My P38 obsession!
The second-generation Range Rover takes a kicking from classic enthusiasts, especially those who worship the early offerings from Solihull. It may look like a Metrocab that’s been on the pies and hold more electrical gremlins than a frenzied Tamagotchi, but slipping behind the wheel of a P38 silences all the criticisms’ from bandwagon-thriving sleepwalkers. I should know – I used to be one. Now I’m on my third.
My first P38a was sourced through ebay and was quick to drain my bank account, slurping away on fuel to feed the 4.0 V8 under the bonnet. Sadly, as I was a student at the time, it quickly had to go.
A few years later I purchased my 2.5 DSE from a man hell-bent on dispatching its golden bulk off to the scrapyard and, after rescuing it from certain death, discovered why. It had more problems to solve than a GCSE maths exam – the differentials had to be replaced, the coolant system had to be overhauled, the immobiliser would lock the car down – even when I was driving it – and it would overheat thanks to the Overfinch diesel chip buried somewhere within the oil-stained engine bay. However, after a few weekends of work on my part the Range Rover from hell became saintly.
It was so well behaved in fact, that when an ex-sir Robin Knox-johnson pre-production example came up for sale I nabbed it. It holds that rare quality we all lust for in the ‘bangers’ world – looks like Grandad’s wagon, but pulls like a train when you cane it.
It was no easy task getting it roadworthy, either. To start with, we had to sand down and repair the back wings that had fallen foul to rust before tackling the biggest problem of all – a complete keycode lockout. It took four weeks to find the correct code to stop the alarm howling anytime you tried to unlock the door, with Land Rover confused about the vehicle’s identity. The joys of it being a preproduction vehicle. The joys continued when the electrical system then shut down, freezing the windows in place and allowing the lights to develop a life of their own. It took several hours of toying with a Hawkeye diagnostics kit to calm everything down again – and then the driver’s door pull snapped on the eve of the MOT test, along with the central locking system. Needless to say, the test did not go well. Neither did the second – third time lucky.
The next step is to get it back on air, as a previous owner foolishly stuck coil springs in place of the factory suspension. Then it’ll be Ireland bound for a roadtrip with the family. With the pending fuel bill, we’ll all need help from a therapist.