Overland 4x4
ON THE back of a significant increase in interest in the world of 4x4 vehicles in general, and the emergence of the market for leisure and lifestyle four-wheel drive vehicles, David took the bold and innovative decision to launch Overlander 4x4, a magazine “for all fourwheel drivers, owners and enthusiasts”. It was the first of its kind in the UK. Ably assisted by Brian Hartley as features writer, and Mike Hallett who covered the technical topics, David published the first groundbreaking issue in May 1982.
His original plan had been to create a magazine dedicated to Land Rover vehicles, and he planned to call it Overland Rover, but Brian was of the view that there wouldn’t be enough to write about, so Land Rover fans hoping for such a journal would have to wait until July 1987, when Richard Thomas, John Cornwall and Richard Green launched Land Rover Owner magazine.
“They called me to tell me they were thinking of starting a Land Rover magazine,” he recalls, “and they came down to Devon for a chat. I thought it was a great idea, and encouraged them to go ahead. I provided them with a lot of help and wrote articles for the magazine for many years. With hindsight, I should have become a partner in the new venture,” he laughs.
The first issue of LRO contained a lengthy feature on David Bowyer’s Overlander Off-road Centre and this was followed by dozens of articles over the years, covering off-road driving techniques, winching and greenlaning. In the mid-1990s, David wrote an extended series of articles covering his restoration of a Series III, which were eventually published as a book.
When LRO was sold by its founders to EMAP some years later, Richard Thomas went on to found Land
Rover Monthly with many of the contributors who had been such an important part of LRO in its early days – and this is why many Land Rover enthusiasts consider LRM to be the spiritual successor to that first magazine dedicated to Land Rover fans. But all of that lay in the future, and it was Overlander
4x4 magazine that pioneered the now-familiar combination of vehicle tests, expedition reports, gear and equipment reviews, historical features, off-road club news and events, and what was at that time referred to as green-roading.
David recalls a number of very special moments during those early years. “In February 1983, Central Television asked me to get as many Land Rovers as possible together for a filming day at Eastnor Castle for the purpose of making a documentary programme to launch the new One Ten. I had just three weeks to get 200 vehicles together. Even in those early days of the Land Rover clubs we proved just how well club members and the readers of our magazine could cooperate and get their act together at such short notice. In the end, no less than 750 Land Rover owners took part. And I remember that it was a particularly freezing cold day!”
Later that year, Overlander 4x4 sponsored the Land Rover 35th Anniversary Commemorative Run from Solihull to Anglesey, and over 100 Series Is took part on that memorable day.
The first issue of the magazine ran to 36 black and white pages. By the time the last issue appeared in early 1984, it had grown to 70 pages, had colour images, and was being delivered to 4000 readers in 13 countries. Looking at those early issues now, it is remarkable to see how much advertising they contained, a clear sign that this new 4x4 market was substantial and significant, and this is perhaps what attracted the interest of the big publishing houses.
In 1984, Overlander 4x4 was acquired by Link House Publishing and re-named Off Road & Four Wheel Drive and David became its first editor, but a few years later the magazine was bought by yet another publisher, and their policy of appointing editors from within their inhouse team meant that David was made redundant.
It is easy to imagine that David might be a bit miffed about all this, but he is typically phlegmatic. “That’s life”, he says, with a characteristic chuckle. And it’s fair to say it certainly didn’t stop him.
“Many Land Rover enthusiasts consider LRM to be the spiritual successor”