A purpose
Back then...
- Prior to the years 1980s, the off-road vehicles were not seen as fashionable, but the answer to concrete needs. The few 4x4 that existed back then were not called SUV with a S like in "Sport". They were not toys or ego-standard-bearers.
- A 4WD driver in the 60s was someone driving it to carry a duty.
What happened ?
From fullfiling to wanting
- The consumption society did start after the WW2, but the frenzy went crazy from the 80s: having all you needed was not anymore sufficient, having a car suited for a purpose was not enough anymore.
- People started to be incentivised to want more than fulfiling their needs! So came suspension lifts, heavy duty stuffs, oversized accessories, bull bars, big tires. Those add stress to the mecanic and only make it prone to wear and break.
- "Less is more": this slogan would even not be understood back in the 60s.
- It shows how lost we are today to invent such non-sense phrasing, because "less" or "more" is not a finality.
- You want just what you need.
Land Rover plain and simple
Like the good bread.
- Land Rovers were successfully roaming around the planet in their most simple way.
- Today, we can try to abide to this historical perspective by simply cleaning our minds from modern endless temptations and remembering that the Land Rover was best to itself when left original. This is the Land Rover Spirit, too.
Modern temptations
Frenetic purchases
This is why as a Classic driver, you should resist the temptation to display gear, unnecessary equipment and modify your car. Land Rovers suffice to themselves the way they were conceved. Instead, you should adjust your driving style, your itinerary, your lifestyle to the car, not the other way round !
What kind of driver are you ?
Qualis auriga es?
This leaves you with a question: if not a hobby driver, which driver would you have been in the 60s?
Lets exclude the military usage, as civilian Land Rovers are our scope here.
It is interesting to see that if you would exclude today all the drivers that don't drive SUVs or 4x4s to carry a duty, we would have on the road only farmers, long-haul travellers and some white collars like healthcare providers or civil engineers.
To help you drive your Series Land Rover in style, pick up your profession and follow the fashion guide.