Land Rover Monthly

WHEN I sold my last Defender almost ten years ago to help towards a house deposit, I made peace with the sad fact that I’d likely never own another. Changes in my life, finances and needs didn’t align with what a Defender had to offer – and the massively inflated prices that Covid brought along a few years later put paid to the dream even further. Don’t for one second think I’m asking anyone to bust out the world’s smallest violin and play a ‘woe is me’ tune, those are just the facts. Thankfully, Defender prices are becoming a lot more sensible again, which makes them more accessible to enthusiasts who might have been put off just a few years ago. They become yet more sensible if you’re happy to…

A team of serving personnel from His Majesty’s Armed Forces is embarking on a fundraising adventure coined Operation Africa. Perry Butterfield and his two best mates – Lewis and Alex – are setting out on an epic journey to travel the full length of Africa in his trusty, though somewhat beaten-up, 2006 2.5-litre Td5 Defender. They will be travelling from Morocco all the way down the west coast to South Africa, passing through 21 countries over a period of six weeks. Their journey is to raise funds and awareness for incredible military charities like Help for Heroes, Troop Aid, and Re-Org that help support our brave veterans, as well as assist local African communities. They will be departing in August 2025, travelling directly from the UK to Morocco, covering a…

A Derbyshire car museum has just acquired what is perhaps the most televised Land Rover in the UK. No doubt most of you will recognise the 1996 Defender 90, but if you don’t, it was driven by Brenda Blethyn in the ITV drama Vera, which ran between 2011 and 2025 on Sunday nights. But when founder of Ambergate’s Great British Car Journey, Richard Usher, acquired the famous TV detective’s car, he discovered that all was not quite what it seemed. The Defender had an automatic gearbox, but in the show Vera can often clearly be ‘seen’ changing gears. After a little digging Richard discovered that Brenda only has licence to drive an automatic. He told BBC reporters: “It looks like it may have been factory-fitted – I’ve never seen an…

AS a result of significant demand from enthusiasts for driving experiences, Land Rover Classic has opened its historic collection for the public to drive at the Solihull Experience Centre. Guests can also explore the Works facility to learn about the restoration and customisation programmes that the specialist team work on daily. There are only three dates that you can immerse yourself in the world of Land Rover, so if you’re keen you better make a note of the dates now – 13 May, 18 June and 15 July – and start saving as it’ll set you back £595. This really is a rare opportunity to experience some of the finest examples of historic Land Rovers from over the years, as well as well drive the tracks where early vehicles were…

SPRING is definitely in the air, so what better way to celebrate leaving the winter months behind than attending LRM Live – our two-day event at the beautiful Malvern Three Counties Showground on 17-18 May. It’s hard to believe, but the Big Weekender is now into its third year and, we’re glad to report, bigger and better than ever. And whether you want to join us as a day visitor or you want to immerse yourself in the full experience by camping for the weekend, we can guarantee fun for the entire family – even the dog! Featuring a live events arena, beer tent with live music, and stunning vehicle club displays, including iconic Land Rovers from the Dunsfold Collection, there will also be a fab selection of autojumble to…

Optimill has just launched a brand new website and wants LRM readers to be the first to take it for a test drive. While the Optimill product line-up remains the same, there’s a new website address and email to go with the fresh look, so please be sure to make a note and bookmark them for future browsing and communications with the company. If you had an account on Optimill’s old website, please note that it wasn’t possible to transfer that across to the new platform. But it’s super easy to set up a new account and a great place to store your delivery addresses and orders. Simply go to the cog icon on the top right of the screen, click Create Account, fill in your details and set up…