Army Land Rovers in motorsport

[Meteor mark 4B]

Someone on another forum wanted to see a few pictures, Couldn't be bothered to go through the whole photobucket experience, so I'm putting a few here! Three are the real thing, one is mine!

[Meteor mark 4B]

The text in pic 3 is from a book, written, but not yet published.

[gazzaw]

One of my Sgts, Sgt Euan Christie, is current British Army Rally Champion. Will need to dig out some photos and post them up.

 

Gary

[berna2vm]

I think you must be very brave to drive a Landrover in such a fashion..

[Meteor mark 4B]

Modifications do not appear to include anything to do with brakes! Turbos, twin carbs, roll bars, 7.50 tyres etc, but normal braking.

[trustmeimamechanic]

Back in the late 80's we were competeing in the Breckland Stages , an event that was using tracks in and around Thetford forest but also included some laps of Snetterton on the tarmac , seem to remember a couple of very standard looking Army 90's taking part as well as a very non standard LR 110 in Paris Dakar trim , some massive chevy midmounted V8 and a six inch roof chop among the mods - round the forest it was awsome - on the tarmac :nut: ! ... if you've never seen a 110 outdrag a rally prepared mk2 escort then you've never lived , even better the 110 was driving down the grass alongside the track :cool2: , at times he was looming very large in the rear view mirror of my Manta 400 .

Bowler Wildcat still on the shopping list

[Tony B]

MDP also used to compete!

[Essex5]

Back in the late 80's we were competeing in the Breckland Stages , an event that was using tracks in and around Thetford forest but also included some laps of Snetterton on the tarmac , seem to remember a couple of very standard looking Army 90's taking part as well as a very non standard LR 110 in Paris Dakar trim , some massive chevy midmounted V8 and a six inch roof chop among the mods - round the forest it was awsome - on the tarmac :nut: ! ... if you've never seen a 110 outdrag a rally prepared mk2 escort then you've never lived , even better the 110 was driving down the grass alongside the track :cool2: , at times he was looming very large in the rear view mirror of my Manta 400 .

Bowler Wildcat still on the shopping list

 

The Essex Land Rover Club used to help marshal on the Breckland Stages, I was club chairman at the time - we spent several happy hours looning around the forest, supposedly going to our posts:D. We used CB radios for comms, before we got into MSA Safety Radios (that's where Essex5 comes from, it's still my call-sign)

The bloke in the Chevy-powered 110's name is Pete, but I can't remember his surname:-(

[Meteor mark 4B]

Interesting little note here....... a turbocharged 2 1/4 Land Rover petrol engine had much the same power as a V8 of the period, but was a lot lighter. Added to an overdrive unit, I hear of speeds of 90 in overdrive third, and 103 in overdrive top. The mind boggles!

 

Allards fitted the turbo, Unipart provided the OD. Not all LRs were so equipped I don't think.

 

Hopefully the book will get published and everyone will buy a copy, so I'm not going to say too much more here!

Edited July 20, 2010 by Meteor mark 4B

[72rover]

Interesting little note here....... a turbocharged 2 1/4 Land Rover petrol engine had much the same power as a V8 of the period, but was a lot lighter. Added to an overdrive unit, I hear of speeds of 90 in overdrive third, and 103 in overdrive top. The mind boggles!

 

Indeed. My all-time top speed in my Rover - which is still going strong after almost 4 decades of ownership - was 77 mph, even with the OD. That was coming down off the continental divide in Colorado. In neutral. Engine off. With a tail wind.... I don't see how terminal velocity, if rolled out the back of a transport or off a cliff, would be much more.

 

90 or more is downright scary fast...You do mean mph, right? The venerable 2.25 lump has a nasty habit of grenading at about 5,200 RPM. Prior to that, you usually get 'valve float' and start losing power. But I do like driving fast in the Rover, preferably in the snow.... That was it's original mission 38 years ago: to get to the ski slopes when no one else could....

 

Cheers

[ruxy]

 

 

 

Allan Allard produced a good book on the subject , first published 1982. The 1984 re-print is a good book on quality paper. The 1986 book has greater content but on cheaper paper.

 

Unfortunately very little specifically on the 2.1/4 petrol conversion , a bit more on their 2.1/4 diesel conversion (brings performance in line with standard petrol). Only the black & white photograph of 23 FM 26 as already shown in this thread - and then DIY endgame when Rover bolted a turbo on the 12J and all the Jap imports.