How Land Rover Lived (and Nearly Died) in the 1970s

The original Land Rover is one of the few genuinely classless cars. But through its 74-year history, it has been subject to acclaim as part of Rover, calamities as part of British Leyland, and reinvention alongside its Range Rover sibling.
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[@TwinCam]

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[@Lr.721]

Merry Christmas Edward from liam

[@torresalex]

I drove a late 90's Defender 110 as a tour guide, doing about 125 miles a day in one, with 9 people in it. It was cramped and noisy. Loud, slow and unrefined on the motorway. Hopelessly floppy on the local equivalent of A roads, and utterly loathsome to drive in town. But the moment it left the tarmac, my god, what a monster. It was unstoppable and inspired (perhaps too much) confidence in drivers with little or no experience offroading (like me). It would eat every obstacle in its way without breaking a sweat. An absolutely amazing piece of machinery.

[@martinda7446]

Beautifully made. Very glad to see Twin-Cam progress over the years.

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Martin :)

[@martinda7446]

I was in Australia in the mid to late 70s. I actually remember I asked people about their choices of 4x4 vehicle as there were three visible The Nissan Patrol, The Land Cruiser and the Landy. They said they went for the Japanese vehicles for reliability of course, they said all were capable. The count was seemingly 40% Nissan, 40% Toyota and just 20% Land Rover in 1977.

[@TwinCam]

By that point, the Japanese had truly taken over. Leyland Australia was a shadow of what it was just three years prior.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

Now its down to just Toyota as Nissan is cutting back on diesels and Modern Land Rover wants to profit on service . To be successful in the Australian outback manufacturers need to be free with their service information and parts and service. When a farm vehicle breaks if it cannot easily be fixed locally or on the farm its effectively useless.

[@martinda7446]

@@andrewthompsonuk1 Quite right. Thanks Andrew.

[@stevegibb6421]

Land rover has completely lost the plot. They now have 3 supermarket cruisers. You are not going to toss a lambing ewe in the back of a new defender.

[@TwinCam]

You say that as if they cared an ounce about that 🤣

[@steamwally]

I'm glad you made the distinction between just a "car" and a Land Rover - there is no comparison to anything else. I've used my Series 3 all week, handy to have such a vehicle when the weather turns even if some of those classic charms become rather more apparent.. Even though they had full synchromesh, the Series 3 has a gearbox design which you would find in a pre war Rover car, with few differences. They are certainly a very vintage driving experience and a good one is a pleasure to drive.

[@tonys1636]

And bloody heavy when changing a clutch with a PTO fitted. Bolted the yard scraper off a tractor to the front in winter to use as a snow plough to clear the local roads. (warmer than the tractor just). This Landy had a very useful crankshaft driven hydraulic system fitted. Sadly chassis (outriggers and rear crossmember twice) and bulkhead succumbed to the dreaded 'tin worm'. Why they changed from an alloy (in '49) to a steel bulkhead is a conundrum. She was a transition 2 to 3 model. 2A interior with 3 wings. Designated a 2C (B was taken by the forward control).

[@GenaF]

My Dad was an overhead linesman on East Midlands Electricity Board. He used to bring his Land Rover home when he was on 'stand by' aka 'call out' . His would have been the series 1 as it's front lights were in the centre rather than on each 'wing'. Years ago I was speaking to a Land Rover owning friend of mine as I've always been obsessed by them, I asked how many Land Rovers he owned and I laughed when he replied "I have two which are complete and I a think I've enough parts to put a third together"

[@TwinCam]

Sounds like most old British car owners!

[@onetonlandrover]

The lamps were in the grille until 1969, covering series 1, II and IIA.

[@onetonlandrover]

The Electricity Boards were big users of LandRovers, nothing else is upto the job. They have struggled to find a replacement since production ended.

[@sundown798]

Drove a 1970 series 2A in high school back in 1990-94. I'm dying to drive one again and miss that truck!

[@davidpeters6536]

In the early to mid '60s my dad's friend had the local Rover dealership and my dad used to like to go to the "County Shows" in the north of England. I used to sit in the Land Rover tent and go up the 45 degree ramp whenever people asked for a demonstration.

[@colrhodes377]

Love Land Rovers, truly great fun to drive!

[@rayaspo4893]

Another great video Ed. The quality of your videos is top notch mate.

[@grayfool]

I look forward to your videos each week with great anticipation Ed. Not only are you doing a great job documenting the UK car insutry (mainly) but you also remind me how old I am!!! I learnt to drive in a series II Landy on a field. It had some of it's gears still working and most of the cylinders did something. I also learnt very quickly how awful the Landy was to drive on the road, well, if you could keep it on the road, that is. I've never owned on but have driven several over the years loved every mile in the old dogs. WHen I look at the values now, I weep. Why, oh why, didn't I fill a barn with them? Oh well, C'est la vie.

[@Rjhs001]

As usual Ed, well researched and wonderfully presented. Your vids go from strength to strength.

[@jamesclarkson3009]

In 1979 Land Rover released the 109 V8 (often referred to as the "stage 1"). This was LR's attempt to compete with Toyota's Landcruiser for power and it was the most capable of the series 3's with permanent 4wd and of course rover v8 power. There was was also an 88 V8 but these were very rare. It's worth mentioning that customers had been retrofitting v8's to series vehicles for some time before LR did it from the factory. The stage 1 name comes about as it was the first stage in the series 3 evolving into the 90 and 110.

[@madelinewilliams8837]

Well presented yet again. Your enthusiasm for British cars is to be admired and encouraged. The rise and fall of the UK car industry post war should be on the national school curriculum and Ed should set the exam paper! please keep these video documentaries by model type coming. Awesome.

[@lrs3]

A Land Rover Series 3 video? I am in luck. Always been my favourite Series Land Rover.

[@martinda7446]

PS I love the early Land Rovers - Who doesn't?

[@TwinCam]

Their charm is blinding.

[@Zadster]

Always very watchable, engaging videos. Nice synergy with the sponsors!

[@lesklower7281]

One of the quint essential classic british vehicles and there is a high percentage of series one and two Land Rovers still running

[@michaelbarlow3686]

Excellent documentary as always

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Fantastic presentation Ed, a fantastic history on the Land Rover.

[@peterdixon7975]

I own a 2015 Range Rover SDV8 and it has more in common with an XJ12 or a P5B than anything with a 'Land Rover' badge on before it. You absolutely nailed the arc of the company fortunes.

[@markc1921]

Really enjoyed this thanks.

[@rogerpage332]

I love the cheeky bit of sauce about the bonnet prop..lol

[@fishingwiththomas]

Good to see a video with someone who knows all the facts. When Theiss started importing Land Cruisers in 1958 it was all downhill in Australia. My grandad had a P76.

[@gabbymadsen7260]

And today in the US a classic Landrover 90 will start you a cool 90k before you finish picking out your interior, paint and options.

[@highdownmartin]

To add a touch more detail, the LR was specifically aimed at our colonies and sales abroad, as well as a bit of home market sales. Rover had an limited amount of steel, and needed to make very good use of it, that’s why the body panels were Ali, plenty of that available so not rationed in the same way. We needed to export to make money, selling as much as possible abroad does our gdp good. Home sales don’t. Which exactly why were in a mess now and it’s really not going to get better on it’s own. B word

[@erik_dk842]

And leaving didn't stop the bought and paid for politicians to allow the import of surplus population from Africa

[@highdownmartin]

@@erik_dk842 who’s coming from Africa exactly. Kharzi Karteng cost us 50 billion. Could have done without him.

[@Rouxenator]

Excellent video! We had a new 1998 110 TDI pick-up and it was brilliant, sadly the engine seized 3 months out of warranty with only 64,000km on the clock. The culprit was BMW not servicing it properly, so it was replaced by a used Hilux that easily racked up 300,000km before being sold. On a side note, quite a few BL cars were built here in South Africa, the factory building is still in use as a business park in Range Road, Blackheath.

[@ellforleather1229]

Good job... 👍really enjoyed this

[@TwinCam]

Thanks mate :)

[@2002ChrisK]

The role of Fisher and Ludlow often gets overlooked in the development of the original Land Rover, as it does for making the bodies for Austin/Morris etc cars. The original Land Rover also had competitors in the form of the Austin Champ and the Austin Gipsy.

[@chrisgrahma5064]

In my experience the Landrovers 90 & 110' coil sprung suspension provided big improvement over rutted surfaces, soft boggy ground & snow Improvement especially good for the Long Wheel Base version. No longer need for passengers to get out & push!

[@samueldavies7858]

great video and amazing trucks 🚙

[@philiptownsend4026]

Trucks?

[@caravaggiosaccomplice7841]

I just did a complete rebuild of a 1978 Sydney built army series 3. There wasn't any rust at all on it and I've galvanised the chassis. Should be good for another 50 years plus.

[@hunting4honeys]

Terrific video as per, hopeing you'll do an Austin 7 video at somepoint, I know it's 30 odd years out of your comfort zone though!

[@roberthatfull3816]

I used to drive a number of different landrovers my favorite was a series 1 swb with a canvas roof and fold down screen and a green series 2 with almost the same spec on the roof and folding screen there was a series 3 with a hydralic cherry picker crane on the back wich was a dog to drive and was painfully slow and had a diesil engine that was a pain to start when cold and loved a squirt of easy start lol the last one was a lwb v8 pick up in army green it was dented everyware but never broke down allways started and had extra nudgebars extra spot lights and large tyres and a 4inch body lift the only problem with it was the window was broken and it leaked onto the seats reulting in sitting in puddles lol i had great fun in those .

[@macnerd93]

Should come film with my 1999 300Tdi Defender 90 CSW if you want or if you need to shoot a Defender in the future. Its just been featured in both Glass and Land Rover International Magazine.

[@gearhead9828]

This kid is such a great presenter. 👍👍

[@MakerfieldConsort]

You'll probably already know this, Ed - but for the benefit of anyone who doesn't: In the 1960s Austin produced what amounted to a Land-Rover clone called the Gipsy. Needless to say, that didn't survive the merger.

[@onetonlandrover]

The big problem with the series III era is that they were the only part of the BL group making a profit. Those profits were used to prop up the rest of the group, meaning the series III got left behind as it had no meaningful update until the very end of production. Even then, the stage 1 V8 was mistake as the market was moving to Diesel fuel. Land Rover didn't get close to a decent diesel engine until the 1990s, but even then it was merely "adequate". My 2.4 litre Tdci is worlds away from there. I do also own two IIAs and a series III.

[@MrTaxiRob]

the car that drove every nature documentary film crew across Africa

[@jetsons101]

I would take a Series one, two or three as they're all great. What... Wait... Did you say a "plastic" grill? Ed, maybe someday do a vid on a 67 XKE. Thanks for your time and work.

[@ccooper8785]

If you can fit in one then they were great. If you are 6'4'' with 34'' inside legs and size 13 feet then it is not so rosy...

[@PLAYINGAROUND]

As much of BL, the issue was no money, hence why the 90 and 110 only got suspension changes and a few styling tweaks. However, there was a replacement in 1970, the Range Rover. It was supposed to be the replacement for the Series IIa, something that could be used just like the Land Rovers that came before, as well as doing everyday things as all other cars, but it was Rover that went the "flashy car" route with it, much to the chargrin of the Range Rover's designer, Charles Spencer King. In effect, with a bit of "adjustment" here and there, a 90/Defender is just what is now a classic Range Rover in suspension terms, suited to fit of course. As for poor fitting of panels, that came in the mid 70's onwards, as it did with many BL marks, and up to the last Defenders in 2016 there were stupid simple issues, many of which were made worse or made more by the naff dealers. I've been driving Defenders for 15 years and in that time I've added a Series IIa to the stable. I bought my last Defender in March 2015 after swearing I wouldn't buy another after the 2012 model I bought. I still have the 2015 model and would not change it for anything. The doors did shut as good as any fancy luxury car when I had it, then the local dealer got their hands on him. I learnt from that mistake in the end. Three main dealers with three different 90's and all rubbish. The stories I could tell! Find yourselves a good independent spanner man, or do things yourself. My 90 does everything except fast. The low first gear see's to that, but once in second and the turbo spinning nicely it's nippy enough. It does commuting, shopping, holidays and rough stuff, and it's comfy too. As for the latest "Pretender", of course it's not a real Land Rover. It's just another handbag car 😉.

[@daviddenham2971]

P76 we never mention the P76.

[@Dave_Sisson]

Back in the 1990s a mate of mine had a Leyland P76 and despite being fairly old, it was more reliable, rust free and nicer inside than its locally built contempories such as the Valiant, Falcon, Kingswood, etc. It was also enormous, he called it the B52 because it was (allegedly) the same size as the American bomber. While they were only built for a bit over a year, reputedly sales were affected by Leylands reputation for appalling build quality.

[@bradfromthevalley]

there is an old Land rover for sale in Topanga Canyon near the valley side for 40K, really a small vehicle looks pretty cool but to me a bit too expensive for what the vehicle is.

[@robertplatt643]

They are shipping them back from Africa and Latin America to the US, where they are now prestige baubles.

[@oliverstemp9132]

You’re right, cars like Range Rover Evoque are modern Rover cars, completely.

[@hugcam2509]

Just like the one I had !!!

[@highdownmartin]

How can you have such a neat Landrover with no bonnet strut? Bizarre

[@grahamthomas4804]

I Had three Leyland P76 BEST one 6 two v8s v8s best cars I ever owned these were end of production models when assembly problems due t poor maagement of labour force had more of less been dealt with best cars ever made in Australia decades ahead of the rest are now drivable collectors cars fetching big bucks. Comfortable great power to weight ratio good economy and a joy to drive long distances I took one through the desert part of was 170 kilomtres of just sand was dealt with by driving very fast so as not to get bogged,

[@Colinpark]

I disagree, the 2.25 diesel was anaemic even when first produced and the petrol just adequate. Landrover failed to devolop a better engine and gearbox and that hurt them badly. I have owned 3 Series and currently rebuilding a 109. LRNA tried to convince the Head Office to build a 88 with a V8 and even sent them a custom example to play with, but they ignored that advice. Then there was the Forward Control, with the same pitiful engines, but with a extra frame stuck ontop of the original 109 frame and more cargo area. Trials with the Spanish Army were a complete embarrassment. There was no money invested in improving the models till the late 80's and that cost them dearly.

[@runoflife87]

Well, let's be honest: by mid-80's G-Wagen by Merc was far better choice - durable, reliable and more comfortable. I also remember people in Russia buying their Defenders as a "prestige jeeps", and they were shocked by the awful assmebly - sometimes as bad as the UAZ.

[@deanrowlandd]

Certainly not a Landy for the purest is it... 😜

[@muhammadnawaz5039]

Till1979

[@swordscot]

They made lots of mistakes and realise the value of the brand. That continues to this day.

[@johnpapworth433]

Whos been watching lots of Quentin Wilson?

[@bradleycruse2763]

That isn't bare aluminium on the inside. Door tops on the inside are steel

[@TwinCam]

Door skins, no?

[@bradleycruse2763]

@@TwinCam the outer skin of the door top and bottom is Ali, but the frame on the door bottom is steel and all of the door top on the inside is steel 👍

[@TwinCam]

@@bradleycruse2763 Yes, so the bit I tap on the door skin is aluminium?

[@bradleycruse2763]

@@TwinCam you tap steel. It's no Biggie just something I noticed 😉. The rot right along that bit you tapped on

[@grahameroberts8109]

YOU MUST RESIDE IN ENGLAND TO ENTER THE COMPETITION!!!!!!!