Automotive Stuff: July 2019
This year's iconic festival takes place from the 12th to the 15th of July, and this year's event is extra special, as the festival is celebrating it's Silver Jubilee! The first festival, held in June 1993, redefined what a car event could be, and, in the years since, it has firmly established itself as the world's greatest celebration of motorsport and car culture. To commemorate this milestone birthday, the Duke of Richmond, the event's founder, will be picking his 25 favourite moments from the first 25 years. It's not just the festival's anniversary that will be celebrated, as two iconic marques will be commemorating their own significant Jubilee in West Sussex this weekend. The central focus of this year's event will be the Porsche 356, which is celebrating it's 70th anniversary. Land Rover's Platinum anniversary will also be celebrated at Goodwood, with a parade of 70 vehicles heading up the famous hillclimb.
A Warn winch has been installed up front, and a series of LED spotlights have been fitted to keep the road well lit even when you鈥檙e pursuing a British secret agent over a mountain pass. The diesel engine was upgraded so it now produces 185 bhp and 500 Nm of torque, up from 120 bhp in stock trim. Recaro seats with 4-point harnesses were fitted, along with a no-nonsense hydraulic handbrake, and it comes with key tags identifying it as an official film car. The first private owner had the pick of all 10 Spectre-film Defenders, and he chose this one as it is the most significant. If you鈥檇 like to read more about the car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Bonhams. The Land Rover Defender actually didn鈥檛 start out being called a Defender at all. Its first predecessor was the 1979 Stage I V8, a Series III Land Rover which was fitted with a de-tuned version of the V8 petrol engine that would ultimately find its way into the 鈥淒efender鈥?series.
Steering wheel (adjustable for rake and reach) has entertainment, cruise control and trip computer switches. Powerful air conditioning performs well even under extreme engine loads and is enabled with dual temperature control for driver and front passenger. Commanding a 5-star EuroNCAP safety rating the LR2 comes replete with a set of 10 airbags hoping that the need to use them never arises. Reverse vented front disc brakes and solid discs in the rear provide excellent stopping power. 17鈥?alloy rims with 235/65R17 all-terrain tyres look small on the outset. The Land Rover LR2 is an engineering masterpiece. But it takes away the feel of the road by intrusiveness of the many electronic gadgets trying too hard to make sure you don鈥檛 crash into a lamp post. Despite being poised as an up-market SUV, it is only a 5-seater with the wrong shoes on it without a sun-roof or all-round parking sensors. Surely Land Rover could鈥檝e made the lower priced variants with more options as standard. Land Rover enjoys a prestige value that is associated with performance and go-anywhere attitude, the LR2 the smallest in their range at this trim level offers an above average feel with a superior badge.
There are several standard safety features in the 2009 LR2. They include antilock brakes, as well as front, side and curtain airbags. There is even a driver's side knee airbag. The electronic stability system includes Ford's Roll Stability Control system. The interior of this SUV is almost identical to that of its larger sibling, the LR3. The interior area allows five occupants to sit comfortably in the two rows of seats. There is also a considerable amount of cargo space for a vehicle this small. On the outside, the 2009 LR2 continues to mimic the larger LR3. It's virtually identical, only on a smaller scale. The 2009 Land Rover LR2 is a nice little SUV that is capable of impressing off road, as well as on the city streets. An individual will get all of the quality and performance that Land Rover has to offer with a significantly lower price. The only problem may be that a growing family will likely outgrow it rather quickly, and find they will need a larger vehicle.
