mean vehicles must have their original chassis and engine, but don’t prevent them from being fully remanufactured

12 | APRIL 2020
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EVENTS

many have come back to order
further vehicles so they can enjoy
speccing them again.
Naturally, these are wealthy cus-
tomers. Arkonik says it’s possible
to buy an entry-level vehicle for just
under £100,000, and that at the top
end you could pay twice as much
as that. But these are heirloom cars
built to last through generations and,
if you’ve got it to spend, they repre-
sent a rock-solid investment.
Arkonik has to play by American
rules when building vehicles for
customers on the other side of the
Atlantic, which means they have
to use the Land Rovers’ original
chassis and engine. However there’s
nothing to stop them from doing
more work once the importation
process is complete – which is why,
in addition to its Somerset factory,
the company has established its
SVO facility in South Carolina. This
allows it to offer customers the
option (and it’s a popular one) of
replacing Solihull’s engine with a
new Chevrolet LS3 V8, fresh from its
crate along with a 6L80E six-speed
automatic gearbox.
With no cross-border bureau-
cracy to worry about, this option
will of course also be open to
customers in the UK. The 430bhp
Corvette-sourced LS3 is indeed the
engine used in UJO, a spectacular
110 which Arkonik built to celebrate
its re-emergence here. We’ll be
looking at this vehicle in detail in a
future issue, but it has already made
a big entrance – it was displayed at
the Autosport International show at
the NEC in January before starring
at an official launch event attended
by various media, suppliers and TV
celebrities.
‘This vehicle represents our past,
our present and our future,’ said
Arkonik founder and owner Andy
Hayes, ‘and the first right-hand drive
vehicle we have built in many years.
It has many contemporary modifica-
tions but is instantly recognisable as
an early machine. UJO is our team’s
interpretation of a true resto-mod.
For us it is the best of the old, the
new, and ourselves.’
At present, Arkonik builds around
72 vehicles a year, however its return
to Britain is likely to see demand
increase. Certainly, with a forward
order book of around 80 customers
at any one time, it doesn’t need to be
growing its waiting list – though it
has as much expertise at managing
clients’ sense of anticipation as it
does at building vehicles for them.
Those vehicles are also built with
a unique sense of their ultimate
owners’ personal taste. For Arkonik,
it’s not just about fitting the parts
listed on an order form; each vehi-
cle’s build sheet includes pictures
of the owner and information about
who they are, where they’re from
and how they live their life. The idea
is that the workforce on the factory
floor will get to know who the truck
is being built for, which gives them a
greater sense of engagement while
creating it.
This might sound a bit pie-in-the-
sky, but a tour of the Arkonik facility
as part of the launch event demon-
strated that its staff are invested in
the company’s ethos to a remark-
able degree. Very unusually, there
were no restrictions, save for those
imposed by health and safety regs.
We could look where we wanted and
talk to whoever we chose – normally
on factory tours, you’re shepherded
around by a cagey PR handler and
the workers you get to talk to have
been carefully chosen, sometimes
to the point where you wonder if
actually they might be actors, but
there’s none of that here. Wherever
you look, you pick up a real sense of
pride in the work going on.
That’s down to the people Arkonik
employs, of course, as well as their
working conditions – every part of
the factory is beautifully clean, tidy
and well presented, and with no
shouting or loud music to be heard
it’s almost more like a lab than a
workshop. The workforce know
they’re creating something special,
and they understand that they’re do-
ing it using modern technology and
superior methods. Every vehicle is
fully wired using an in-house loom,
for example; chassis are taken back
to bare metal and treated not just
to be like new, but to stay that way;
and doors and body panels are man-
ufactured to Land Rover’s pattern,
using thicker metal to prevent the
curtaining effect you see on stand-
ard Defenders. There are 70 staff
working for Arkonik, as well as more
than 200 suppliers, and every one of
them is at the top of their game.
There’s nothing backward-looking
about Arkonik, either. The company
specialises in giving new life to old
vehicles, which is a laudable form
of business in a world concerned
with climate change, but doing so
will only take you so far when there
are LS3 engines on the menu. Be in
no doubt, though, that this is only
one step on a journey. The return to
Britain will see what the company
says will be ‘unprecedented growth
and investment,’ but this is about
more than just doing the same thing
for a wider audience.
‘Our next big project will be for a
fully electric platform,’ says Hayes.
This will be ‘the ultimate coupling
between restorative and regenera-
tive processes and technologies.’
The argument that’s typically put
forward for restoring an old Land
Rover is that it’s a vehicle for life
– taking you out of the car-buying
cycle forever, should you so choose.
Against that, however, it’s a car for
life with a high-emission engine,
which will become more and more
of an issue as the years roll by. Com-
bining the longevity of a Defender
with the low-carbon nature of an EV
sounds like the best of both worlds
– and if there’s anyone you’d trust to
deliver it, it would be Arkonik.
For now, the company’s plans for
EV development are simply an indi-
cation of its ambitions – and its be-
lief in its ability to see such a project
through. In the meantime, Arkonik
has a long line of clients to keep it
busy – and with its reintroduction to
the UK market, you can expect that
line to get bigger than ever.

UJO is an ambassador vehicle

for Arkonik. To order one like it
would cost you in the region
of £200,000

APRIL 2020 | 13
4x4
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EVENTS

Great British Land Rover Show all set to kick off

2020 season with springtime curtain-raiser at
Newark Showground
19 April 2020 • Newark Showground • £15 on the day, £7.50 when booked in advance
PREPARATIONS ARE WELL UNDERWAY for the
springtime version of the Great British Land Rover
Show, to be held at Newark Showground.
The new event complements the November
Great British Land Rover Show at Stoneleigh, which
has come to be known as the big finish to the an-
nual season. In 2019, indeed, the organisers were
delighted to see it post its best ever figures for
ticket sales – hence the addition of a new date and
venue for 2020.
Like the November event, the springtime running
of the Great British Land Rover Show will be for one
day only. This is Sunday 19th April – when Newark
Showground will be transformed into a festival of
all things Land Rover!
This is additional to the winter show, which will
once again be held at Stoneleigh. The date for this
show in 2020 is 22nd November.
This is a return to the original format of the Great
British Land Rover Show, which started out as a
spring event before moving to its pre-Christmas slot.
Now, visitors and exhibitors are going to get the best
of both worlds!
Both events are being supported once more by
headline sponsors BFGoodrich. And to celebrate the
arrival of a new show, tickets are already on sale at
half-price – with further savings being offered when
you book for both shows at the same time.
The new location won’t see the show move to an
entirely outdoor format, however, as organisers are
keen to keep this part of the show’s identity intact.
Newark offers plenty of flexibility, so exhibitors will
be spread across a variety of stands located both
indoors and outdoors.
As with the November show, the April
edition of the Great British Land Rover Show
will also be sponsored by Terrafirma, Paddocks
and the All Wheel Drive Club – who will still
be stewarding an on-site off-road course. The
show will obviously also bring the best in Land
Rover equipment, parts and accessories, along
with discounts and special show offers.
Advance tickets are on sale now for £7.50
each, with tickets on the day priced at £15.
Book now for both shows next year, however,
and it will cost just £12.50 per person to attend
the show in both April and December. Spaces
for the off-road course, meanwhile, are limited
and are priced at £10 in advance.
This promises to be a great new event, in a
venue that hasn’t seen any proper Land Rover
action for several years. Want a piece of the
action? Head to greatbritishlrshow.com for full
details and to book your tickets.

APRIL 2020 | 15
4x4
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RIGHTS OF WAY

IF YOU BELIEVE the online forums,

you might assume that All Terrain UK
and the Green Lane Association are
sworn enemies. But while the two
organisations do compete for mem-
bers, the truth is that they’re both on
the same side.
This was never better illustrated
than last year, when ATUK crowd-
funded nearly £3500 to pay for work
on a lane near Dunmow in Essex – of
which £500 was donated by GLASS.
Sadly, the work required was to
block off areas where criminal 4x4
users had been driving illegally. This
was done by levelling out the dam-

Council to review status of illegally aged areas and blocking them off
using cages filled with rubble.

blocked lane – time to have your say As if to illustrate the vandals’ men-
tality, three months later the cages
were pulled out and destroyed, and

K
irklees Council is review-
ing the status of Nether
Moor, a long-standing
Byway Open to All Traffic
(BOAT) just outside Huddersfield.
The lane itself is fairly unremarkable,
however it has become an important
case due to a landowner’s relentless
efforts to get it closed.
The lane has already been the
subject of a public enquiry, prompt-
ed by a definitive map modification
order to downgrade it first to a
bridleway and then to a footpath.
The enquiry found against the order
and a subsequent appeal failed,
meaning it continued to be classed
as a byway.
This hasn’t stopped the landown-
er from obstructing the lane with
regular blockages at its eastern end.
Our picture was taken in January
2009; images on Google Street View
show various blockages, and what
appears to be a ‘road closed’ sign,
dated August 2010, June 2017 and
March 2019.
‘I have confirmation that it is
currently a BOAT but is subject to
review, possibly in June 2020,’ re-
ports Alex Davidson, West Yorkshire
Rep for the Green Lane Association.
‘However the landowner is pushing
for the extinguishment of the route.
While this is under review, Kirklees
are unwilling to take any enforce-
ment action regarding the current
illegal blockage.’
Alex adds that even the local
bridleway group, which might not be
expected to be very byway-friendly,
is actively campaigning for the
route’s retention as a BOAT. With the
review pending, however, GLASS is
asking for all users to register their
objection to its extinguishment and
make clear that they want to see the
right of way retained with its correct
byway status.
‘It would be helpful if as many
GLASS members as possible could
email objections to Kirklees Council,’
says Alex. ‘Emails should be sent
to publicrightsofway@kirklees.gov.
uk, and please also CC the CEO of
Kirklees Council at jacqui.gedman@
kirklees.gov.uk.
In addition to this, if you have
used Nether Moor in the past and
have any photos or other evidence
of use, Alex would like to hear from
you. It was included in a roadbook
published in the April 2009 issue
of Total Off Road, if that helps jog
your memory. His email address is
westyorkshire.rep@glass-uk.org.
once again the surface away from
the right of way was annihilated.
GLASS’ Essex Rep Robert Tongue
takes up the story. ‘As nothing had
been done to block it off again,
four months later GLASS and its
volunteers went back and did the
job – this time with something more
substantial. These areas are now
blocked off again.
‘If any more damage is done, we
are now in a position to repair more
or less instantly. We also recovered
some large fallen trees from the river
to lay across the damaged tracks
and make access even more difficult.’

GLASS and TRF team up to clear water gullies on Deadman’s Hill

MEMBERS OF THE Green Lane Association and Trail Riders Fellowship recently
teamed up to clear rocks and mud from the water gullies on Deadmans’ Hill, a long
lane in North Yorkshire.
‘Absolutely beautiful day for it,’ says GLASS’ local Rep Barrie Mounty. ‘I had seven
members out helping. It will save the track from getting waterlogged and eventually
soft. A big
thank you to
all the mem-
bers of both
associations
who assisted
with this im-
portant work.’

16 | APRIL 2020
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

RIGHTS OF WAY Ford Ranger Big Brake Kit Ad - Jan 2020 - UK.pdf 1 28/01/2020 17:31

Essex laners repair an HGV-damaged

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WHO’S TO BLAME when a green couldn’t believe we were volunteers For the discerning driver who is particular about how Features:

lane starts to fall into disrepair? No
prizes for guessing the answer to
that – whatever the truth is, every
finger will point straight at the green
laning community.
For Robert Tongue, Essex Rep
for the Green Lane Association, a
recent repair day on a byway near
Wimbish in Essex proved the point
and not getting paid for our work!
‘Once this section was complete,
we moved to the other end and car-
ried on with the repairs there. A lady
came out of her house and offered
us a cup of coffee, which of course
we didn’t refuse. While she was
chatting to us, one of our volunteers
came in from that end in his very
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– while offering the opportunity to dirty Discovery – the lady immedi- distances are reduced by 21%. This kit is suited for 18” wheels or larger. Further details available in store and on our website. Suits Ford Ranger PX & PXII Models.

build some bridges with the local
community. The lane was subject
to a winter TRO until last year, when
it was repaired by the county’s
Highways department – but within
a few months it was once again full
of holes.
Why? Because it was now in such
a good condition that the council’s
own dustbin wagons had taken to
using it as a short cut. On top of
that, a house along the lane was
having building work done and
HGVs were using it as an access
route for deliveries.
With complaints starting to come
in about the lane’s condition, Essex
County Council’s Rights of Way
department got in touch with Robert
to ask if he could assess it. (It may
be worth re-reading that sentence,
particularly if you work for the Peak
District National Park Authority.)
This led to a group from GLASS ar-
ranging to do some repairs – which
in turn brought them into contact
with some local residents.
‘It turned out to be an interesting
day in more ways than one,’ explains
Robert. ‘Ed Matthews and I made a
start once we arrived – then shortly
after this one of the local residents
dropped by and mentioned that he
ately said “oh, here they come!”
‘We pointed out that it was
actually one of our volunteers. It
was clear she was shocked at this
and asked if we were all 4x4 drivers.
We explained all about GLASS and
what we do, and her attitude totally
changed. A bit of education goes a
long way!
‘We met a few more people during
the day, and the appreciation for
what we were doing was clear to
see. Also, a useful contact was
made with a gentleman who is in-
volved with volunteers on communi-
ty projects, who asked if they could
Jeep Wrangler Accessories
work with us in the future.’
and Custom Conversions:
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appeasing a fanatical anti, but the
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real-world people you meet while
laning are human beings just like the
rest of us. And however much the
constant drip-feed of lies might have
got into their minds, encounters like
this can go a very long way to show
them the truth that 4x4 users are
decent people too.
‘So,’ concludes Robert. ‘Drain-offs
dug and pot holes filled equals one
byway repaired. Locals’ perceptions
were changed and they were very
grateful for our efforts. You can’t
ask for better than that!’

APRIL 2020 | 17
4x4
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CALENDAR
KEY
P Off-Road Playday G Green Lane Convoy Tour A Overseas Adventure Travel S 4x4 Show
Dates for playdays are shown up to the end of the month following the magazine’s on-sale date. Dates for green lane tours are shown up to approximately three months ahead, and for
shows and overseas adventure tours up to a year ahead, space permitting

Important: You should never travel to an event without first checking with the organiser to ensure that it is still going ahead. Note also that inclusion in this listing does not represent
any endorsement of the event or organiser by 4x4 magazine. We take great care over the accuracy of this information, but accept no responsibility for the consequences of any errors

13 March 24 March – 6 April 4-5 April 17 April

G 4x4
Bath
Adventure Tours
A Trailmasters
Morocco Marrakesh Classic G Off Road Adventure Travel
Wales
4x4 Adventure Tours
G Wye Valley
14 March 26-27 March
G Protrax
Wales
17-19 April

G Green Adventure Tours

Shropshire / Welsh Borders
UK Landrover Events
G Cumbria/Yorkshire G Trails and Tracks
Cumbria, Eden and Yorks Dales G Onelife Adventure
Coast to Coast

G Trails and Tracks

County Durham
28 March 4-16 April 18 April

14-15 March P Kirton Off Road Centre

Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs A Atlas Overland
Morocco Classic
UK Landrover Events
G Yorkshire Dales
G 4x4 Adventure Tours
Mid-Wales
Trails and Tracks
G Tyne Valley 5 April 18-19 April

G Ardventures
Yorkshire Moors and Dales
28-29 March Burnham Off-Roaders
P Tring, Hertfordshire
4x4 Adventure Tours
G North Wales
G Atlas
Wessex
Overland
G Compass Adventures
Yorkshire / Lake District P Muddy Bottom
Minstead, Hampshire G Trailmasters
Wales

15 March G Protrax
Wiltshire S Newbury 4x4 Spares Day
Newbury, Berkshire
19 April

P Explore Off Road

Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent
29 March
P Parkwood 4x4
Tong, Bradford
Explore Off Road
P Silverdale, Stoke-on-Trent
P Frickley 4x4
Frickley, South Yorkshire P Bures Pit
Bures, Suffolk P Picadilly Wood
Bolney, West Sussex S Great British Land Rover Show
Newark, Nottinghamshire

P Muddy Bottom
Minstead, Hampshire P Cowm Leisure
Whitworth, Lancashire
7-8 April
Muddy Bottom
P Minstead, Hampshire
P Protrax
Tixover, Northamptonshire P Devils Pit
Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire G Onelife Adventure
Yorkshire
Mud Monsters
P East Grinstead, West Sussex
20 March P Frickley 4x4
Frickley, South Yorkshire
12 April 22-23 April

G UKNorthumberland
Landrover Events
P Kirton Off Road Centre
Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs P Essex, Rochford and District 4x4
Rayleigh, Essex G 4x4 Adventure Tours
Norfolk and Thetford Forest

21 March P Protrax
Tixover, Northamptonshire P Frickley 4x4
Frickley, South Yorkshire
24 April – 10 May

G UKTynedale
Landrover Events
P Thames Valley 4x4
Broxhead, Hampshire P Protrax
Tixover, Northamptonshire A Ardent
Morocco
Adventure

21-22 March G UKDalesLandrover

and Eden
Events
P Slindon Safari
Slindon, West Sussex
25 April

Trails and Tracks

G Yorkshire Moors and Dales 30 March – 13 April G UKPeakLandrover
District
Events
P Kirton Off Road Centre
Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs

G Trailmasters
Lake District A Active
Morocco
4x4 Adventures
13 April G Trails and Tracks
North York Moors

22 March 3-16 April G UKNorthLandrover Events

York Moors
25-26 April

P Slindon Safari
Slindon, West Sussex A Ardventures
Morocco
14 April G 4x4 Adventure Tours
Lake District

24 March – 3 April 4 April

G UKTyneLandrover
and Wear
Events
S Adventure Overland Show
Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire

A 4x4 Adventure Tours

Morocco P Burnham Off-Roaders
Tring, Hertfordshire G Compass Adventures
Yorkshire / Lake District

18 | APRIL 2020
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

Protrax 16 May 6-21 June 2020 26-28 June

G Wiltshire
26 April G Trails and Tracks
Northumberland A Ardventures
Pyrenees, Spain S Billing Land Rover Show
Billing, Northamptonshore

P Cowm Leisure
Whitworth, Lancashire
16-17 May 7 June 27-28 June

P Frickley 4x4
Frickley, South Yorkshire
G 4x4 Adventure Tours
North Devon G UKNorthumberland
Landrover Events
S Billing Off-Road Show
Billing, Northamptonshire

P Kirton Off Road Centre

Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs G Onelife Adventure
Yorkshire
8-17 June 2020 S Kelmarsh Original LR Show
Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire

P Slindon Safari
Slindon, West Sussex
16-24 May 2020 A Active 4x4 Adventures
Pyrenees
28 June – 16 July 2020

Off Road Adventure Travel

P Thames Valley 4x4
Harbour Hill, Berkshire A UK Land Rover Events
Pyrenees
8-17 June 2020 A Albania
1-3 May 16-30 May 2020 A 4x4 Adventure Tours
Pyrenees
1-5 July 2020

G Trails and Tracks

North Wales A Atlas Overland
Portugal
10-24 June 2020 A Landtreks
French Pyrenees

2-3 May 20 May – 2 June 2020 A Protrax

Pyrenees
11-24 July 2020

Ardventures
G Ardventures
North/Mid Wales A Trailmasters
Morocco (extreme expedition)
13-14 June A Balkans
G Atlas
Wessex
Overland
21-25 May G Trails and Tracks
Lake District/North Yorks Dales
13-19 July 2020

G UKWiltshire
Landrover Events
S ALRC National Rally
Bilsington, Kent
13-20 June 2020 A Landtreks
East Pyrenees

4-13 May 2020 23-24 May A Ardent Adventure

Pyrenees
13-22 July 2020

A Active 4x4 Adventures

Portugal G Protrax
Wiltshire
15-30 June 2020 A Active
Alps
4x4 Adventures

8 May 25-30 May A Peru Safari

Jaguar Tracks / Manu Jungle
19 July

G
4x4 Adventure Tours
Shrewsbury S ALRC National Follow-On Rally
Bilsington, Kent
19 June – 3 July S Malvern 4x4 Spares Day
Malvern, Worcestershire
Onelife Adventure
G UKLincoln
Landrover Events
and Belvoir
27 May – 10 June 2020 A Greece 22 July – 5 August 2020

Peru Safari
8-25 May
A
Protrax
Pyrenees
20-21 June A Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu
4x4 Adventure Tours
G Saxonis Overland
Greece Pindus Mountains
1-2 June G North Pennines 28 July – 9 August 2020

Trailmasters Landtreks
9 May G
UK Landrover Events
Eden and Tynedale
G Yorkshire A Pyrenees Coast to Coast
UK Landrover Events 20-27 June 2020 31 July – 3 August 2020
G Durham Dales
4 June
Ardent Adventure
9-10 May G UKLakeLandrover
District
Events
A Pyrenees A Ardventures / Storm Jeeps
Marquenterre, France

21 June 1-15 August 2020

S 4x4 Adventure Tours
Welsh Borders
5 June

G Gaydon Land Rover Show

Gaydon, Warwickshire G 4x4 Adventure Tours
Ridgeway
G UKDalesLandrover Events
and Eden District
Atlas Overland
A Italian Alps
22 June – 7 July 2020 8-23 August 2020
G Protrax
Wales
5-19 June 2020

9-23 May 2020 A Off Road Adventure Travel

Pyrenees, Spain
A Atlas Overland
Corsica
Ardventures
A Galicia, Spain
25-28 June 10-24 August 2020
A Peru Safari
Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu
6 June

10 May G UK Landrover Events

Tynedale
G 4x4 Adventure Tours
Wales (winches only) A Peru Safari
Peru Inca Tracks / Macchu Picchu

UK Landrover Events
G Eden District

APRIL 2020 | 19
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

PRODUCTS

ARB introduces new Air-Locker fitment for

70-Series Landcruiser

A
RB has introduced a new
fitment for its legendary
Air-Locker – and, in
Britain at least, it’s a bit
of a niche one. The 70-Series Toyota
Landcruiser isn’t what you’d call a
common sight over here, but unless
you’re at the extreme end of the
brand-blinded fanboy brigade it’s a
truck for which every off-roader has
no end of respect. If Toyota actually
brought it here, it would be a go-to
4x4 for many.
Anyway, what makes this new
Air-Locker interesting is that it’s de-
signed to go in an axle that already
has a locking diff as standard. So it’s
not just the need for traction that’s
prompted ARB’s customers to ask
for this fitment (which the company
says has been launched on the back
of popular demand).
Connecting to the factory-fitted
locker switch, the Air-Locker can
be engaged at any speed. So you
don’t have to lose your precious
momentum if the need for traction
has taken you by surprise. Which it
shouldn’t, of course, but we’re not
ones to preach.
Mainly, however, just as Toyota
has an enviable reputation for the
strength of its off-road vehicles, the top end of off-road competition, weight of a laden 70-Series Cruiser able in Britain, even if this particular
ARB is famous for the strength of after all – and if a full-house Ham- with an unfeeling size 12 on its case one would need to be imported spe-
its Air-Lockers. There’s a reason why mers rig with 40” tyres and 600bhp should carry a threat. cially. You can find out more about
they’re used by almost everyone at can’t break them, not even the Air-Lockers are commonly avail- them by visiting www.arb.com.au/

Maxxis Razr produces winning result in on-road

test of mud-terrain tyres
One of the most common questions people ask about off-road tyres is how they perform on the
road. However much time you intend to spend in the mud, after all, it’s only going to be a fraction
of the amount you spend on the road – unless you never take it on the road at all, in which case
you’ve already fitted a set of dumpers.
A recent investigation into this thorny question was carried out by 4x4 Australia, using
a range of wet and dry performance tests on a tarmac track. Up against a range of strong
competitors from the usual A-list brands, the winner that emerged was the Maxxis 772 Razr
M/T. Still fairly new to Britain, this is the company’s new flagship mud-terrain, a mantle they’re
taken up from the 764 Bighorn – which we used on our old Landcruiser Colorado and were
highly impressed with.
In particular, the Razrs proved very effective in wet braking, pulling up at least 1.3 metres
shorter than the rest of the field. They took the highest points score overall, too, and testers
reported that the outer edges of their tread stood up well to initial wear after prolonged and
intensive hard cornering.
Maxxis is well known at the top end of off-road competition, where the Trepador is almost
a must-use tyre, but its mud-terrains are still establishing themselves. Our experience with the
Bighorn was a very good one, and we reckon the Razr will go on to become a more common sight on
green lane and playday trucks. You can find out more about them by visiting www.maxxis.co.uk.

20 | APRIL 2020
4x4
 PERFORMS EXCEPTIONALLY
ON ALL-TERRAINS
The Grabber AT3 combines superior on-road performance,
with exceptional off-road capabilities. It’s a tyre developed
to enhance the potential of your 4x4 driving experience.
• Features an aggressive pattern to work on multiple
surfaces with enhanced grip.
• Provides a robust compound for improved tread life on
rugged terrain.
• Designed for a smoother, confident and quieter drive
• Safe handling in all-seasons, indicated by the M+S
mark and the snowflake symbol.
General Tire. A brand of Continental.

GRABBER
AT 3 YOUR ACCESS TO
ANY ADVENTURE

Visit our website for further technical information and details of your nearest 4X4 stockist

WWW.4SITE4X4TYRES.CO.UK | 0870 112 9401

OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts
PRODUCTS
Marsland chassis for Defender 110
W
hether you’re turning
an old dog back into
something worth
a king’s ransom, or
creating a mega off-road machine,
rebuilding Land Rover Defenders
is as big a business as ever. And
whichever route your own personal
vision of perfection may take you
down, so too is doing it on a galva-
nised chassis.
Manufactured by GKN Wheels
and Structures, the Marsland
chassis is a well known option in
this area. It comes galvanised as
standard – and is supplied with
a GKN Certificate of Authenticity,
which is accepted by the insurance
industry as confirming that it was
constructed using the same
materials, processes and quality
control techniques as were stipu-
lated at the time of original-equip-
ment manufacturer.
The chassis is type-approved,
too, and has even been crash
 LED Headlights  LED Light Bars  LED Work Lights  LED Spotlights
Road Legal Options Available
ECE Approved Better LED Chips
All LTPRTZ lights are LTPRTZ use only quality
ECE Approved. LED chips.
Free UK
 Shipping
www.ltprtz.co.uk
©LTPRTZ® is a registered brand of the company Winch Industry GmbH Germany. *Terms & Conditions available on website.
22 | APRIL 2020
tested. Good kit, then. GKN builds sis bushes. Power steering pipe, aspirated diesel, 2.5 TD and
them to 2016 type specification, fuel filter, fuel tank and fuel line 200Tdi. Like so many of the best
including the rear crossmember rivnuts are fitted to the chassis, things in life, they’re supplied via
and A-frame crossmember. too, and all holes are drilled and Britpart, whose dealers will give
The chassis uses pressed tapped (excluding those for the you change from £3000 including
C-section main rails made from rear tow pack). VAT if you shop around. You’ll find
2mm steel. This is augmented with Three versions of the chassis these bad boys at www.britpart.
3mm stiffeners which are fitted are available – for 110s with com.
and spot welded internally for V8 and 300Tdi engines, as
added strength, effectively giving well as a third which is
you 5mm of material where you suitable for the 2.5
need it most. petrol, 2.5
You don’t need to expect these naturally
chassis to be cheap, but you
certainly get what you pay
for. For example, they’re
supplied with a
bolt-in gearbox
crossmember,
rear cross-
member
to body
brackets
and
A-frame
to chas-
Lights for adventurers.
UV Resistant Quality Mounts Original DT Plus Quality Hoses
Lasting UV-Resistant We attempt A2 quality on Only original DT plugs. No Tried, tested & trusted
Powder Coated. every mount. fakes used here. quality harnesses.
Next Day Moneyback
 Delivery  Guarantee
*
Tel: 01274 680 744
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

PRODUCTS
New graphical battery analyser from Ring allows full health checks of 12v and 24v
electrical systems
BATTERY HEALTH is one of those things that are very easy to ignore. But the more you use them, the easier it also gets to find yourself wishing you hadn’t.
At the sharp end, if you do a lot of winching you really don’t want to neglect your batteries. Not least
because if you’re fully set up for recoveries, you’ll have a pretty significant sum of money tied up in
them.
That’s why you ought to be pleased to learn that Ring Automotive has launched the RBAG750 – its
first 12V and 24V graphical battery analyser. An upgrade to the existing RBAG700, this allows you to
carry out a complete health check on the battery and electrical systems of your 4x4 – be it running a
12V or 24V system.
The RBAG750 can be used with batteries either installed in the vehicle or on your workbench. It
can analyse and test the battery capacity without applying a load, providing fast, accurate results on
batteries up to 1700CCA.
With what Ring calls ‘an intuitive graphical interface making it easier and quicker to diagnose faults’,
the RBAG750 will test not only the battery’s cranking performance but also the alternator (including a
diode ripple test), starter and earth system, providing a complete health check of the battery system
to help you diagnose potential faults. Safe to say it’s designed primarily for commercial garages, but if
you take your off-roading seriously it will cost less than your batteries themselves and will prove to be
every bit as much of an investment. Go looking for it at www.ringautomotive.com.

Britpart launches 24-volt version of DB12000i winch

BRITPART HAS INTRODUCED a new model to its popular DB range of electric winches. The DB12000i24R is
something of a mouthful to say but, as you might guess from its name, combines a 12,000lb rated pull with the
power of 24-volt electrics.
The winch comes with wanderlead as well as a wireless control unit, and is wound with Dyneema rope boasting
a suitably hefty breaking force of 25,800lb. It typically retails for around £550 plus the VAT; to track one down, start
with a visit to www.britpart.com.

APRIL 2020 | 23
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

PRODUCTS

Replacement seat box

kit for LT77 Defender
E 10
% joins Britpart range
S AV C O D E
U S E M AG
44

P eo-
ple are
still turning
modded Defenders back to
standard as values for the vehi-
cles continue to stay sky-high.
But Land Rover’s much-loved old
warhorse remains a favourite
among off-roaders – indeed,
we’ve picked up a few signals
recently that enthusiasts might be
starting to look at them again.
Either way, a common problem
on old 90s and 110s is that their
seat box frames are falling to
pieces. So the replacement kit
mid-
dle
panels, two
end panels, a
front panel and a back angle.
Britpart says it will take 5-10
minutes to assemble using the
included fixings, though as these
include two sets of rivnuts and
a hundred Type B rivets, we
wouldn’t be popping out to the

Vehicle We supply a
comprehensive range
available from Britpart ought to
be an equally common answer.
shed to knock it together while
leaving anything on the stove.
Suitable for Defenders up to If you shop around, the kit
Wiring of wiring products for
repair, modification and including the 200Tdi, this
is shaped to go around an LT77
should leave you a few quid’s
change out of £300 when the
or complete rewire to
Products your vehicle gearbox. It comes in pieces
– specifically, two ends, two
VAT’s taken care of. To find out
more, visit www.britpart.com.

DEI’S FLOOR AND TUNNEL SHIELD is now

available in black. The product, which comes
as a sheet of dimpled material whose 10mm
facing is bonded to a finely woven layer of
ca F temperature-resistant glass fibre to withstand
ta re
lo e heat from turbos, catalytic convertors or
gu exhausts, has only previously been
e
sold with a bright silver finish,
Visit our website, phone or but it now looks altogether more
appropriate to the kind of 4x4
email for a free catalogue
that’s likely to need it most.
www.vehicleproducts.co.uk Available in 42” x 48” and 21”
Tel No: 0115 9305454 and email: sales@vehicleproducts.co.uk x 48” sheets, the material is available
Vehicle Wiring Products 9 Buxton Court, Manners Ind Est, in the UK from Demon Tweeks. You’ll find
Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8EF it at www.demon-tweeks.com.

24 | APRIL 2020
4x4
OFF-ROAD SCENE jeepspares.com for fast moving service and repair parts

PRODUCTS
Mud-UK launches double-DIN stereo MILNER OFF ROAD
panels for late Td5 Defender
Est. 1981

FILTERS • DISCS • PADS • BELTS • CLUTCHES • TYRES • SNORKELS

IF YOU’VE GOT a Land Rover Defender Td5 built between 2002 and 2007
and you’re looking to keep it up to date (insert joke of choice here), a simple
but effective way of doing so would be to modernise its stereo. To help you
do this, Mud-UK has launched a new Td5 Double DIN Console – allowing
you to enjoy the increased features and functionality of the larger screens,
including touch-screen units, found on Double DIN Head units.
www.milneroffroad.com
The new unit is a direct replacement for the factory-fit radio facia. It has TEL: 01629 734411
a one-piece design, making it stronger than the two-piece original, and its Mon-Fri: 8am - 5:30pm Sat: 8am - 12:30pm
injection moulded manufacture means it should fit perfectly – as well as
Old Road | Darley Dale | Matlock | Derbyshire | DE4 2ER
having a standard OE appearance.
| LEADING THE WAY SINCE 1981 | GENUINE & NON GENUINE PARTS | SAME DAY DESPATCH |
Fitting the console should be a simple DIY job, too, as it’s installed using
all the same fixings. Thus it requires no cutting, drilling or modifications to
be made to the Defender’s dashboard.
Mud’s Td5 Double DIN Console is available in a Matt Black or Brunel
Silver, priced at £149 and £199 respectively. To find out more, head for www.
RLG Tyre s
Tyre s che a p. N ot che a p t yre s!!
mudstuff.co.uk.

The word ‘altimeter’ might make you think of those good old silly Mitsubishi
Shoguns which used to have ridiculous little pods stuck to the top of their OFFI CI AL
dashboards. You’ve been able to buy cheap and predictably crummy imita-
tions of this already-quite-crummy original for many years – but the new 4x4 STOCK I ST
Altimeter is something different.
For starters, this is electronic. For seconds, as well as the old familiar al-
timeter and inclinometer displays it connects to the GPS network to function
as a clock, compass and speedometer.
But you’ve already got a speedometer, right? Didn’t have it recalibrated
when you fitted those big gnarly tyres, though, did you? And anyway, this one’s
accurate to within 0.36km/h (0.22mph in words we understand) – and even
on a totally standard vehicle, the thing you see through the steering wheel
won’t ever stand a chance of getting near that.
The unit measures the vehicle’s cabin temperature, too, and it has
back-lighting which adjusts automatically to reduce glare. ‘A perfect match
Main supplier of
for any adventure
on uneven terrain,’
and all major 4x4 tyres
says Britpart.
A typical price
of £125 suggests
that this is not
the sort of cheap Groundcare • Car • ATV • Tubes • Mobile Tyre Fitting
and crummy stuff Puncture Equipment & Repairs • Four Wheel Alignment
mentioned above.
Durrants Farm, Rushlake Green, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 9QB
You can find out Workshop: 01435 830664 Mobile: 07710 372672
more by visiting Email: chris@rlgtyres.co.uk
www.britpart.com.
www.rlgtyres.co.uk

4x4 APRIL 2020 | 25

 To find out more visit
intu.co.uk/lakeside

© 2020 intu properties plc

In partnership with
 Festival
of motoring.
24–26 Apr
Visit intu Lakeside for a weekend
of famous car and motorbike
brands, plus test drives and
live entertainment.

Here for life

 DRIVEN
FORD RANGER RAPTOR
Ultimate version of Ford’s market-leading double-cab has more power and highly
specialised suspension but isn’t classed as a commercial vehicle
ON TEST Ranger 2.0 EcoBlue 210 Raptor
W
e don’t get many
vehicles in on test
that people stop us
to ask about. But
even before the Raptor arrived at
our office, we knew it was going to
attract attention.
There are quite a few Ranger
drivers based on our business park.
Every single one of them who saw
one of us climb out of it came over
28 | APRIL 2020
to ask what it was like, as did a few
others too. The petrol heads from
around the place who know what
we do for a living had all asked
when we were going to have one
on test, too.
Safe to say, the Ford Ranger
Raptor has caught people’s
imagination, with its race-bred
image and new, range-topping
engine. Yet with 210bhp, it’s well
short of being the most powerful
truck on the market – by something
like 20%, in fact, thanks to the Merc
X-Class and Volkswagen Tiguan.
It’s about more than just raw
power, though. The Raptor’s
styling is sensational – you don’t
realise how much bigger and more
imposing it is than a standard
Ranger until you see them together,
but it really is a whole different
truck to look at.
This comes from a bigger wheels
and tyres, a wider track and taller
springs. Much has been made of
the Raptor’s Fox suspension, and
we’ll get on to this later, but for now
we’ll just comment on the kerbside
appeal it gives the vehicle – which
is lots.
‘Lots’ is also the word for the
amount of money the Raptor costs.
At £48,785 OTR including the VAT,
it’s not the most expensive truck
you can buy – however the top-
spec versions of the Isuzu D-Max,
Volkswagen Amarok and Mercedes
X-Class that hover around the same
price point all have one thing in
common that the Raptor doesn’t –
namely that you can get your VAT
back on them. The problem is that
the Raptor’s payload is less than
1000kg, which means that being
a five-seater, it’s not classed as a
commercial vehicle.
CABIN AND
PRACTICALITY
The Raptor has a few upgrades to
call its own inside, but mainly its
cabin is that of a Ranger Wildtrak.
Which is to say that it’s very good.
Its dash is clearly laid out and
4x4
Above: There are a few extra touches, like blue stitching on the sports-styled seats and a centre marker
on the steering wheel, but by and large the Raptor’s cabin is pretty similar to that of any other high-spec
Ranger model. Which is to say it’s very good indeed. Build and material quality are both excellent, and
equipment levels are as high as it gets – as is the driving position, which is absolutely masterful
Right: Ever since it was first launched in 2012, the Ranger has led the way on rear-sear legroom.
Almost everything else on the market is newer, but no other pick-up has managed to match its
combination of all-round space for front and rear passengers alike

executed in good quality materials,
and it’s very well put together
with almost no groans, creaks or
unwanted movement in the fixtures
and fittings.
As with the rest of the Ranger
model range, the front seats are
good and spacious, with loads of
leg, head and elbow room. And as
with its fellow double-cab models,
it’s simply the best on the market
for space in the back. The Raptor
arrived last summer as part of a
mid-life refresh, but the fact is that
the Ranger’s basic design dates
from very nearly a decade ago – yet
none of the more recent models to
have been launched since then can
hold a candle to it for the rear-seat
accommodation it offers.
That says something for how
good the Ranger was when it first
arrived, and it’s still one of the
best on the market now. We’re
particularly fond of lower-spec
models, which demonstrate that
you don’t need a load of toys to
make its cabin special – though
having said that, the Raptor is at the
top of a tree which demonstrates
that a load of toys can make it
better still, so there you are.
The front seats are sporty
without being all-out buckets, with
pronounced back bolsters which
hold you in very well. They’re
trimmed in leather with special
stitching and a Raptor logo sewn
into it, and they look pretty good –
as does the top-centre ring sewn
into the steering wheel, which has a
very rally-car image to it.
Elsewhere, you get the best
infotainment set-up Ford has to
offer. Its graphics aren’t what
we’d tend to call the last word in
elegance, but the screen itself is
decent sized and very clear, and all
the various functions it supports
work quickly and efficiently. As well
as things like radio and sat-nav, it

Below left: Controls are well laid out and positive to operate, though a few are situated well out of your eye line and the graphics on the
buttons aren’t always the easiest to read. The infotainment screen is quick to respond and logically laid out, and it shoulders the burden of
controlling many vehicle functions such as heating and climate, in addition to the usual stereo, phone and sat-nav

APRIL 2020 | 29
4x4
 DRIVEN
Ford’s 2.0-litre diesel engine
is tuned here for 210bhp and
369lbf.ft, and that’s enough to
make the Raptor feel assuredly
strong. It’s not brutally fast the
way its in-your-face appearance
might lead you to expect, but
you can certainly build plenty of
pace on that wave of torque
operates the climate control system
and various other vehicle set-up
functions besides.
All this is the stuff of a typical
high-spec pick-up, and the Raptor
does it every bit as well as its fellow
one-tonners. Aside from one or two
styling tweaks, however, there’s
nothing special about it – though
30 | APRIL 2020
the view ahead feels even more combines with the view over its
imperious than normal. pronounced haunches to make it
feel like you’re the master of all
DRIVING you survey – even by typical truck
or 4x4 standards, it’s a mighty
That’s aided by the fact that the driving position.
Raptor sits usefully higher than The suspension gives it more
a standard Ranger. It comes as than height, too. Ride quality is
standard with Fox suspension units superb – it is perhaps just a touch
which, in firmer than in a standard Ranger,
conjunction but not so that you’d notice any
with a hefty difference after about the first 30
set of all- seconds on board. Body control is
terrain tyres, excellent, with none of the rear-end
give it more unruliness to which one-tonners are
height. From prone, and it feels well balanced
the driver’s from front to back. All too often,
seat, this pick-ups are well sorted at the front
but their unladen dynamics make
them skittish at the back; modern
engineering has done a lot to dial
this out, but the Raptor takes it a
step or three further.
It also has a variety of drive
modes – including the much-
vaunted Baja setting in its digital
palette, which is designed for high-
speed off-road work. A thing you
basically never use in Britain unless
you’re out looking for it on purpose,
but rest assured you’ll do what we
did and banged it in every time we
found a rough, unkempt road or
one with a load of broken pot holes
along its verge. Just in the interests
of testing it out, you understand.
4x4
 SPECIALIST 4X4 VEHICLE DISMANTERS
JEEP - LAND ROVER
AND MOST MAKES AND MODELS
QUALITY GUARANTEED USED PARTS

SOME OF THE VEHICLES WE HAVE

And yes, it does work remarkably
well. Impacts that would normally
launch the vehicle off-line come
through as a firm but controlled
thump. You feel it through the
chassis but even when it’s the front
end that’s taken the pain, there’s
no disturbance at all through the
steering wheel. The feeling of
control is absolute.
In this way, the Raptor is a very,
very fast vehicle indeed. In fact,
we’d say there’s no other showroom
vehicle in existence that could keep
up with it over this kind of terrain.
However on the road, it feels strong
rather than eager. These days,
210bhp isn’t even considered fast
in a hot hatchback, and in a sodding
great pick-up truck it’s assertive but
hardly quick.
As mentioned above, there are
more powerful trucks around.
And they do feel usefully faster,
especially as their extra horses
come with a load more torque.
Nonetheless, 369lbf.ft is hardly
the stuff of sluggishness, and the
Raptor builds speed very effectively.
It’s just that it comes on so strong
RECENTLY DISMANTLED:
that without being the very fastest
truck around, it’s always going to
attract awkward comparisons.
There are other off-road settings
in the drive mode palette which only
activate when you’re in low range,
and whether or not you choose to
2015 JEEP 2007 DODGE 2016 RANGE
use them the Raptor is every bit as
WRANGLER JK NITRO 2.8CRD ROVER EVOQUE
capable as the rest of the Ranger
line-up. Its suspension flexes well,
2.8CRD 2.0 TD4
grip levels are excellent all-round
and you can position it on the
ground with remarkable accuracy
for such a big beast. The 10-speed
auto box works as well in low range
as it does the rest of the time, and
there’s a locking rear diff should you 2014 RANGE 2016 ISUZU 2014 JEEP
need it to help you on your way. ROVER SPORT 4.4 D-MAX 2.5 DIESEL CHEROKEE MK5
Ultimately, the Raptor is very V8 DIESEL KL 2.0 MULTIJET
good in all the ways in which the
Ranger was already very good. It’s
a fine cruiser and an excellent truck
about town, and when you want to
cut loose its extra power and high-
end suspension add a tasty dash of
spice to what was already a pretty 2010 JEEP 2007 LAND ROVER 2008 HONDA
strong fun factor. It’s not a race
CHEROKEE MK4 DISCOVERY 3 2.7 CRV 2.2 CDTI
truck – but it’s an all-rounder with
KK 2.8 CRD TDV6
an extra big smile factor, and what’s
not to love about that?

★★★★✩
Ford Ranger 2.0 210 Raptor
2006 JEEP GRAND 2006 NISSAN
The best truck there is at driving very fast over rough CHEROKEE WK PATHFINDER 2.5
ground – and giving off a king-of-the-road image 5.7 V8 HEMI DCI
The Raptor looks stunning, with a king-of-the-road image that’s
continued from its brutal styling right the way into its utterly Charlton Recycled Auto Parts
dominant driving position. We doubt its lack of VAT-reclaimable Vehicle Recycling Centre, Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow,
status, nor the 25.4mpg we got from it, will put off anyone Cambridge, SG8 7HZ
who’s serious about buying one – however the fact that you Tel 01223 832656
can spend less to get a faster VW Amarok might. If you like the Email parts@charltonautoparts.co.uk
Raptor’s looks, though, there’s simply nothing else that will do PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHARLTONAUTOPARTS.CO.UK

APRIL 2020 | 31
4x4
DRIVEN

BMW X3 M COMPETITION
Latest addition to the X3 range takes BMW’s latest 3.0-litre engine and uses it to create one of
the most thrilling SUVs you can buy
you expect, with a sense of
connection that gets clearer and
more powerful the harder you
push. We’re off-roaders, not
performance fiends – but if this
SUV doesn’t make you feel like a
driving god, nothing will.
Most surprisingly, given the
experiences we’ve had in the past
with early X3s, even on one of Brit-
ain’s worst road surfaces this one
didn’t try to smash our teeth out.
It’s incredibly firm, of course, and
if you choose the most hardcore
drive modes at the wrong time
you’ve only got yourself to blame,
but all things considered its adap-
tive shocks do a pretty good job of
keeping it civil.
Does this mean you could use
the X3 M Competition as a daily
driver? Well yes, of course you
could, though to be fair it’s not
exactly the most relaxing thing in
the world when all you’re doing
is getting from A to B. For those
BMW’S SUVS don’t appear in these pages all that often, but we recently purposes, there are plenty of other X3s to choose from.
had the chance to go for a blast in the highest-performance version of the All of them, including this one, can be relied on to give you a classy
company’s latest X3. Actually, it was more like a slosh and a squelch, be- interior with a clear, elegant layout and absolutely top-notch build quality.
cause we were being battered by some of the most torrential rain anyone It’s well equipped, comfortable and extremely spacious up front, with ex-
has ever seen – but hey, if you want to drive like a maniac in conditions cellent legroom and plenty of headroom – even with a panoramic sunroof
like those, a fast SUV must surely be the best thing to do it in, right? taking a bite out of the latter.
So we’ve got the X3 M Competition, £77,190’s worth of hot Beemer with Knee room is more limited at the back, but the seats ahead of you are
a 3.0-litre six-pot yowling out 510bhp and 443lbf.ft. It has a cabin whose deeply sculpted so it’s still possible to fit one six-footer behind another,
design is instantly recognisable as that of a BMW, and the steering wheel making the X3 entirely suitable for use as a four-seater. Those seats fold
has a couple of big, purposeful looking M1 and M2 buttons on it. You don’t close to flat when you want to carry big loads, too – though the boot’s so
need to read the book of words to know that when you press them, things big as it is that you’ll rarely need to do this.
will happen. What you will need is deep pockets, because with a mighty list of
That engine, which is new to the BMW range, pulls hard. Really hard. It options that list price is just the start. Don’t expect running costs to be
doesn’t matter what you do with the drive mode buttons – put your foot anything other than heavy, either.
down and you’ll be heading for the horizon. An eight-speed auto box is If you can afford, it, though, and you want an SUV that’s also a true
standard, and you don’t notice it shifting at all. You’re too busy noticing driver’s car, the X3 M Competition answers your call. It doesn’t quite have
the relentless acceleration instead. Top torque only arrives at 2600rpm, the same hairy-chested charm as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, but
which sounds a bit vulgar if you’re used to an old-school diesel, but there’s few things can match it for pure precision – even when Britain’s roads,
so much of it available from tickover that by then you’re already going like and weather, are at their monstrous worst.
a rocket. Given enough road to do it, you can keep the
hammer down to 6250rpm and beyond, though by the
time you get anywhere even close to the vehicle’s poten-
tial you’ll be well into licence-losing territory.
Better, perhaps, to satisfy yourself with the boorish
fun offered by a 4.1-second 0-62 time. Or, to be more
sensible about it, with the X3’s capacity to put a dynamic
thrill into every corner, irrespective of speed.
You wouldn’t expect anything less than a driver-fo-
cused suspension and steering package here, and
BMW doesn’t disappoint. Even on a shockingly bad road
covered in an inch of surface water, its responses were
pin-sharp. You turn the wheel and it does exactly what

32 | APRIL 2020
4x4
DEMO-GRAPHICS
Words: Rob Boseley Pictures: Terrafirma

With more and more modified Ford Rangers and Jeep Wranglers appearing at
the top end of the off-road scene, you might be forgiven for thinking no-one is
doing it with Land Rover Defenders any more. But while 90s and 110s have
indeed been redefined by their galloping values, they’re still right at the heart of
the UK off-road scene – as very ably demonstrated by this slick new demo truck
from Terrafirma, and of course its cool Union Jack artwork
34 | MARCH 2020
4x4
 O
ver the last few years, we’ve seen
a steady drop-off in the number of
Land Rover Defenders being used for
off-road projects. People who would
once have built one almost by default have been
turning to the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Ranger
instead, as Defender values have continued to
go up and up to the point where they’re just too
valuable to risk trashing.
But there’s life in the old dog yet.
The Defender has turned into more
and more of a classic since it went
out of production, and the advent
of the new one doesn’t
appear
4x4
to have changed that, but quality builds are still
being done. And the aftermarket which supplies
the parts for those builds is still thriving.
Indeed, said aftermarket continues to develop
new products at a relentless pace. And this 2010
Defender 110 2.4 TDCi is a very good example of
that – as well as being pretty tidy evidence of the
fact that people are still building them the way
they ought to be built.
Having started life in the service of the Military
Police, the 110 came to Terrafirma last year as a
standard-spec truck with a good, well known his-
tory – just what you want if you can’t be starting
with a brand new one. Which, obviously, you can’t
when they stopped making them four years ago.
Since then, it has been turned into a self-propelled
advert and a calling card that illus-
trates what the company is
all about.
‘It shows
people what
MARCH 2020 | 35
The 110’s suspension is a tick-list of all the good stuff, with +2” springs and 8-way adjustable remote-reservoir dampers mounted in
tubular towers. Caster corrected front radius arms compensate for the effects of the lift, while cranked trailing links add articulation at the
back – something that’s also aided by relocation cones all round

they can do using our products,’ says Terrafirma
boss Eddie Priscott. ‘We want to offer accesso-
ries that they haven’t seen before – things that
move the game forward, so that if they buy from
us their Land Rover will have something their
mates’ don’t.’
But let’s start with something your mates might
have – but this 110 doesn’t. One of our closest
off-roading acquaintances spent a small fortune
a couple of years ago to become the owner of a
TDCi Defender with a lavish suite of performance
upgrades fitted in-house by a very well estab-
lished tuner. On the way home from picking it up,
its dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree, and a
few months later he’d had enough and got rid.
Eddie knows all about this stuff – which is
why, despite what you might expect, engine-wise
at least you’re looking at a stock ‘un. He says
he would only tune a Defender to make it more
economical, but that seems a bit futile when
adding a roof rack and snorkel is going to drop its
fuel consumption into the teens anyway. Add in
the barrage of electronic issues and dash warning
lights you hear about so frequently, and he’s been
happy to leave well alone.
In other areas, it’s a very different story. And
while the aim hasn’t been to turn the 110 into the
ultimate off-road weapon, its ability has definitely
been enhanced.
They’re the kind of enhancements that don’t
come at the expense of a vehicle’s on-road ability,
which is something you hear a lot. Sometimes
as an excuse for doing it a bit half-heartedly, but
in this case it’s the opposite – the mods have
been chosen with thought, and carried out to the
highest standard possible.
There’s nothing new about a 2” suspension
lift, for example. But when the longer springs are
backed up by 8-stage remote reservoir shocks,
you know you’re looking at the good stuff. ‘You
can adjust them to suit the balance of ride and
handling you want, or the load you’re carrying,’
explains Eddie. ‘I normally keep them set at level
2-3, as I’m tending to use the 110 unladen – obvi-
ously the equipment we’ve fitted does have some
weight in it, though it’s not as much as you might
assume, so there’s no need to go over the top with
the damping.’
The big one for weight on a build like this
always tends to be the winch and its bumper
– however, while this isn’t something you’d want
to try balancing on the end of your nose, it’s way
lighter than some of the traditional solutions. And
we’re not just talking about the old ARC favourite
of making everything out of scaffold, either.
Believe it or not, Terrafirma’s new Skeleton
bumper and A12000 winch only tip the scales at
about 45kg between them. That’s impressively
light, given the strength in the former, which has a
6mm steel plate winch tray, and the series-wound
6hp motor giving the latter its 12,000lb of pulling
capacity. Having a huge amount of weight slung
out ahead of your front axle is the worst possible

Above left: Terrafirma’s new Skeleton bumper looks pretty jaw-dropping on the front of the Defender, and with its upswept ends it allows
for the best possible approach angle. It’s home to the company’s big-selling A12000 winch – and with the latter wound with the synthetic
rope that comes with it as standard, the whole assembly weighs in at less than 45kg
Above right: More good stuff from the Skeleton range – these rear corner protectors are the perfect answer to nadgery breakovers, and
note the grippy section for access to Terrafirma’s newly designed ladder

36 | MARCH 2020
4x4
thing for your vehicle’s steering, ride and handling,
so keeping this to the minimum is always going to
be beneficial.
Better still, it doesn’t get heavy in terms of
price, either. You’re looking at something in the re-
gion of £450 for the winch – and that gets you 80
feet of 11mm synthetic rope, too, as well as both
wired and wireless remotes. Anticipating your
next question, Eddie comments that ‘we’ve sold
more than 1000 in each of the two years since it
was launched, and we’ve had almost no warranty
claims on them. We’ve got a full spares support
service for people who need it, too.’
The taller suspension, which is catered for by
caster-corrected radius arms and an adjustable
panhard rod, makes room for a set of 285/75R16
BFGoodrich KM3 Mud-Terrains. These stand at
about 33” tall and 11” wide, so they’re a less lardy
answer than the 33x12.50s you often see; they’re
mounted on 7x16” Terrafirma Dakar rims, with a
30mm offset to give the vehicle the right stance
and side-to-side balance.
On that subject, Eddie says he’s tried numerous
tyre sizes over the years and reckons this is the
best thing you can get for a Defender, giving it as
much size as it needs without wrecking its overall
gearing, needing clunky great spacers so you can
go round corners or putting you in mortal danger
of brake fade every time you go down a hill that’s
longer than the truck’s wheelbase.
Not that stopping would be a problem on this
vehicle anyway, as it runs an upgraded system
using Terrafirma performance pads and cross- There’s no such thing as an uncool snorkel, but there are precious few as cool as this new
drilled, grooved discs with a superbike-style ‘wave’ design from Terrafirma. Also new, and cool, is the company’s bulkhead LED light mount –
edge pattern for better still heat dissipation. If you and if you didn’t think it was possible for Defenders to look sexy, just clap your eyes on that
get these things too hot, you really need to learn spare wheel carrier. Even sexier are Terrafirma’s performance brake discs – note the
what engine braking is for… superbike-style wavy edge to help heat dissipation. The roof console is one of several items
Eddie points out that the Terrafirma pads bite helping you make better use of the 110’s cavernous interior space, and the fuel tank guard
better when cold, too – which is definitely worth and rock sliders are part of an extensive range of off-road protection products
thinking about when you’re off-roading. Drive it
right, and you might not get on the anchors for
half an hour at a time or more, and in typical
British conditions that means they’ll be properly
chilly – not ideal when you want instant bite, but
these pads are designed to get over that.
The brakes are fed by extended stainless steel
hoses, as you’d expect with a suspension lift –
especially one that’s part of a system designed
to dislocate. Relocation cones are fitted front
and rear, along with cranked trailing links at the
back and extended polyurethane bump stops.
Everything is made to be both functional and very
strong.
In the case of the heavy-duty halfshafts, CV
joints and steering rods, being very strong is their
function. The same can be said of the diff and
fuel tank guards, as well as rock sliders and rear
bumper corners which also come from Terrafir-
ma’s Skeleton range.
Elsewhere, you can’t help but have noticed Ter-
rafirma’s raised air intake, which is a brand new
design, as well as the company’s low-line roof
rack and rear ladder. And as well as LED upgrades
to the headlamps, something very cool indeed is
the new bulkhead light mounting kit which allows
a pair of LED spots to be positioned at the bottom
corners of the windscreen. If there’s anything
cooler than the swoopily shaped spare wheel
carrier, though, we’re yet to see it…

4x4

Inside, it’s set up for better use of space, with
Terrafirma’s own cubby box, roof console, dash
store and parcel shelves all offering places for
your odds and ends. You’ll be doing well to notice
any of this, however, when you clap your eyes on
the inside of this Defender and see its seats –
which have been treated to an F1 retrim.
Yes, really. Eddie tells the story that the ma-
terial was originally created for Red Bull, but the
team turned it down because it was too heavy.
Creating a Defender with a strong claim to be
considered the world’s funkiest sounds like a
pretty natural way to trade up from a purpose like
that, at any rate. ‘We wanted something that looks
classy and contemporary,’ says Eddie. ‘But quilted
leather seats aren’t what we’re about. We needed
them to be tough and comfortable,
as well as breathable
and wipe-clean.’
So, how funky does
this 110 rate on a
scale of one to, well,
max funkiness?
Oddly enough,
it’s one of
38 | MARCH 2020
Seat fabric was originally designed for, we kid you not, Formula 1
racecars. Good to see it finding a home in something interesting
those vehicles which, all – and when you want to show it some proper
by being very good at action, it’ll be with you every step of the way. It
everything, might fall certainly shows off what Terrafirma is all about,
short for people whose and in its muted blue Union Jack wrap is looks
idea of the ultimate cooler than even the majority of the poshed-up
Defender is completely 90s manage to be.
without compromise. For a while there, it was looking as if we might
As Eddie has just have seen the end of off-road Defenders. People
explained, Terrafirma were flocking to take them back to standard,
isn’t the place to go if or tart them up with shiny bits, and the steady
you want a 90 or 110 stream of quality hardcore builds we were used
build solely to tart your to seeing seemed to have dried up. Some clubs
way around town: if had even started setting out RTV trials to suit
million-quid leather Freelanders instead, because their members said
treatments and monumental stereos are your their 90s were too valuable to knock about.
thing, you’ll probably be looking at this one and Would this translate itself into a collapse in
thinking if only. demand for off-road accessories, we wondered?
You might also be thinking that if you want Well, this Defender appears to provide a pretty
your ideal Defender to be as hardcore as possible, unequivocal answer. Terrafirma clearly hasn’t
too. This one is clearly showing some major seen any reason to think the rise and rise in
enhancements over standard – but if your idea of Defender values is stopping people from using
heaven is a fully lockered, triple-winched trayback them properly – indeed, it’s bringing out new
running 40” Maxxis Trepadors on beadlock rims, products all the time for the 90 and 110 alike.
chances are that what you see here is your dream So no, the end of the Defender as an off-road
towing barge. machine is not nigh. People haven’t stopped
For everyone in the middle, though, it’s spot-on. building them – it’s just that, if anything, they’ve
You could use this Defender as a daily started building them better. Which is definitely
driver without any prob- where Terrafirma comes in.
lem at
4x4
You've seen the new Defender, and at last you can buy one.
But should you?
The answer is in the 2020 Land Rover Yearbook – the ev-
er-popular annual for fans and owners of all things Landy.
And in addition to its analysis of the new Defender, the
Yearbook is jam-packed with features on rare, classic and
fascinating Land Rovers and Range Rovers – including
some of the most extraordinary custom builds you'll ever
see.
If a six-wheeled 110 motorhome isn't your thing, perhaps
a hot-rod Range Rover pick-up might be? Or a 90 rebuilt as
the pinnacle of a lifetime's work by one of the best known
names in the off-roading scene? How about an early Dis-
covery that still looks like the day it left the showroom, or a
teenager who grew up to own the car he lusted after in his
youth - a Series IIB forward control…?
That's just for starters. We've got Ford and Cummins-en-
gined 110s in profile, a £450,000 Mk2 Range Rover that
Astwood 4x4 Ltd
once belonged to Noel Edmonds and a long-lost Series I LAND ROVER SPECIALISTS
that came home after many years to the family that had
learned to drive in it. We a re a b usine ss tha t c a re s a b o ut
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Oh, and there are tales of adventure travel from Europe, Af-
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rica and South America, as well as advice on living in your
Land Rover and step-by-step workshop guides to a jobs on
wha t the La nd y is a ll a b o ut.
a variety of Land Rovers. Plus tests on the new Evoque and
the ultimate long-wheelbase Range Rover - and a compre- We sp e c ia lise in re sto ring , re b uild ing
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We e xp o rt La nd Ro ve rs wo rld wid e
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Refurbishment/Restoration Specialist,
Land Rover Servicing, MOTs, Mechanical,
Diagnostics, SKYTAG Agent, Galvanized Chassis,
Body Repair/Paint Shop Works

Astwood Bank, Astwood Business Park, Astwood

Lane, Redditch. B96 6HH

Tel : +44(0)1527 892 377

Mobile : +44(0)7974075932
Email: info@astwood4x4.co.uk
www.facebook.com/Astwood4x4
www.twitter.com/Astwood4x4

www.a stwood4x4.c o.uk

STRAIGHT DOWN
THE MIDDLE

There’s nothing very middle-of-the-road about Dave Yates’ Mitsubishi L200. But
with modified double-cabs tending to divide themselves into big-money builds
and bargain-bucket weld-ups, with not a lot in between, the company that helped
him build it hopes to become the go-to supplier for people wanting to plough a
new furrow down the centre ground
Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Richard Hair

40 | APRIL 2020
4x4
 A
common conundrum, if you’re in
the lucky position of being able to
base your off-road build on a brand
new truck, is that there’s hardly any
choice left in the 4x4 market. The Suzuki Jimny
is affordable but you can’t get hold of them, the
Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Landcruiser are pricey
enough to put off most people and the Mercedes
G-Class is brilliant but you’re in a really lucky
position if you can mess with one of those.
That’s why so many people are turning to
pick-ups nowadays. It was a rarity to see them
being used off-road a decade or so ago, but now
they’re commonplace.
What’s noticeable about modded pick-ups,
however, is that they tend to be split into two
types. We’ve featured plenty of big-budget vehi-
cles based on new or nearly-new vehicles, and
there’s also a world out there of DIY spanner men
creating honest playday wagons from the sort of
trucks you can pick up for a couple of grand.
But there never seems to have been very much
in between. Perhaps it’s because the £10-15,000
bracket has always been, and probably always will
be, full of Land Rover Defenders, but trucks in this
kind of territory tend to be more of a rarity.
However there’s a company in the off-road
world that aims to change this. Alex Sugden, of
Viking Fabrication and Design, reckons there’s
a market for mid-range pick-up builds – and the
Mitsubishi L200 you see on these pages is an
illustration of what you can create by becoming
one of his clients.
It’s the property of Dave Yates, who’s not so
much a client as a co-conspirator. He and Alex go
‘Plan’ is one of those words
that are normally followed by
‘however’ when you’re talking
off-road projects…
4x4
back a long way, to when the latter was making
bumpers and rock sliders for the previous-shape
L200 to this one, so it was a natural fit for the two
of them to plan a full build together.
‘Plan’ is one of those words that are normally
followed by ‘however’ when you’re talking off-road
projects, and sure enough it wasn’t long before
there was a spanner in the works. Dave had had
the vehicle for a bit less than a year when they
started pulling it apart, the idea being for the build
to progress nice and steadily… but then the engine
died on his other L200, which was meant to be his
daily driver for the duration, and suddenly this one
was a distress purchase.
Dave is no stranger to the spanners himself,
and prior to all these he had fitted heavy-duty
Midland road springs. ‘These were needed for two
reasons,’ he says. ‘The old ones were woefully
inadequate, and I carry huge amounts of useful
and useless junk.’ We’ve all been there.
This was the first of several suspension chang-
es, the second of which came early on in the
build. ‘The front wishbone suspension doesn’t al-
low for huge lifts without a considerable amount
of engineering,’ says Dave. ‘To gain a maximum
lift while still retaining wishbone movement is a
fine medium. The first attempt seemed great on a
budget – but we were to find later in the build that
cheap is not necessarily better.’ We’ve all been
there, too…
By now the L200 was riding on a 3” body lift
and the guys were going flat out to make it work
on 35” tyres. That’s easier said than done, of
course – and that’s before you even get to the
road wheels. Before thinking about things like a
APRIL 2020 | 41
Above left: Old Man Emu front struts are very much a ‘spend it once, spend it right’ kind of a
purchase. Or at least they would be if Dave and Alex hadn’t previously tried to get away with
using a cheap set. There’s about 2.5” of lift in the suspension, with an extra 10mm on the
front to cope with the settling effect of the 75kg winch and bumper assembly
Above: Rear suspension uses Midland Road Spring leaf packs, which have survived through
several incarnations of the vehicle, along with Pro-Comp ES9000 extended shocks
Left: The bigger the tyres you’re trying to fit, the bigger the job it is. That tends to be expo-
nential, too – and by the time you’ve got to 315/75R16, which is the size of these Cooper
Discoverer STT Pros, you’re looking at significant modifications. There’s about 5.5” of lift
between the suspension and the body mounts, and the upper wishbones out front needed
to be changed for longer units to save them from death by ball joint
 The engine is the original one that was
fitted in the Mitsubishi factory, though it has
gained a Ralliart tuning box to help get the
most from it. It’s a work in progress, though
– at the time of writing, Dave and Alex
were looking at a custom remap to bring in
the turbo at lower engine speeds. The big
problem is that the much bigger tyres have
led to much bigger fuel bills; another po-
tential options, which they’re also currently
weighing up, is converting to a Mercedes
605 diesel engine

winch bumper, Alex had to figure out how to make
a suitably strong spare wheel carrier fit over the
top of a roller shutter bed cover. Safe to say it’s
not the simplest of jobs, and nor is it the simplest
of designs, but it works and it does have the
by-product of looking very cool.
The winch bumper looks cool, too, and need-
less to say this too dished up some headaches.’
If we had used sheet steel,’ says Dave, ‘the weight
and shaping would have caused numerous
issues. So a tubular bumper was agreed on. We
also decided the best option was to retain part of
the original, so as to make it aesthetically pleas-
ing and make it easier to blend it to the truck.
‘After many cups of coffee and many drawings,
at about two o’clock on a Sunday morning we
finalised a design and started piecing it together!
‘The original bumper was cut, removing about
two thirds of the lower bumper to use it as a filler
for the lights. We did find that to locate the winch
as close as possible to the radiator, the intercool-
er needed moving. The original is not suited to
this, so a new universal intercooler rated to up to
200bhp was used instead. This upgrade allowed
the bumper to be as flush as possible to the origi-
nal plastic and kept the winch sat squarely on the
chassis, reducing any stress.
With the bumper finally made up and mounted,
it was tested with a high-lift to ensure it really was
as strong as it looks. The rock sliders and rear
recovery bar got the same treatment – all three
passed with flying colours, so the guys were now
looking at an L200 that was both pleasing on the
eye and robustly fit for purpose. In Dave’s words,
the latter in particular ‘have saved the truck from
numerous damaging encounters already.’
Heavy-duty equals just heavy, of course, and
guess which part of the story so far we’re going
to revisit now? Yes:’ It was at this point the front
suspension came back to haunt us,’ says Dave.
‘Despite being heavy-duty ones, the cheap struts
and coils weren’t up to about 75kg of combined
winch and steel bumper. The strut seals blew,
giving it no rebound.
‘We replaced them with Old Man Emu front sus-
pension, sourced from Devon 4x4, and these have
coped without a problem. Even so, we still needed
to use strut spacers to give an equal amount of
lift between the front and rear.’
And guess what? More awkwardness. ‘Off
the shelf spacers were far to big and caused the

How do you make a carrier for a 35” spare wheel to go on a vehicle

with a roller-shutter cargo bay cover? Like this – and without
anybody noticing, you’ve also created a medium-duty roll bar
complete with mounting points for a high-lift jack and four auxiliary
driving lamps

APRIL 2020 | 43
4x4

wishbones to lock out. So after many, many, many
visits to the lathe, custom strut spacers were
machined and fitted – which, with the bumper and
winch in place, were right on the limit of what the
suspension could do before it locked out.’
All good, except that the upper ball joint was
now operating beyond its working parameters.
Cue many more hours of painstaking work… had
it not been for the fact that a Thai-made longer
upper arm conversion is available. With these
in place, says Dave, the L200 once again has
an upper ball joint that’s non-stressed and fully
‘I would like to thank Alex very
much for putting up with me.
We did have laughs – but the
type of laughs you have when
you are nearly in tears of
frustration while trying to
adapt a Japanese engineered
vehicle to do something it
wasn’t designed for!’
44 | APRIL 2020
The front bumper was built out of tube rather than plate to keep it from getting too heavy,
which is just as well as between it and the winch it was enough to blow the seals in a cheap
set of front struts. Despite housing 13,500lbs’ worth of Winchmax heave, it’s very well
tucked back, improving approach angle over the standard unit, and a stinger-style top hoop
provides a home for a pair of LED bars – very much in keeping with the philosophy behind
the build, which was to make it look cool and be fit for purpose at the same time
working across its whole range of travel. The new
upper arm has the added benefit of bringing the
camber angle in the front suspension back to
standard, too.
‘They have been battered and still work fine,’
says Dave. ‘Having a pressed-in joint has made a
roadside fix more difficult, though, so I now carry
a complete spare arm just in case.’ A small price
to pay, you’d have to agree.
It’s been a prototype sort of a build, this,
with so many of the modifications having to be
thought through, tried out and refined along the
Left: Alex at Viking Fabrication and Design has made more rock sliders in his time that most of us have had hot dinners. These little beau-
ties will yield for nothing – if the L200’s doors get wiped out with them on duty, it’s because Dave has been hit by an air strike
Centre: The rear bumper isn’t as overtly macho as the front one, but it does the same job of protecting the truck’s vulnerable bits – very
vulnerable in this case, because of that huge overhang – and has more than enough strength to take the weight via a high-lift jack
Right: However much you’ve lifted your vehicle, there’s always room for protection. Steel plates protect everything that can be protected

way. That’s the way to create something special
and unique, though – and, in the case of Viking
Fabrication and Design, something that will hope-
fully set the tone for a good business model.
‘I would like to thank Alex very much for
putting up with me for nearly every weekend
and in some cases all week,’ says Dave. ‘We did
have laughs – but the type of laughs you have
when you are nearly in tears of frustration trying
to adapt a Japanese engineered vehicle to do
something it wasn’t designed for!’
It’s all been worth it, though. And it has proved
that if you’re not in a position to spring for a
big-budget build on a nearly new truck, there’s
a totally viable and indeed very attractive set of
options at a level just below.
‘This newer-shape L200 is far more comforta-
ble and in a very small way better than the previ-
ous one,’ is Dave’s conclusion. ‘Having had both to
a high level of modification, I am glad that as the
bones get older, I now have this one.’
 ã
ã
Ca ll now on:
01452 309 983
ã
H EAT I N G & AI R - CON
SPECI ALI ST S
• SERVICE • REPAIR • INSTALL

U nit 2 Lla nt hony Busine ss Pa rk , Glouc e st e r. GL2 5 QT

w w w.a c -a ut om ot ive .c o.uk

46 | APRIL 2020
4x4
 • Custom Builds • Modifications
• Prep & Conversion • Parts & Acessories
• Overland
• Dinitrol Authorised Wax Protection Centre
•
• Repairs & Servicing
•
•
•
01832 358948 www.pb-customs.co.uk
•
01832 358948 www.pb-customs.co.uk
 OUR 4X4S

Vehicle: Isuzu D-Max GO2

Year: 2018
Run by: Alan Kidd
Last update: March 2020
On the fleet since: January 2020

Kept in Suspension…
LAST MONTH, we introduced our at any rate – it’ll appear at a number they might
new project vehicle – the one and of shows during its lifespan, but have lived by
only Isuzu D-Max GO2. We say ‘one if you see it at one of them it’ll the sea as
and only’ because that’s exactly be demonstrating its fitness for the exposed
what it is – it’s a one-off which we’re purpose, not the eyeball-burning steel
building in association with Isuzu, effects of more chrome and a ten- underneath
using a variety of the company’s grand wrap. shows signs
own original-equipment accessories That’s because the D-Max GO2 is of having
as well as various items plucked all about being able to GO2 places been in a
from the aftermarket. other trucks can’t reach. Geddit? salty sort of
You may have seen other projects It’s based on the Utah model, which atmosphere.
along these lines which have is a nicely equipped upper-mid Anyway.
appeared in the press before now, sort of spec with leather, cruise, Another way
but the D-Max GO2 is a bit different. climate control and a worthwhile in which this
It’s not one of those ‘project-lite’ infotainment system, and it found definitely
vehicles which try to convince you its way to us having first hit the isn’t just a
that a stick-on inclinometer is the road in September 2018 and project-lite
stuff of hardcore off-roading, and covered around 20,000 miles in the is that it’s
neither is it a show truck. Not in the intervening period. We’re not sure a proper
all-fur-coat-and-no-knickers sense, who had it before us, but we reckon prototype.

48 | APRIL 2020
4x4
A feature of changing the suspension on a one-tonner is normally
that the rear takes about five minutes and the front takes the rest of
the day. Pedders’ high-arch leaf-springs are all ready to lift the back
of the truck and it’s just a case of bolt-off, bolt-on to fit them… well,
perhaps that’s simplifying things just a little, but compared to the
independent front end it’s a cinch

Over the last few years, Isuzu in the
UK has forged a strong relationship
with Australian suspension
specialist Pedders, whose kit is
already available as an option with
the Hunstman pack and as standard
equipment on the XTR, and what
we’re fitting is an evolved version of
the system used on the latter.
By ‘evolved’, we’re talking remote-
reservoir shocks and multi-setting
adjustability for bump and rebound
alike. This is, as they say, the good
stuff. It’s been fitted in combination
with Pedders’ own forged upper
wishbones, which are designed
to work at the angles required by
taller springs and shocks and are
shaped to provide clearance for the
concomitantly bigger tyres you can
fit to go with them.
Tyres like the 285/75R16 General
Grabber X3 mud-terrains we’re
using on the vehicle. Or we will be
so long as the lift is enough to let
them fit. This is where the prototype
element of the build comes in
– we think they’ll go on, but we
don’t know. There may be other
modifications required too, but we’ll
only find out what they are as the
build progresses.
So there’s going to be a bit of
trial and error to come. As always,
you look at it and you try to figure
out what will work and where the

You look at it and you try to figure out what will

work and where the problems might crop up, so
you can plan in advance for how you’re going to
deal with them

Above: As always, having a fully equipped workshop with a set of hydraulic ramps makes life a lot easier. There are various ways of
juggling the weight of the vehicle and the axle while you’re taking springs off and on, some of them bodgier than others – countless
numbers of people have done this job on their drive, and some of them didn’t even risk their lives in the process, but what you’re looking at
here qualifies as doing it right
Above right: You don’t often see cart springs being used in conjunction with remote-reservoir shocks. But with the ever increasing
popularity of double-cabs for off-road builds, this is going to become an ever-more common sight. As is the Pedders logo on said springs
and shocks, if our experience of the Australian company’s suspension kit is anything to go by – we’ve not driven our D-Max yet, because at
the time of writing it’s still in build, but we’ve had Pedders equipment on previous vehicles and rated it highly
Below: The Pedders kit includes a new anti-roll bar for the rear, along with the hardware to mount it

APRIL 2020 | 49
4x4
 OUR 4X4S

Above left: You can see here the difference between the shapes of the original upper wishbone and Pedders’ replacement unit. The latter is
designed to work with lifted suspension, with a ball joint that will work at greater angles of droop, and to provide more clearance behind the
wheel in the same position
Above right: With the new arm in place, the roadwheel is refitted so the steering can be cycled in search of fouling issues. Fingers crossed,
we ain’t got any…
Below: Off comes the lower wishbone, allowing the suspension strut to be removed

problems might crop up, so you
can plan in advance for how you’re
going to deal with them.
The standard front bumper might
normally need some trimming,
but it’ll be making way for an ARB
unit supplied by Britpart (more on
that in a later instalment) so that
can be ignored. The width of the
standard wheelarches appears to
be right on the limit for legality,
however, and the guys from Isuzu
were a bit concerned about that
(even with all the work being done
post-registration, and therefore
not subject to homologation,
construction and use regulations
still apply as rigidly as ever), so
there’s a bodyshop on standby with,
we’re reliably informed, the ability
to basically work magic. We’re
looking forward to seeing that
happen, and hopefully share it with
y’all when it does…
The boys from the bodyshop
are also going to be called in to
modify a body mount riding on
an outrigger at the rear edge of
the front wheelarches. This has
two mounting positions to suit
different panels used in various
markets around the world; happily,
UK vehicles only need the rear one,
so there’s about an inch of metal
nearest to the roadwheel that’s
basically redundant and which can
be ground off without weakening
the structure of the chassis. Just
as well, because that’s the bit which
looked like it was going to get in
the way.
First, though, step one is to
start building it up and see what
happens. Not in a ‘suck it and see’
fashion, of course – we’re testing
hypotheses here, not just bashing
on regardless. It’s the same process
that manufacturers go through
when creating special-edition
models or testing accessories for
OE approval.
With that, it’s time to start making
noise. On the basis that you always
start with the easy bit (sometimes,
this is because you’re waiting
for the WD40 to work its way in
elsewhere but, though the underside
of our D-Max does have some
surface rust around it, solid fixings
aren’t a problem), the rear springs
and shocks are first to be changed,
along with the anti-roll bar that goes
with them.
Mainly, it’s a case of juggling the
height of the vehicle and axle, which
means supporting each separately,
in order to get the old suspension

Turns out the new, longer coil-over wasn’t very interested in being wrestled into place with the upper
wishbone already mounted up. Freeing off the anti-roll bar was just enough to make it see sense, but
this is the sort of job that’s best approached with a large vocabulary of swear words

4x4
Above left: Old and new suspension units for comparison. The difference in length is greater under load than it is here at rest
Above right: Pedders’ Extreme kit is adjustable for both bump and rebound. It’s very much a case of trial and error, however based on the
extra weight we’ll be putting through the units with the heavy-duty bumpers, winch, underbody guards and rock sliders we’ll be fitting,
we’ve started with the settings that were recommended by the company’s UK importer
Below left: With the coil-over finally in place, the three bolts securing it in the top mount are fastened. The front suspension comes with
brackets for the remote reservoirs – be sure to have them in position before dropping the bolts into place

off and the new stuff on. This is
much easier if you have a set of
hydraulic ramps and high-level
support stands at your disposal –
as is fitting the anti-roll bar, simply
because of the extra space you get
in which to manoeuvre such a big,
awkwardly shaped item into place.
A common problem, etc…
That’s nothing compared to
how awkward it proved to be to
get the nearside suspension strut
into place, though. By this time, the
Pedders upper arm had already
been fitted so that the suspension
and steering could be cycled to see
if the roadwheel was going to foul,
and sure enough the unused part of
the body mount, as well as a small
amount of wheelarch trim, was
going to need to go. But as it turns
out, it’s a whole lot easier if you fit
the strut before the upper arm – it
did turn out to be possible, aided
by removing the anti-roll bar and
grunting a lot, but hey ho, you live
and learn, and doing the same job
on the other side of the vehicle was
no problem at all. That’s the perils
of prototyping…
Another bit of trial-and-error
fun will come when the vehicle is
actually ready to drive. The Pedders
Extreme suspension kit has
enough adjustability in it to cope
with everything from baja racing
to climbing stairs while carrying a
grand piano balanced on a stick of
celery (what do you mean you’ve
never done that?), so all we can do
at this stage if guess.
Actually, that’s not true because
we could listen to the man from
Pedders who recommended
settings for bump and rebound
based on what he knew of the extra
weight the D-Max is going to be
getting bolted on to it. It pays to
listen to the experts, and the same
bloke’s knowledge of his products
has served us very well on two
previous project vehicle builds, so
that’s exactly what we did and to be
honest, our money’s on the adjuster
dials never being touched again.
So that left us with some very
cool suspension and a very cool set
of wheels and tyres to use with it…
but no point in mounting them up
until the bodyshop lads had done
their thing. Fortunately, they were
ready and waiting, and they turned
out to be very able indeed – more
on that next month. For now, Project
D-Max GO2 might not be on the
road yet – but it’s already well and
truly up and running.

With the coil-over in position and the anti-roll bar reattached, the lower wishbone can be slipped back
into its chassis mounts. You can decide for yourself how optimistic the word ‘slipped’ is here – it won’t
be like Last Tango in Paris, but it shouldn’t be too much of a wrestling match either

APRIL 2020 | 51
4x4
MOROCCO: BEYOND THE TOURIST
It may be the most popular destination by far for adventure travel, but Morocco still has

O
f all the destinations
visited by Britain’s
overlanders, Morocco
probably counts
for more trips than all the rest put
together. And for good reason, too.
It’s a beautiful, unspoilt country
with sensational landscapes, a
welcoming culture and almost
limitless opportunities for exploring
off-tarmac.
It’s a proper overland destination,
too. You’re definitely in Africa here.
Morocco feels very, very different
to anywhere in Europe – and yet it’s
just a short ferry crossing from the
southern tip of Spain.
This all helps make Morocco a
perennial favourite for Britain’s off-
road adventurers. But although there
are many who return there time
after time, its popularity can make
it feel like the off-road equivalent of
Blackpool or Center Parcs.
If you yearn for an overland trip
that’s a bit different to the norm,
however, Morocco is still the ideal
destination. There are well trodden
tourist trails there, for sure – but
much of it remains undiscovered.
I’ve spent more than 25 years
exploring the most remote and
unspoiled parts of the Maghreb
region – the real Morocco,
consisting of areas well off the
beaten track and unknown to
tourists. As a result, I’ve been able to
create an itinerary for my company,
Active 4x4 Adventures, which offers
something unique – and like all our
tours, it also stands out from the
crowd by being fully catered!
The route takes in all the very
best for the intrepid traveller. From
the Rif Mountains in the north,
we travel southward through the
Cedar Forests before traversing the
majestic High Atlas Mountains. This
is followed by a lengthy crossing
of the Sahara Desert before we
conclude with an exhilarating ascent
of the beautiful and isolated Anti-
Atlas Mountains.
Fascination lurks around every roading is guaranteed to provide This is an adventure that illustrates seen, there’s no shortage of that
corner, afforded as much by some the most memorable Morocco in all its dramatic variety. either. You’ll see Morocco and its
Morocco’s people as by its geology, experiences you’ll ever encounter If you fancy a go at haggling in the people in their true sense, away
flora and fauna. Throughout the behind the wheel. And best of all, the souks of Marrakech, you’ll get the from the tourist hotspots, and
journey, no stone is left unturned in adventure is perfectly scheduled for chance. But if your idea of heaven is witness landscapes that will make
the quest to experience genuinely the spring, when the temperatures to travel through isolated wilderness you wonder whether you’re still even
exotic Morocco – while the off- are warm but not too hot. areas where few humans are ever on Planet Earth at all.

52 | APRIL 2020
4x4
TRAIL
the power to surprise – you just need to know where to look…

Words and pictures: Barrie Dunbar

Indeed, if you’re wanting to be
spaced out then wild camping amid
the huge pink-hued dunes of Erg
Chigaga, with the Milky Way clearly
visible above, should do the trick.
In the Sahara, you’ll experience
the need for self-sufficiency at its
most acute. Our route follows those
used by the region’s semi-nomadic
Berber people as they herd their
dromedaries through the vast
backdrop of the desert. You can
get in on the act with a camel ride
of your own, or feel the adrenaline
pumping with a quad biking session
on the dunes.
The adventure starts with a
ferry crossing into the Port of
Tanger-Med. Following this, the
tour embarks southwards through
the Moroccan interior, meandering
through the beautiful Rif Mountains
as the you breeze past fragrant pine
trees. Finally, you’ll arriving at Azrou,
located on the northern edge of the
enchanting Cedar Forests – home
to raucous troops of North Africa’s
primate, the Barbary Ape.

APRIL 2020 | 53
4x4
Went and used a photo of Norway by accident, didn’t we? No, actually: up in the mountains, Morocco’s climate is a lot more like Britain’s
than you might expect. You’re unlikely to experience conditions like these on the itinerary described here, but the point is that they can
happen – you need to take a lot with you when you go overlanding, but most of all you need to leave your preconceived notions behind

It’s a captivating drive south,
through vibrant and bustling towns
whose sights, sounds and smells
are a delight to behold. A lunch
of local breads, houmous and
tomatoes will keep any hunger
pangs at bay – and it’s all the better
for being taken on the beach-like
bank of the Oued Ouerrha.
Our route from here skirts the
Roman ruins of Volubilis, near
Moulay Idriss, which is surrounded
by sprawling olive plantations,
before passing through the imperial
city of Meknes. The journey
continues to El Hajeb, whose
characteristic street barbecues
billow out their enticing, appetising
plumes of fragrant smoke.
Your campsite for the evening
is a rustic place near Azrou. It’s
little more than a clearing among
an ancient cherry orchard, though
it does offer excellent showers –
heated by an old donkey boiler, itself
fuelled by shards of dry cedar wood
from the local mill which incense the
air with an exotic, heady perfume.
A mere ten minutes after setting
off the following morning, our
convoy of 4x4s leaves the tarmac.
This is a theme that sticks for the
next fortnight – and we’ll be off-
road for long enough now that it’s
worth pulling over to drop our tyre
pressures for the tracks.
What ensues is an exhilarating
day of exploring Morocco’s mystical
Cedar Forests. The driving features
regular challenging sections, with
washouts caused by the region’s
winter weather, and the scenery is
magnificent throughout.
At every turn, you’ll find yourself
gasping at picture-perfect vistas
across rugged valleys, overlooked
by the majestic mountains of the Le
Moyen (Middle) Atlas – a smaller
cousin of the High Atlas just to the
south, which is our next destination.
That night, the hills are your home
as you feast on tenderloin from the
charcoal-fuelled BBQ. Eating like
kings is part of the adventure.
Now the awesome High Atlas
range lies ahead, famous around
the world for its scale and grandeur.
And don’t think that because this
tour is guided and fully catered,
you won’t have to work for your
living off-road: depending on the
degree of destruction inflicted
by the preceding winter, there is
occasionally some rock-shifting

54 | APRIL 2020
4x4
and road-building required to allow
progress. The river crossings can
require careful scrutiny, too.
You’ll also get another opportunity
to witness the Berbers’ lifestyle here.
The route brings us into contact
with some of the more isolated
tribes, who skilfully husband the
harsh terrain to cultivate barley and
shepherd livestock.
Talking of livestock, meals during
this stage of the tour include rib-eye
steaks, chicken breasts and spare
ribs, all barbecued to perfection on
our specially customised charcoal
braai. In between, meals from the
pot including chicken tagine (it
wouldn’t be Morocco without this),
Bolognese and Thai green curry.
From the heights of the High
Atlas, there’s a transitional region
of semi-desert to cross prior to
reaching the Sahara. The ambient
temperatures get higher, vegetation
becomes sparser and the rocky
terrain gradually gives way to tracts
of sand and intermittent mini-dunes.
For many people, the desert is the
main attraction, though personally
I feel it’s the combination of both
mountain and desert which makes
Morocco such an experience.
Having navigated the High Atlas,
fuel tanks are brimmed and supplies
of bread and water are replenished
on the way to camp, situated at the
foot of the dunes of Erg Chebbi.
From here, the following few days
will entail a remote desert crossing
as we negotiate shifting areas of
deep sand and stony hamada, with
salt pans lodged in between.
First, though, we motor to the
top of the golden sands of the Erg
Chebbi dunes. Not in our cars this
time, but on 500cc quad bikes
– the ideal makings of the first
adventure activity of this tour. It’s
a truly wonderful experience, with
the quads’ automatic transmission
making it fully suitable for the whole
group – from die-hard petrolheads
to the most novice beginners,
including confident children.
In the evening, for those who
enjoy a more peaceful ascent of
the dunes, the group gets to enjoy
a camel trek to the top and watch
the sun set over the horizon, before
returning to camp for another feast.
Crossing the desert in a south-
westerly direction from Merzouga
to Foum Zguid is an other-worldly
experience, and camping out under
the Milky Way is as wondrous
and enchanting as the diverse
landscapes and terrain which we
encounter along the journey.
Travelling parallel to the Algerian
border, the itinerary passes as many
old military forts as it does desert
kasbahs. Many of these are still
manned, by friendly soldiers grateful
for a little company and temporary
respite from the boredom of their
remote postings.
Eventually, the convoy reaches the
pink complexion of the Erg Chigaga
dunes. If you’re feeling energetic,
you can take the opportunity before
dinner to hike to the apex of the
highest adjacent dune and relish the
dazzling sunset – not a bad way to
build up an appetite!
After skimming across the of a surprise around every corner.
seemingly endless salt pan of Lac Which there always is.
Iriki, it’s time to wave goodbye to the Descending the northern aspect
desert at the garrison town of Foum of the Anti-Atlas, via the fabulous
Zguid and move on to Morocco’s Tizi-n-Test mountain pass, we
hidden gem – the Anti-Atlas. Not reach our luxurious campsite on
as well known known than the the outskirts of Marrakech for hot
ever-popular High Atlas, this is a showers and a good scrub. Suitably
mountain range that was blessed cleansed and refreshed, the next day
by nature with incredible gorges, is spent exploring the city’s ancient
canyons and mesmerising rock medina and haggling for bargains in
formations. Travelling through this the souks.
area offers one marvel after another. Marrakech is a continuously
Having been exploring the region buzzing, good-natured hive of
since 1995, I am fortunate to be activity. The main square, Jemaa el-
able to take my clients where others Fna, is a bright, bustling melting pot
don’t go, providing them with a of North African and Sub-Saharan
uniquely special insight into the real, cultures. The sights, sounds and
unspoilt Morocco. We make a point smells of Marrakesh remind you of
of exploring new tracks on every how exotic a land Morocco really is
trip, thereby enabling the group to – making it the perfect conclusion
experience first-hand the concept to this stunning adventure.
This year, Active 4x4 Adventures’ Fully Catered Morocco Adventure Tour
runs from 30 March to 13 April. The company specialises in unique,
fully catered 4x4 tours, all of which include exciting adventure activities
at no additional cost. The prices the company quotes are all-inclusive.
To find out more, visit active4x4adventures.com.
 LAND ROVER CLUBS:
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the 4 staff passes and half price

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Special show offers and exclusive deals.
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OFF-ROAD ADVENTURE & OUTDOOR LEISURE ZONE
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+ further features to be announced... #GBLRS2020

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01283 553243
GRIN AND BEAR IT…
Overlanding in Canada and the US Northwest means many things. One is visiting lots of
Pictures: Jen Bright and Gav Lowrie
O
ne of the great things
about overland
travel is that you go
overland. Obviously.
Except when you don’t.
For most of us, the idea of driving
from Chile to Canada in a self-
sufficient Land Rover 110 sounds
like heaven. Perhaps a slightly
masochistic form of heaven, but
heaven nonetheless.
Jen Bright and Gavin Lowrie,
however, whose travel stories we’ve
been featuring on and off for the
thick end of a year now, had already
completed a massive loop of South
4x4
national parks. Another is seeing lots of huge grizzlies…
America by the time they got to the
Chilean capital, Santiago. By then
they’d seen some wonders of the
world, met some amazing people,
got out of one or two mechanical
scrapes and survived an earthquake,
and now they wanted a pint and
a curry. So with a whole lot more
4x4
driving still to come, they put Ruby
(the 110, not a dog, or child) on
board a container ship and flew
home to Britain.
Says something when normality
becomes your idea of a holiday,
doesn’t it? Life on the road is a
wonderful thing, but it’s hard too.
Something Jan and Gav were able
to ponder while sat in the familiar
surroundings of their local. Their
local Wetherspoons.
This, or British Columbia?
They were soon back in the air,
and sooner yet touching down in
Vancouver. Here, they had arranged
a five-week work placement at a
vineyard while waiting for Ruby
to arrive (not that she spent all
that time on the water, obviously;
container ships don’t take the
long way round), with days off in
between spent exploring the area
and watching the sort of wildlife
you don’t get at home. Not even in
Wetherspoons, though killer whales
and bald eagles could probably be
seen as some sort of allegory.
As it turned out, Ruby was ready
to be picked up from the docks on
the morning of Jen’s birthday. And
here’s an unexpected present: she
started first time.
That sounds like a call to arms,
and without any further hesitation
the 110 was on its way north-east
into the neighbouring state of
Alberta. This is Rocky Mountain
territory, home of the Banff and
Jasper National Parks… and of
wolves and bears. There’s also a
town in Alberta called Medicine Hat,
which is when you know you’re not
in Wakefield any more.
You can even go on a bear walk
with park rangers, which sounds
a little hazardous, but they came
back knowing a lot more about
these magnificent and hugely
misunderstood animals. They also
walked to the foot of the Columbia
glacier in Jasper National Park,
drove down the aptly named
APRIL 2020 | 61
Orcas, wolves and bald eagles are all pretty capable of killing things, but by far the scariest
kind of creature Jan and Gav encountered were the swarms of cruiser losers who spent
two weeks amid all this wonderful wildlife and landscape but were only interested in the
ship’s casino. Give us a supremely hostile 7000-mile round trip any day…

Icefields Parkway and found what
was their favourite campsite to date
(called Waterfowl Lakes, in case you
ever happen to be passing).
But there was trouble ahead. ‘We
had heard that there were numerous
wildfires in British Columbia and
that it had been declared a state of
emergency,’ says Gav. ‘We decided
we needed to head back and made
for Vancouver prior to crossing the
border into USA at the Peace Arch,
before spending a couple of days
just outside Seattle, getting our stuff
together for Alaska.’
The original plan had been to
drive all the way through Alaska to
the furthest accessible point, but in
something of in a break from the
overlanding norm Jen and Gav
decided they didn’t fancy that
particular 7000-mile round trip after
all. Instead, being devoted watchers
of all things marine and avian, they
booked themselves on to a cruise
ship for a fortnight on the waves en
route to and from the biggest state
in the union.
Which would you choose? Us too.
But Alaska is not a place to take
lightly – and it’s unlikely that they’d
have got to see eight grizzlies in
close order without having been on
the wildlife watching excursion they
took when their cruise docked at Icy
Strait Point.
‘It was brilliant to see them in
their natural habitat,’ says Jen ‘We
saw a mother with her two cubs
ambling after her and another in the
river hunting for salmon.’
‘One bear came right under
the bridge we were standing on,’
continues Gav. ‘He was only about
forty feet away!’
The views of a rugged,
mountainous coastline clad in fir
trees and soaring glaciers was
pretty special, too. As was the
experience of looking on in awe
as schools of whales breached
alongside the ship – if that happens
when you’re in your vehicle, the river
crossing you tried back there didn’t
go as planned.
In other ways, though, life aboard
the nine-story floating city was
every bit as ghastly as life aboard
a nine-storey floating city may
sound. For some of the passengers,
who spent all day every day holed
up in the on-board casinos, those
breaching whales and coastal views
might as well not have been there.
Having lived out of the back of a
Land Rover for more than a year
by now, seeing people load their
plates with double portions in the

‘Ruby is quite the attraction in the USA. One

man stopped and said, in a deep southern drawl,
“that’s about the sweetest car I ever did see!”
restaurant and fighting each other
for discounted luxury goods in the
on-board shop made for a pretty
tasteless spectacle. Precious few
of Jen and Gav’s shipmates were
interested in the wildlife – but the
talks on which shops to go to during
their time on land at each port were
always rammed.
Who needs to go out and watch
bears hunting for salmon in the wild,
though, when you could put on a
tux and fill your plate with so much
salmon of your own that most of it
ends up in the bin?
Not surprisingly, despite the
many natural wonders they had
experienced thanks to the cruise,
Jen and Gav were pretty happy to be
reunited with Ruby. First stop was
Mount Rainer National Park – this
is the most glaciated in America,
and its name comes from the active
volcano which dominates this part
of the Washington State landscape.
Part of the park is named
Paradise – which sounds optimistic,
but it lived up to the tag. ‘It was so
beautiful, particularly the superb
views of the ice-clad Mount Rainer
and the meadows covered with
colourful subalpine flowers,’ says
Jen. ‘It was one of the prettiest
places we have ever been.’
4x4
Not somewhere to go steaming
around willy-nilly in a hefty great
4x4, obviously. So they pegged their
tent for a couple of nights and took
in the sights through various hikes
around the park.
On the second day, however,
something more familiar started
causing a stir.
‘Ruby is quite the attraction in the
USA,’ smiles Gav like a proud father.
‘Numerous people approached us to
ask about her and admire her. One
man kept walking past Ruby and
when we stopped to talk, he said, in
a deep southern drawl, “that’s about
the sweetest car I ever did see!” I
swear Ruby batted her headlamps!’
Via a stop-off at another active
volcano, Mount St Helens, the
trio headed into Portland. Here,
Ruby was due some much-needed
pampering at the PDX British Garage
– four hours of which came as a gift
after the owner Francis and his wife
Elsa had spent a good part of the
day hearing Jen and Gav’s tales of
the road.
Next stop was across the state
line in Oregon, where Jen and Gav you meet along the way can become Tillamook County Fair. And once
stayed with a family they had got to your passport to experiences no again, you know you’re not in
know aboard the cruise ship. And everyday tourist could hope to have. Wakefield any more when you find
this is one of the truest delights of Their friends, Stacey and Ryun, yourself watching the Pig N’ Ford
overlanding – the way the people recommended a visit to the World Championship.
APRIL 2020 | 75
Above left: Formed in the caldera left when a volcano blew its top in ancient times, Crater Lake is the deepest in the USA. It’s also one of
the purest in the world, and its water is an almost unnaturally inense shade of blue
Above right: Street art an public sculpture in the Vancouver area tells the story of the city’s relationship with the ocean. Canada is every bit
as rich in wildlife as other, more commonly thought-of destinations for overland travel
This dates from 1925 and,
possibly not surprisingly, it’s
unique to Tillamook. It’s got to be
the ultimate in redneck sports.
‘It involves the driver collecting a
piglet, cranking up their Model T
Ford and then racing around the
arena, swapping piglets each lap,’
explains Gav. The drivers have to
‘You know you’re not in Wakefield any
more when you find yourself watching
the Pig N’ Ford Championship…’
64 | APRIL 2020
hold their pig under one arm while
cranking the engine, then steering
the car, with the other. Winners get
bragging rights (or, potentially, in the
case of the winning pig, eaten).
The Pig N’ Ford World
Championship was followed on
the bill by a demolition derby,
which sounds almost normal by
comparison but, Gav reports, was
every bit as entertaining.
Following the madness of the
fair, Ruby took Jen and Gav down
the coast towards Crater National
Park. En route, they followed a
long coastal road from which they
could see grey whales breaching
offshore, and spent a couple of
nights in motorhome parks where,
memorably, a fellow camper asked
them the question that really
mattered: ‘What does the Queen
think of Donald Trump?’
The park itself is a sight to
behold. Yet another volcano,
Mount Mazama, erupted violently
thousands of years ago, blowing
its top off to leave a crater which is
now the deepest lake in America.
‘We have seen many beautiful
lakes on this trip,’ says Jen. ‘But we
have never seen anything like the
deep blue of Crater Lake. Because
it is so isolated, the water is free
of pollutants, making it one of the
purest lakes in the world.’
It’s big, too – so much so that
there are two islands in it. The
road around the lake is beautiful,
with loads of winding hairpins as it
scales the mountainous terrain, but
it’s not open in the winter – that’s
the kind of place we’re talking about
here. At any rate, Jen and Gav left
Ruby parked up and set out on foot
to hike to the highest point in the
park. And they’re ALL high.
Next up was another kind of
high, in the shape of the Humboldt
Redwoods. The national and state
parks in which these titans grow
is big in itself – the road through
them is 31 miles long. And many
of the trees stand at more than 100
4x4
 Modified
4 Modified
4

4 4 4 4 Modified

4 4 4 4 Modified

4
4

APRIL 2020 | 63
4x4 4
4
A breath of fresh air
for your
Land Rover

“Breathing efficiency for your engine means

more power or better fuel mileage”
> Easy fit, directly replaces standard air filter.
> Ideal for use in hot dusty conditions to reduce engine wear.
> No need to replace as easy cleaning means maximum performance guaranteed.
> Maximum breathing efficiency for your engine means more power or better fuel mileage.
> Compatible with snorkels, ideal for use in conjunction with other performance modifications.
> No compromise on quality - the engine gets more air but the dirt particles are trapped by the quality filters.
> Filters don’t need pre-oiling and if the filter gets dirty there is no need to use a cleaner to clear the dirt on the filter - just use air, water or detergent.
Corresponds To Corresponds To
Series 3 Range Rover Classic
DA3138 4-cylinder - fits Zenith and Weber carbs DA4274 605191 3.5 V8 carb - 2 filters required 1972 - 1986
DA4274 605191 LWB - 3.5 V8 - 2 filters required 1979 - 1982 3.5 carb V8 - cone type off-road extreme power filter
DA4272
2 filters required
Defender 3.5 carb V8 - cone type - replaces 605191
DA4269 NRC9238 2.5 petrol 1983 - 1990 DA4266 2 filters required
DA4269 NRC9238 2.5 D & Td 1983 - 1990 DA4268 RTC4683 3.5i V8 Efi 1985 - 1989
DA4270 NTC6660 2.5 200Tdi 1990 - 1993 DA4262 NTC1435 2.4D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992
DA4262 NTC1435 2.5 300Tdi 1994 - 1997 DA4262 ESR2623 2.4D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992
DA4262 ESR2623 2.5 300Tdi 1994 - 1997 DA4262 NTC1435 2.5D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992
DA4260 ESR4238 Td5 1999 - 2007 DA4262 ESR2623 2.5D VM Turbo 1986 - 1992
DA4379 PHE500060 Puma 2007 - DA4268 RTC4683 3.9i 1989 - 1994
DA4265 ESR341 4.0i V8 1990 - 1995
Discovery 1 DA4265 ESR341 4.2i V8 1990 - 1995
DA4274 605191 3.5 V8 carb - 2 filters required 1989 - 1990 DA4265 ESR341 4.6i V8 1990 - 1995
DA4262 NTC1435 2.5 200Tdi 1989 - 1992 DA4264 ESR1049 2.5 200Tdi 1991 - 1993
DA4262 ESR2623 2.5 200Tdi 1989 - 1992 DA4261 ESR1445 2.5 300Tdi 1993 - 1995
DA4268 RTC4683 3.5i V8 Efi 1990 - 1993 DA4261 ESR1445 3.9i V8 Efi 1992 - 1994
DA4264 ESR1049 2.5 200Tdi 1992 - 1994 Range Rover P38
DA4261 ESR1445 2.0i Mpi petrol DA4265 ESR341 Diesel up to TA346793
DA4261 ESR1445 2.5 300Tdi 1994 - 1997 DA4265 ESR341 Petrol up to TA346793
DA4261 ESR1445 3.9i V8 1994 - 1997 DA4260 ESR4238 Diesel from TA346794 up to VA376579
Discovery 2 DA4260 ESR4238 Petrol from VA346794 up to VA376579
DA4260 ESR4238 Td5 1999 - 2004 DA4260 ESR4238 Diesel from WA376580
DA4260 ESR4238 4.0i 1999 - 2004 DA4260 ESR4238 Petrol from WA385949 up to WA410481
Discovery 3 DA4265 ESR341 Petrol from WA376580 up to WA385948
DA3139 PHE000112 2.7 V6 diesel, 4.0 V6 petrol & 4.4 V8 petrol DA4260 ESR4238 Petrol from XA410482
Discovery 4 Range Rover Sport
DA3139 PHE000112 2.7 V6 diesel, 3.0 V6 diesel & 4.0 V6 petrol 2.7 V6 diesel, 4.0 V6 petrol
DA3139 PHE000112 2005 - 2013
DA4376 LR011593 5.0 V8 - nat. asp. & 4.4 V8 petrol
Discovery Sport 2010 - 2013
DA4376 LR011593 5.0 V8 nat. asp. & supercharged
DA4637 LR029078 2.0 petrol & 2.2 diesel 2014 -
Range Rover L322
Freelander 1 DA4378 PHE000050 4.4 V8 (BMW engine) 2002 - 2005
DA4267 ESR4103 1.8 16v 1997 - 2000 DA4377 PHE500021 4.4 V8 nat. asp. 2006 - 2009
DA4267 ESR4103 2.0i Tcie diesel (Rover engine) 1997 - 2000 DA4377 PHE500021 4.2 V8 supercharged 2006 - 2009
DA4263 PHE100500L 2.0 Td4 (BMW engine) 2001 - 2006 DA4377 PHE500021 3.6 Td8 2007 - 2009
DA4260 ESR4238 V6 petrol DA4259 PHE000040 Td6 2002 - 2009
Freelander 2 DA4376 LR011593 4.4 Td8 2010 - 2012
DA4375 LR005816 Petrol & diesel DA4376 LR011593 5.0 V8 nat. asp. & supercharged 2010 - 2012
DA4637 LR029078 from CH000001 - 2.0 petrol Range Rover Evoque
DA4637 LR029078 2.0 petrol & 2.2 diesel
Images of each filter go to www.britpart.com/filters
Whether it’s the Pacific Coast Highway (above) or Banff National
Park (right), Canada doesn’t really tend to do mundane. It’s a place
to explore if you love amazing landscapes and wonderful wildlife –
as well as having no end of fantastic roads and trails and, it would
appear, plenty of people who appreciate Brits in old Land Rovers

metres, making them among the
tallest of any kind in the world.
‘We stopped many times, taking
walks through the forests and
gazing upwards in awe at the height
of the trees,’ says Jen. ‘We had never
seen anything like it before.
And it gets better. ’We were in
Redwood State Park for a total
eclipse of the sun. It was a great
experience, surrounded by the
majestic trees and watching nature
at its best.’
After the untamed wilderness
they has experienced in many
parts of South America, it might
say something that Jen and Gav’s
experience as they travelled through
the US seems to read like a list of
national parks. Or maybe it’s just
that the US has a lot of really great
national parks. Either way, next
came Yosemite, which has got to
be one of the most famous national
parks anywhere in the world.
By now, Ruby had covered more
than a thousand miles on American
soil. And for every one of them she
seemed to gain a new admirer. ‘We
met wonderful people every day in
America,’ says Jen. ‘They have a
genuine interest and curiosity about
Ruby and we are stopped at least
three or four times a day. This has
been the most interest from people
in any country so far!’
Good news, then, that there was
plenty more to come. But as they
headed off towards Utah, where
they had been offered the chance of
another four weeks’ voluntary work,
Ruby ground to a halt. Right in the
middle of a junction, controlled by
traffic light and, of all places, in Los
Angeles. Spectacle.
‘Clearly Ruby wanted to seek
fame in Los Angeles, as she’d had
her head turned by all the interest
in her!’ Jen laughs. ‘So we took her
to a mechanic and left her there
while doing our month working in
Utah – which unfortunately meant
making do with a hire car. But as
long as Ruby is out seeking fame
and fortune in LA, she’s happy!’
Another prolonged break from the
overland life, then, and this one was
unscheduled. But as Jen and Gav
had had plenty of chance to learn by
now, absence makes the heart grow
fonder. Being reunited with their
game old Defender 110 for the next
leg of their adventure was going to
be sweeter than ever…

APRIL 2020 | 65
 N E X T
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ROADBOOK

EAST KENT
Quiet trails in a corner of England that’s little used by green laners

68 | APRIL 2020
4x4

For most people, East Kent is a place you motor through as quickly as possible on the way to cross the Channel. But the area south
of Canterbury is a region of sweeping, elegant countryside – within which you’ll find occasional hidden relics from a past built on coal
mining. It’s home to a good number of green lanes, too – though you need to be a bit of a masochist to enjoy them, as many will
give your paintwork a pasting. It’s a fun few hours, this – but it’s no place for shinies!
USING OUR ROADBOOKS
Our roadbooks guide you through
the countryside on a mixture of
surfaced and unsurfaced roads.
The tracks we use are public rights
of way, either Byways Open to
All Traffic or Unclassified County
Roads, all commonly referred to as
green lanes.
NAVIGATION
We’ve deliberately made it as easy
as possible to follow the route,
using a mixture of instructions, tulip
diagrams and grid references. We
normally only include junctions at
which you have to make a turning or
don’t have right of way, so stay on
the main road or continue straight
ahead unless we tell you otherwise.
You’ll find a guide to using grid
references on the legend of any OS
map. Our aim is for you to be able to
do the route without maps, whether
paper or online, but you should
certainly take a set with you.
SAFETY
The notes on thee pages advise
you of how suitable the route is
for your vehicle. These are just
guidelines, however. We’ll warn you
of any hazards or difficult sections,
but the nature of any green lane
can change quickly. Wet weather
can make a huge difference to the
conditions underfoot, and what’s
wide open in winter can be tightly
enclosed and scratchy in summer.
The responsibility is yours!
Our roadbooks are designed to
be safe to drive in a solo vehicle. We
do recommend travelling in tandem
wherever possible, however. The
risk of getting stuck can be greater
than it appears – and even the most
capable of vehicles can break down
miles from anywhere.
RESPONSIBILITY
Irresponsible driving is a big issue
on green lanes. In particular, you
must always stay on the right of
way. Never drive off it to ‘play’ on
the verges or surrounding land, even
if you can see that someone else
has; doing so is illegal and can be
tremendously damaging.
This kind of illegal off-roading is
a key reason why green lanes get
closed. If you see others doing this,
they are NOT your friends. They’re
criminals, and you are their victim.
If it’s safe to do so, film them in the
act and pass it to the police.
4x4
ROADBOOK
Elsewhere, let common sense
and courtesy prevail. Keep your
speed down, be ready to pull over
for others and show the world that
we are decent people just like them.
ANTIS
Anti-4x4 bigotry does exist, but
it’s less common than you’d
think. By and large, it’s limited to
organisations who just want to get
the countryside all to themselves.
These organisations are beyond
being reasoned with, but it’s rare to
encounter real hostility even from
their rank-and-file members. If you’re
friendly towards the people with
whom you share the countryside,
the vast majority will respond in
kind. There are always bad apples,
but no more so than anywhere else.
Likewise, most local residents
will accept your presence if you’re
driving sensibly. What suspicion you
do encounter is likely to be from
farmers worried that you’re there
to steal from them, so be ready to
offer a word of reassurance. Once
satisfied that you’re not after their
quad bikes, their mood will lighten.
DO…
• Keep your speed right down
• Pull over to let walkers, bikers and
horse riders pass
• Leave gates as you found them
• Scrupulously obey all closure and
voluntary restraint notices
• Ensure you have a right to be
there. We research the routes on
our roadbooks very carefully, but
the status of any route can change
without notice
• Be prepared to turn back if the
route is blocked, even illegally
• If you find an illegal obstruction,
notify the local authority
• Stick absolutely scrupulously to
the right of way
• Always remember that you are an
ambassador for all 4x4 drivers
DON’T…
• Go in large convoys: instead, split
into smaller groups
• Drop litter. Why not carry a bin bag
pick up other people’s instead?
• Go back to drive the fun bits, such
as mud or fords, again
• Cause a noise nuisance,
particularly after dark
• Get riled up if someone challenges
you. Be firm but polite, stay calm
and don’t let them turn it into a fight
APRIL 2020 | 69
 ROUTE GUIDE is it suitable?
START Goodnestone (TR 254 545) TYRES All-terrains recommended. Road
FINISH Barham (TR 207 501) tyres will struggle in the wet
HOW LONG? 34.75 miles / 4-5 hours WEATHER Do not drive when very wet
TERRAIN Wooded hillsides and farmland LOW BOX Ideal, but do-able without it
HAZARDS Scratching and possible panel damage; SOFT-ROADERS Mainly suitable, if recovery at hand
slippery ground when wet; occasional ruts SCRATCHING About as bad as it gets
OS MAPS Landranger 179 (Canterbury and East Kent) DRIVING Care required on tight tracks and
built-up areas alike
DAMAGE Danger of panel damage from
contact with trees

Step TR 254 545 Step TR 259 538

Start outside the Fitzwalter Arms,

1 on The Street in Goodnestone,

which would make a good place
to stay the night before if you’re
coming from some distance to do
5
the route. Zero your trip with the
pub to your left and set off heading

0.0 north-east
1.2
Step Step Continue ahead on a smaller track

2 6
0.15 Chillenden
Eythorne
1.6
Step Step

3 7
0.5 Aylesham
Adisham
214
234
1.9
Step Step

4 8
1.0 Chillenden
Eythorne
2.1
70 | APRIL 2020
4x4
Step TR 285 552
Immediately after the building on

9 the right, take the grass track along

the field edge

3.9
Step Where the track splits, the right of
way appears to run between the

10 trees, though most 4x4s seem to

have taken the field edge instead

4.0
Step After the tracks rejoin, the way Step TR 288 523
ahead looks very narrow. It’s

11 okay, but you do need to scrape

the left of your vehicle along the
undergrowth to stay out of the field
15
4.1 6.8
Step Beyond this, as the track runs Step Once more, you’re in among houses
between hedges marking a field

12 border, your paintwork will take a

proper battering
16
4.2 8.0 ROMAN WAY

Step Caution – watch out for kids Step

playing as you climb a short hill to

13 emerge between houses and into

suburbia
17
Chillenden 212

5.1 Nonington
Aylesham
4
434
8.15
Step Step TR 275 505

14 18
Leave the road by the byway sign
and keep the sectioned-off area of
grass to your left

5.15 THORNTON LANE

8.2
Step 13 (left): Dead slow as you emerge between the houses –
keep your eyes open for kids at play
Step 18: A series of posts keeps youu on the byway and off the
grass to your left

APRIL 2020 | 71
4x4
 Step

25
1.6
Step

26
2.0
Step TR 274 501 Step

19 27
8.5 2.05
Step Step

20 28
9.3 2.4
Step ZERO TRIP Step

21 29
9.4 2.5 Barham 2
Canterbury 3

Step Step

22 30
0.2 LONG LANE 2.6
Step Step

23 31
0.75 Shepherdswell 2
Coldred 4 3.1 WOMENSWOLD

Step TR 253 492 Step

24 32
Turn right straight after the railway
bridge – it’s the same one you
crossed in Step 30, so ignore what
your trip says. Immediately after
turning, follow the track as it heads
off left along the hedge line, over a

0.8
mild axle-twister

3.4
72 | APRIL 2020
4x4
Step 35: This picture makes it look as if we were in full rally mode on the way down the track, but actually we were only doing about
10mph. That’s how dusty it gets when it’s dry, so make sure to keep your speed down too

Step Step

33 36
3.5 4.2
Step Step

34 37
3.6 4.5
Step TR 225 513 Step Follow the track to hug the field
Caution – you’re crossing two edge. Water gathers here and it’s

35 T-junctions in one, and they’re both

pretty busy roads 38 very prone to flooding, so you’ll
encounter ruts

3.7 4.7
Step 38: The corner at the bottom of the field has a habit of
staying wet, even when the rest of the world is bone-dry

APRIL 2020 | 73
4x4
Step Step TR 170 509

39 45
5.5 9.5
Step Step Follow the track ahead along the
line of telegraph poles with the

40 46 woods to your right

6.2 9.6
Step Step ZERO TRIP

41 47
6.9 Kingston
Barham
10.0
Step Step

42 48
7.2 0.2
Bossingham 212
Bishopsbourne 112 Stelling Minnis 4

Step Step

43 49
7.8 0.9
Step Step

44 50
9.0 1.5
Burstead Manor 1
Upper Hardres 134

74 | APRIL 2020
4x4
Step TR 180 496
Caution as you climb the hill –

51 there are sleepers in the track

which create steps

1.7
Step

52
2.1
Step Step Join a bigger track and follow
ahead through the gate

53 56
3.9 VALLEY ROAD
6.3
Step TR 192 471 Step The main track swings left and
upwards; you follow the red

54 57 waymarker on to a faint grass

track leading along the left-hand
field edge

6.0 6.4
Step Immediately after the road Step Follow through the gate then keep
becomes a track, take care not to the tree line to your right. Look for

55 fork right into Thomas Acre Farm

58 red and blue tape on the gateposts

6.1 6.45

APRIL 2020 | 89
4x4
76 | APRIL 2020
4x4
Step Step

59 67
6.85 1.1 Geddinge
Shepherdswell

Step Step Turn left, slightly back on yourself,

to take the track running along the

60 68 hedge line. As you follow the edge

of the field, the famous Lydden Hill
rallycross circuit is to your right

7.1 1.95
Step Step Caution as you emerge – visibility
is rubbish in both directions

61 69
8.15 2.25
Step TR 201 441 Step The track is very tight for much of
its length, and there’s a hefty tree

62 70 stump to ease your way over at

this point

8.6 2.55
Step Step

63 71
8.65 2.75
Step ZERO TRIP Step Turn left then immediately right at
the next T-junction – which is with a

64 72 fast, busy road

10.25 3.3
Step Step

65 73
0.25 4.0 CHURCH LANE

Step Turn right immediately after the Step Arrive outside the Duke of
building and before the 30mph Cumberland pub in Barham for the

66 signs at the start of Denton

74 end of the route

0.45 5.1
APRIL 2020 | 77
4x4
78 | APRIL 2020
4x4
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13
13.1
ROADBOOK: Beautiful lanes and landscapes8.75in the heart of12.3the Cotswolds Strata Florid

Take the rocky

a Abbey

track to the left

of
Ste
Stepp

Step the main Cat A

track

4328 There’s a coup

troughs afte
le of huge wate
r the junction r

14 48
10.9
.1 .6
1312
Step
Step
15.2
15 43 It’s a steep,
over a bigg
ahead over
with
sharp climb
up
er track – you and
your bonnet
can’t see
to start

11.7 13.4
Step Step

16 44 You may find

a river bed
yourself drivi
for a while… ng along

11.8 Join the Cat A

track 13.65
Step
Step
17
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH…

THE JEEP FILES

PRESENTED WITH THE APRIL 2020 ISSUE OF 4X4 MAGAZINE

ULTIM ATE JK
Jeep designed the Rubicon Recon to be the most capable Wrangler of all
time. But then Storm Jeeps
came along and made it
more capable than ever…

JL Rubicon – fully tested off-road Renegade Trailhawk becomes

more of a giant-killer than ever

Hurricane: Was this 2005 concept

the most radical Jeep of all time?
Custom Conversions For Existing Jeep Owners.
&
New and Used Custom Jeep Vehicle Sales.

01482 666491
 Cu

IN ASSOCIATION WITH… N

CONTENTS
THE JEEP FILES: PRESENTED WITH THE APRIL 2020 ISSUE OF 4X4 MAGAZINE

4 JL Rubicon
The hardcore off-road version of Jeep’s latest Wrangler gets put through its
paces, on and off-road. We all know it’s incredible in the rough, but what’s it
like to live with on the school run?

8 Hurricane
On the surface, it was just a hint at how the JK Wrangler was going to look.
But this twin-engined, all-wheel steer concept also has a strong claim to be
known as one of the most radical off-road vehicles ever built

12 Ultimate Rubicon Recon

The Rubicon Recon was created by Jeep to be the most capable Wrangler of
all time. But then Storm Jeeps got their hands on one – and set about making
it more capable then ever

16 When Cherokees ruled the world

Back when used XJs were plentiful, people were modifying them left, right and
centre. They’re a rare sight these days – but John Lyne’s hardcore Cherokee is
bound to bring on the nostalgia

20 More than a Renegade

The highest-selling model Jeep has ever brought to Europe may have become
a success on the back of its on-road qualities. But in Trailhawk form, it’s a
serious bit of kit – and in Storm-built form, it’s better still!

24 Dream TJ
After many years and many different 4x4s, Karl Pearson finally got round to
building his dream truck – and in doing so he created one of the best TJs
you’ll ever see

28 Route 66
America’s classic road trip is a journey through the history of the land that
made Jeep. It’s not a major off-road test, but it’s the perfect place for a JK and
a Grand Cherokee to cut loose

4x4 THE JEEP FILES | 3

 HUGE RANGE OF JEEP PARTS CALL US ON:
AND US ON: 01482
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SALES@JEEPEY.COM
DRIVEN

JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON

Long-wheelbase version of Jeep’s new halo vehicle has an unfamiliar engine but delivers the
ultimate in off-road intent

ON TEST Wrangler 2.0 GME 5-door Rubicon

hen Jeep first it to Britain. By this time, we were what we have here is a 1995cc has more than two tonnes of metal

W brought the
Rubicon model
to Britain, it was
at the start of the JK’s glorious
reign back in 2007. You could only
get it with a petrol engine and
automatic gearbox, however, which
didn’t do its sales any good because
everyone kept saying it would be
the perfect off-roader if only they’d
do a diesel version.
Jeep did introduce a diesel later
in the JK’s life, but they didn’t bring
starting to feel like we were being
picked on, but then they finally
brought out the JL model and at
long last, there was a full range
available with the right spec and the
excellent new 2.2 MultiJet II engine.
However there’s also a Rubicon
available with another engine. If
someone had told you five years
ago that Jeep was going to bring
in a petrol model, you would most
likely have pictured a hefty V6 with
loads of lazy torque, but in fact
turbo whose peak output figures
of 272bhp and 295lbf.ft come at a
distinctly breathless sounding 5250
and 3000rpm respectively.
Now, that’s plenty of power and
a good bit of shove. But there’s
no shortage of revs there, either.
Sounds like this is an engine that
needs to be worked hard – not
least because even though the JL
is usefully lighter than the JK that
came before it, in the five-door
form tested here the engine still
to shift.
Something else it has weighing
upon it is a £48,405 price tag.
You can argue all day long about
whether the original JKs were
under-priced (a Rubicon, albeit with
only three doors, cost less than half
as much back then) or this new one
is just plain greedy, but either way
we’re not many options away from
the £50k mark here.
Talking of options, our test
vehicle looked a million dollars

4 | THE JEEP FILES 4x4

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01482 666491
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The combination of an upright dash, big buttons and switches, a tough, rubberised media screen surround and a
deliberately bolted-together image makes the Wrangler’s dash feel at once old-school and completely modern. The
materials it’s made from are stout and durable, if not the most tactile in every case

in its Hellayella clearcoat. Jeep
definitely knows how to name its
paint colours. Still, with that box
ticked we’re now within hundreds,
not thousands, of being aboard fifty
grand’s worth of Wrangler.
CABIN AND
PRACTICALITY
Inside, it certainly does feel special.
Not premium-car sumptuous by
any means, but the cabin is well
equipped and there’s a definite
sense of occasion to it. If you
like proper, traditional 4x4s, the
Wrangler is what a modern off-
roader should be.
There’s a truck-like uprightness
to the dash, with big, chunky
switches and a bolted-together
image that manages to feel at once
retro and up to date. Some of the
controls are situated quite low
down, in the murky depths ahead of
the gear selector, but it’s big enough
that you won’t struggle to see what
you’re looking at.
The off-road controls are at the
very bottom of the facia, too, which
sounds wrong but makes sense.
When you do need to operate
things like the locking diffs and
sway-bar disconnect, after all, you’re
likely to be doing it in extremis
– but if you’re not travelling very
slowly indeed at the time, you don’t
know what you’re doing.
There’s a certain amount of
creaking from the dash, but the
materials it’s made from feel
good and strong. This doesn’t
mean they feel premium – the
upper portion has a leather finish,
but lower surfaces are hard and
scratchy and overall there’s a
definite wipe-clean vibe to it.
Nonetheless, the whole cabin has
the demeanour of something that
was made to last, with a quality
to its build that goes with the
perceived durability in its design.
It has a proper handbrake and
transmission lever, too. You do have
to make do with an on-off button
for actually starting the thing, but
two out of three ain’t bad.
‘Ain’t bad’ would be a good
verdict for the oddment stowage
aboard the Wrangler, too. There’s
a decent cubby and a usably sized
glovebox, and though you only get
nets instead of door pockets they’re
full-length and surprisingly useful. So
too is the deep stowage bin you’ll
find on top of the dash.
As the lack of door pockets
suggests, elbow room is limited.
Legroom is fine, however – though
there’s nowhere to put your left

Above: The Wrangler’s rear body is

basically a big box, and this is put to
good use in a cargo space that makes
the most of all the width, length and
height available.
Right: Headroom is enormous in both
rows of seats, though elbow room is
tighter. There’s enough legroom for
one six-footer to sit behind another
so long as neither is greedy

4x4 THE JEEP FILES | 5

 HUGE RANGE OF JEEP PARTS CALL US ON:
AND US ON: 01482
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SALES@JEEPEY.COM
Basically, the rear end of a Wrangler
is just a huge square box on wheels,
and that shape is put to good use
for creating a usable space for
carrying cargo.
It’s handy for smaller luggage,
too. Beneath the rear floor is a
big, hidden stowage compartment
that would be ideal for things like
laptops, tablets and so on.

Jeep’s new 1995cc petrol engine is powerful enough at 272bhp but needs a lot of revs to
do its best work. It’s very smooth, but a lazier delivery would be much better suited to
the Wrangler’s nature
foot, which in an automatic feels
like an oversight. Headroom is huge,
as you’d expect, and visibility is
excellent all round, even with what
is quite a shallow windscreen.
The bonnet’s shape means you
can’t see the edges of the vehicle,
something that’s exacerbated by the
ridiculous length of the standard-
fit front bumper. The A-posts are
thick but quite well shaped not to
get in the way of your view around
corners, and even without relying
on parking sensors and reversing
cameras the squared-off nature
of the Wrangler’s back body
means you can see enough in the
mirrors to be able to cope when
parking. You’ll definitely fall back
on whatever electronic aids you’ve
got, though, as the space between
the C and D posts as you look over
your shoulder is cluttered mainly by
the roll cage.
Talking of electronics, the upper
part of the dash is dominated by
a big, almost square multimedia
screen with a tough, rubberised
surround. This is great, and
operating the system is no problem,
but we did find it very easy to
reset the radio by accident as the
tuning dial (an actual, physical thing)
is perfectly positioned to catch a
passing finger when you’re steering
and indicating at the same time.
We variously found our choice of
listening suddenly turning into a
Bollywood station, some sort of
radio evangelism and so on.
Further equipment includes
cruise control, dual-zone climate
and heated seats and steering
wheel. Said seats are leather clad,
which may or may not take your
fancy in an off-roader but doesn’t
detract from the way they hold
you in place. The leather itself feels
suitable, too – not like an offcut
from a vinyl showroom, but also
not so soft that you’ll damage it
first time you climb aboard.
In the back, a stadium seating
arrangement means one six-footer
should be able to fit in behind
another without anyone losing their
sense of humour. The front seat-
backs are hard but well sculpted,
and with just a little movement
from the driver a tall adult will be
able to fit in very comfortably, in
particular because headroom is as
good as it is in the front.
For carrying things rather than
people, the seats fold as good as
flat to create what is an enormous
cargo bay. This is accessed through
a traditional Jeep tailgate featuring
a side-hinged lower half-door
and top-hinged upper glazed area,
leaving a mighty great aperture
for loading large and bulky items.
DRIVING
The Wrangler has received some
absolutely ridiculous criticism from
the mainstream motoring press,
seemingly based on the fact that
they can’t accept that there’s any
difference between a BMW X5 or
Porsche Macan and a something
designed to go off-road. Not that
there’s anything new there – the
Land Rover Defender copped it
non-stop, and the Suzuki Jimny has
been widely reviewed with a similar
level of ineptitude.
If you expect the Wrangler to
drive like a performance SUV, or in
fact any kind of SUV, you’re going to
be disappointed. It has the high-set
stance of a truck and the cheerfully
wafty body movements of a vehicle
designed to flex its way over rough
terrain, and it you know your off-
roaders you’ll love it.
Naturally, its steering isn’t very
sharp and its ride is heavy. It’s
perfectly controllable, though, and
even on heavy-duty live axles it
shudders, not crashes, when you
hit pot holes. Its turning circle is
absolutely brilliant for such a big,
long vehicle, too.
We don’t think the 2.0-litre
petrol engine suits its character,

The Rubicon model tested here is the focused off-roader in the Wrangler range. It’s equipped with locking front and
rear diffs and a detachable front anti-roll bar, and comes as standard on 255/75R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains (opposite
page, top). The multimedia screen is mounted in a rubberised shroud like the ones you get to make your iPad child-
proof, which isn’t really necessary on a dashboard but is a very easy image to roll with

6 | THE JEEP FILES 4x4

 Custom Conversions For Existing Jeep Owners.
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New and Used Custom Jeep Vehicle Sales.
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New and Used Custom Jeep Vehicle Sales.
01482 666491

though. There’s a lot of power

road manners and settle down to remains beautifully smooth when reputation your way of life endures
there, as we said earlier, and it 01482 666491
take it easy – whereupon, unless of the ground gets rougher, making it among everyday people.
comes with a lot of revs, and that’s
not well suited to the Wrangler’s
01482 666491 very
course you’re reviewing it for one
of the adolescent car mags, you
easy to crawl steadily across
the obstacles.
Once again, manoeuvrability is
outstanding for such a big truck.
relaxed steering and chilled-out might finally figure out what it is Again, the spread of gears The Wrangler is very easy to drive
body control. You’ll stun a few you’re driving. helps here. And so too does the slowly, to place on the terrain and
people from a standing start when All the same, a less racy Wrangler’s flexible suspension, to keep under control as its weight
the lights turn green, but the engine performance around town and aided if you want it to be by a shifts. With its revvy, squirty engine,
wants you to press on and the rest more flexibility on A and B-roads button on the dash which frees you can very easily lapse into
of the vehicle doesn’t. would be far preferable. If only they up the front anti-roll bar to allow driving it like a jerk, but there’s no
Having said that, even on the did a diesel. Oh, they do… greater wheel travel. need for that. Whether on rocks,
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain tyres that There’s another reason for paying That feature is exclusive to the mud or wet grass, it gives you a
come as standard on the Rubicon, a few extra quid for the diesel, too. Rubicon, and so too are the locking combination of grip, balance and
the Wrangler has an almost baffling In a week of varied driving including front and rear diffs which mean you control that’s enough to turn a rank
amount of grip. You can choose school runs, motorway work, A and almost never mean to spin your beginner into an off-road pro.
to select four-wheel drive for the B-road sessions and a good bit of wheels to maintain progress. In There’s not a lot of restraint
road if you want it, the way you green laning, we got 22.9mpg out this way, vehicles with lockers are to its styling, far less its colour as
used to be able to on the (very) of it. That translates into two things unsung heroes of the 4x4 world, tested here. But if you can show
old Cherokee, and it’ll become – big fuel bills and, by Wrangler because if driven responsibly they some in the way you drive, the
remarkably composed, but even in standards, equally big depreciation. can take life at a crawl – meaning reward will be a performance so
two-wheel drive and on wet roads We said above that it feels the way they do little or no damage to sure-footed it makes you feel like a
it’s not easy to make the back that a modern off-roader should the ground, and therefore to the driving god.
end break away. The engine might – but in its fuel consumption, it’s
be a bit of a culture shock if you what an old, gas-guzzling off-road ★★★★✩
don’t like revs, but the drivetrain is monster was.
extraordinarily forgiving.
It’s not geared for a flexible mid-
range, however. There’s loads of pull OFF-ROAD
VERDICT Jeep Wrangler 2.0 5dr Rubicon
Brilliant at what it does, and its on-road
compromises are almost endearing
around town (though the gearbox
can get jerkily confused by hard You’re expecting us to say we’d far The Wrangler’s styling is all about its roughneck
acceleration from near-standstill), sooner be driving a diesel here, brashness, and that might not appeal to you. But
and a lot less noise than we were too. But in fact, with the Wrangler’s everything about the way it drives is defined by a
expecting at motorway speeds, but transfer case dropped in to low sober focus on being the best in the business at
planting your right foot in the 40-60 range, it gains a flexibility that defies
off-roading, and that certainly should. If you love
zone doesn’t have a lot of effect. its high-revving torque figure. You
what it’s about, you’ll happily accept, even enjoy,
This is where, if you hadn’t already, can drive almost anywhere on a
you need to accept the Wrangler’s thread of gas, and power delivery the way it is on the road, and you’ll delight in its
brilliance on all kinds of terrain. We’d choose the
diesel option, but each to their own.

4x4
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Blowin’ in the Wind

On the face of it, the Hurricane was just a concept vehicle built to draw
attention to the then-new JK Wrangler. But in typical Jeep style, it was
also an engineering masterpiece. In fact, this astonishing one-off from
early 2005 might just be the most
extraordinary off-road vehicle any major
car maker has ever built
WORDS: GARY NOSKILL PICTURES: JEEP

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J
eep has an impressive track record of
building concept vehicles that make you
want to swoon. Most of these see the light
of day at the annual Easter Safari in Moab,
but back in January 2005 the North Amer-
ican International Auto Show in Detroit witnessed
the debut of perhaps the most extraordinary off-
road machine ever built by a major manufacturer.
Jeep described the Hurricane as its way of
paying tribute to the extreme machines built by
enthusiasts for rock crawling and the like. But a
swift glance at its remarkable specification sheet
confirms that while this may be a tribute of sorts,
it’s definitely not a copy. Not of anything even
remotely recognisable, anyway. And while it is
almost impossibly outlandish in terms of what it
does and how it goes about doing it, it provides
serious food for thought for vehicle builders look-
ing at ways of addressing the problems extreme
off-roading presents. This may be a glamorous
show car – but when the going gets tough, it was
built to out-drive pretty much every other 4x4 on
the face of the earth.
So, that spec sheet. If you’re into off-roading,
you might want to have a box of Kleenex ready
before you read this.
Let’s start with the engine. Oops, the engines.
Two of them, that’s right. And each of them is a
5.7-litre HEMI, putting out 335bhp and 370lbf.
ft. Just in case you’re feeling too dazed to do the
sums, that’s 670bhp of go and 740lbf.ft of shove.
And that’s just for starters. How does 14.3”
of ground clearance sound? The Hurricane’s
305/70R20 tyres (that’s around 37” tall) do it
no harm on this score, proving that even with
independent suspension a vehicle can snort with
derision in the face of ruts.
Big ground clearance means big approach,
departure and breakover angles, but you’ll be hard
pressed to comprehend just how big. Try 64 de-
grees for size, and that’s just at the front. Behind
it, the Hurricane lifts its skirts up to the tune of
86.7 degrees, ensuring that if you manage to wal-
lop the back end of this little beauty, it’s because
you’ve tried to drive it off a concrete block. You’d
probably not be without success in trying to get
4x4
it up there in the first place, though, thanks to a
breakover angle of 31.5 degrees – not half bad
for a vehicle whose wheelbase, at 108.1 inches, is
longer than a contemporary Grand Cherokee’s.
Going back to the independent suspension, it’s
actually not quite as simple as all that. For starters,
the combination of long and short arms at each
corner is controlled by remote-reservoir coil-
over units which allow a staggering 20” of travel.
And then, as you may already have spotted, there’s
a rather severe absence of diffs from between the
suspension arms – and it’s this that hints at the
engineering design concept that makes this Jeep
so extraordinary.
Normally, of course, you have an engine which
talks to a gearbox which talks to a transfer case
which talks to the diffs which talk to the wheels.
Not here. Not when you’ve got a couple of
HEMIs at your disposal.
Take a look at the diagrams. These give you an
idea of how the Hurricane’s transmission works,
and how it delivers the engines’ output to all four
wheels. Each feeds into a five-speed automatic
gearbox and three-speed transfer case (yes,
three), but after that all the bets are off.
Fundamentally, whereas most 4x4 have just the
two propshafts, the Hurricane has four. These are
fed via two side units from the primary transmis-
sion, meaning there’s a dedicated prop running to
each wheel.
Which is where Clever Bit number one comes
in. Because whereas with a conventional single
propshaft, the torque reaction through the diff
means one wheel will inevitably be pushed into
the ground while the other is fighting against the
weight of the vehicle, in this case each wheel is
pressed downwards with equal force. Not so
important when your pride and joy is propelled
by a tired old diesel, possibly, but less of a trifle
when there’s a couple of sodding great V8s trying
to make mischief beneath your rear end.
But the real piece de resistance in the Hur-
ricane’s design comes when its quad-propped
transmission starts working in tandem with its
four-wheel steering system. Of course, four-wheel
steer has been seen before, and Jeep’s system
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Split Solid Axles have no conventional diffs, thanks to the vehicle’s radical quad-prop transmission. With each wheel
having its own dedicated propshaft, there are no problems with a torque reaction going through the axles and trying to
push one side down while lifting the other up. Complex multi-prop steering allows the Hurricane to turn in conventional
four-wheel steer form, crab sideways or pirouette on its own axis, providing a turning circle of zero degrees

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Above left: The Hurricane’s interior was as eye-catching as you’d expect from a concept vehicle, but also relentlessly
technical. It looked like something you’d expect Action Man to drive
Above right: A one-piece carbon fibre body shell helped keep weight down to a manageable 1750kg. Not bad for a
vehicle with two V8 engines, two transfer boxes and four propshafts…

allows the Hurricane to perform the usual tricks
– you can turn the front and rear wheels against
each other for a tighter turning circle, or point all
four in the same direction and ‘crab’ sideways.
But then comes the function that makes this
vehicle unique. By hitting the ‘Zero Steer’ button
on the transmission tunnel (it’s one of five which
select various options, including a skid steer
function), you can turn all four wheels to toe in
on themselves, allowing the vehicle to be driven
right round on its own axis. Imagine sticking it on
a pole and spinning it like a top – that’s the action
it describes, with no forward motion at all.
An impressive party trick, but what use in the
real world? Well, how many times have you fought
and fought to pull off a three-point turn on a
green lane when the route ahead has turned out
not to be suitable?
Elsewhere, too, there are elements to the ve-
hicle that are pure common sense. Going back to
the engines, for example, these feature Chrysler’s
Multi-Displacement System, which automatically
shuts down banks of cylinders which aren’t being
used. Thus with the two engines at your disposal,
you can be running on four, eight, twelve or
sixteen cylinders, allowing you to get from A to B
with an at least halfway sensible level of fuel con-
sumption – or to nail the throttle to the floor and
accelerate to 60mph in less than five seconds.
This brutal turn of pace is enhanced by an
all-up weight that’s estimated at 1750kg – not the
lightest, but considering you’ve got two engines,
two auxiliary transfer boxes and two extra prop-
shafts adding to the lard, hardly what you’d call
over the top. The vehicle is based on a one-piece
body made from high-strength carbon fibre, which
plays the role of the traditional ladder-frame
chassis and is backed up by an aluminium spine.
This holds the underside together and also acts as
a full-length skid plate.
In keeping with the image Jeep wanted to
portray with the Hurricane, everything about the
vehicle is technical. Take a look at the huge bank
of dials on the dashboard, for example, includ-
ing separate monitors for each engine. Up top,
meanwhile, individual roll hoops go with a pair of
menacing power bulges and an enormous chrome
Jeep badge on the tailgate to make the thing look
like a new line from the Action Man catalogue.
This points to the Hurricane true role as a
concept car. It dates from a time when Jeep was
ramping up for the launch of the JK, and it wanted
to demonstrate that a long wheelbase needn’t
mean diminished capability. To be fair, if you have
to go to these sort of engineering lengths to
match what a three-door can do, chances are
you’ve got a problem, but in typical Jeep style this
was an eyeball-popping spectacular of a vehicle.
Some concept cars are little more than styling
exercises, while others are direct pointers to
showroom models. The Hurricane may have been
a last-minute teaser for the JK, but most of all it
represents the branch of the industry which deals
in the art of the possible. And it showed just how
much is possible if you refuse to let conventional
wisdom stand in your way.

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Capability Brown
This stunning Wrangler Rubicon Recon, modified by Storm Jeeps,
is resplendent in its light brown colour scheme. Or is it beige?
Jeep calls it Gobi, actually. Either way, it may or may not be
brown – but it’s very, very capable
WORDS: WINSTON CATT PICTURES: STORM JEEPS

B
ack in 2017, with the Wrangler JK
soon to come to the end of its run,
Jeep announced a version that made
a very bold claim for itself. ‘The most
capable Jeep Wrangler ever.’ Sounds good, right?
The Wrangler Rubicon Recon was based on the
Rubicon – a model which itself could reasonably
claim to be the best turn-key off-roader in the
world. With extra deep gearing in low range, me-
chanical front and rear lockers, a detachable front
anti-roll bar and more, it’s a sensational off-road
machine. In JK form it never came to the UK with
a diesel engine, which was a shame, but that didn’t
stop it from gaining cult status among Jeep fans.
The Recon model went a step further. It gained
a heftier front axle, with 25% thicker tubing and
heavy-duty end forgings, as well as enhanced rock
rails and a stronger cast iron rear diff casing.
These modifications weren’t designed to get
you more places so much as to make sure you
got back again afterwards, which is a sure sign of

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a vehicle builder who knows his priorities. And
thus armed, the Rubicon Recon came and, pretty
quickly, went again.
There aren’t many of these ultimate Jeeps
around, and there’s only one like this. In fact, if
we’re playing around with the word ‘ultimate,’ by
definition there can only be one and we wouldn’t
mind betting that this is it. That’s because the
guys at Storm Jeeps got their hands on it – adding
more capability still with a series of quality mods
designed to make it better than ever off-road.
There’s a lot going on here, but you should
base any build around the tyre size you want
to use and Storm wanted to use 37x12.50R17s.
Dinky little numbers, then. The Wrangler’s under-
lying design means it can take unusually big tyres
with only a modest lift, and in this case that means
three inches. But it’s not just any old lift.
No, it’s a 3” TeraFlex Falcon Alpine CT3
suspension system. This uses TeraFlex coils and
Falcon shocks to achieve the extra height; the

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Above left: The standard Rubicon is well shaped to avoid contact with the ground, but with JCR Offroad’s Crusad-
er front bumper in place it’s better shaped than ever – as well as being sturdily armoured against damage should you
somehow manage to exceed its now-epic approach angle. This is made even less likely by the 37x12.50R17 Cooper
Discoverer STT Pro tyres whose overwhelming size is well illustrated here, but if the worst comes to the worst that
bumper is also home to a Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S winch
Above right: The rear bumper is a JCR Offroad Crusader unit, too, and it’s every bit as cool as the front one. Up above
it, a Teraflex HD spare wheel mount has the capacity to cope with 37 inches of Cooper’s best, and it makes a handy
home for a high-lift too

latter are enhanced for low-speed performance,
while spring retainers are used to keep the coils
retained in their mounts even under full droop.
Talking of full droop, the kit also includes
extra-length braided brake hoses. You also get
heavy-duty panhard rods, adjustable at the front,
as well as a Jeep-specific steering damper promis-
ing ‘balanced and controlled side-to-side steering
response and return to centre dynamics.’
The real star attraction here, though, is that
the axles are controlled by a full set of Alpine flex
arms. These are engineered to be fully adjusta-
ble, allowing fine-tuning of the pinion and caster
angles, anti-squat geometry and tyre position as
well as optimising the front and rear roll centres
– meaning you can set the vehicle up exactly the
way you want it, whether for road or off-road use.
With this little lot in place, there’s room
beneath the Wrangler’s arches for those
37x12.50R17 tyres. Storm Jeeps used Cooper
STT Pros, fitting them on a set of 17” road-legal
beadlockers from Hutchinson. These are the real
thing, with proper internal beadlocks meaning
you can air down to single-figure psi pressures
without the risk of throwing a tyre. An ARB Twin
air-compressor and tyre inflation kit mounted
beneath the passenger’s seat means this is more
than just theoretical.
Something else you don’t risk is damaging
anything. Well, that’s not strictly true, but it’s less
likely to happen than ever thanks to some of the
other mods Storm has applied to the vehicle.
Which in turn brings us to something else that’s
not strictly true.
Those tyres? That lift? Well, yes, they may have
been helped by a set of flat wheelarch flares from
JCR Offroad. These are part of the company’s
Crusader range – as are the front and rear
bumpers and rock sliders also to be found on the
vehicle. All of these have high-lift jacking points
engineered into their design, and the former also
happens to have a Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S
winch bolted on top of it.
Oh, and the rock sliders? They contain LED
rock lights. And what’s not to love about that…?
The same can be said of the dual-exit stainless
steel Borla exhaust, which helps get the best from

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Left: This amount of flex hardly
01482 666491 scratches the surface of what the
01482 666491 Teraflex 3” suspension system can
do. With Falcon adjustable shocks,
hydraulic bump stops and fully tun-
able control arms, this is a seriously
capable set-up – the sort of high-end
kit you need to be fitting if you want
to improve on the Rubicon’s already
impressive standard set-up
Below: The 37” Coopers are wrapped
around a set of 17” Hutchinson alloys
with internal beadlocks. These are
fully road-legal and allow the tyres
to be aired right down for the most
extreme off-road work
the 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine powering the Wran- With all that going on, what we have here is a if you look after it, it probably won’t be worth
gler. This makes it both look and sound good, and vehicle that can reasonably claim to be the ulti- much less in five years’ time, and you might like to
further kerb appeal comes from a variety of other mate version of the ultimate Jeep. There are big- try comparing that to the value of the nice Audi
details – Drake door handle inserts, Rugged Ridge ger, more extreme examples out there, but these or BMW you’re looking at for around the same
alloy bonnet latches and JW Speaker LED head- are definitely moving beyond the realms of the money.
lights, fog lights, indicators and tail lights. everyday off-roader and getting very specialised And quite right too. This is, after all, a piece of
If you want a cool looking truck, though, one – at which point you might well start wondering Jeep’s history. Seventy large for the most capable
of the key perils to avoid is having four enor- about their viability as road transport. Wrangler ever, made more capable still? If you’ve
mous tyres on the ground and a tragic old piece This, on the other hand, is a Wrangler that will got it, we can think of no better way to flaunt it.
of scrap on the spare. The problem here is that rumble its way around town without
manufacturers’ spare wheel carriers tend only to a fuss, take you on holiday or pick up
be designed to hold the standard issue, and all too the kids from school. All you have to
often there’s precious little clearance for anything do is worry about the enormous stir
bigger. Not to worry, though – it’s Teraflex to that’s likely to surround it wherever
the rescue again, with a heavy-duty carrier which it goes. And you need be in no doubt
comes complete with its own high-lift jack mount. that ‘wherever it goes’ is very much
One other problem you get with huge tyres is wherever you want it to go.
that they wreck the calibration on your speedo. The vehicle itself was actually for
Certainly, a 37” fitment is unlikely to fall within sale at the time of writing, with 7500
the margin of error allowed by the man from the miles on the clock and an asking
ministry. Hence the use of an AEV Procal, which price of £69,995. That’s a hefty sum
resets the reading to suit the tyres down below. to pay for a Wrangler – however
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Not so soft after

When it first came to Britain, the Cherokee XJ was what classed as a
soft-roader by the standards of the early nineties. But while it wasn’t
as hardcore as the Wrangler, it was still a Jeep – and with no end of
modifications available, it could be turned into a true off-road legend.
In fact, sometimes you didn’t even need to modify it all that much…
WORDS: ROBIN TURNER PICTURES: STEVE TAYLOR

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all…
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W
hen 4x4s first became a
full-on craze in the early
nineties, nothing embodied
their popularity more than
the then-new Jeep Cherokee. Big, powerful and
well equipped, it looked cool, went well and
sold in bucketloads, giving traditional family
saloons a bloody nose and heralding an era of
off-road largesse and a devil-may-care approach
to fuel consumption.
What this meant was that ten years later,
there was a huge supply of old XJs available
for next to no money. Most had never been
off-road, either – yet with two live axles and
a proper transfer case, this was the best-ever
Cherokee for modding into a playday weapon.
Yet when John Lyne bought his Cherokee in
2001, he didn’t even intend to do much with it.
His first 4x4, he got it to replace an ancient Vol-
vo estate which kept breaking down, expecting
it to be nothing more than a car.
Just down the road, however, was a place
called Tong. Also known as Parkwood Off-Road
Centre. Having read about it in a local paper,
John decided to go along to one of the site’s
playdays and see what the Jeep would do in
completely standard form… and he instantly
became a regular.
He also became a serial modder. First, the
Cherokee went up by 2”. That lift didn’t work
out so well, though, so John replaced it with
a 3” Pro-Comp job. This did work but he
replaced it anyway, creating a hybrid system
using Pro-Comp shocks and Rubicon Express
springs and control arms, along with coil
spacers and extended shackles, to take the
overall lift to 4.5”.
Cherokees are a funny breed in that you can
lift them way more than even this and the same

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The exo cage provides jackable

rock-sliders and picks up on six
mounting points, including a solid rear
bumper which replaced the laughably
flimsy original. An Internal cross
made from steel box creates a brace
between the floor and roof, adding
strength to a structure that’s
primarily intended to protect the
body from tree hits

size of tyres will still knock the bodywork from
time to time. But having cut out the wheelarches
John found that a set of 33” Simex Jungle Trekkers
would do the job just fine.
These went on to a pair of completely standard
axles. Conventional wisdom has it that the Dana
30 front and 35c rear units Jeep used on the
Cherokee aren’t up to heavy off-road use, espe-
cially once they’re having to turn bigger rubber,
but here’s evidence to the contrary. ‘I’ve never
broken a halfshaft,’ says John. ‘On 33-inch Jungle
Trekkers, I’ve never done that. I blew a back diff
once, but that was my own fault.’
With the standard limited-slip diff in the back
axle, and not a locker to be seen, these really are
as they left the factory – despite fitting 33s, John
hasn’t even bothered changing the ratios, finding
that the effect on the vehicle’s overall gearing
doesn’t warrant it. The only mod they’ve received,
in fact, is a set of Solid cast diff covers. These
protect the diffs from impacts, and also increase
the axles’ oil capacity.
Even the propshafts are standard, thanks to a
clean bill of health from another local company,
the famous Propshaft Clinic. ‘We took the back
one for him to look at,’ says John. ‘He said it’s fine;
it doesn’t vibrate or anything. We get away with
that, though. I think we’re lucky!’
Also completely standard are the Cherokee’s
original 4.0-litre engine, four-speed auto box and
Selec-Trac transfer case. The big six-pot, which
is among the most reliable engines ever built,
breathes in through a snorkel and out through an
exhaust which has been re-routed to exit through
the offside rear body, but that’s about it. It’s also
cooled by a trio of electric fans, which are switch-
able from the cabin to prevent them from sending
water everywhere when John goes wading, but
even the rad itself remains standard.
As you’ll be gathering by now, but for its sus-
pension this deceptively gnarly looking Cherokee
is actually pretty standard. What gives it the
appearance of a full-house mod job, however, is
its larger-than-life exo cage, which John and his
off-roading mate Brian Crabtree built together
out of seamless tube. ‘We actually had to make
it while it was on, which was a lot of hassle.’ Say
what? ‘It won’t fit over the vehicle, so it had to

‘I’ve never broken a halfshaft. On 33-inch Jungle

Trekkers, I’ve never done that. I blew a back diff once,
but that was my own fault’
There’s so much to see here in terms
of modifications. First thing you’re
likely to notice are the 33” Simex
Jungle Trekkers, which age the
vehicle somewhat but are likely to
make you feel warm and fuzzy about
the days before the Fun Police turned
up. The XJ rides on +3.5” Rubicon
Express springs and Pro-Comp
shocks, with lower control arms from
the former company helping keep
the front axle were it should be, and
coil spacers and extended shackles
add another inch to its overall height.
You’re also looking at an adjustable
panhard rod here, as well as a Dan
Bar originally intended for a Land
Rover, and the diff casing has been
replaced by a heavy-duty Solid job
which also adds extra capacity to the
axle’s oil reservoir

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A Superwinch EP9, running 12-strand

Plasma and a hawse fairlead, is
01482 666491
mounted on a home-made tubular
bumper which also carries a 01482 666491
heavy-duty recovery point. The
Cherokee didn’t have a separate
chassis, so building hard bumpers and
rock sliders is a lot less simple than it
would be with a Wrangler

be welded on in place. We had to put the side

runners on, then the sides, and so on.’
Those side runners are welded to the chassis
and bolted up through the floor. Needless to say,
they’re jackable: ‘we’ve sat it on all sorts of things,’
says John, ‘and it’s never moved!’
The cage picks up on six points and is braced
by a massively strong internal cross, made of
suitably ugly steel box, which is bolted up through
the roof. ‘It works,’ is John’s modest but definite
verdict. ‘It moves trees when you go underneath
them… It’s solid.’
We can imagine it getting jammed in when
other vehicle’s would simply crumple, which is a
good and a bad thing. At least it would give John
the chance to show his Superwinch EP9 some
action. Mounted on a home-made tubular front
bumper and fitted with internal switches, this is
juiced by an Optima Yellow-Top and spooled with
Plasma – no bad thing, considering the vehicle’s
lack of lockers and the relentlessly wet terrain in
which it seems to see most of its action.
Further good stuff includes a full Polybush kit
on the suspension, an adjustable panhard rod and
a heavy-duty steering bar, originally made for a
Land Rover but cut down at each end to fit the
Cherokee. The bushes in particular get a lot of
praise – despite the extra height, John reports, the
vehicle handles like a stock one in corners, with
no extra body roll at all.
He’s full of praise for the vehicle itself, too.
Stressing that it’s a pretty standard XJ which
hasn’t received a vast amount of modifications,
he reports that aside from a few UJs, a new
transfer box chain and the occasional seized
pulley caused by total immersion in mud, he’s had
little cause for complaint.
A generation of XJ owners would, we think,
say amen to that. The vehicle’s heyday may be
past, with so few being left now and most of the
off-road builds having long since been beaten to
death, but for a truck that started life in the UK
market as a sort of Volvo on steroids, the original
Cherokee certainly proved that the Jeep badge on
its bonnet stood for something worth having.
John’s vehicle is living proof that even though
it wasn’t a Wrangler, the XJ could really do the
business off-road – and that you didn’t need to
make massive mods to get it there. It was a
vehicle from the days when SUVs were still
proper trucks – and above all, it was a Jeep in
every sense of the word.

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Cooking up a
If a full-house Wrangler build isn’t for you, it’s still possible to create
a late-letter Jeep with Trail-Rated off-road ability and more street
presence than you can shake a stick at. That’s because the Trailhawk
version of the Renegade comes with some proper go-anywhere
engineering – and because the guys at Storm Jeeps have figured out
how to make it more serious, and cooler, than ever…
WORDS: WINSTON CATT PICTURES: STORM JEEPS

A
t the upper end of the Jeep mod-
ding game, it’s possible to spend
major sums of money on a new
or nearly-new Wrangler. Whether
you want it to be a street star or an off-road
superhero, there’s no end of kit available to help
you convert your JK or JL into the truck of your
dreams – the only limiting factors are your imagi-
nation and, of course, the depth of your pocket.
At the other end of the scale, you see old
Grand Cherokees being butchered into budget
playday toys and hammered until the wheels
fall off. Nothing wrong with a bit of redneck
motorsport, of course. But what if you want a
Jeep that treads the middle ground between these
two extremes?
The cost of buying even a standard Wrangler
means it’s off-limits even in standard form unless
you’re loaded. But if you want a late-letter Jeep
that’ll double up as a cool daily drive and capable
off-road toy, there is another way. And here it is,
courtesy of Storm Jeeps.
Launched here in 2015, the Renegade quickly
became Jeep’s highest-selling European model
of all time. On the face of it, it’s a trendy little
SUV for school runs and shopping trips – but at
the top of the range, the Trailhawk model adds a
serious level of off-road ability.
Don’t be fooled. Some car makers do versions
of their SUVs with ‘modifications’ like different
paint, LED headlamps and technical seat covers
(whatever that means), lob on an ‘extreme’ badge
and claim some sort of off-road superiority. It’s
easy to sneer, but it’s also easy to make generali-
sations and if that means dismissing the Trailhawk
as another of these fake 4x4s, the joke’s on you.
Yes, the Trailhawk has hill descent control,
which if you’re of a certain age will always make
you grind your teeth. But it also has low range
– and of course that makes all the difference.
It’s the reason why Jeep was able to take on the
Rubicon Trail in one of these vehicles, earning it
the ‘Trail Rated’ badge that’s worn so proudly by
the company’s vehicles.

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Left: 225/65R17 BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrains

wrapped around Trek 8 alloy wheels from Rugged
Ridge might not look like the last word in off-road
equipment. And for sure, it’s a compromise. This is
a pretty sound way of getting a bigger tyre un-
der the vehicle, however, making use of the extra
height allowed by a 1.5” Daystar suspension lift.
Seen beyond the wheel here is one of the Terrafir-
ma HD Rock Rails which provide added protection
to the vehicle’s sills and doors
Above: Slimline and light in weight, the Front-
runner roof rack was specifically designed with
off-road use in mind

The Trailhawk has hill descent control, which if

you’re of a certain age will always make you grind
your teeth. But it also has low range – and of course
that makes all the difference
The Renegade also has underbody bash guards
protecting its transmission, suspension and fuel
tank, as well as luxuries like leather, cruise, climate
and sat-nav. So it’s a well equipped daily driver
with real off-road intent, at a price that makes it
seriously attractive. And as you can see here, it
cuts quite a dash – whether on that school run or
a green lane, you’ll be noticed in this thing.
That of course is a little to do with the Rene-
gade and a lot to do with what Storm Jeeps has
turned it into. Obviously, its Hyper Green paint
scheme means you won’t struggle to draw atten-
tion to yourself, and there’s a nice bit of stance
going on there too – this comes courtesy of a
1.5” Daystar suspension lift and 17” Rugged Ridge
Trek 8 wheels.
The Daystar kit tackles the issues that come
with lifting a vehicle with independent suspension,
addressing the geometry of the control arms,
the angle of the driveshafts and the length of the
anti-roll bars to maintain factory-standard levels
of stability and ride quality. The company says the
Renegade will handle as crisply as ever with this
kit installed – which is good because, however
good an off-road toy it might be, ultimately you
won’t buy one like this unless you intend to use it
a lot on the tarmac.
With this in mind, the tyres wrapped around
those eye-catching gloss black lightweight alloys
are BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrains – a classic com-

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Smoked side reflectors, LED fogs, Rugged Ridge headlight guards and Terrafirma wind deflectors go together to make
this a Trailhawk with serious road appeal. And when you’re not enjoying all those admiring glances around town, they’ll
do no harm at all to where the vehicle can take you off-road
promise between on and off-road excellence. At
225/65R17, these are taller than the standard-fit
tyres, adding purpose to the vehicle’s appearance
and allowing it to triumph over even more rugged
terrain. Considering the Trailhawk can take on
the Rubicon Trail in standard form (if you’ve ever
had the good fortune to drive this legendary trail,
you’ll understand how significant a claim it is),
with these extra enhancements you can expect it
to go places even a well sorted Wrangler will have
to work at. Ultimately, of course, you can push a
Wrangler further, whether on the trail or in the
workshop, but there’s more ability in this vehicle
than you’d believe possible.
It’s even better protected underneath than the
standard Trailhawk, too, thanks to the addition
of Terrafirma’s HD Rock Rails. These come with
built-in tubular tree bars to protect the vehicle’s
sills and doors from what would be an extremely
expensive seeing-to at the hands of Mother Earth,
and double up as an access step to protect the
owner from an ear-bashing at the hands of pas-
sengers less agile or not as tall as himself. Either
way, a sound addition…
So too as a 40” LED bar from KC, which has a
combo beam lighting pattern including both spot
and spread reflectors and delivers an output of up
to 27,000 lumens. This is mounted on a slimline
roof rack from Frontrunner, whose aluminium
construction and low-profile design makes it ideal
for off-road use.
With JW Speaker LED fog lights, smoked side
reflectors, Rugged Ridge light guards and Terra-
firma wind deflectors, this particular Renegade
has a good bit of show about it. That may or may
not be to your own personal taste, and of course
you could spec your own build with more of a
bias towards hardcore off-roading if you wanted –
though this actual vehicle was for sale at the time
of writing, priced at £24,995, and that’s a lot of
Jeep for your money.
‘The Storm Jeeps Renegade Trailhawk is the
ideal vehicle for anyone who wants to stand
out from the crowd,’ says the company, ‘and is
a comfortable and capable companion for all of
life’s adventures.’ It all sounds a bit like the sort
of thing those car manufacturers might say about
their ‘extreme’ special editions – the difference
being that in this case, however cute the Rene-
gade might look on the road, it has the tough-
truck skills to back it up.

KC HiLiTES’ 40” C-Series LED bar is a dual-row monster

whose 27,000 lumen output gives it the potential to fry
the world ahead of it. A combination spot and spread
beam pattern allows it to adapt to the situation, too
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Dream Chaser
Karl Pearson discovered off-roading by accident, but once he’d had a
taste for it there was no going back. Fast forward a mere fifteen years,
and it was time to get down to the serious business of building
the truck he had always dreamed of…
WORDS: GEMMA ASKHAM PICTURES: STEVE TAYLOR

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C
hasing your dreams is a risky
business. All too often, that holiday
in paradise can turn out to be a
fortnight spent dodging cockroach-
es and timeshare touts, and that sporting hero
or rock god can turn out to be a bit of an idiot
when you finally get to meet them.
As for your dream 4x4… well, we all
hear the stories about builds that turn into
nightmares. The good news here, though, is
that when things go horrendously wrong, the
traumas are normally self-inflicted.
That’s why, when Karl Pearson set out to
build his dream Jeep, he didn’t leave anything
to chance. Careful planning, well-sourced
parts, expert craftsmanship and a whole lot of
off-roading bottle were the ingredients. And
the result? ‘It’s my absolute dream vehicle that
I wanted for years and years and years, and I
finally got around to doing it.’
What makes this TJ Wrangler extra special,
however, is the fact that when Karl built it, it
represented his first full-on foray into off-road
fabrication. But it’s even more special than that.

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The Wrangler rides on a Pro-Comp +4” Stage Two lift using the company’s ES9000 dampers. This creates plenty of
space for a set of 33x12.50R15 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws, mounted on the same company’s Classic 2 rims. ‘They
are a very good tyre,’ Karl says, ‘but it doesn’t bear thinking about how much they’ve cost me!’ He wouldn’t opt to buy
the same wheels again, however: ‘They’re terrible to keep clean and have started pitting already, but obviously they’re
made for America so they’re not really suited to this climate.’ Also visible here are the sway-bar quick disconnects that
went on at the same time as the suspension, and Karl would definitely recommend these to anyone: ’They make one
hell of a difference. By disconnecting the anti-roll bar from the axle, you get a lot more articulation. You can then put
them back on when you’re driving on-road and the vehicle’s not like a big wobbly jelly’

Unique, even – because how many off-roaders can
say it was their other half that got them into it?
That’s what happened to Karl when, way back
in 1990, his wife took him away for a surprise
off-roading weekend in Clyro. ‘I’d always liked the
big, chunky look of 4x4s, but I’d never owned one,’
he explains, reminiscing about that life-changing
moment. ‘But shortly after I came back, I just
had to go out and buy one. I’ve been completely
hooked on off-roading ever since!’
On returning home, Karl embarked on a fif-
teen-year learning curve during which he invested
in a string of different 4x4s which he treated to
minor modifications, such as new wheels and a
few ‘home-made odds and ends,’ before hastily
selling them on. However, in the same way that
there’s a book inside every aspiring author, so
there’s a build inside every makeshift mechanic;
and when Karl decided he wanted to own the
ultimate off-road toy, it was time to take a Jeep of
faith in his DIY skills. ‘A lot of thought went into
every modification: I mean, if you’re going to do
it, you want to do it right. But I love getting my
hands dirty and this was my dream.’

‘A lot of thought went into every modification. I mean,

if you’re going to do it, you want to do it right. But I
love getting my hands dirty and this was my dream’

Up front, a stubby bumper is home to a Superwinch EP9 mounted using a modified kit from Goodwinch. Out back,
there’s a Pro-Comp bumper with a 2” receiver hitch, and both carry a brace of recovery points. Beneath that rear
bumper is a heavy-duty fuel tank guard from Skid Row

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The TJ’s original 4.0-litre, six-cylin-

der petrol engine remains in place, 01482 666491
though it breathes through a snor-
kel and runs a throttle body spacer
01482 666491
to give it some more in the way of
mid-range torque. ‘This is one area
in which I’m not planning on making
any more changes to,’ says Karl. ‘It’s
thirsty enough as it is!’

After deciding on a TJ because of its ‘good

looks and superb off-road performance,’ Karl
sourced a completely standard model from a
private seller in Sheffield and set about turning his
fantasy into reality. The Jeep would never have to
play a dual role as Karl’s everyday on-road vehicle,
so his goal was simple: to create a lean, mean
playday machine that was as capable as it was
good-looking.
And so, over the course of about eighteen
months, Karl invested his evenings, weekends
and more than £10,000 into a project that took
him from a green green laner to an experienced
engineer and mud-plugger. He trusted one or two
jobs to a local garage in Rotherham that had the
specialist tools required, but did all the rest him-
self. ‘I started with the small bits first, like adding
small mud-terrains and a raised air intake,’ he says.
‘Bigger wheels went on after the lift – and then it
just went silly after that!’
There’s no such thing as a finished project, of
course, and back when we first spoke to Karl the
next job on the list was going to be to do a ring
and pinion conversion to cater for the gearing
effect of the taller tyres. ’But if I’m doing that, I
may as well put diff locks in. Although I’m still a bit
unsure whether they are a good idea – I do think
they take some of the skill out of driving.’
Proponents of diff locks would of course argue
that knowing when and when not to use them
is just another skill. And Jeep dealers would no
doubt point out that the company itself uses them
in the Rubicon version of the current Wrangler.
But you’ll certainly learn more basic driving tech-
niques without having such a powerful tool to fall
back on – and for Karl, driving is what this build
was all about.
‘Everything works very well,’ he says of the
vehicle. ‘In fact, with the lift it’s like a mountain
goat – it will go anywhere! The noise the engine
makes is just unbelievable, too. I’m not ever going
to sell this one, ever!’
This is a story in which it’s not just the vehicle
that’s made a journey. For Karl, this TJ isn’t just
a great off-roader – it’s the great off-roader that
he created himself, just the way he wanted it. It’s
taken him to all sorts of places since the build was
complete (or at least far enough through for him
to start using it), and the adventure continues to
this day. And it all started with what seemed like
such an innocent weekend away in Clyro those
thirty years ago…
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GET YOUR KICKS

Route 66 is famous for being a road, not a trail. But ever since it was
replaced by Interstate 40, parts of it have been fallen out of use and
some have started to be reclaimed by nature. Which means that if
you really want to explore the Mother Road, ya gotta do it by Jeep…
WORDS AND PICTURES: ADAM TOWNS

T
here’s a hot, dry sun beating down
on the plains and mesas all around
us. On the radio, some good ‘ol boy
and his gee-taw are singing about
mom’s apple pie. Actual physical tumbleweed is
blowing across our path. And the tarmac road
ahead has just disintegrated into a ribbon of
dusty gravel.
If you think the above sounds like a shower of
clichés, well, you’re right. It does. But it’s all true
– and after a 2500-mile trip along Route 66, it no
longer sounds unusual.
Route 66 itself might be the biggest cliché of
the lot, a highway that only exists as a historical
curiosity and wouldn’t even have an ounce of
fame left were it not for the fact that its name
happens to rhyme with the words ‘I get my
kicks’. But for the heritage clustered alongside
its winding path through the Midwest, and the
landscapes through which it passes as plains
give way to mountains and mountains turn into
deserts, it’s a legend of a journey. And though
it might once have been a road, these days it’s
a mish-mash of everything from interstate to
rough dirt trail. Perfect for a trip – and better
than ever aboard a Jeep.
This doesn’t mean the Mother Road is
anything like the Rubicon. The dirt sections are
still fairly flat, even if they’ve become increasingly
corrugated in places as the years roll by. But no
matter. A trail’s a trail, and America’s America,
so here we were setting off from Chicago to
explore this intriguing ribbon of US history.
I was driving my cousin Ryan’s JK Wrangler,
while he led the way aboard his Grand
Cherokee. He probably thought I’d drawn the
short straw for a journey of 2000-plus miles, but
as far as I was concerned I’d hit the jackpot.
We were determined to try and get on to the
correct historical road as early as possible, but in
Chicago that’s easier said than done. In the end,
we settled for not still being in town by nightfall.
As it turned out, by the time darkness
gathered over the Illinois skyline we’d made it
as far as Springfield. Ryan’s JK was a Rubicon
model with cruise control, which came in handy
once we hit the interstate; long sections of old
Route 66 were dualled when I-40 was built, and
with better things to see further west we settled
for a few long stints early in our trip to get us
through the less exciting countryside. Ryan could
only spare a week for the trip, but if you ever do
Route 66 I’d suggest giving it a month and staying
on the backroads all the way. You see some wild
stuff – every moment will be time well spent.
Talking of wild stuff, Springfield was where we
stopped to stock up for the following week’s
camping. I’d been looking forward to my first
experience in an American hypermarket, and
the last Shop’n’Save before the Missouri state
line didn’t come as a disappointment at all.
Guacamole Pringles? Smucker’s Goober? Head
Cheese? We left with all these things and more
in the back of our Jeep.
Head Cheese. I don’t even know what that is
(still). But you’d have to give it a punt, right?
What makes America so fascinating isn’t the
difference to Britain: it’s the similarity. It’s like
being at home, only something’s not quite right.

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As a Brit, you get taught that America doesn’t have any heritage. But Route 66 itself is heritage, and there’s no end of
roadside curiosities as you follow it. These include Galloway’s Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, a 14-acre garden in
which retired teacher Ed Galloway built a collection of totem poles including this 90-foot monster – you can just pull
over and go in for a wander among these extraordinary structures. Also in Oklahoma is the Round Barn in Arcadia, a
complete one-off built by a farmer in the 19th Century which claims to be the only truly circular barn in America

Like the standard of the camp sites we stayed
at, for example. We’re used to it being a bit hit
and miss over here, but Ryan recommended
KOA (Kampgrounds of America, which has more
than 450 sites throughout the US and Canada)
and we looked no further. People often talk
about the exceptional standard of service you
get in America: they’re not always right (just try
visiting New York), but KOA’s staff got full marks
every time.
The sites may all have had the same
branding, but no two had the same character.
In Springfield, we drove for miles along ever-
Texas is a state where big is beautiful – though there’s more to it than just
sheer scale, as illustrated by the old U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, now restored as
a visitor attraction in the style of an art deco Conoco filling station. But the
190-foot cross, a couple of counties further west in Groom, is definitely big –
note the life-sized human sitting at its base
narrower backroads to find a small campground
nestled in a wood. The following night, in Joplin,
Missouri, we were literally only seconds from the
interstate; despite this, while throwing out a bag
of rubbish, I opened the lid of the dumpster to
find a pair of raccoons staring out at me. Many
miles later, the site in downtown Albuquerque
combined a bizarrely suburban setting with
breathtaking views of the parched mountains
overlooking the city, while Williams, Arizona
combined genuine isolation with a convenient
if hardly idyllic location in the back yard of a
roadside filling station.
Williams is the jumping-off point for the
Grand Canyon, and like many people who follow
Route 66 we had that in mind as a destination.
Which is cheating, really, because the town itself
is as close as the highway ever passed to the
Canyon on its relentless march west towards
LA, but that’s unlikely to be too great a concern
when you’ve crossed the Atlantic to see what
America’s all about.
And you certainly will have seen America
by this stage. You’ll have seen it as its wildest,
bleakest, homeliest and most beautiful, from its
most urbane and modern to its most spent and
run-down. Most of all, , you’ll have seen the real
history of a land many people assume has none.
That’s apparent from the word go on Route
66. The morning after our hilarious supermarket
experience in Springfield, we were walking across
the Chain of Rocks Bridge – an old, now-disused
structure across the Mississippi upstream of
St Louis, which links Illinois to Missouri and is
famed for having a sharp bend halfway along its
length, necessary to leave uninterrupted clear
water for river traffic.
The bridge was built in 1929 and
decommissioned in 1967, when a new two-lane
crossing was built just upstream of it. More than
thirty years later, during which time it had been
in constant danger of demolition, it was restored
as a historical attraction; today, as you walk
across, you’ll find a period gas pump, an old fire
engine and a long line of plaques placed on the
parapets by sponsors. Many allude to road trips;
our favourite simply said ‘Here’s to Life!’
It’s easy to assume that America will be full
of tawdry attractions with ever-present ticket
booths and souvenir stands, but our overall
experience was quite the opposite. The bridge
doesn’t even have a proper car park – it’s just

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The First Motel in Texas / Last Motel in Texas stands in the hamlet of Glenrio, just east of the border with New Mexico.
Its decaying state is a sad metaphor for the decline of Route 66; shortly after you pass here, the road surface gives way
to a lengthy section of loose gravel

there, part of the land, with life going on all
around it. If you want to come take a look, it
seems to be saying, be my guest.
It’s the same story as the miles, counties and
states roll by and the Route 66 heritage comes
and goes. How could you fail to be moved by a
sign reading ‘Historic Route 66,’ with an arrow
leading you off to destinations unknown? One
reason, above all others, why you should leave
plenty of time for the trip.
Another is that there are so many passing
curiosities, each of them tempting you just to
stop and consider for a moment. It might be a
line of decrepit buildings in the high street of
Galena, Kansas, unchanged since they were built
during the town’s lawless heyday as a mining
outpost. It might be the Marsh Arch Bridge in
nearby Riverton, the last remaining concrete
truss bridge on the route, recently saved from
impending demolition along with decades of
colourful local graffiti. It might be the superbly
preserved art deco filling station in Shamrock,
Texas, or the water tower in Adrian, a little
further west in the same state, which proudly
claims to be the midway point on your journey.
Don’t just rush from one of these wayside
curiosities to the next, though. Route 66 is
fascinating enough in its own right, but as you
push ever-westwards you’ll be within a detour
here, a loop there of no end of discoveries.
These are as infinitely varied as the landscape
itself. Witness Galloway’s Totem Pole Park, in
Foyil, Oklahoma, a 14-acre roadside garden in
which, from 1937 to 1962, retired teacher Ed
Galloway built a variety of totem poles and other
objects. Seeing is believing.
You don’t need to pay to wander around the
park, and the same is true of one of the great
Route 66 icons. Just west of Amarillo, as you
cross the Texas Panhandle, is Cadillac Ranch,
where a line of ten old Caddys are buried nose-
first in the ground. This is pop art at its purest;
most visitors add their own contribution to the
lurid graffiti covering the cars, so no two will
ever see quite the same sight.
By this stage, you’ll have spotted the gigantic
cross near Groom, which rises 190 feet above
the surrounding plain. You might also have done
what we did and stopped at the Big Texan,
which first opened on Route 66 in 1960 and has
become famous for its 72oz steak. Eat it within
an hour, and it’s free: only about 20% of those
who step up to the mark come away successful.
The record is 90 seconds, though it was set by
a tiger so it doesn’t count. Anyway, for humans
it’s under five minutes and if you ask me, that’s
even more impressive.
As Texas gives way to New Mexico, just off
the interstate there’s a poignant insight into the
decline of Route 66 within yards of the state
line. Here, in the bleak little outpost of Glenrio,
are the remains of the Last Motel in Texas / First
Motel in Texas. Now, the buildings are being
reclaimed by weeds, the cheerful sign that once
welcomed tired drivers is derelict and the only
life we saw was a trio of dogs, one with a tell-tale
nose full of porcupine quills, who came to see if
we were likely to throw them anything when we
pulled over.
Beyond here, the Jeeps came in to their own
as the sealed surface petered out and Route 66
became unpaved. Miles of dusty, bumpy track
wending its way through the wilderness, flat
enough but rough and loose – it’s great fun, and
something that certainly adds another dimension
to the same scenery everyone else was surveying
from amid the Peterbilts on the interstate just a
few miles away.
We’d found some other unpaved sections
back in Oklahoma, where white Route 66 signs
painted on the surface were still visible through
the patches of gravel. These were much shorter
and far less isolated than this, though – and the
more time we spent in New Mexico, the more of
these trails we found.
A detour on one of these took us to Bandera
Volcano and Ice Cave. Here, you can walk up to
the top of the volcanic cone and gawp in awe at
the crater below, before heading underground
into an open cave where ice started forming

The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Parks

are basically one and the same – you drive through both
without realising where one ends and the other begins.
Leaving the tarmac here would get you a well deserved
ticket; instead, explore it on foot

30 | THE JEEP FILES 4x4

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Cadillac Ranch is one of the most symbolic attractions along Route 66. Just
west of Amarillo, it’s a pop-art installation of ten old Caddys buried nose-deep
in a field like some sort of automotive Stonehenge. A little way west from here
you’ll pass the town of Adrian – the midway point on an end-to-end journey
on Route 66. Brenda’s Cafe is on the south side of the road, opposite the water
tower proclaiming that you’ve made it halfway

3400 years ago – and has never melted
since. Even in the heat of the New Mexican
summer, the mass of the ice is such that the air
temperature never gets above freezing.
If that’s not chilling enough, when we asked
the woman at the ticket booth what we might
see on the walk to the crater, she said ‘bears.’
Compared to this, the Petrified Forest and
Painted Desert National Parks are almost quite
timid. They’re no less beguiling for it, though, not
least because they straddle the line of Route
66, making them a gimme to visit. We actually
vaulted beyond them to Holbrook for the night,
retracing our steps the next morning via Bucket
of Blood Street; a little research afterwards
yielded the distinctly unnerving fact that this was
named after a gunfight in 1886.
This was our last stop before the detour
north to the Grand Canyon, but there was still
one last rendezvous with Route 66 at Kingman.
The road carries on to Los Angeles, but Ryan
talked us into leaving it behind and heading for
Las Vegas instead, crossing the Hoover Dam on
the way.
We’d have followed him anywhere, to be
honest. His Grand Cherokee carried him north
in luxurious style, but that Wrangler was like
one of the family by now. Folding the top down
and kicking up dust on the unpaved roads of the
Midwest was an experience we’ll never forget.
I’ve driven extreme trails in many different
countries, and in terms of off-roading Route 66
was among the tamest. But don’t be in any doubt
that this is a truly iconic 4x4 experience. There
are many ways of seeing America: if you ask me,
from aboard a Jeep is the best way of all.

4x4 THE JEEP FILES | 31

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