The Great Expeditions: 75 years of Land Rover Traversing the Glob
He has the books by Tim Slessor and Alex Bescoby. When he heard rumors that JLR’s The Great Expeditions display at last month’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance would include the storied Land Rover he’d never seen in person, he drove 2 ½ hours to Carmel, dropped $100 to park his car and walked onto the Pebble Beach grounds in search of his Holy Grail. Not only did he see Oxford — he got to ride in it.
Pebble Beach officials reported an event attendance of 20,000 and most attendees wound up crowding around the ten Land Rover expedition vehicles on display at the Concours. Jaguar Land Rover Classic’s Mike Bishop and JLR NA’s Jeff Ehoodin worked for a year to find, prepare, transport and organize the display. Placards in front of each vehicle told their impactful stories; the presence of Land Rover Classic curator Mike Bishop, Pollyanna’s current steward owner Tom Pickford both from the UK and US private owners Tyler Lucks and Ike Goss answered questions and filled in details all day. Land Rover added significantly with a fascinating panel comprised of JLR Classic’s Mike Bishop, Overland Journal founder and Land Rover enthusiast Scott Brady, Tom Pickford and moderator Jeff Ehoodin of JLR NA.
The Great Expedition Land Rovers included:
1950 Series I 80” “Pollyanna”, adventurer Barbara Toy: Every continent except Antarctica
1955 Series I 86” “Oxford” Oxford-Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition.
1957 Series I 107” “Grizzly Torque” with Pilcher ambulance box, Canadians Bristol Foster and Robert Bateman: 14 months, 19 countries, across 4 continents.
1960 Series II 109” TransAmerican Oxford and Cambridge Expedition, See Winter 2016 issue -ed. : Tierra del Fuego–Alaska
1971 Range Rover Suffix A British Trans-Americas Expedition, Col. John Blashford-Snell
and team: Alaska–Cape Horn, crossing the Darien Gap
1989 Range Rover: Great Divide Expedition, US Continental Divide See Holiday 2014 issue -ed.
1993 Defender 110: Tech support vehicle for Defender 90, La Ruta Maya scientific expedition
Defender 110 300Tdi: US team Camel Trophy support vehicle for Freelander-based 1998 Tierra del Fuego competition
2003 Discovery II: Longitude Expedition, 4 continents, 31 countries in pre-owned Discoverys, highlighted by a meeting with the Dalaï Lama in India, as inscribed on the bonnet
2013 Range Rover DHEV: Silk Trail Expedition, Solihull–Mumbai, 13 countries, 53 days through extreme conditions, demonstrating the capabilities of 3 diesel hybrids.
Once again, JLR opened a Range Rover House to the enthusiast community. The product specialists and Land Rover Driving Team instructors saw to it you were thoroughly spoiled, visually and gastronomically.
All the major auction houses opened up for business that week. In addition to hundreds of vintage and classic cars, we spied an 80’ Series I Land Rover Reborn at the Gooding Christies auction building. Sitting in a traffic jam for 20 minutes never felt so good.
The Pebble Beach Concours’ Sandra Button said, “This special class gives us the opportunity to celebrate cars that made their mark by forging new paths through some of the most difficult terrain on our planet.” Joseph Griskonis, Santa Cruz, CA, joined many other automobile enthusiasts at the Land Rover display. He summed up their reactions when the owner of an ’06 LR3 gushed, “Yes, there were a lot of perfectly restored cars at Pebble Beach, but these Land Rovers were the stars!”
Jeff Ehoodin, organizer of the “Great Expeditions” display, Senior PR Specialist, JLR North America
“Our adventure heritage is a primary element of our genetic code. Each of these ten Land Rovers, Range Rovers and Discoverys tells stories of the vehicles and the adventurers who traveled in them. As we crossed the presentation ramp in front of thousands of automobile enthusiasts, my first thought was, “I don’t just want one, I need one of these!”
The public response to “The Great Expeditions” exhibition was overwhelmingly positive, and we were delighted to share this curated display as a way to give back to the automotive community at large.”
Mike Bishop, Land Rover Classic UK
“My friend, Jeff Ehoodin of JLR North America, asked me to curate a set of ten historic Land Rover for this year’s Pebble Beach display. which was most of the Land Rovers if you take Oxford’s recent successful US tour into account, an expedition I was personally involved with, but I also decided to add the Range Rover Hybrid Silk Road Expedition to the mix.”
“Another aim was to highlight the Land Rovers registered or owned by JLR North America. For example, Barbara Toy’s “Pollyanna” was taken back by the factory in 1959 in exchange for the Series II, and just fits that situation. He cast the die that is the Land Rover expedition genre, and it was a pleasure to see it celebrated after 75 years.”
Scott Preston
“Since childhood, stories of overland expeditions have thrilled me. As a kid I wore out my VHS tapes of Camel Trophy competitions and the British Darien Gap expedition. So when I heard that JLR Classic and JLR North America would create the Great Expeditions display at the Pebble Beach Concours, I jumped at the chance to attend.
Like me, many enthusiasts stopped to take pictures and lean against the Land Rovers and Range Rovers; a few even crawled underneath or sat inside them. One man told me he had driven hours from Sacramento and paid a hefty entry fee just to see “Oxford,” the 1950 Series I of the First Overland Expedition. Many bystanders watched our final procession, yelling to us that we had the best display at Pebble Beach. One bunch signaled their appreciation by lifting — in unison like Olympic judges — their auction paddles with 10s on them!”
Bob Steele
“When Mike Bishop of JLR Classic UK mentioned that he needed a Range Rover Classic two-door, I modestly suggested he consider “Bernie,” our ’79 Range Rover Suffix F. Many hands, including those of Mike and Rovers North’s Mark Letorney proved instrumental in the 7½ year restoration. I was delighted to find it still fully equipped with all its original expedition gear and battle scars from its successful journey across the Darien Gap. This Range Rover proved the brand’s legacy of versatility and durability fifty years on. I was stunned by the ombre blue paint scheme featuring no less than three hues, which was well-complemented by a luxurious light blue interior and exterior chrome accents. I’d go so far as to say it might be the marque’s most beautiful car, which bodes well for Range Rover’s bespoke program. Exploring the compelling vintage and modern Range Rovers at Range Rover House was a highlight of my Monterey Car Week!
Jamie Tam, JLR Product Specialist
Working the Range Rover House is a different atmosphere than Destination Defenders, but I love working both.
