We bought our first Landy in 1998; it was a 1993 Range Rover County. We fell in love with the elegance of the Rangie as well as the toughness and ruggedness that we didn’t expect when we bought it. After obtaining the car, we decided to do some updating of the maintenance and quickly found that there were no options at that time for any after market repair; we were stuck going to the dealership. Having been avid BMW folks for many years, we were not used to the idea that we essentially had no other options than an overpriced dealership. Our car was out of warranty and we felt like we were out of luck.
Soon, the off road bug bit us (having both grown up driving Jeeps camping, fishing and off roading) so it wasn’t long before we started to dress up the Rangie. We added an ARB Heavy Duty Bumper and winch, a 3 inch lift, big tires and a rear locker, just to start. By 2002, the truck was ready to go so Jim took our daughter and the Rangie to Rover Rendezvous in Big Bear, where he met lifelong Rover Enthusiasts and lifelong friends. This was really the beginning of The Rover Group.
 A year later, the dot com world went bust and so did Jim’s job. He was laid off, like so many other dot comers and was facing the demise of his career. However, instead of viewing his employment situation as a death knell, he embraced the opportunity to finally test his wings and fly: he decided to open a Land Rover shop.
 It didn’t take too much convincing from our friends from Quebec (at the time Coronado residents and San Diego club members) to open an independent shop. Jim was also convinced in his heart that this could happen and so went forth and started doing the market research to decide whether an exclusive Land Rover shop was viable. There were plenty of doubters because who would have ever thought that there were even enough Land Rovers in the San Diego area to support a business. However, we soon found out that, indeed, there are an abundance of Land Rovers. And so, armed with a solid business plan, 3 rejection letters from SBA for a start up loan, William, now our head technician and a floor jack, The Rover Group was born.
Today we have a small collection of Land Rovers, which seemingly all fulfill a different purpose. Our current collection includes:
Current Collection Pieces
 1995 Range Rover County, Brooklands Edition.
Special Body Aero kit, 1 of 7 in US. Jim’s favorite Land Rover ever produced were sold with a body-styling kit designed by Tom Walkenshaw Racing (TWR). The TWR body kit was first introduced back in 1991 on the European Brooklands model that was never sold in North America. In February 1995 LRNA issued a press release that said: "The TWR kit adds a unique and attractive appearance to the classic Range Rover. The kit is specially fitted at the Factory and is available on a limited number of Epsom Green and Beluga Black County Classics." Jim’s is Beluga Black. It’s beautiful and has no other plans for restoration other a new paint job one day and service and maintenance. This one will stay on the pavement.
 1995 Range Rover LWB, Black
The car that won’t die! This car was recently stolen without a radiator, oil cooler or transmission cooler and taken for a joy ride and driven bone dry. We were heartbroken at the loss of our RR4BAJA truck. We loved the LWB for our long, family expeditions into Baja for all the extra room and comfort that is the LWB. However, after being recovered, we filled all the fluids to MAX capacity, and the car keeps on going. Last odometer count: 226,000 miles on the original engine. We attribute the heartiness and rejuvenation of the engine after such mistreatment to the maintenance the car received since we’ve owned it. We strongly believe in an aggressive preventative maintenance program and this car proves it! We are confident that the synthetic additives that we use in all of TRG’s services for owners and customers alike saved us from a new engine/transmission/cooling system. (LINK here to 2.1 Service and Repair).
We love to use this car for Baja as well as other off roading trips. Jim likes to use this as a daily driver. We’ve added RoverTym bumpers, a Warn winch, a Mantec Snorkel, an ARB Safari roof rack, NATO wheels and all terrain tires, air spring conversion with 3 in lift kit, jerry gas and water cans, satellite radio ready. (link here to parts 3.0)
 1997 Defender 90 LE Station Wagon
Rare Defender 90 LE #202/300, Station Wagon, Willow Green with special KIT package, full Safari rack, ARB heavy duty off road bumper, Mile marker hydraulic winch, 3 inch RoverTym lift, ARB front and rear lockers with 410 gears, Hella 3000 auxiliary lights, lim risers, sand ladder, 35x12.5Rx15LT BFG Mud Terrain tires. This 90 is not a garage queen by any stretch. Rather, this 90 has had a great life in the Southeast and has moved to Southern California. It is #202 out of only 300 ever produced and it’s the rare Willow Green color. We plan on using it locally, with the exception of occasionally taking it to Baja for shorter trips. This 90 is named Croft and we plan to keep the name. The namesake is twofold: it is named after the famous Laura Croft, Tomb Raider (it does have similarities to the movie set car) which is the epitome of Land Rover icon ruggedness. However, the car was named by a previous owner whose best friends, the Crofts, perished in an accident years ago. It was his way of honoring and remembering his friends and we plan to continue their legacy as well. Look for Croft in Moab.
 2003 Land Rover Discovery HSE
Jen’s truck. Jen uses this truck mainly as her grocery getter and soccer mom car. Translation: she and the kids really trash this thing. That’s why God invented detailing, right? This beauty looks fabulous probably 3-4 times a year, when the detailer delivers it to the shop after being thoroughly cleaned and polished. The rest of the year… well, we pretty much put it through its paces. Jen is meticulous with maintenance and service, even if she’s not with tidiness. She also off roads the Disco and has begun to dress up the car by adding an ARB Safari rack and CB radio. A small lift, some 16 in wheels and all terrains and some undercarriage protection are on the list of stuff to do. She also usually has an Engle fridge/freezer in the car, which is so much better than dragging a cow behind to bring milk for the kids! (Link 3.0)
 2003 Range Rover HSE
The Marque 3 (so named because it is the 3rd generation of the Range Rover marque or lineage) the best driver’s Land Rover to date. There is no denying that this is unquestionably the best Land Rover ever built; comfort, styling, luxury, capability, durability. We love it because the styling to us is reminiscent of the Range Rover Classic.
Former Collection Pieces
 1995 Range Rover SE
Jim used this car as a daily as well as for Moab once a year. Since the Range Rover P38 is such a luxurious driver, yet ruggedly capable, Jim liked to take it on long drives to play in the tough stuff. He’s modified the car extensively over the years, but most notable are the zebra stripes, the Slick Rock Fabrication front and rear bumpers with external tire carrier, Warn winch, and a wheelbase extension for more agile handling on the rocks of Moab. ** Update** This car has gone to a good home in La Jolla (not the same as the D-110, but close by). Look for it in La Jolla.
 1993 NAS Defender 110, Black (the original owner of 1 of the 2 Black NAS Defender 110’s- Diann Keaton)
Recent Diesel conversion to Land Rover TD5 Diesel from original 3.9L gas engine, automatic transmission conversion, black powder coated 16 in wheels, Mantec Snorkel. We used to use the D-110 to do pretty much anything we want to as it will go absolutely everywhere we wanted to. The diesel conversion is a factory specification conversion and runs great. Nothing like getting double the gas mileage- the D-110 gets about 20-25 mpg on diesel. (link here to projects 2.6- kp we need to provide a link here to the project page). In addition, we are currently investigating the possibility of running Land Rovers green or yellow, depending on your favorite color. There are several sources of biofuels available currently and we are determining which options will work with North American Land Rovers. Biodiesel is considered a “green” fuel as it is made from biological, organic products and “yellow” fuels are corn based. **Update** A customer and Land Rover enthusiast much like ourselves just insisted on owning this 110. The D-110 was placed in an excellent home in La Jolla, gets driven regularly and has an lean diet of biodiesel and vegetable oil. Look for it in La Jolla- it’s unmistakable.
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