Camel Trophy vehicles - Land Rover 90 / 110

Los Land Rover 90 se usaron en las ediciones del 85 (Borneo) y 86 (Australia) y no se volvieron a usar nunca más a pesar de su robustez y dureza. En cambio los modelos largos 110 se usaron mas veces, sobre todo como vehículos de soporte, ya que eran igual de duros que los 90 pero tenian mucha mayor capacidad para llevar material y trasportar a los 2 componentes del equipo más los 2 periodistas con todo su equipo.

El Land Rover de las imágenes, es propiedad de Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo y probablemente sea el único Land Rover 90 que queda en funcionamiento. Este concretamente fue el Land Rover con el que compitio el equipo español en la edición de Australia 86.

Los Land Rover 110 se usaron como coche oficial en la edición 84 (Brasil), 88 (Sulawesi) y 89 (Amazonia), y como vehículo de soporte en las ediciones 84, 85, 86, 88 y 89, lo que demuestra las fantasticas aptitudes offroad de este modelo, que fue elegido para tan numerosas ediciones.

Reputed the World-over for their mechanical robustness and overall 4x4 qualities, either Range Rovers or Land Rovers have been used for all but the first of the past nine Camel Trophies. The tenth anniversary event is to be no exception and, to take them 1.000 miles along some of the Amazon Basin's most inhospitable jungle tracks, participants and event-management alike will be using the legendary Land Rover 110 Turbo Diesel for the second successive year.

Apart from Safety equipment, modifications are kept to a strict minimum. The twenty-six Land Rovers which have been shipped to Brazil feature raised air-intakes for deep river crossings, auxiliary fuel tanks, protective roll-cages, fire extinguishers, underbody sump-protection as well as a number of typical 4x4 accessories such as sand-ladders, hi-lift jacks, shovels and picks, etc.

LAND ROVER 110 - 1989	1	Hi-lift jack
	2	Sand Ladders / grip boards
	3	Integral 8 point roll-cage
	4	Terratrip electronic distance-recorder and map-reading light
	5	Shovel
	6	Front-mounted bull bar
	7	Walk-on full-length roof-rack
	8	Four fixed and two hand-adjustable auxiliary spot-lamps
	9	Raised engine air-intake for crossing deep fords
	10	Spare wheel. A second spare is mounted on the rear door
	11	Pick
	12	Quartz halogen headlights
	13	Warn 8.000 lbs (3150kg)capacity electric winch with remote hand-control
	14	Underbody sump-guard

This is an article written by David Hatherill from Camel Trophy Owners Club published with his authorization

The Land Rover 90 was used in just two Camel Trophies: Borneo 1985 and Australia 1986, although 110s continued as the support vehicles. Unlike their successors these vehicles were actually County spec. station wagons, and featured Brushwood cloth seats and tinted glass. Only the carpet was deleted in favour of rubber mats. The 2.5 litre naturally aspirated diesel was under the bonnet, proving itself for the first time, or in some cases not proving itself, and breaking their timing belts: No doubt to the irritation of their crews. All Camel 90’s were left hand drive.

Equipment wise these vehicles were a new generation in Camel design. This was the first year the now familiar roll cages were fitted, although the design is somewhat different from the 110 versions in that it does not provide protection in the roof area at the rear. Even then they were not fitted to the 110’s; only to the 90 team vehicles. Standard dog guards were fitted inside and a single station wagon rear seat was fitted in the back for the third member of the crew. Brownchurch roofracks were again fitted although since the vehicles were of the steel gutter era they were not reinforced with stays front or rear. The rack is also of the earlier commercial pattern (LR2) which deepens at the front, necessitating a bolt in top bar on the roll cage. Roof rack bars were exposed with no decking, and the Jerrican rack carried the cans in the vertical position. Four Litemate worklights were mounted across the front of the roofrack and a swivel handlamp was attached to each roll cage A post. Two rear foglights were used, one in place of the normal reversing light, no rear worklight was fitted. It is not known how the teams reversed in the dark!

A LR Parts raised air intake ran up the LH windscreen pillar to roof level and entered at the front of the LH wing. Pioneer tools were fitted to the wing tops and over the rear door. Once again Britax truck mirrors adourned the doors. PSP was of course once more fitted either side of the roof rack. Wheels were 5.5Fx16 standard steels, shod with 7.50 R 16 Michelin XCLs. Two spares were carried, one on the back door, and one on the bonnet. Two different varieties of rear door wheel carriers were used. A Brownchurch bull bar was fitted surrounding a Warn 8274 electric winch with hawse fairlead and 3.5 tonne tow jaws were fitted to the bumper each side of the winch. One of the older fabricated pattern 3.5 tonne jaws was fitted to the rear cross member. A Safety devices steering guard was mounted to the chassis. Unbelievably some vehicles were fitted with mudflaps.

The vehicles were naturally painted sandglow, with black and yellow Camel Trophy stickers in Borneo and blue and yellow in Australia . A Camel Trophy plaque was fitted to the centre of the roofrack, and to the roof to the right of the rear door. The shape of the Austalia plates was as present day, whereas the Borneo pattern features a slightly elongated lozenge. Team vehicles were new each year, but some of the support vehicles took part in two or more Trophies. The 90 probably represented the most capable vehicle ever used in Camel Trophy, but in many ways it was probably the least practical given its lack of interior space. Very few of these vehicles still exist today.

All vehicles were finished in sandglow with black and yellow Camel Trophy stickers on each front side door. Camel Trophy plaques were fitted to the top of the bullbar or roof rack, and were of a differing geometry from the later logo.

Under body protection was not fitted at the rear, although a large tubular steering guard was fitted at the front. Roll cages were not yet considered a necessity. Auxiliary lights were attached to the top of the bumper of Lucas manufacture, and Lucas swivel worklights were fitted to the front of the Brownchurch roofrack. Additionally swivel handlamps were mounted on each A post. Pioneer tools were fitted to each wing and a raised air intake was fitted for the first time, which entered through the front corner of the LH wing. Britax truck mirrors were attached to each door. PSP was carried each side of the roof rack.

Spare wheels were mounted on the bonnet and rear door. Tyre wise Avon Ranger 7.50 x 16 cross plies were curiously fitted, which was explained somewhere later as being an experiment. Clearly the “experiment” was not a success because later vehicles standardized on Michelin XCL’s.

The Warn 8274 winch was mounted to the front bumper using a cradle fitting kit, rather than the later replacement bumper. The winch featured a hawse fairlead, and a custom made Brownchurch bullbar was fitted to accomodate this.

The following year things would take shape and evolve further into the Camel Defender we know today.

By now most vehicles were fitted with Safety Devices roll cages, although a few were not, topped off by the latest LR11 Brownchurch roof rack, featuring front and rear stays to compensate for the new aluminium gutters. These roofracks were decked and the jerricans lay on their backs. Aluminium PSP was attached to the sides retained with Range Rover spare wheel clamps. A Jackall jack was fitted to the roof, although post 1990 Hi-Lifts seem to have been used. Four Lite Mate lamps were mounted to the roof rack either side of the Camel Trophy plaque, although for Siberia 1990 these were changed to Hella Rallye 1000 items, and had been Bosch Rallye lamps on the Madagascar support vehicles in 1987. In some cases two additional swivel lamps were mounted either side at the top of the A post.

Britax truck mirrors were fitted to the doors up to and including 1988, but by 1989 these were gone, as they were no longer made. Pioneer tools adorned the wing tops and above the rear door, and a raised air intake rose up the LH A post. The entry point of this depended whether the vehicle was left or right hand drive. LHD versions went in through the wing top , whilst RHD versions went in through the bonnet. The bonnet also carried a spare wheel as did the rear door. Tyres and wheels were 7.50R16 Michelin XCL’s mounted on 5.5Fx16 standard steel wheels. Once more two rear foglamps were fitted and no reversing light. Standard mesh rear lamp guards were fitted. A 5 tonne Dixon Bate tow jaw was fitted to the rear cross member, but no fuel tank protection was considered necessary although steering protection was. At the front a Warn 8274, in its own cradle, was fitted to the standard bumper with a Dixon Bate 3.5 tonne hitch mounted either side. A Brownchurch bullbar finished off the front end. Madagascar support vehicles were fitted with the Warn M8000 winch, for some inexplicable reason, whilst Siberia support vehicles were fitted with a Husky winch in place of the Warn due to a change in sponsorship. The Warn would not return until 1998.

It was clear that Land Rover and other sponsors were paying more attention to the event. Large Land Rover decals appeared across the windscreen and rear door, and in 1989 the front wings had Bosch, Michelin and Warn stickers applied. Camel door decals and plaques were applied in the normal positions, and were blue on yellow over the course of these events.

The evolution of the Camel Defender was nearly complete and would change little over the next nine events, in fact many items had reached there final evolution on the Siberia support vehicles, in contrast to the base vehicle which would go through a few more changes yet.

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