The Land Rover is the Perfect car for an Adventure
Says Travelling Presenter BEn Fogle who was inspired to write a book on one of the most recognised cars in the world
They say that for more than half the world's population Ben Fogle is the first television presenter they see.
Wait. That sounds wrong.
They say that for more than half the world's population a Land Rover is the first car they see. No one could blame you for saying that this sounds like a spurious claim. Not even Ben Fogle, who admits it's not a very scientific statement. Yet it fits in with the romanticism surrounding Land Rovers so we'll let it slide. Fogle's book, Land Rover: The Story of the Car that Conquered the World is what happens when a non-petrol head writes about cars. Expect less rivet counting and more focus on what Land Rovers and the people that drive them have achieved.
Florence Walker: There are so many stories about Land Rovers how did you decide which you’d choose?
Ben Fogle: I’d read a lot of the literature about Land Rovers that’s out there, most of it is technical. I found lots of photos and lots of army Land Rover stuff but in all my research there was nothing for the everyman or everywoman. So I tried to take it back to the very basics and just do things that I found were interesting or quirky. And rather than going into the uniqueness of each model or counting the number of rivets, I was more interested in the grander scheme of things; Land Rovers that had been converted into circus cars that were to be driven by elephants, or Land Rovers that had been converted into boats. That was my first way to dividing the book up. And I thought it would be a good excuse to go on a journey across the UK.
FW: But you didn’t limit yourself to the UK.
BF: Obviously I’m not a car person but I love Land Rovers so I tried to tailor it to me and my life. Having done so much adventure and spent so much time overseas you’re right, I’ve been in Land Rovers and seen Land Rovers just about everywhere so I tried to recount specific episodes like when I was in the Falklands or Africa. I tried to tie it all together. I suppose it’s almost like my memoir told through the story of a vehicle so it’s our two lives told in tandem. That’s probably how I’d describe the book.
FW: Why do you think the Land Rover is a perfect car for an adventure?
BF: The beauty of a Land Rover is that it can transport you to another place. Part of the appeal of the Defender or the Series 1 is that they’re off-roading vehicles so if you got into your Land Rover in London you could end up in South Africa. You could take it just about anyway. And I think that’s quite evocative to a lot of people. Whether you do it or not is besides the point, it’s the hopefulness and anticipation and the dream that you could just get in a car and throw a bag in and go off without a plan or itinerary or a map.
FW: In fact in the book you talk about doing exactly that after finishing the series Castaway 2000. What was that like?
BF: As I recount in the book I don’t really remember what I did that week it was just an aimless journey across Scotland without a plan or a goal. But on the back of having spent a year in isolation it was a form of rehabilitation and gentle acclimatisation back to reality. It was beautiful. It was just me, my dog and my car.
Artists Studio Job's celebration of the Land Rover on its 65th Birthday. Fogle interviews the artists in his book who describe the concept car as "a Popemobile for an African chief"
FW: Will you replace your Land Rover?
BF: They never really die. 70% of Land Rovers are still on the road. It might have a few teething problems and need a mechanic’s help, which I’m hopeless at so I default to other people. But I’ll keep the car forever. It can always been fixed.
The book includes many photos of Ben standing next to Land Rovers.
FW: Are Land Rovers involved with your plans for 2017?
BF: Probably a lot of them will involve Land Rovers just because it's a vehicle I use a lot. I head off to New Zealand this week to do a new series of New Lives in the Wild that I do about people who live in far away and remote places and then I go to Guatemala and I’ll be doing a bit of the Americas Cup in Bermuda. So lots of travel. And I’m writing a third book in this trilogy which is going to be a history of the English which will incorporate everything that is English: Marmite, waxed jackets, Wellington boots, Branston pickle... The quintessentially British products, of which Land Rovers is key, although I’ve already written a book about them.
FW: Britishness is an interesting concept right now. What are the values of being British to you?
BF: Stoicism, a stiff upper lip, perseverance, determination, humility, patience, humour. Quite a few words there but put them all together and you’ve got the perfect model Brit.
FW: And also the perfect Land Rover owner.
BF: Well quite.
When you own a Land Rover you too can stand on top of one and have a picture of you looking like Ben Fogle.
To get a copy of the biography of the Land Rover click here: www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008194222/land-rover
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Comments (3)
shame he doesn't know how to spell alfa and spells it alpha in his book about land rovers, hey ho he has driven on and owned a land rover ( true petol head) and adventurer
top bloke his stuff with James Cracknell was awesome TV, as mr Cracknell took it to the limit and it Ben to pull him back on more than one occassion and vice versa i think.
Great interview, and what looks to be a fascinating book to boot - thanks for sharing, Florence.
On the subject of Landy literature, I'd also recommend 'First Overland' by Tim Slessor, a 1950s account of the first fully overland drive from London to Singapore - predictably in a couple of Series 1 Land Rovers... definitely a modern classic.