The Rover Owner's Association of Virginia (ROAV) announced the dates and location of its 2008 Mid Atlantic Land Rover Rally, known internationally as the "MAR". The MAR will be held Thursday October 2nd through Sunday October 5th, 2008 at the Oak Ridge Estate Arrington, Virginia situated in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Nelson County.

This year ROAV has chosen a new, larger and more elegant venue for the MAR, which has been the largest annual gathering of Land Rovers in North America, since its inception in 1992. Oak Ridge Estate is a world class, 5000 acre private estate which offers numerous attractions to Land Rover enthusiasts. With over 40 miles of off-road trails, Oak Ridge Estate's extensive trail system offers obstacles appropriate for a wide range of vehicles, from showroom stock vehicles all the way up to extremely modified vehicles.

For 2008, ROAV's MAR will focus its attention on the 60th Anniversary of the Land Rover marque.

The MAR will offer a wide range of events; a catered Friday night dinner in the Carriage House, the infamous Saturday night MAR Auction, enhanced camping areas and more miles of trails than can be driven during the rally! 2008 will mark the 16th MAR organized by the Rover Owner's Association of Virginia, Ltd. Established in 1975, ROAV is the oldest Land Rover Club in the Americas and its Mid Atlantic Rally is considered the largest annual Land Rover event/rally in the United States. Last year, more than 350 Land Rovers along with over 600 of their proud owners and friends, attended the MAR.

More info is available at www.roav.org.

Land Rover will be showcasing its smaller, four wheel drive concept vehicle in Detroit. The Land Rover LRX is being designed to fit below the LR2 and is categorized as a cross-coupe or compact SUV.  Looking very much like a modern Land Rover, the LRX takes Rover's family design to the next level with its tight styling and aggressive stance. Land Rover says the LRX will feature advanced green technologies, and while it will be tuned for the highway, will still have the Hill Descent Control and Terrain Response systems found in the rest of the Rover lineup. (Source: Four Wheeler, April 2008)

Make plans now for the 1st Annual Fowler Classic in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. This will be our 9th annual trip to the area for a weekend of great fun and four wheeling.  The trail ride will be on Saturday, July 12th. Many of us will be arriving on the afternoon/evening of Thursday, July 10th and camping nearby. Friday is open for some additional off-roading to check on the trails, maybe try out some new spots.  There will be a $20 donation required per vehicle - half to benefit the club and half will be donated to American Rivers foundation in memory of the recent passing of club member Bob Fowler.   Click here to go to event site.  Download Event Info Sheet

As part of its 60th birthday celebration in 2008, Land Rover has announced plans to offer a limited edition Defender SVX, based on the Defender 90. Only 200 SVX's (in both hard and soft tops) will be produced and will feature individually numbered plaques, as well as tubular side steps, front grille surround, unique five-spoke alloy wheels, a reinforced aluminum front skidplate, and clear LED rear lights.  The interior add custom Recaro front seats, aluminum gear knobs, and a new high-end audio, system with Garmin GPS.  If only they would send a few our way. Maybe for the 100th Birthday. (Source: Four Wheeler, March 2008).

Ford said in a statement that it has entered into "focused negotiations at a more detailed level" with Tata, which means Tata has been picked as a preferred bidder for the storied British automakers. "There is still a considerable amount of work to do, and while no final decision has been made, we will proceed with further substantive discussions with Tata Motors over the forthcoming weeks with a view to securing an agreement that is in the best interests of all parties concerned," Lewis Booth, executive vice president of Ford's European units, said in a statement. Jaguar and Land Rover employees in the United Kingdom were told about the negotiations Thursday morning shortly before the company made the announcement. Ford executives have said they expect to announce the sale of the two British automakers early this year. << MORE >>

John Holtz has announced that his Land Rover dealership has been sold to Piehler
Jaguar Land Rover Webster.  This was confirmed in letters sent out to Holtz
customers, stating that as of November 30th, 2007, Piehler should be contacted
for all future Land Rover needs.  The letter also noted that Holtz will
continue to provide sales, service and support for Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda,
Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.  It went on to say that they "also sell
and service a full selection of imported and domestic pre-owned vehicles at all
our locations," which ...<< MORE >>