Classics Vehicles, people and stories…

I’VE always thought Rover’s first attempt at a long-wheelbase version of the Land Rover utility vehicle is a visual delight. Just one look at a 107in Series I and you can’t help but conclude that no one at the factory spent a nanosecond thinking about what it looked like. The result is often described as ‘Meccano-like’. It is a purely functional vehicle, and all the better for it. This month, Nick Dimbleby introduces us to a beautifully original 107 that was exported new from Solihull to Canada at the end of 1957. It is owned today by Ike Goss of Pangolin 4x4 in Springfield, Oregon, USA.

We’re also delighted to bring you the latest in our Legends series. Land Rover engineer Charles Whitaker spent 30 years at the company before retiring a few years ago. His career embraced Military Vehicle engineering, where he was involved with Wolf development and Special Vehicle Operations.

He was at the heart of the pioneering development work behind the company’s support of the 1998 Land Rover Global Expedition, which aimed to complete the first self-propelled journey around the world’s horizontal land mass. He’s also an accomplished and very successful trials competitor, and an all-round really nice guy. I had a great day out spending time looking at his enviable Land Rover collection and amazing archive, and I hope you enjoy reading his story.