Wikipedia definitions of Landrovers

Not really - "Defender" came in towrads the end of the Turbo Diesel, when the 200Tdi came out the 90 aquired the same front brakes as the 110 had had from early on. I was taken for a test drive in a

2.5TD emblazened with the then "all new" Defender badging by a rather cynical salesman from Whadam-Stringer in Waterlooville. He made a point of pointing out that nothing major had changed on this "new" model. I've no idea if it was true, but he blamed European consumer legislation requiring more than just a number for the change. Incidently, I can see no reason for supposing that the Defender name was thought up "in a bar in down-town Boston" as is always claimed - Defender was not for sale in the US, and was not going to be, and why the hell would anyone be in Boston discussing it anyway!

Most of the major changes pre-Td5 happened in 1986 (push button doors etc) with the launch of the 90 - hence the separate parts book. If the badging had changed at that point there would have been a good reason. After that, apart from trim colours, changes don't really happen in big jumps - they are more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Even the 300Tdi change only affects the drive train and any parts necessary for the installation of such. 110 Rear discs come in on late

200Tdi's - the parts books don't give a start number, but the rear wheel cylinders go to the end of KA VINs, so it would appear that 200Tdi 110's had rear discs (or the option of perhaps) for about a year.

The parts book also throws up some rather surprising current models around the world - the 2.5P and 3.5V8 Carb would appear to both be still in production somewhere, the 2.5D struggled on to WA159806 (the introduction of the Td5).

Sorry to go on a bit, but I've just had a dick-head biker trying to kill himself in front of me again (we get all the organ-donors coming to this area when the sun shines) - overtaking over a continuous white line, on a sharp right-hand bend with traffic comming the other way and then being surprised when eveyone else had to slam their brakes on and get cross with him........

Richard

On or around Sun, 11 Jun 2006 08:33:55 +0200, Hans de Ruiter enlightened us thusly:

ah, Belgium, man, Belgium!

On or around Sun, 11 Jun 2006 10:56:27 +0100, Ian Rawlings enlightened us thusly:

If you're into marketing. Defender got a name so that it fitted in with the other motors with names, AFAIK, when the disco was launched or soon after.

On or around Sun, 11 Jun 2006 09:18:43 +0100, beamendsltd enlightened us thusly:

and called "Minerva".

Belgian?

Language, Timothy!

According to the following link;

.. they were less called "Minerva" as made by a company called Minerva from knocked-down kits from Blighty. In return we get the chocolates, a fair trade I think.

The Minerva was a home-built Series I(?), the 4x2's were "standard" Land Rovers. The Minerva should have a mention though, made in Germany & Belgium if I remember right - they were steel bodied (at least in part) and had sloping front wings sort of like the UMM

Richard

Judge not lest ye be judged! I pride myself on pedantry in the use of English, but my typping often lets me dwon even when I know how to spel acyourately. I'm often ashamed that many non Brits (including my Malaysian/Chinese wife) speak more accurate English than many Brits. I'd recommend the book "Eats, shoots and leaves" for a humorous diatribe on the abuse of English. It contains many wonderful but little known facts. Did you know that redundant semicolons used to be shipped abroad to be broken down and then returned to England to be reused as full stops and commas?

Regards, Arthur

On or around Sun, 11 Jun 2006 22:47:33 +0200, Srtgray enlightened us thusly:

glad to see people are on the ball.

None of my semicolons are redundant; I frequently use them.

Stuart

(BTW, for the sitcom challenged, Austin was quoting the radio edition of Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I was quoting Sorry!, a fairly lame vehicle for Ronnie Corbett in the '80s.)

Ah! The Bible!

Panda sex.

Sad lapse on my part - missed BOTH the quotes. Sorry!

Na I speak and spell the only true English worthy of the name an I'm buggered if I don't all them fancy squiggles wuz invented to make work for the type merchants cos there werent no use for any of em fore that wuz there.