Date: Mon, 02 Apr 2001 12:47:12 -0600
From: Ivan Van Laningham <ivanlan@pauahtun.org>
Subject: LRO: The Quest for Verisimilitude
>1) In 1974, how much would a 1964 IIA, with right-hand drive, have gone
for, in the US?
It wouldn't have, because none were imported by Land Rover
or the Rover dealer network. You would have to
buy an RHD Series from an individual who happened to have
brought one in on his own (a few people did this). In 1973, I
paid about $4,500 for my new Series III Model 88. A ten-year
old Land Rover would have gone for less than half that back then.
>2) What's the MPG on one of these? I'm guessing what a jeep at the
time would have got, ie 6-9 MPG. How far off am I?
A lot. My SIII got 13-15 mph around town, and about 18 on the highway,
until I installed an overdrive, at which point it got 20 on the highway. Twenty-
eight years later, my SIII still gets the same mileage.
>3) How fast could one of these IIA's go on dry pavement? I'm asking
because my PI likes to go fast, the faster the better. Would she be
really pissed at a IIA, or just somewhat irritated?
She would put the IIa in a car crusher at the first opportunity. The ideal
cruising speed for a Series Land Rover is 45 mph. They will go faster, of
course, particularly with an overdrive. But anything over 60 will start dramatically
shortening the life and reliability of the components.
>4) Thankfully, my stick-shift days are over...
This is something you're proud of....? :-)
>....but my PI wouldn't drive
anything but. How fiddly is shifting with a IIA? How tricky to switch
from 2wd to 4wd?
I described it in my e-mail directly to you, but shifting a Series is no
big deal. It's a standard 4-speed pattern with a very short throw despite
the long shift lever.
>5) Consider 4. Now imagine you're driving up to a rural mailbox; you
need to grab letters and packages with your left hand, open the mailbox
door with your right, shove the stuff into the box with either hand,
close the door and move on to the next mailbox, anywhere from 50 feet to
a mile away. How complicated can shifting and mail-delivering be?
One of the standard rural mail delivery vehicles in the UK has for years
been a Land Rover, currently a Defender 90. They mostly use a small
panel truck over there, but in Scotland, for example, I've seen a number of Defenders
used for mail delivery. So it's no big deal. What you describe is child's
play as far as shifting and sticking mail into a box.
>6) Bonus question: smell. What would a 9-10 yr. old IIA smell like?
90-wt hypoid gear oil.
___________________________
C. Marin Faure
(original owner)
1973 Land Rover Series III-88
1991 Range Rover Vogue SE
Seattle
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