REAL LANDY TALES
DR ROGER HOOD, SURREY
OCCUPATION: Management Consultant
MY DRIVE: Series I 86in
FAVOURITE DESTINATION: “I’ve taken a trip around Australia’s outback in a 1985 classic Range Rover, my Series I is too slow for long trips!”
DREAM LAND ROVER TRIP: “I’d love to do another Australian trip.”
A CLASSIC WORKHORSE: Dr Roger Hood is no stranger to the lure of a Land Rover, having driven them throughout his 33 years in the Territorial Army, of which he remains an Honorary Colonel. “I first joined the Officer Training Corps whilst at Cambridge University. We were just let loose with Land Rovers at the time, driving over Army training lands,” Dr Hood explains. “Later on, when I joined the Royal Corps of Transport, we used to go on exercises to Germany, Denmark and all across Europe, driving or being driven in military Land Rovers. It’s hard not to admire their capabilities in any conditions.”
Dr Hood set out to find a Series I of his own in 2005. “I wanted to find an old one which I could use, and soon found one advertised locally in Surrey. This was before the Series I had such a massive market value, so I did not actually pay much for it. The key thing that I was looking for was a vehicle that could be used as a solid workhorse, and one which I could enjoy working on myself. What I didn’t want – or would ever want – was a concourse vehicle,” Dr Hood laughs. “That’s not my thing, really!”
Dr Hood’s Landy was first registered in 1953 and was in very good condition for its age. “It was perfect for me. There were no major issues on the chassis,” he says. “The condition of the aluminium bodywork was great, too. The original paintwork had clearly been resprayed in a few places, but that was just cosmetic. The important thing was that it didn’t have any
