A New Kind of Land Rover Even
North American Series
Cooper Murray, Riverside, CT, first shared his enthusiasm for all Land Rover models when he created The Vineyard Series events back in August 2021 while still an undergraduate at the University of Richmond. He grew up in a Land Rover family; his father, Shep Murray, owns several NAS Defenders in addition to a ’52 Series I 107”-based Ute created by Timm Cooper.
The wildly successful formula entices you to bring your favorite Land Rover to entertaining, always stunning, locations such as Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, Boston, Palm Beach, Salisbury, CT and Santa Barbara, CA. The Vineyard Series events share a common set of experiences and expectations. Entrants receive a gift bag of quality swag: handsome posters, grill badges, clothing and surprises. The location of every event shows care through its powerful visual appeal. Kids, spouses/partners and pets receive a royal welcome.
“I want The Vineyard Series events to create an accessible social activity that encourages participation by new enthusiasts,” Cooper said. “Regardless of age, for younger and newer owners, it takes
a while to understand the Land Rover ownership tradition. Maybe you inherited your Land Rover as a family heirloom, use one as a daily driver during vacation periods, or an investment; you don’t want to risk damage to it. The long-standing club events can seem intimidating, with their off-roading, multiple days of attendance and membership requirements.”
This Spring’s Vineyard Series demonstrated the appeal of Cooper’s events. Cooper partnered with Stephen Ogletree, Birmingham, AL, whose Adventure Motor Cars specializes in refurbishment, restoration and sales of NAS Defenders.
Stephen started his business a decade ago, and it’s grown from a home-based brokerage to a full-service refurbishment and restoration company specializing in the NAS Defenders. From 2009–2019, Adventure Motor Cars provided major sponsorship of the Sand Rover Rally. George Bruner, Tallahassee, FL and his uncle, Kenneth Schultz, Santa Fe, NM, brought a ’93 Defender 110 #114. Ken’s father, Dr. Richard Schultz, had bought it from its previous owner “who did not know what a Land Rover was!” in 1994 and used it as his daily driver. Todd and Hope Whiddon, Thomasville, GA, made the 400-mile round trip drive in his NAS Defender 110. After accumulating 93,000 miles on it, he sold it — and later bought it back.
Chip Lamb, Augusta, GA, shared his encyclopedic knowledge of NAS Land Rovers; his father, William Lamb, had worked as a sales guide at Paul Miller Land Rover, Parsippany, NJ, since the founding of Range Rover North America in the 1980s. “We always had demonstrators of the NAS 110 or 90 at home,” Chip recounted. “I also remember my Dad asking, ‘Anyone know who Whitney Houston is’ when she bought a Defender.” Mike Magruder, Tampa, FL, once owned four different NAS 90s; his current ’95 AA Yellow has only 18,000 miles on it. He attended the event with his kids and television actor/photographer Eva Desjardins. Local food trucks elevated the usual event fare far beyond expectations. Charleston surprised me with its high number of Land Rovers present throughout the region. Greg Shondel, Himalaya Land Rover in Charleston, had a few of their Series and Defender builds on display, but most impressively, brought a Series I that he had bought in Nevada. The Series I had been purchased originally from a Hollywood dealer; the 1.6L engine sounded sweet on start up and Greg intends to keep it “as is!”
Ken Lane, Dallas TX, bought his ’94 NAS Defender 90 #293 when, at 11:00 pm one night, he found it listed on Craigslist and bought it the next morning. Stephen Beck, Isle of Palms, SC, bought his ’65 Series IIA as “I’ve loved them since I was a kid.” An engine and transmission swap by Himalaya improved its usability today and a stunning teak floor over the rear tub made it truly shine. David Bateson, Greenville, SC, brought his ’02 Discovery II kitted out nicely for adventures. As a wonderful surprise, Matt Hedrick, Beaufort, NC, drove his ’91 Camel Trophy Land Rover 110 support vehicle, in all its livery, to the event.
Anne Arnold, Seabrook Island, SC, recalls the impulse buy of her ’80 Series III 109” back in 2007. I want to reduce the intimidation of owning and enjoying a Land Rover.
