Ageless Beauties

After two days of swinging wrenches and months of strategizing, they’d reached the moment of truth. The long dormant, five-cylinder diesel engine sputtered to life. Mechanic Dylan James bent his ear to the engine’s offbeat, syncopated chug. He recognized the problem immediately — a loose sensor wire. The mechanical beast settled into a satisfying purr soon as he reached into its guts to make an adjustment.

James works alongside Dale Clarke in a low-lying Quonset hut tucked away in the Beaver Valley. The pair have been working here side by side for the past five years; combined they have nearly 70 years of experience. And much of that is working on classic British cars. The shop is surrounded by vintage Land Rovers in various states of restoration waiting to be brought back to life.

The resurrected Land Rover on the hoist needed a replacement engine. They managed to find one — in a wreck in Germany through an international network of mechanics who also work on Rovers — and the transplant was soon complete. James says the next step is to get it out on the highway.

“Now we are into road testing. Once we are one hundred percent sure this is a real cracker of an engine, we are going to throw in new suspension on this, do a whole bunch of detail stuff, and clean up the truck so the customer has their dream truck.”

The Land Rover’s original design dates back to the late 1940s. In post wartime England the Rover Company first developed the multi-purpose, agricultural, four-wheel-drive trucks with rugged box steel frames and aluminum bodies. Their workhorse functionality always trumped style. Apart from a series of three updates, Land Rovers remained true to their original form until 1985. During those early decades the vehicles became synonymous with adventure as they spread across the commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip were often spotted driving their own Land Rovers at their country retreats.

The company started introducing all new models in 1970 with the first Range Rover, followed by the Discovery in 1989. In the mid-80s, the Defender was born when longer wheelbases were offered on their classic Land Rover design. The Defender nameplate was given a more prominent role in the line up again in 1990 and was manufactured up to 2016.

James estimates there are fifty or sixty classic series Rovers and early Defenders scattered around the Southern Georgian Bay region. Each one has its own story.

“They are like a character in their own right in these families. People love them, you see them around town. They will keep them on the road no matter what.”

 

Those love affairs often begin in far away places, while on safari in Africa or exploring the jungles of Central America. For Richard Kemerer, the life-long relationship started while travelling through the Australian Outback in the early 1970s, when Land Rovers were the only vehicles trusted to handle the vast unforgiving landscape. He’s owned his ‘86 for 25 years. He drives it to town and around his Beaver Valley property every day while his brand-new Audi often languishes in the laneway.

“It’s the old ones that people like. It’s the old boxy look. They are high off the ground. There is no power- anything and that’s the fun of it. It brings you back in time,” says Kemerer, who appreciates the simplicity of the old Land Rovers, the sliding windows, primitive door latches, and most of all, the complete absence of anything electronic. It’s a perspective shared by Don Kilby, a Clarksburg artist who decided to make his own long-term commitment to a classic Land Rover. Kilby’s Defender was imported into Canada by the British military. The long-retired radio truck was used in training exercises before he acquired it. He says it always gets attention even though it’s not as old as the flat-blue paint and old-school design make it look.

Despite its simplicity and rugged appearance, a twenty-five-year-old Land Rover in mediocre condition can cost as much as a brand-new SUV loaded with all the bells, whistles, sensors, and cameras.

Back at the Quonset hut, Dylan James shares some other cautionary tales for those with designs on owning a classic Rover. He says an old Rover will keep running and running even when it has broken parts inside and out. “There can be surprises when they’re opened up,” he cautions. Do your homework before parting with your cash, he says. Love stories don’t always have happy endings and parts to fix a broken heart can be tough to get.

“If you really want one, make sure you are buying the right one. Don’t jump at the first one you see. Don’t emotionally buy one. Make sure you are buying one that’s going to be reliable and enjoyable because there is nothing worse than getting something that you wanted your entire life and finding it’s just a nightmare.”