By Jeffrey B. Aronson
Whenever I change the oil and filter on either Land Rover, I also check the fluid levels in the transmission, transfer case, overdrive, front and rear axles, swivel balls and steering box. It’s very telling that the latter items - professionally replaced on the QE I by East Coast Rover with Genuine Parts from Rovers North – don’t leak and don’t require topping up. On the other hand, the transmission that I rebuilt myself and the transfer case and axles that I’ve ignored, always require topping up. The Fairey overdrive does not leak, despite the fact I installed it myself.
Contemporary cars and trucks just don’t use the amount of hypoid as my Rovers; the local garagiste finally said “get your own,” when I asked to purchase 20-30 pumps from his depleted supply pail. So this Christmas Santa brought me my very own bucket and hand pump. (…)

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Tata Motors today acquired the Jaguar Land Rover businesses from Ford Motor Company for a net consideration of US $2.3 billion, as announced on March 26, in an all-cash transaction. Ford has contributed about US $600 million to the Jaguar Land Rover pension plans.
Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, was present at the handing over ceremony at the head quarters of Jaguar Land Rover at Gaydon in the UK along with Mr. Don Leclair, the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Company, and Mr. Lewis Booth, Executive Vice President of Ford Motor Company, who has responsibility for Ford of Europe, Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Tata said, “This is a momentous time for all of us at Tata Motors. Jaguar and Land Rover are two iconic British brands with worldwide growth prospects. We are looking forward to extending our full support to the Jaguar Land Rover team to realise their competitive potential. (…)

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Vehicle by Tata
By Calef Letorney
Photos by: Calef Letorney and Courtesy of Land Rover / Tata
Just days before this issue of The NEWS was to go to press the TATA Group’s acquisition of Jaguar-Land Rover was officially announced. At this time the details of the deal are still being ironed out, but both parties have committed to the transaction and the negotiations are likely to be concluded by time you read this. Of course this new information makes the story we had intended to run in this spot, entitled “Whose Your Daddy?” focusing on the uncertainty in the next owner of Jaguar-Land Rover, a bit behind the times. Now that we know who our daddy is, I am interested in finding out a little bit more about him and discuss some of the possible ramifications for Jaguar-Land Rover and the North American Market.
Originally a locomotive manufacturer, the Tata Group of India was established in 1945. (…)

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By Jeffrey B. Aronson
Land Rover events can prove very passionate affairs; for anyone reading this who attended the Mid-Atlantic Rally in Virginia last October, I don’t have to note this for you. Enthusiasts can become a little, ahem, focused, on their cars and their driving. At the British Invasion [see the article elsewhere in this issue], several Land Rover enthusiasts enjoyed the conviviality of each other and some Old Specked Hen when a large gentlemen walked into the bar. He joined our conversation and ingestion.
While he owned several British classics, he had arrived at the event in a new-retro Ford Thunderbird convertible; oh, well, at least his car shared the same corporate parent as Land Rover. We swapped stories of off roading, repair techniques and the like for nearly 30 minutes when he mentioned he should return to his wife. He had left her in the top down car outside the hotel, on a chilly Vermont night. (…)

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