There is something sexy about this truck. The proportions of tire to body, visually, call me weird, but I think it is sexy.
Diesel, 62hp, so what. This engine has torque! The way it pulls uphill on uneven rocky surfaces, it is in touch with the ground and grinds forward. The 4×4 is solid, probably the best of its time and at all times made us feel we could rely on it.
Driving in the case of this Land Rover is more like working the truck, if you know what I mean. There is a laboring part. One has to purposefully steer especially off road or on rough dirt roads with plenty potholes it is via the arms that I put my whole body into moving the truck. No power steering. The leaf springs on this 88 inch wheelbase make us feel like we are riding a bull at times. And then there is the shifting, which due to the low gear ratio happens often and never simple, since, yes, double throttling works, but I still have to be sensitive and listen for the transmission not to make this painful grinding sound. Once in the groove, it flows naturally and it becomes an engaging dance, tightly embraced we move forward.
The sound of the 2.25L diesel, the rattling body and clinkering valves add to the experience. The decibel level is definitely not from these times. Though conversations become challenging and we had given up trying to listen to the radio, we did not mind it. Doing days and days like some people have done driving around the world in this truck, I can see how you become a different person. The unusually shaped windows create a fitting frame for the passing landscape of the the rural and remote areas.
On the last early morning, dawn was just opening up, in low light things seem so much more vibrant at times. Putting the key into the back door lock of the truck became an experience. The wiggling to make the key turn, the rough turn in the old mechanism. Then the forceful push up on the sturdy door handle. This truck is so beautifully rough, solid and real, I am again, as I was as a young man, in love with the classic Land Rover.
