Dengan tetap menghormati Pak TS, dan demi kelangsungan diskusi dalam thread yang sangat mendidik ini, maka saya mohon izin untuk membuka thread lanjutan ini dengan harapan agar diskusi yang bermanfaat tetap berkelanjutan dan Pak Mimin/momod sudi menggabungkannya dengan thread awal/aslinya bila administrasi pengarsipan kaskus sudah pulih.

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LAND ROVER SERIES

Land Rover Series vehicles have been around since 1948 and are so well traveled they are reportedly the first vehicle 1/4 of the world's population ever saw! As the years have rolled by, the model revisions have become more frequent... and more subtle. When purchasing parts, it's important to know exactly what model you own.

Land Rover Series I (1948-1958) Now considered collector's items, the earliest Rovers are tough to identify as production engineers had decided from the beginning to identify only major production changes. Wheelbases, for instance, changed three times on the Series I, so it's important to know the model year before ordering parts.

Land Rover Series II (1958 thru 1960) More power and a new body style including sill panels to hide the chassis and the exhaust distinguish the Series II from its rough-and-ready predecessor.

Land Rover Series IIA (1961 to early 1971) Series IIA's are often referred to as "early" or "late"... the Fall of 1967 being the dividing line. The big change involved the polarity of the electric system as well as a centrally-located wiper mounted on the dash.

Land Rover Series III (1971 - 1985) 88"/109"

Again the shape remained almost unchanged, but feature the headlight mounted in the wings (as did later Series IIA models), a plastic grill, and a relocated instrument panel. The Series III also saw the arrival of the much needed fully synchronised gearbox. In 1976 the 1,000,000th Land Rover rolled off the production line.

During this period there were many changes taking place, and in 1978British Leyland separated the company from Rover cars, to form Land Rover Ltd. Many excellent examples still available, the "County" models being particularly sought after. Reasonably priced spares are readily available, making the Series III model a very affordable, and popular Land Rover.

LAND ROVER LIGHT WEIGHT (1968 - 1983) 88"

Available as both SIIA and SIII models, the Lightweight (or "Air-portable") was built purely for the Ministry of defence, based on the civilian Land Rover's mechanics, the shape of the bodywork was the main difference. Although named Lightweight , it was actually heavier than its civilian counterpart. It was made lighter when the de-mountable body panels were removed, thus allowing it to be lifted by the helicopters of the time. These had excellent off road capability, and once they filtered through to the second - hand civilian market, they were quickly snapped up by off - road enthusiasts.

LAND ROVER DEFENDER (1983 - onwards) 90/110

Although the 110" first came onto the market in 1983, the Series III remained in low volume production until 1985. To combat the onslaught of foreign competition, these new models included refinements such as coil springs, a wider track, 5 speed gearbox, constant 4WD, updated interior, as well as power steering as an option. The engine choices were:

PETROL:
2¼ (Early models only)
2.5
3.5 litre

DIESEL:
2¼ (Early models only)
2.5 (1984 to 1986)
2.5 T/D (1986 to 1990)
2.5 Tdi 200 series (1990 to 1994)
2.5 Tdi 300 series (1994 to 1998)
TD5 (1998 onwards)
The name Defender was not officially used until 1990, but has now been widely adopted to cover all coil sprung Land Rovers. The Defender range offers saloon car comfort, combined with 4 wheel drive off road ability. Once again, the "County" models are popular with private owners, but Land Rovers can be found in all walks of life.


British Army Land Rover Defender


RANGE ROVER

Ever since the introduction of the first Land Rover there was pressure within the Rover Company to 'tart up' the Land Rover to produce a more stylish and comfortable vehicle. Keeping the Land Rover itself as a strictly utilitarian vehicle proved successful, and demand continued to outstrip supply. There were a number of research projects for a luxury Land Rover, but the only one to develop into a prototype was the Road Rover of 1958. Due to limited development funds, this vehicle was forced to use the P4 chassis, and resembled the P5 saloon car of the period. Off-road abilities were limited.

By the mid-1960s, various factors came together to make a luxury Land Rover a viable project. Military orders had been cut back, and market research showed a growing leisure market that required a passenger carrying vehicle. By early 1966, development began on an 'Interim Station Wagon' as a stop-gap to cover the falling military sales. The project quickly adopted the V8 3.5 litre engine which Rover had recently purchased from the US and was already being fitted to P5 and P6 cars. By late 1966, the project had grown into a five seat station wagon with P6 standards of comfort, on a 100in chassis that allowed unprecedented wheel travel.

The standard Land Rover gearbox was not strong enough for the V8, and a new gearbox was designed. This retained a high-low gearbox, but 4x4 capability was provided by a lockable central differential. This contrasts with the dog-clutch mechanism used on the Land Rover gearbox. Long travel vertical coil spring suspension was fitted instead of the Land Rover leaf springs. Prototype No. 1 was completed by July 1967, retaining Land Rover drum brakes and transmission. This showed problems with axle location, and the transmission was modified. Disc brakes and a Boge Hydromat levelling device were also added to the design. Prototype No. 2 was built to test these modifications.

The last thing required was the body styling. A 2-door body was chosen to reduce costs, although the resulting seat and seat belt arrangement significantly reduced these savings. Spen King and Gordon Bashford designed the body and interior, creating their own mock-up. All of these features were combined in the first 'production specification' prototype, Prototype No. 3. This was quickly followed by prototypes 4 through 6, for testing and filming. One final engineering prototype 100-7 was built to find production build problems in the Pilot Build Shop.

Production began in 1969 with 25 pre-production vehicles finished without rear seats and with minimal trim. These were followed by a batch of twenty which were ready for the Press Launch in June 1970. Initial production was slow as teething problems were solved, but increased to 100 per week in 1972, and 250 per week in 1975.
Launch was a success, and public demand outstripped all expectations. As well as finding demand from land-owners, horse-racers, etc a top speed of almost 100mph found quick favour with the Police. Also, the car-like abilities combined with a high driving position and strong towing ability, found a completely new market with families.

As with the Series Land Rovers, the Range Rover proved a popular platform for modifications both by third parties and Land Rover's own Special Projects Department. These are covered on the special projects page.
Over the next two decades, the Range Rover would be continuously refined. The most striking modification was the 4-door model which was introduced in 1972 and quickly out-sold the original 2-door model. Other refinements included a viscous locking centre differential, the world's first off-road ABS system, electronic traction control, and an electronically controlled air-adjustable suspension. This air suspension was another first for Range Rover, and replaced the coil suspension at a time when competing vehicles were finally adopting coils.

Production continued for just over twenty five years, finally ending in 1996 a couple of years after the P38 Range Rover was launched. Even today, it is preferred by many in the off-road fraternity as their off-road vehicle of choice. The Range Rover was a unique vehicle. As well as excellent off-road abilities, it is the only vehicle to have been exhibited in the Louvre as a work of art.