Landrover Series Three Owners' Club

I love my 4x4!

Land Rovers, a vehicle synonymous with the English Countryside even today, and one I just love! I've lost count of the number of miles we've driven in our family Land Rover over the years. It's a fair few by anyone's standards, and still I love driving a Land Rover.

~ ~ History of the Land Rover ~ ~
The first Land Rovers came about because of the American Jeep! Here is a potted history of the ...
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· 1860's - Someone called J.K. Starley sets up a business manufacturing Sewing Machines in Coventry.
· 1884 - Early Tricycles and Bicycles were produced at the factory, and they were named 'Rover Safety' bikes. These were the forerunner to the modern pedal bicycle, and even today in Poland, the word Rover still means Bike!
· 1888 - Starley attempts to make an electric carriage, their first 'car' using a tricycle as its ... more

I love my 4x4!

Land Rovers, a vehicle synonymous with the English Countryside even today, and one I just love! I've lost count of the number of miles we've driven in our family Land Rover over the years. It's a fair few by anyone's standards, and still I love driving a Land Rover.

~ ~ History of the Land Rover ~ ~
The first Land Rovers came about because of the American Jeep! Here is a potted history of the company Rover, and how the Land Rover was born.

· 1860's - Someone called J.K. Starley sets up a business manufacturing Sewing Machines in Coventry.
· 1884 - Early Tricycles and Bicycles were produced at the factory, and they were named 'Rover Safety' bikes. These were the forerunner to the modern pedal bicycle, and even today in Poland, the word Rover still means Bike!
· 1888 - Starley attempts to make an electric carriage, their first 'car' using a tricycle as its base. It didn't go beyond its prototype stage. This then lead up to a name change in the company in 1896, where it became the Rover Cycle Company Ltd.
· 1904 - Not put off by the first attempts at an electric 'car' the company finally manages to build a car in its own right for the first time, which is an instance success with the public.
· 1906 - Because of the impact of their first motor car, Rover Cycle Company Ltd ceased all manufacturing of bicycles and went to car production only. The Company is also renamed to reflect this change, dropping the word Cycle from the title.
· 1930's - As with most manufacturing industry, Rover Company Ltd was hit badly by the depression.
· 1933 - To try and counter the problems brought about by the depression, Spencer Wilks was brought in to turn the companies fortunes around. He also employed his brother Maurice around this time.
· 1947 / 1945 - The War, as with most industrial plants of this type brought about a change of direction again for the company as they helped with the war effort. Rover helped supply engines for a variety of uses, mainly for tanks and aircraft.
· 1945 / 1946 - Steel was still in very short supply after the war, and Rover were beginning to struggle manufacturing without steel. They had plans to begin mass car production again, but the idea was in limbo for the time being.
· 1946 / 1947 - Maurice Wilks had an old War Surplus American Jeep which was being used on his farm in Anglesey and so he wanted to emulate the features this practical vehicle gave. He took his ideas to the company, and the first Land Rover prototype was built. It even had a central steering wheel, which they later changed.
· 1948 - The first Land Rover (Known as the Series I) was introduced, with a wheelbase measuring 80" (inches). This measurement is still used as a point of reference to the sort of Land Rover you have up to the later 1990's. It had a petrol engine (1.3 litre in size) and because of steel shortage, but plentiful aluminium supplies, the main body area was done using a special blend of Aluminium and Magnesium, which then gave exceptionally good longevity to the vehicles. The colour was a standard light green, since this was also the paint most readily available from the war!
· 1958 - The Series II Land Rover was introduced.
· 1961 - The Series II A was introduced. This went right through for nearly 10 years before the Series III was brought onto the market.
· 1970 - The Series III arrived.
· 1983 / 1984 - 90" and 110" vehicles launched.
· 1990 - The 90" and 110" were re-branded and called the Defender.

~ ~ My interest in Land Rovers ~ ~

We've had just about them all in one form or another in the family! We had a Series I we nicknamed Jimmy.
We then had a brief spell of having a Series II, but this was replaced with a very early Series III model, which we went on to use for a number of years. We then increased it to two Series III models in the household, and in 1991, we found out about a very early club being set up for owners of Series III Land Rovers. We joined in 1992 and have been involved with the club on some level or another since then.

Since then our Vehicle may have changed from a Series III to a very early 90" truck cab, but so has the Club, allowing membership to now include the 90" and 110" versions.

~ ~ The Club ~ ~

As already mentioned, the club began in 1991, when Series III Land Rovers had recently been phased out and replaced with the 90" and 110" versions. It grew pretty quickly and is now one of the largest clubs of its kind in the UK.
Its purpose was for a number of reasons and was set up to allow anyone (whether an owner or just an enthusiast) to talk about, meet up, exchange parts and machinery, ideas and advice about the Series III. Subsequently, as the membership changed slightly, the club adapted to allow for 90" and 110" to be included.

The Membership is based on a wide range of people, from those simply interested and wanting to know more about the models, to the experienced members who might have completely restored their own vehicles and want to pass this knowledge on. There are also members who join because they might be interested in buying this model of Land Rover and so can get help and advice before they head out to a garage or farmyard to buy.

They also hold a number of events throughout the year, which allow for off roading (for those not as fortunate as me who can just pop across the fields of my families smallholding), as well as a yearly charity auction.

You can also get discounts available on a range of Land Rover items - from bulbs to books, and a monthly magazine is sent out to all members (including those abroad) once a month. You can also buy the usual items you would expect from a club like this - Badges, mugs, accessories etc.

They now have a website, that allows you to get enough information and some parts from the site are also available to buy. It also lists some of the events that are due to take place, as well as the prices involved.

Membership starts at £25-00 currently for the year, although continued membership after the first year is then £20-00 for those in the UK.
Overseas membership starts at £28-00 and goes down to £25-00 for the following year (on current prices).

~ ~ Thoughts about the Club ~ ~

Generally, I would say the membership is only really worth the money if you are a true fan of these vehicles, but then I guess that should really go without saying.
It is a great source of information, and sometimes for parts that might not be as readily available for some people otherwise.

However, we did have one incident with someone involved with the club where they wouldn't accept we now own a very specific type of 90" truck cab, that wasn't a fully fledged 90" model. For about a year, Land Rover manufactured a 90" model that has some significant changes to the main 90" model that then came out, and by chance we landed up with one of them. It took various pieces of paperwork to prove this, so it shows that while 99% of the time, people involved with these clubs really do know their stuff, just occasionally they don't always get it right. So if you're convinced you're not getting quite the right information from someone, I would always advise you double check it before taking it 'as is'.
This isn't unique to this particular club though, and something that could happen to just about any club of this sort.

The real bonus of the club is the enthusiasm they have for the vehicle! Others who understand your own 'obsessions' with these machines, and how they just get under your skin.
Also, as mentioned, the ability to allow some drivers to experience some of the Off Roading fun these Land Rovers can offer because of some of the meet ups they have through the year is really where the Series III owners club comes into its own!

I've been lucky enough to have driven these Land Rovers through some rough terrain in my own right because of where we have lived over the years, including being in a hook up train to pull someone out when bogged down in a field after a country show…… 3 Series III Land Rovers, all linked up via chains - to pull out a car truly stuck - was great fun! We were still finding mud in nooks and crannies of the bodywork for months afterwards!
Or the snowdrifts we simply ploughed through going via the field not the lane to get out of the house we lived in!

By joining the club, you can also now get the chance to have similar amounts of fun with your 4x4. And somehow they do get under your skin. This isn't about the utility 4x4 you see in some of the towns and cities across the UK today - this is about a 4x4 who was designed to do a job, and even today there are few who can match it - and then allowing the owners to fully appreciate the versatility of the vehicle.

~ ~ Final thoughts ~ ~

Overall, I rate the club as 5 stars. It's a band of people who if you see someone in a Series III, 90" or 110" in difficulty, you're immediate reaction is to stop and see if you can help. Or, like the Lorry Driver who shielded our old Series III on an exceptionally busy road from the drivers behind who were getting impatient because it was only able to jog along at around 50 to 55 miles an hour. As he went past us at a roundabout, sounding his horn, its then we saw his sticker in the cab window!

It's as much about camaraderie in a club like this as about getting the monthly magazines or the chance to get some parts, and this is a club that does it exceptionally well.
And it's a club with a big heart. And that is why I enjoy being such a part of it.

The website can be found at http://www.thelandroverclub.co.uk/ 

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