LRM Classics

Vehicles, people and stories…

Vehicles, people and stories...

Dunsfold 1997 Freelander

WELCOME to LRM Classics. This month we focus on the Freelander, the vehicle that so many enthusiasts used to say wasn’t a real Land Rover. And I’m rather ashamed to confess that I was among them, back in the day! In fact, even Rover’s senior management couldn’t make up their minds whether their new baby was going to be badged a Land Rover or a Rover car, with either option being possible at the time.

Well, times and opinions change. The Freelander is now a bona fide classic Land Rover and a late Freelander 2 makes for a more than capable and easy-to-live-with daily driver. We speak to Dunsfold’s Philip Bashall about his serious Freelander collecting habit: in fact, just before this article went to press, I discovered that Philip has disposed of his current-model Land Rover and replaced it with a 2014 Freelander 2.2 Metropolis with 47,000 miles on the clock. That’s Freelander commitment for you!

It seems to me that if a Freelander’s good enough for Philip, then it’s good enough for any Land Rover enthusiast. I might need to start scouring the Freelander ads myself, because my wife’s Volvo XC70 is up for replacement and the thought struck me that I might be more successful this time around in persuading her to go for a Freelander! We also connect with Greg ‘Mr Defender’ King, who put an unusual Freelander Kalahari back on the road recently for not a lot of money and has been enjoying it through the winter months.

We also bring to you the inspiring story of the Turnbull family’s reconstruction of a 1968 Series IIA, thanks to the time bonus provided by Covid lockdown last year. The project was the brainchild of dad Harry, who thought it would be a great way for his son, March, to build his own Land Rover in time for his 17th birthday and, of course, his driving test. Soon enough, mum Katie and sisters Skye, Lillie and Tess were all involved, and the six-year project was finally completed last July. It is a credit to their collective efforts, and we wish March many years of happy motoring.