Need vs. Want

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This has already been decided for me – want, obviously– because (a) it's been sold, (b) I don't have an extra $65k burning a hole in my pocket, and (c) when I buy a Land Rover, it is highly unlikely it will be from Orvis (with all due respect to Orvis...I have some Orvis wool pants that I acquired from the downtown Detroit Salvation Army for $2, and they are quite fantastic). Still, this 1962 specimen is particularly noteworthy, having traveled rigorously, survived a hurricane, and been meticulously restored by Lanny Clark Rovers of Colchester, Vermont.

Built in 1962 and then customized by Martin Walter Ltd. for extended travel, this Series IIA 109 traveled the world in the early part of its life, from Great Britain through Europe into Asia and Africa, leaving its tracks in 22 countries. It traveled through Europe and the Balkans to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India and then returned by way of the Middle East and North Africa to Morocco, across the Straits of Gibralter and into Spain. It survived hurricanes and the ravages of time and eventually ended up in the hands of Lanny Clark, a man who devotes himself full-time to the restoration of these timeless vehicles on his farm in Vermont.

The feature about this on the Orvis website is worth a quick look for info and detail shots.

Check out orvis.com/landrover, and if you're really inspired, contact Lanny Clark Rovers at 802-872-5710. Of course in these parts we have the British Northwest Land Rover Company of Olympia, Wash., but we can save that for another post.