JLR Halts Range Rover Production, Crashed Freelander Leak, and the End of Land Rovers in the British Army

Team Overland Her Update!

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss a Range Rover presence at Milan Design Week celebrating Range Rover Bespoke through a three-chapter installation—“memory and color,” “memory and motif,” and “memory and material”—including films, illustrations, embroidery, soundscape, and a one-off Range Rover Bespoke commission called the “Pearl of Tay,” inspired by the River Tay in Scotland, along with furniture partner pieces. Joined by Jenna Fribley and Liza Beres, they shift to updates on a shop project: building a 1972 two-door Range Rover for desert racing. They postpone an all-female, all-American Dakar plan and pivot to running the NORRA Baja 1000 in late April/early May 2027, citing easier domestic logistics and a more open, party-like event with classic-vehicle classes. They cover rule-book-driven build decisions (carburetion requirements, roll-cage compliance across rule sets, wheel-size exemptions), current roll-cage fabrication progress, plans for a YouTube build series, and challenges keeping the original dash while fitting safety bars, and they ask viewers with NORRA experience to help with logistics and accommodations. They also note plans to run the Rebelle in the fall.

Pollyanna Reaches Texas!

Steve Beres and Ike Goss open with news from the UK about a military Defender towing a trailer that swerves to avoid a car on the motorway, flips multiple times, scatters gear across the road, and injures two soldiers. They then check in live from the SCAR event in Texas with Tom Pickford and the Pollyanna crew, who completed a 2,850-mile trip across the southern United States with their main issue being a snapped fan belt at the Louisiana border; they discuss public reactions, route highlights including Mobile, New Orleans, Cajun country, and Galveston, and the Barbara Toy tribute run and its impact. The episode closes with a Bring a Trailer feature on a refurbished 1994 Defender 90 300Tdi loaded with accessories, heavy rope, and diamond plate, bidding around $12,000.

Pollyanna’s Great Tour: Barbara Toy Tribute Run to Texas + Land Rover News

Steve hosts without Ike  at first and checks in with Tom Pickford, Greg Fitzgerald, Bill Cooper, and Laura Stacey as they drive Pollyanna—Barbara Toy’s famed Series I Land Rover—across the southern U.S. toward the Texas Rover Club’s SCAR event honoring Toy. They discuss how the trip came together after Jaguar Land Rover brought Pollyanna to Pebble Beach, the convoy support vehicles, early mechanical quirks from year-old fuel, recreating Toy’s Jacksonville Beach moment with the mayor, and efforts to preserve and expand Toy’s legacy through barbara-toy.com, surviving letters, and the book The Free Lives of Barbara Toy, plus challenges republishing her out-of-print books (only In Search of Sheba is currently reprinted). Back in studio, Steve and Ike note Tim Slessor’s death, a Tom Holland Series Land Rover ad, and a Liam Neeson horror-comedy featuring Land Rovers. 00:00 Ike Is Out Today 00:39 Hotel Internet Fixes 01:32 Naming The Expedition 02:19 Meet The Pollyanna Crew 03:59 Why Recreate The Journey 06:52 Picking Up Pollyanna 07:24 JFK Versus Newark 08:49 On The Road Glitches 12:10 Laura Joins The Ride 14:45 Club Shirts And Walmart 15:56 Bill And The Support Cars 17:40 Writing And Publishing Plans 19:22 Saving Barbara Toy History 22:51 Recreating Jacksonville Beach 23:38 Family Ties And Legacy 25:16 Rescuing Barbara’s Archive 26:08 Letters Become a Book 26:39 Hunting Global Ephemera 27:41 Reprinting the Travelogues 29:27 Pollyanna and Lost Vehicles 31:32 Why the Books Are Rare 33:18 Secondhand Shop Strategies 34:24 Farewell and Modern Contrast 36:38 Land Rover News Roundup 38:02 Tom Holland Series Ad 39:36 Tattoo Banter Detour 40:42 Pollyanna Trip Check-In 44:16 Liam Neeson Zombie Film 46:35 Wrap Up and Next Check-In

New Freelander Leak, Defender Vigilante Video, JLR Sales Jump & Pangolin Shop Updates | Underpowered Hour

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss the newly revealed Freelander, debating whether the images show a real production vehicle or a concept pushed out after a crash-test leak, and they comment on its bold styling, screen-heavy interior, and unusual seating and door design. They cover Land Rover news including Tiger Woods rolling a Range Rover in an alleged DUI incident, a viral Sudbury car-park video featuring a machete-wielding motorbike theft and a Defender intervening, and a reported 61% jump in JLR sales alongside jokes about Jerry McGovern’s departure. Ike shares Pangolin4x4 shop updates on a repeatedly botched transmission rebuild and the importance of correct tolerances, plus progress on two Michigan Land Rovers bought sight unseen. They also preview Tom Pickford and Bill Cooper driving the famous Pollyanna to the SCARR rally and mention Steve’s new diode laser tool for marking parts. 00:00 Show Intro and Hosts 01:20 Freelander Reveal Buzz 01:52 Concept or Production 02:38 Wild Interior Tech 06:27 Design Stripe Debate 09:02 Can You Buy It 09:44 Tiger Woods Rollover 12:06 Defender Vigilante Video 15:33 JLR Sales Spike Talk 16:46 Pangolin Shop Updates 17:40 Gearbox Rebuild Autopsy 18:27 Bushing Failure Explained 19:29 Why Tolerances Matter 21:35 Customer Fallout and Fix 22:41 Dialed In Land Rovers 24:28 Michigan Barn Finds Update 28:16 Pollyanna Road Trip 30:08 New Diode Laser Tool 33:12 Wrap Up and Next Week

JLR Halts Range Rover Production, Crashed Freelander Leak, and the End of Land Rovers in the British Army

Steve Beres and Ike Goss cover a bleak week of Land Rover news, including JLR temporarily halting production at the Solihull plant for two weeks due to a supplier dispute affecting Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. They discuss leaked crash-test photos of the new Freelander (developed with Chery), noting its larger SUV proportions, bold Freelander branding, and a stripped, modern JLR-like interior, along with reports of a $58,000 entry price and plans for the UK rather than the US. They revisit the confusing status of design chief Gerry McGovern, with new reports saying he will step down at the end of March. The hosts also note the British Army retiring its iconic Land Rover fleet with replacement expected by 2030, speculate about surplus sales, debut a “Would You Rather” segment, and mention a new Anaconda film opening with a classic Defender scene. 00:00 Show Intro and Hosts 01:31 JLR Halts Solihull Production 02:37 Freelander Crash Leak 04:32 Freelander Design Breakdown 08:17 Pricing and Market Plans 09:19 Jerry McGovern Exit Saga 12:10 British Army Retires Land Rovers 15:17 Defender Import Dreams 15:44 Would You Rather Begins 16:55 Heater Core Nightmare 18:32 Creepy Seat vs Enya Loop 21:59 Viewer Submissions Call 22:24 Defender Spotting in Anaconda 25:13 Project Hail Mary Rovers 25:40 Where Is Jerry McGovern 26:25 See You Next Week https://classiclandrover.com/2026/03/20/british-army-to-retire-iconic-land-rover-fleet/ [https://classiclandrover.com/2026/03/20/british-army-to-retire-iconic-land-rover-fleet/] https://www.autonews.com/jaguar-land-rover/ane-jaguar-design-boss-mcgovern-starts-consultancy-0320/ [https://www.autonews.com/jaguar-land-rover/ane-jaguar-design-boss-mcgovern-starts-consultancy-0320/] https://www.autoblog.com/news/new-land-rover-freelander-leaked-after-crash-test [https://www.autoblog.com/news/new-land-rover-freelander-leaked-after-crash-test] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3931xz101do [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3931xz101do]