Jeffrey AronsonWhether it’s letters to Santa Claus, slyly dropped hints to spouses or partners, nighttime prayers or broad signals to potential gift-givers, ‘tis the season to be jolly in the hope that a Land Rover and/or their kit will be dropped down the chimney with care. Our servers and post office boxes our filled to the brim with submissions.
Once again, we thank our intrepid Sighters for sharing their findings with us,
for which we thank them!
It’s useful for novice Sighters and veterans to review the rules of the contest:
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 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 programs, British publications, films with British themes and shows about African safaris. These Sightings are appreciated, but not mug-worthy.
Rule #3 — At an ever-changing date before publication, we close off the Sightings; for this issue it was September 30, 2023. 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 — If you qualify, one mug per Sighting per issue. No more than two Coveted Mugs will be awarded to the same person per year.
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. To be considered for a Coveted Mug, send us your real name and shipping address too.
Rule #7 — Snail mail sightings must be sent to:
Editor, Rovers Magazine, P.O. Box 90, Vinalhaven, ME 04863.
Rule #8 — 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.
Movie and TV creatives know that the presence of Land Rovers enhances their productions. The AMC series Dark Winds features a Series III in the show, Jim Hutchison, Cambridge, MA, reported happily. Alex Breaud, Pensacola, FL, admits, “I’ve won one coveted mug, so I don’t need another unless it leaks,” but enjoyed seeing the LR3 in an episode of Loudermilk. Phil Nawrocki, Sewickley, PA, noted the distant shot of a Series Land Rover in an episode of the AppleTV program Invasion. P T Schram, Churubusco, IN, spied that Ice-T stood in front of a Range Rover Classic in the movie Surviving the Game; he also lamenated that when Rutger Hauer needs it the most, his two-door Range Rover won’t start! Back in 1971, Charlton Heston starred in a post-apocalyptic movie, The Omega Man. P T watched the movie again and noted the presence of a Series IIA 109”.
Advertisers love to connect their products with the iconic design of Land Rovers. Marco Zambelli [See Rule #6] sent in a few photos of the use by Ralph Lauren of Series Land Rovers to add impact to their flannel clothing. The Land Rover has a most unusual custom touch of using the curved windows from a pickup cab instead of the usual flat windows — Randy Katz, San Rafael, CA, sent in Sightings that Flint and Tinder used a Defender’s front in an online ad. (Go to their website and it takes you directly to Huckberry, whose use of Land Rovers in their marketing has been cited for years.) Brendon Mahoney, Fort Liberty, NC, saw the same connection. Randy also saw that Campbell’s of Scotland features a sweater with a Land Rover across its front. David Russ, Lyme, NH, and Randy Katz, San Rafael, CA, saw that a Washington Post article on Victoria’s Secret featured a Defender L316 behind two models. Gina Duncan, Salt Lake City, UT, found that Wandrd, a travel photography bag company, used a Defender 90 L316 in their Instagram ad.
Ozair and Zeeshan Faruqi, Beaverton, OR, noted a RHD drive Defender in a Wall Street Journal magazine article on Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Preserve. Randy Katz, San Rafael, CA, saw the same article as well as Facebook ads for “Life’s Too Short to Drive Boring Cars” that included a Series IIA, a Range Rover Classic and a Defender on the t-shirt. He also found a Facebook ad for Land Rover-themed slippers — or maybe it found him!
We encourage Sighters to search out the most obscure portions of a Land Rover that might appear in an ad. In this issue, we send a tip of the cap to David Ducat, Lebanon, CT, who caught a wheel flange in a Union Supply clothing ad in Saratoga magazine. Garden & Gun magazine often features Land Rovers on their covers. For a recent issue, Bob Cullum, Chapin, SC, and Ray Romano, San Antonio, TX, noted their use and believes that the spaniel on this cover is sticking its nose out of a Series I. David Huntley, Santa Fe, NM, found an article in that issue about a hunting lodge in Chile that uses a Defender pickup as a chuck wagon for their hunts. Bruce Bishop, Tucson, AZ, enjoyed seeing an ad in Cowboys and Indians magazine for Classic Overland, a Defender refurbishing company. Bob Lowe, S. Glastonbury, CT, spotted an article in the Hartford Courant with a lead photo of Denzel Washington seated beside a Defender L316.
In the unusual Sightings category, Dave Sweetapple, Brattleboro, VT (and @VermontRovers columnist), couldn’t help but note that an FMS online ad for a remote-control RC Series II used the rally plate artwork created by our esteemed Creative Director, Thompson Smith. (Oh well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.) Thompson, who lives in South Lake Tahoe, CA, sent in a Sighting of a Defender L663 110 used in a Thule online advertisement, as well as a Garnet Hill catalogue that featured Land Rovers — discovered by Donna Renaud, his wife. Doug Crowther, Concord, VA, predicted — correctly — that no one had ever sent in an ad for hot-shot truck driving jobs that showed a Defender pulling a trailer.
Timothy Hastings [See Rule #6] found an interesting article with photos of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, and saw that the photographer, Ian Berry, had spent his time, prior to meeting the couple in Paris, “jouncing around Africa in (what else?) a Land Rover.” Ian and Claire Marshall, Harpswell, ME, enjoyed seeing the Woodside Credit advert (“Finance your next ride with Woodside Credit”) featuring three Defenders. Sherry Block, Hadlyme, CT, found a Facebook post by Stellar-Events.org for a Catskills star nighttime viewing that featured a brilliant silhouette of a Defender 110. Charles Bell, Jr., Mobile, AL could not miss a billboard promoting a new car wash center that featured an LR4 — a beloved model to him. Rob Gludt, Baltimore, MD, and his family traveled to Taiwan and came across a shrine with a plaque that included a Series I.
We’ve mentioned these Sightings before, but we want to credit intrepid Sighters for their detective work. Ken Gummerson, Baltimore, MD, enjoyed seeing a white Series and a green Defender in the latest Vineyard Vines advertisements. Adam Clater [See Rule #6] was wowed by a “Series truck bigger than life” display by Faherty in the Mosaic District of Fairfax County, VA. Charles Bell, Jr., Mobile, AL, and Steve Stricker, Oxford, MS, were pleased to see a “classic Defender” used by Michelin in their advertising. Nicolas Pistolakis, Point Pleasant, NJ, applauded Vineyard Vines on their continued use of Land Rovers in their promotions.
Will Stewart, McMinnville, OR, was pleased to see that B F Goodrich included a two-door Range Rover Classic in an online ad, “displaying it in nature.” Randy Katz, San Rafael, CA, liked seeing the Range Rover Classic in a Cole Haan shoe advertisement. Greg Langham [See Rule #6] owns an ’04 Defender 110 and a ’92 Hi-Cap pickup, so he was quite happy to see a Land Rover 90 with go faster stripes on the cover of a Huckberry catalogue. Jason Sheehy, Mount Sterling, OH, and Randy Katz, San Rafael, CA, found online ads for Purdey shotguns out of the UK that use Series Land Rovers in their ads.