Land Rover Owner

‘Yes, welcome – but farewell too’ No point in building up to it, so I’m sorry to be the bearer of the news that this is the final printed edition of Land Rover Owner International. In common with many other print publications – newspapers and magazines alike – we’ve been hit hard by a number of external factors that have challenged the viability of LRO for some time now. It’s difficult for all of us here to come to terms with it, as I’m certain it also will be for so many of you as you read this. Everyone who’s ever worked on, or contributed to, LRO can look back with justifiable pride on the consistent quality of the editorial product that we’ve put out – first monthly and, for…

Sixty!’ Paul’s expression changes slightly – the beginning of a smile, the faintest suggestion of what might be satisfaction. But he’s still listening hard, blipping the throttle fractionally. ‘That, just there,’ he says, blipping again. ‘It’s all been set up, engine, carb... but it’s always best to run them a bit and then set them up again.’ Great, anything else, Paul? ‘Gearbox – not quite right between third and second. It’ll have to come out and be rebuilt again – I could just swap it for a rebuilt unit, but I want to keep this one. Everything else feels good.’ That’s a pretty big statement, considering this is the first time that Paul has driven the One Ten on the road since giving it a complete rebuild. ‘The MoT was…

LRO…

After a 36-year run, LRO has gone to the printers for the last time. Our first issue was published in July 1987 by a three-man team – John Cornwall, Richard Green and Richard Thomas – after they stumbled on the popularity of Land Rovers. Richard Green, who was in charge of finance, admin and retail, tells us: ‘We’d been running a magazine called Van User, which was pretty boring, until John wrote a feature about Land Rovers. That went down well, so the next month we launched LRO. It was new to all of us – we just hit the market at the right time.’ Issue one was priced at £1 and featured Princess Anne’s then husband, Captain Mark Phillips, with a Range Rover on the cover; issue two showed…

The majority of Jaguar Land Rover dealerships in the UK are to lose their association with Jaguar cars and become devoted only to Land Rovers. Full details are yet to be disclosed, but it is believed that the radical restructuring of the dealer network will see Jaguar represented by only 18 dealerships nationwide – rather than the current 88 – over the next two years. According to Car Dealer magazine, many JLR dealerships – which collectively invested £1bn to meet JLR’s ‘Arch Concept’ – will be forced to write off millions in losses as a result. The move is part of JLR’s strategy to ditch its agency model in favour of a direct-to-consumer method.…

The second annual ‘Under the Stars’ Trek Weekend, hosted by Land Rover Experience Scotland, will take place on 10-11 June, and promises to be even bigger and better than its popular inauguration last year. This is a rare opportunity to combine off-road driving in your own vehicle with other activities in the beautiful hills of Perthshire. The route leads guests on to private tracks through some of the UK’s finest scenery and then to the LRE Scotland centre in the historic village of Dunkeld. Vehicle challenges, bushcraft sessions, delicious food and family activities will all be available, and most guests will spend the night wild-camping under the stars. Expect campfire sessions in the evening, with a relaxed atmosphere, live music and fire pits. The event is charged at £250 per…