Jeffrey AronsonNorth American Series
Cooper Murray, Riverside, CT, first shared his enthusiasm for all Land Rover models when he created The Vineyard Series events back in August 2021 while still an undergraduate at the University of Richmond. He grew up in a Land Rover family; his father, Shep Murray, owns several NAS Defenders in addition to a ’52 Series I 107”-based Ute created by Timm Cooper.
The wildly successful formula entices you to bring your favorite Land Rover to entertaining, always stunning, locations such as Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, Boston, Palm Beach, Salisbury, CT and Santa Barbara, CA. The Vineyard Series events share a common set of experiences and expectations. Cooper strives to ensure that participants feel comfortable and entertained, but behind the scenes, he wants to run each event at a fully professional level. Entrants receive a gift bag of quality swag: handsome posters, grill badges, clothing and surprises. The location of every event shows care through its powerful visual appeal. Kids, spouses/partners and pets receive a royal welcome.
“I want The Vineyard Series events to create an accessible social activity that encourages participation by new enthusiasts,” Cooper said. “Regardless of age, for younger and newer owners, it takes
a while to understand the Land Rover ownership tradition. Maybe you inherited your Land Rover as a family heirloom, use one as a daily driver during vacation periods, or an investment; you don’t want to risk damage to it. The long-standing club events can seem intimidating, with their off-roading, multiple days of attendance and membership requirements.”
This Spring’s Vineyard Series demonstrated the appeal of Cooper’s events. The first one returned Land Rovers to Florida’s Ft. Walton Beach, the locale in the Panhandle of the late, lamented Sand Rover Rally. This North American Series honored the 1993–97 NAS Defenders – both the 110 and 90 models. Cooper partnered with Stephen Ogletree, Birmingham, AL, whose Adventure Motor Cars specializes in refurbishment, restoration and sales of NAS Defenders.
Stephen started his business a decade ago, and it’s grown from a home-based brokerage to a full-service refurbishment and restoration company specializing in the NAS Defenders. From 2009–2019, Adventure Motor Cars provided major sponsorship of the Sand Rover Rally. Though the Sand Rover Rally ended as a victim of the COVID pandemic, Stephen never lost his interest in Land Rover gatherings.
Dozens of NAS 90s and 110s, from locations as far away as Texas, Tennessee and New Mexico, filled the central grounds of the Gulf Place complex across from Ft. Walton’s Santa Rosa Beach before Easter. George Bruner, Tallahassee, FL and his uncle, Kenneth Schultz, Santa Fe, NM, brought a ’93 Defender 110 #114. Ken’s father, Dr. Richard Schultz, had bought it from its previous owner (“who did not know what a Land Rover was!”) in 1994 and used it as his daily driver. Even with its 174,000 miles, the 3.9 Rover V8 runs true and smooth. Bill Hinsley, Stuart, FL, took a red-eye flight after a work trip to arrive on time with his NAS 90. Todd and Hope Whiddon, Thomasville, GA, made the 400-mile round trip drive in his NAS Defender 110. Steve Ladas, Orange Beach, AL, brought along his sons, Elias and Henry, and their rare Tuscan Blue Defender 90. Its sparkling condition belied its 60,000 miles. Mark Nicholson, Barranquilla, Columbia, “didn’t know how to drive a stick shift” when he bought his ’95 Defender 90 to use as his daily driver. After accumulating 93,000 miles on it, he sold it — and later bought it back.
Chip Lamb, Augusta, GA, shared his encyclopedic knowledge of NAS Land Rovers; his father, William Lamb, had worked as a sales guide at Paul Miller Land Rover, Parsippany, NJ, since the founding of Range Rover North America in the 1980s. “We always had demonstrators of the NAS 110 or 90 at home,” Chip recounted. “I also remember my Dad asking, ‘Anyone know who Whitney Houston is’ when she bought a Defender.” Mike Magruder, Tampa, FL, once owned four different NAS 90s; his current ’95 AA Yellow has only 18,000 miles on it. He attended the event with his kids and television actor/photographer Eva Desjardins. Bradley and Shelby Ray, Nashville, TN, trailered their ’94 Defender 90 so they could relive the fun they enjoyed at past Sand Rover Rally gatherings.
When asked about the impact of the event, Stephen replied, “The response was honestly incredible. People brought their Defenders from all over and the vehicles were top-notch, with standouts like the LRNA #2 and the Hella Defender in the mix. Everyone was just as excited as we were to have an event celebrating the NAS Defenders. It really felt like a community coming together! It gave our team a chance to see our work in a different light. We saw Defenders we fixed up years ago still looking great. That hits home. Plus, the NAS Defender community is super tight-knit, and this event brought that online connection into the real world. We just want to keep growing it — more vehicles, more people, and keep making it a bigger deal for the NAS Defender community each year.”
Lowcountry Series
At the end of April, Cooper’s Vineyard Series brought enthusiasts to Charleston, SC, for the second edition of The Lowcountry Series. Located at the waterfront Park City Landing on the [appropriately-named] Cooper River, the warm weather, significant sunshine and over 100 Land Rovers representing all models made for a perfect Saturday. Local food trucks elevated the usual event fare far beyond expectations. Charleston surprised me with its high number of Land Rovers present throughout the region. Greg Shondel, Himalaya Land Rover in Charleston, had a few of their Series and Defender builds on display, but most impressively, brought a Series I that he had bought in Nevada. The Series I had been purchased originally from a Hollywood dealer; the 1.6L engine sounded sweet on start up and Greg intends to keep it “as is!”
Ken Lane, Dallas TX, bought his ’94 NAS Defender 90 #293 when, at 11:00 pm one night, he found it listed on Craigslist and bought it the next morning. Stephen Beck, Isle of Palms, SC, bought his ’65 Series IIA as “I’ve loved them since I was a kid.” An engine and transmission swap by Himalaya improved its usability today and a stunning teak floor over the rear tub made it truly shine. David Bateson, Greenville, SC, brought his ’02 Discovery II kitted out nicely for adventures. As a wonderful surprise, Matt Hedrick, Beaufort, NC, drove his ’91 Camel Trophy Land Rover 110 support vehicle, in all its livery, to the event.
Anne Arnold, Seabrook Island, SC, recalls the impulse buy of her ’80 Series III 109” back in 2007. “I was driving to work in Maryland when, through the mist, I spotted this Series III in a dealer’s lot near Annapolis. I immediately called my husband, Don, to tell him, ‘I’m going to buy this Land Rover!’ My father had owned one in the early 1970s.” Judah Londo, Charleston, drove his daily driver, a ’77 Series III diesel, to the event and led the Sunday morning trail drive that began at the Seewee Outpost in Mt. Pleasant. Vic Barreira and Susan Richey, Charleston, enjoyed his topless ’72 Series III, running smartly with its rebuilt 2.25 L engine with a transmission bolstered by a Fairey overdrive.
Co-sponsor Matt Hege of Ridge Rovers, Denver, NC, brought a stunning P38A to display at the Saturday event and led the Sunday morning trail ride along the dirt roads of the Seewee Scenic Trail. Matt appreciated helping with the Lowcountry Series, noting, “These events bring together the heritage to older and newer generations, who might not be new to Land Rover but new to the community. I want to reduce the intimidation of owning and enjoying a Land Rover. I want to foster the comfort level and embrace the journey into the Land Rover community. We gain friendships and new enthusiasts. With new enthusiasts comes new friendships.”
Cooper Murray’s Vineyard Series has brought together a generation of enthusiasts who never opened up a Netscape, AOL, Mosaic or Yahoo browser, shared a Napster playlist or fussed with a dial-up modem. As we go to press, he’s bought his latest collaboration to Boston’s Seaport District. We can’t wait to meet all the new enthusiasts.
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