There is an entire culture for celebrating things. Some people write them in big red letters, some send postcards or write songs, but for Land Rover owners it’s an entirely different thing altogether. Those people remember everything and celebrate it accordingly!
In 2008, I went to my first Land Rover Show ever – we had just bought our Defender 110 and found out that it was the 60th Anniversary of the brand. So, we did what any decent Rover owner would do – drive three thousand miles across Europe to bring the truck back to its homeland in time for the show at Billing. We got hooked. The people, the places, the scenery. And the cars … don’t get me started on the cars. We saw cars I didn’t even know existed – and challenge Defenders like never before. It was literally like being a kid in a candy store. So, we went back.
Since then we tried to attend as many events as possible organized by the Brits for and about their special vehicles. This year, celebrations kept coming up as we visited the Peterborough Land Rover Festival put together by Land Rover Owner International. A weekend get together for fans of all ages – enjoying cars, parts and mud.
In a conversation with one of the guys from Gigglepin 4x4 we found out that we’ve missed one of the important events of the year – the 20th anniversary of the Billing Land Rover Owner Show – held in July, close to Northampton. Another anniversary that took place this year and also a personal favorite of mine was linked to the Range Rover, the most elegant car to drive out of the Solihull – 40 years since the first ever model came out, setting the benchmark for comfort off the beaten track.
The Peterborough Show lived up to all our expectations. It’s become an important and exciting show in the off road calendar, providing an exquisite environment for owners, fans, magazines and constructors alike.
The great big site chosen for this event comfortably housed a large number of separate attractions, the biggest of which was probably the Arena in the center. Inside the special track there, challenge trucks overcame obstacles, flexed the axles and demonstrated their off road abilities. It was hard to pick a favorite from all of them. Next to us there was a family with a little boy who would shout: “This is my favorite car today, daddy”, only to say “Oh … This is it daddy, I thought it was the other one because I hadn't seen this before” – priceless.
Alongside these events, there were the club competitions as well as the parade, where we managed to see one of the most sought after vehicles – the 1948 Land Rover Series I, the Holy Grail of any LR lover. And, because it’s not all about the adults and because the show was thought up to be a family event, there were a whole range of mini-rovers for children to drive around in; from conservative Series II shapes to modern looking trucks, all fitting in the “all shapes and sizes” policy that the Peterborough fair grounds militate for.
In the evenings, people would gather around the camping sites and share their adventures on and off the road in their favorite vehicles, filling in the gaps towards a perfect weekend. For anyone who has never been to a show organized by Land Rover lovers, it is our belief that you need to start looking into the events and book your place for the next big thing!
