Sightings: Winter 2017 - Rovers Magazine

It’s a cold and cloudy day as we pour through the Sightings for this Winter issue. We take a break from clearing the snow and ice off our Land Rovers to peer into the flood of emails with Sightings. We’re keen to see the clever ways that Land Rovers have wended their way into our popular culture. Sighters from around the country turned their gaze to the sights and sounds of Land Rovers around them. Whether movies, catalogues, videos, television, or the internet, they had no problem finding lots of them!

It’s always helpful for veteran and novice Sighters alike to review the rules that govern the awarding of a Coveted Mug:

Rule #1 – All Sightings receive recognition and our appreciation, but not necessarily a mug. We reward only those Sightings that capture the unique qualities of Land Rovers and their owners, and display them in a distinctive way.

Rule #2 – If your Sighting doesn’t really surprise you, it won’t surprise us, either—thus we can’t award you a mug. We’re delighted, but not surprised, that Land Rovers appear in British television programmes, British publications, films with British themes and shows about African safaris. You shouldn’t be surprised, either, and should consider looking for other ways to get a coffee mug.

Rule #3 – At an ever-changing date before publication, we close off the Sighting due to press deadlines; for this issue, it’s September 30, 2016. If we’ve mentioned the Sighting in an earlier issue, we might not mention it again. If you’re new to the family of Land Rover enthusiasts, you may not have seen your Sighting in an earlier issue.

Rule #4 – We’re not outfitting your kitchen. If you qualify, one mug per Sighting per issue.

Rule #5 – Sightings that are Land Rover references in books go to our Literary Land Rover editor for mention, but only when space permits.

Rule #6 – Psst… Email submissions—remember we can’t send a mug by email. Send us your full name and shipping address, too.

Rule #7 – Grudgingly, very grudgingly, the Editor admits he might have made an error. Let us know if you think you’ve been jobbed, but all decisions of the Editor are final.

The Mad Men of the advertising world know that a Land Rover draws eyeballs to any product. So when Olloclip created a wide angle lens attachment for phones, they used a Discovery I in their web ads, spotted Joey Boerner, Forest Grove, OR. T.J. Gregg, Clovis, NM, found a Series 88” in a Jim Beam ad about “adventure.” Royal Male is a “purveyor” of British clothing like Barbour coats, so it’s no surprise that they would include a Series Land Rover in their ad, noted John Karlsson, Hope, RI. Gavin Robinson, Bolton, MA, noted that Nauti Seltzer drinks used a topless Series II-A in their “National Seltzer Day” video. Michael Neal, Lakewood Village, TX, caught the rear end of a Defender pickup in a Trek bike ad. Frank Brennan, Bainbridge Island, WA, Stephen Hathcock, Little Rock, AR, Adam Pearsall, Queensbury, NY, Benjamin Simons, Columbia, SC, Chip McElearney [see Rule #6], Rusty Hunt, Aptos, CA and Dan Harris, Galena, IL, enjoyed spotting the Series III on the Freefly apparel website, linking comfort and a Series Rover. Really? Christopher Houck, Pacheco, CA, enjoyed the Land Rover in the Jim Beam ad. Bo Prillaman, Richmond, VA, spotted a Range Rover and a Defender in a Circle Seven ad. William Brockenbrough, Roseland, VA, spotted the Claridge + King online ad for an “Urban Safari,” complete with African scenes. John Gordon, Bartlett, TN, found a NAS Defender on his Facebook “news” feed one morning, promoting the British firm, MR PORTER. When CNN promoted its news-gathering efforts in the midst of social chaos, it chose to put its correspondent in a Defender 110 in Greece, noted Brendan Foley, Gainesville, GA. Adam Setliff, Flower Mound, TX, noted the Land Rover in the “Rite in the Rain” notebook website; he also spotted Land Rovers in ads we’ve mentioned before. Dennis Saltys, Kent, WA, enjoyed the Land Rover on the cover of Outdoor Research. Chris Hagman, Glens Mills, PA, spotted the RHD Defender used in the UK on the Trunk Club Facebook page video.

Movie and television directors always love to put Land Rovers on the screen. Jason Sheehy, Mt. Sterling, OH, saw a “forlorn” Range Rover P-38 in an episode of Breaking Bad; he offered to rescue it. Peter King, Signal Mountain, TN, spotted Range Rovers in the trailer for The Martian. Peter King also spotted the doorless and windshield-less 110 in several scenes in the cancelled show Hunters. Peter also wanted to know why the 2008 British film The Bank Job, set in 1971, took nearly two hours before showing its first Land Rover! And Peter also enjoyed seeing an 88” running through the brush in the Esquire Channel show Car Matchmaker. He was also delighted to watch a Motorweek interview about the Defender with Trevor Griffiths of British 4×4 Specialists in Elizabethtown, PA. Richard Brown, Eureka, CA, watched an old documentary on the Ted Kennedy Chappaquiddick drowning and noted that it’s a Series Land Rover that pulled his car out of the water. Matthew Spetz, Forestville, CA, noted the Defender 110 in an episode of Narcos. Alan Roesler, Kearney, NE, spotted the Discovery on duty at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. Mike Archer, Victoria, BC, Canada, noticed the Land Rovers in a Hawaii 5-0 episode. Colin Chase, Kentville, NS, Canada, enjoyed seeing a Defender Quad Cab with a canvas rear tub cover on an HGTV program on Tuscany.

When a magazine wants to enliven its offerings, it throws a Land Rover into its photo shoots [hey, works for us, right? –ed.] Bryan Hedgepeth, Richland, PA, noted that when GQ wanted to feature “Life in the Great Outdoors,” they chose a Series Land Rover to make their point. Peter King, Signal Mountain, TN, spotted a Land Rover with an improbable hipster owner posed for an article called “Off the Road” in Wired. When Outside Online decided to select the “16 Best Places to Live,” they chose a Series 88” to illustrate Jackson, WY, noted John Karlsson [see Rule #6]; Bryan Estell, Sturgeon Bay, WI and Peter King saw the same article. Mark Kellgren, Charlotte, NC, enjoyed seeing a photo of the Pope and Mother Theresa with a Defender 110 on a commercial in his Facebook feed. Rick Lathrop, Woodstown, NJ, Kimberly Bufton, Galveston, TX and Stuart Moore, Pembroke, VA, liked that an “essential car accessory” in Popular Mechanics was pulled by a Defender. Justin Ivy [see Rule #6] read an article on the Tuatara Brewing Company of New Zealand, and their Land Rover mobile tap room, in Northwest Brewing News.

In the “More Unique Sightings” category, Rusty Hunt, Aptos, CA, alerted us “not to open the attached file at work;” we understand and can only hope the model with the Defender kept warm during the photo shoot. Cherie Emmons, Somerset, KY, enjoyed watching “The Elephants Came to Dinner” video [see Rule #2] from Zambia. Randy [see Rule # 6] sent in a link to a Torren Martyn video from Australia of searching out surfing sites in a Defender 110 [complete with Dick Dale music!]. Michael Maruk, Pittsfield, MA, spotted the Series Land Rover in the video game Team Fortress 2. Peter Kapuranis, Aurora, CO, visited the Breckenridge Distillery and he couldn’t help but admire their “mascot,” a Series II-A. “Needless to say they got my business!” Back in July, Bill Johnson, Macomb, IL, read of a cross country road trip in a Defender 110 in the Wall St. Journal and shared it with us. Our own Thompson Smith, the Art Director of this magazine, shared an article from the Addison Independent [VT] on the Shacksbury Cidery and their use of a Land Rover pickup. Steve Bradke, Niskayuna, NY, noted that a Chainsmokers song includes a line about the “back seat of a Rover.” Gene Lytle, Boulder Creek, CA, enjoyed the brief glimpse of a 107” carrying Fat Bike riders in Dubai.

We’ve mentioned these before, but we want to credit Sighters for their remarkable efforts. Bryan Estell, Sturgeon Bay, WI, enjoyed a photo of the 109” bar taps at Carrington’s in Birmingham, AL, that ran in Rovers Magazine and wound up circulated online. Matthew Flanagan, Fair Haven, NJ and John Camp, Watkinsville, GA, spotted the Defender towing a house in a BEHR paint/Home Depot commercial. Andrew Lindsay, Brooks, GA, Durk Tyson, Greenville, NC and Phil [see Rule #6] spotted the Defender 110 in the FjallRaven ad. William Hutchings, Wilmington, NC, spotted the Land Rover in the Roark Revival online site. Peter Hoyle, Yonkers, NY, caught the Defender pickup in the American Express ad. William Stewart, McMinnville, OR, enjoyed the PraNa ad.