# Interesting Find Today...



## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

I went to Olympia today after work to pick up my D90 - it's been there all week. And the charge sheet resembled that stay







Let's just say that very good watch money disappeared from my wallet today










The proprietor of British Northwest Land Rover is an interesting and eccentric sort. The yard around the shop is packed with Series vehicles in various states, ranging from pristine and fully restored to broken-down, degenerating parts bins. Inside the shop is precisely what one would imagine: there is not a spare square cm of horizontal space upon which one could rest another item! The place is packed to the gunwhales with all sorts of Rover parts/books/calendars/charts/manuals and so on. In one corner of the display case, there was (hardly visible due to the Rover banner draped over the case) a boxed, NOS Smiths dash clock. I inquired as to the price? He'd 'have to look it up and get back' with me. I glanced around at the 30-odd parts reference books and decided _I'd_ get back with_ him_. I explained that I was interested in military watches and gave a short blurb on Smiths, showing off my RLT-acquired knowledge. He seemed interested and I continued on as to how I'm interested in watches, and military watches in particular (he knows I'm in the Army). Charles pulls up his cuff to reveal a Daytona. Not exactly what one likes to see on the wrist of their garage owner, but I sympathetically 'oohed' and 'aahed'. We talked about the Daytona and I showed him the PloProf on my wrist and he also 'oohed' and 'ahhed'.

Then he sparks up and heads out the door, muttering "you'll want to see this". I follow him through the crowded garage, all the way to the back. He pulls back a tarp to reveal: a Pink Panther ('69 SII LWB). All original, and rare in that it has a winch on the front and tire on the bonnet (vice the usual no winch and tire mounted on the bumper). I couldn't believe my eyes







That's about the last thing I expected to see about a third of the planet away from Hereford! Apparently he's had it for years and has slowly been buying up all the kit to go with it (sand ladders, surveyor's tripod, magnetic compass, smoke dischargers, etc.).

Unfortunately, the garage was too dark to take photos, but he admitted that he was considering driving the Pinkie in a Fourth of July parade. I told him that I'd loan him a Smiths W10 for the event if I could snap some pics. I'll follow up with him on this at the end of May. I hope something comes of it!

A very interesting, if expensive, afternoon.

PS - The Rhino is now running like a dream!


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Wow, cool find Colin







, I love places like that, getting rare nowadays....


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Colin sounds like the garage is a real find albeit an expensive one! .... I am intrigued a Daytona and a genuine Pink Panther!

Did you get the Smiths clock by the way?


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

I can remember when I was in the mob the spray bay had to keep a supply of the pink paint incase they ever had to do an rush job! I don't think it was ever used.

Every now and then I come across little aladins caves like that but they are getting rare these days. I just love the smell of places like that, 75 years of oil ingrained into the floor. Not a ceramic tiled surface anywhere.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

> what's a Pink Panther Land Rover ?


The SAS paint their Landies pink as apparently its the best cammo colour for dusk/dawn desert ops.....







If they say it I believe em









I bet no one takes the piss out of the colour either, well maybe only once....


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)




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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Coool! Amazing find Colin... Would love to see pics


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

at the bootsale last week was an eldery chap that had loads of those engines that fastens to the back wheel of a pushbike, they were Â£60 each, i chatted with him for a while and it turns out that he cleared an old gents garage that collected them and that there were dozens more!!, i asked him whether the bike had to be mot tested and taxed as they were internal combustion engines after all, he didn't know and really didn't seem that bothered just as long as the sixty quids kept coming his way









does anyone know about tax and test on these jobbies (btw, they each had a number plate attached so i presume they had to be roadworthy  )

john









colin, sorry if i hijacked your thread







:icon18:


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## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

JoT said:


> Colin sounds like the garage is a real find albeit an expensive one! .... I am intrigued a Daytona and a genuine Pink Panther!
> 
> Did you get the Smiths clock by the way?


I didn't John, couldn't wait around long enough for him to determine a price. I'll catch up with him next time. From the considerable layer of dust on the box, I doubt that'll be gone anytime soon. Dunno what it's a replacement for (pg?), my SIII never had a clock AFAIK and the D90 clock has a square bezel and the Smiths is round. Maybe it's a period replica to match the instruments of an old Series truck?


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## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

pg tips said:


> I can remember when I was in the mob the spray bay had to keep a supply of the pink paint incase they ever had to do an rush job! I don't think it was ever used.
> 
> Every now and then I come across little aladins caves like that but they are getting rare these days. I just love the smell of places like that, 75 years of oil ingrained into the floor. Not a ceramic tiled surface anywhere.


Indeed pg, if there is tile anywhere in there I didn't see it as it was covered by something. I think they worked on my truck _outside_







I was thinking of your experience while I was chatting with him. I believe he said it had around 13K on the clock and I'm sure the service was frequent and competent knowing that lot. Apparently Charles used to be called occasionally to do work for some local special types who used to drive Landies...









RSOV










Charles also informed me (don't you just hate this?) that someone on the east coast recently sold a _very_ complete Pinkie for 25K USD. Wouldn't that have been a hoot!


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Nalu said:


> Charles also informed me (don't you just hate this?) that someone on the east coast recently sold a _very_ complete Pinkie for 25K USD. Wouldn't that have been a hoot!


A pink Landrover that would go down well in Custer, Idaho


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Camouflage is a fascinating art, I saw a "Berlin" cameoed Chieftain from close up, once. I thought it was a royal piss take, but once I saw it in theatre I had a hard job finding the bugger with eyeball Mk1.

It must have cost a fortune in man hours and paint, but a lot less than losing a tank.


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## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

Stan said:


> Camouflage is a fascinating art, I saw a "Berlin" cameoed Chieftain from close up, once. I thought it was a royal piss take, but once I saw it in theatre I had a hard job finding the bugger with eyeball Mk1.
> 
> It must have cost a fortune in man hours and paint, but a lot less than losing a tank.


It is Stan. A uni P of mine came up with digital camouflage in the 70s, but the Army wasn't interested. He's now gone way beyond the current issue patterns and consults for a company called "Hyperstealth Biotechnologies". They make stick-on camouflage for vehicles that can be quickly removed and changed to suit the environment.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

A pink Landrover?









Sounds like proof that Douglas Adam`s `Somebody Else`s Problem Field` (ie if you want something to dissapear paint it pink & put a cherry on top) actually works
















Did the Landy have a cherry on top?


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Well, I searched the internet for decent pictures of a Chieftain in Berlin Brigade camouflage but most I found were pretty poor. The best example of this camo is on a model displayed at this site:-

http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/05/...o_chieftain.htm

It is really quite striking and very effective.

Edit: I've also seen other vehicles in this type of camouflage including Land Rovers.


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## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> A pink Landrover?
> 
> 
> 
> ...





jasonm said:


> > what's a Pink Panther Land Rover ?
> 
> 
> The SAS paint their Landies pink as apparently its the best cammo colour for dusk/dawn desert ops.....
> ...


That's once, Mac...


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

:lol:


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Nalu said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
> 
> 
> > A pink Landrover?
> ...


You mean in addition to watching out for these at the bottom of the garden....










I`ve now also got to keep an eye out for a group of slightly irritated gentlemen driving one of these?










Ok, where did I put my will?


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> Did the Landy have a cherry on top?


Depends if HRH Prince Harry is driving it


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

On the subject of DA`s SEP field, I remember in the early `90s seeing a bright blue APC parked outside Poundstretchers in Leicester









The thing was that apart from one rather worried looking Traffic Warden who quickly gave up and walked away, everyone else acted like it didn`t exist


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