THERE'S NOTHING QUITE as tense as watching a pair of brand new £225,000 Land Rover Classic-built Defenders attempt to cross a river via a makeshift wooden bridge. Especially as we had only just rebuilt the structure using basic knot-tying skills learned less than 24 hours earlier!
It's good to get outside your comfort zone once in a while and the Land Rover Classic Trophy is certainly helping with that. It's designed to evoke memories of the epic Camel Trophy expeditions, with challenges condensed into an action-packed three days off-road at the Consall Hall Gardens Estate in the glorious English countryside of rural Staffordshire.
So what exactly is the Land Rover Classic Trophy? For those lucky enough to buy one of the 25 limited-edition Defender Works V8 Trophy II cars, entry into this exclusive off-road competition is included in the purchase price. Octane has been invited to join this year, taking part in 'SNO', JLR Classic's engineering car, used extensively to test the bespoke modifications for the Trophy II. Everybody else will be using their own freshly built cars.
We start the day at the JLR Classic Works near Coventry, where each of the teams is introduced to their new Defender for the first time. Although most are experienced Land Rover owners, it's a good opportunity to be shown around the car and its unique features, not to mention being given a tour of the facility.
This story is from the November 2023 edition of Octane.
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This story is from the November 2023 edition of Octane.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
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