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Hosted
by the LROCSA, the Range Rover 30th Anniversary was held at Rust De
Winter over the weekend
of 2/3/4 June 2000. Possibly the largest gathering of Range Rovers in
South Africa saw just under 100 vehicles attend. The entire 30 year
period was covered with both a 1970 and 2000 year model present. The
yellow vehicle in the centre, flanked by two HSE's, is the earliest
available model in South Africa.
Back
in the late 1960's Spen King and his collegues at the Rover Company
designed the vehicle that set the standard
for leisure four wheel drives back then, and continues to do so today.
The Range Rover was launched in June 1970 as a coil sprung 2-door with
carburettor
V8 engine. With a blend of style and functionality the Range
Rover remained virtually unchallenged as the supreme
off-road all
rounder.
Its
design elements paved the way for future generations of
Land Rovers, which we have today. The
Discovery was based on the Range
Rover chassis, while the Defender range inherited the proven coil sprung
suspension system which is the key to exceptional wheel travel. Wheel
travel was measured at the event with Ian Myburg's 2-door Range Rover
(picture left) taking the honours.
The
top of the range Range Rover today carries on that pioneering
tradition by using sophisticated traction control
systems, and relies on air suspension introduced to Range Rover Vogue
models in the early 1990's. The lines may be slightly rounded but the
feeling of superiority from the inside is no different from the day it
was launched.
Like
any Land Rover which has been around for a while, the Range Rover has
taken on many shapes and forms in the spirit of adaptability and
practicality. On the day there were
a few unique vehicles, like a stretched 4-door vehicle, a convertible
two door, as well as the two pictured. On the left a custom "wood
trim interior" and on the right an ambulance, which was built in
the UK and imported in the hayday of the SADF.
Proud
owners displayed their vehicles for all to see, and were only too keen
to discuss what they knew, and find out about what they didn't know
about their vehicles. One such owner Perry Tonkin had
just picked up a vehicle for a steal in the Northern Province. Having
bought it from the original owner, his 2-door 1982 lays the claim to be
the last 2-door manufactured in South Africa. This is evident from the mix match
roof panels as well as a few other styling cues. The spare is
the unused original which came with the vehicle. Having covered 260
000km she still starts in a blink and is ever so smooth.
After a brief picture
shoot the vehicles were put to good use by competing
in a short layed out trial. It was all in a days work for the Range Rovers
as they are well known for their excellent off-road ability. With all
the variations present on the
day a variety of transmission systems were tried and tested. From the
basic manual diff lock of the early models, to the viscous coupling of
the later models as well as the newest electronic traction control mechanisms
of the new ones.
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