Jeffrey AronsonThis late summer and Fall, due to travel to Land Rover events in California, Minnesota, Virginia and Alabama, I’ve spent a lot more time behind the steering wheel of other enthusiasts’ Land Rovers than my own. I consider myself very fortunate; driving other Land Rovers reminds me that the “quirks” of my Series IIAs do not represent the pinnacles of proper maintenance and that I’d better get to work.
In California, I sat in the passenger’s seat of one of the Royal Land Rovers, much to the disappointment of the thousands of spectators who expected someone more regal. Mike Bishop of Land Rover Classic UK drove the ceremonial review Series I and rightfully garnered much well-deserved applause while I went along for the ride [see p. 34].
At the Minnesota Land Rover Club’s North Star Rally [see p. 18], I had the joy of driving Tony Kieffer’s ’64 Series IIA 109.” Back in 2013, he resurrected this vehicle after it had sat in a Northern Minnesota field for 20 years. Tony “took the entire thing apart and put her back
together again. It made the Lake Superior Circle Tour in 2022 and traveled to the ANARC Diamond Jubilee in 2023.”
In Virginia, enthusiast Bob Steele, Bon Air, VA, wanted someone to drive “Bernie,” his restored ’79 Range Rover Classic two-door, to the Mid Atlantic Rally. On the appointed day, I convoyed between Bob’s ’20 Defender 110 L663 and Ralf Sarek’s Defender 90 L663. Built for the German market, Bernie retains its original 3.5L, twin carburetor engine with an LT95 4-speed manual gearbox. The seating position and clamshell bonnet meant you could easily see the front edges of the car; the 100-inch wheelbase made it easy to sense its dimensions. Its Lincoln Green exterior and beige interior complemented each other perfectly; I was careful to clean off my boots before entering the Range Rover.
“There are 4 types of cars in the world,” read a contemporary print Range Rover ad, “and you can own all of them” (luxury, performance, cross country and estate cars). “The Range Rover could be the answer if you’re looking for one of these cars. And if it so happens that you’d find all four of these cars useful, then the Range Rover is definitely the answer.” I felt like a toff driving it for the 3-hour round trip from Bon Air to the MAR site in Arvonia, VA, and wished I’d forgotten to return the keys.
The future leapt ahead at the Mid Atlantic Rally (MAR) when Rovers North’s Gene Schubert took me out on his first test drive of his ’97 Defender with its “new” 2.3L EcoBoost engine, courtesy of Wolf Classics [see Summer 2024 issue] As Gene explained, “I had an NAS 4.0L engine with the 4-speed automatic. I’d owned many Land Rovers with the V8, but I found the 180+ hp motor and its 12 mpg difficult to justify for daily use. My Defender came to me as a rolling chassis but I knew that I wanted to incorporate Puma body panels.”
“I’d met Anderson Brooks and Kraig Mackett of Wolf Classics at a Vermont Rovers Weenie Roast, and there I drove their Defender 110 EcoBoost. I was so impressed with the drivetrain, I decided to sell the engine that was in my Defender and use those funds towards the new engine. I’m a bigger guy and had found the original standard transmission and position of the clutch pedal problematic for daily driving, so I opted for the 10-speed automatic. My initial drive was at their shop in Maine, and I left super impressed with the power [310 hp, 340 lb ft torque] and smoothness of the transmission; you could hardly tell it was shifting gears. I’m used to stepping on the gas pedal on a Rover V8 and waiting for something to happen. Not now – this is what Land Rover should have done with this block!”
“I had asked Anderson to test drive my 90 [it was their first conversion] and drive it from Maine to MAR. They did and told me it behaved flawlessly, whether on the interstate or in stop-and-go city traffic. When it came my turn to drive it from Virginia to Vermont, my Rovers North co-worker, Nick Cota, agreed to forgo the flight back, and drove the 14 hours with me. The engine ran so flawlessly that we thought of stopping at JLR headquarters in Mahwah, NJ, just to show it off. Even at 80 mph on the interstates I felt as though it had passing power to spare. I floored the engine every chance I could get. Even then, I averaged 28 mpg for the trip.”
“This is the perfect package for a Defender – I could not fathom that a Defender could provide that much power and economy, and still retain the soul of a Land Rover.” Gene graced me with a ride on a winding, two-lane road adjacent to the MAR site, and the brief drive amply demonstrated the engine’s range of smooth acceleration and deceleration.
My message app dinged last night with a surprise text from enthusiast Mike Chioffe, Stamford, CT, stating how eagerly he wanted to return to this February’s Maine Winter Romp. He hadn’t been since the pandemic; a marriage to Tracy and the birth of their daughter, Wednesday Willow, put a crimp in winter travel plans. Mike had enjoyed refurbishing his Series IIA 88” and had moved on from a Range Rover Classic to a Discovery I. Mike wrote that “my life has finally simmered back down to a slow boil.”
Mike bought his Discovery I with 225,000 miles on it, but after a long trek in Vermont with Ron Harrington, the Discovery “limped home on 6.5 cylinders” instead of 8. Mike sourced the bottom end of a 4.6 L from Josh Sanner’s Atlantic Motor Center in Milford and some additional used parts from Goldwing Motors; he hopes to have it ready for the Romp.
Ah, the Maine Winter Romp. Its first year is shrouded in memory but certainly harkens back to the mid-1990s. Rompmeister Bruce Fowler has stated that the idea for the Romp grew out of a summer trip by Maine enthusiasts to Vinalhaven Island; “We should do something like this in the winter,” someone suggested, and the following February, a handful of enthusiasts met in a snow-covered field at Bruce’s house in Benton, ME. We had breakfast at Penny’s, one of his businesses, and shopped for lunch, snacks, fuel and spirits at Artie’s convenience store.
Back then, you had three choices for lodging: winter camping on Bruce’s property, a B&B in Unity or the American Motel and USA Lounge in nearby Fairfield. Some did camp in the sub-freezing weather, but if you were really brave, you stayed at the American Motel and participated in karaoke at the USA Lounge. My room featured a set of Vice Grips in lieu of a faucet handle, paper floor mats showing me where to put my feet around the metal shower and a school cafeteria-style Formica table bolted to the floor. The USA Lounge showcased local talent belting out tunes in various musical keys; conveniently, the rooms at the American Motel sat right above the Lounge.
Outside of the WV-based Blue Ridge Club and the PA-based ROVERS, no one offered a winter rally, so the Maine Winter Romp grew in popularity and participation. Enthusiasts flocked to the event from surrounding states; some even flew into Portland and cadged rides north. When numbers started to overwhelm lodging and dining in nearby Waterville, Bruce stepped in to work with his counterparts on easing the congestion. Again this year, Habitat for Humanity will provide trailside food and snacks in return for your donations. There will be a fundraising auction and a raffle to win a rebuilt ’05 LR3. Did I mention that the registration is free, hotel room rates are surprisingly reasonable and weather conditions could range from placid temperatures and gentle snow — to frigid temps and bury-your-Rover drifts.
The 2025 Romp occurs on President’s Day weekend, which this year includes Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re romancing a partner or a Land Rover, you’ll want to register for the Maine Winter Romp.
[For more information, visit www.winterromp.me -ed.]