"THE BEST PLACE FOR ME TO DRIVE IS SNOWDONIA; WHERE MY DEFENDER IS AT HOME"
through Snowdonia; that is where my Defender is at home in all its senses. For me it’s also a way to disconnect from my hectic life; a way to become very quiet, to be myself. It’s not always fun if you are in a group, but most of my friends understand I need my moment to disconnect. “I feel alive when I drive my Defender through all different landscapes; you’ll see my elbow sticking out, rain or no rain, wind or no wind, I just like it. The sound of the engine working, and maybe some Pink Floyd or Dire Straits playing. “My 1978 101 FC is my new project – or my next bottomless pit! You are almost literally on the engine – a V8 of 3.5 litres, albeit with just 78 hp. My long legs and even my belly touch the steering wheel and I have to duck a little bit to see the road. Only 2000 101 FCS were made, especially for the English army, but the previous owner of mine had bought it from the Luxembourg Army. This makes it an extremely rare, left-hand drive version. I paid 15,000 euros for it. “For me the emotional value counts: a vehicle will never be built like this again. All in all, it is in good condition. There is just 7331 kms [4555 miles] on the clock, which means it’s practically new. Parts are hard to find, but in England I know someone who is incredibly passionate and has bought lots of them. If necessary, he also makes the parts himself. “This is the only one of my cars that always starts in the middle of winter and I’m working on this myself. It is really easy to assemble. I drive it around two or three times a year, usually to an old-timer (classic car) meet. I am planning to do a full restore this year.” Also on Filip’s fleet are a Range Rover Sport SDV6 3.0 Dynamic HSE, while his wife’s everyday wheels is a Discovery 4 Landmark edition, one of the last ever made. He has also just ordered a New Defender 110 X in black, with the P400 engine. “At first I was against new Defender, but after understanding the vision of JLR I must admit that it looks great – maybe not as successor to the original, but as a new brand within the JLR range of cars.” But even that isn’t Filip’s dream car. That honour is reserved for a Defender 110 with a Bowler V8 engine. And unless Belgium changes its MOT rules, Filip may yet have to move to the UK.