The mighty Land Rover!   Its amazing that this bag of bolts gets such acclaim and what’s even more fascinating is that it, like the car, is also a bit of an understatement!

Now I have to be very careful here and make sure I get my facts completely straight, the slightest of inaccuracies will have, quite literally, one hundred thousand “Landy” anoraks vying for my blood here at crankandpiston.com!  So I shall do my very best to get the facts straight.

The Land Rover has been with us in its various guises for a long time and has consisted of several series, versions and editions.  It came with wheels and tyres and was appropriately technical.  It had a drive system, a steering mechanism and would rarely be mistaken for a luxury ocean liner.

An accurate and correct overview, I am sure you will agree.  Wikipedia has a slightly less comprehensive assessment of the trusty steed for those of you who are pressed for time.

What I can also confirm that whilst Yorkshire farmers of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were trundling through the sodden dairy pastures of the UK, few would have imagined that the 1,2 and 3, or should that be I, II, III series Land Rovers would be making their way over to the picturesque Omani Coastline.  They would also, I am sure, be amazed to hear that this trend would continue for many years to come with the One Ten and Defender 90’s arriving in dribs and drabs right up to 2011 and beyond.

Even more amazingly, despite the voyage, despite the years, harsh climate and steel devouring salt of the Arabian Gulf that most of them would, thirty, forty and fifty years later still be plying their daily trade as the most reliable of fisherman’s friends.

Drive though any random fishing village in Oman and you are sure to spot at least a dozen.  I had a go last week, and I was not disappointed!