Brothers Who Are Passionate About Land Rover Defenders
We are brothers, Kit and John Ogden
Originally from Suffolk in the UK. We washed up this side of the Pond, on the beach in LA, almost 40 years ago. But this story is about Land Rovers and the blood runs deep. Without really knowing, Laurie Ogden, our dad, planted the seed with a brand new 1956 Series One Land Rover which he drove, with his wife Jill and 3 kids—Sally, Kit, and I—from Shropshire on the Welsh boarder to his first job in Suffolk at The Animal Health Trust. Both our parents were Veterinarians.
Dad found a beautiful secluded house called The Pound in the village of Higham and proceeded to extend the family, culminating with five girls—Sally, Wendy, Lyn, Lucy, Clare, and us two renegade boys.
Don’t let the date stamp confuse you!!! We are talking early eighties for sure, lol
My brother and I came back from Australia in the mid-seventies and built the buildings in the background, slate roofs and solid brick. (see story below)
Over the years at the Pound
We rebuilt a 1962 Series 2 SWB (Short Wheel Base)
Land Rover and enjoyed a 1971 LWB (Long Wheel Base) 5 door Station Wagon we called the White Elephant.
Then the oldest of the renegades, Kit, jumped ship, taking 3 horses to New Zealand via the Panama Canal. The horses arrived in such good condition he was immediately offered a job on the farm.
Three years later brother John, was “kind of” sent to look for him. I followed the same route except with 26 cows and 2 bulls on the deck of an old Merchant Navy vessel destined for a ship graveyard in Asia somewhere. Luckily, she made it to Wellington New Zealand, with all my cows safe and sound.
After a six-month stint in a wool factory for John (New Zealand has 60 million sheep by the way) the brothers finally met up in Melbourne, Australia.
To bring the story to a conclusion
From then on Series Land Rovers were driven all over Australia, from Melbourne on the east coast to Perth on the west, all the way to the very tip of Cape York in Queensland. The Cape York trip consisting of 700 miles of dirt roads, river crossings, crocodiles and climbing trees to escape angered wild pigs.
So, cutting to the chase, what has all that got to do with MIDWEST DEFENDER?
Good question! Nothing really except to revive the dream. Back in those days. the mid-seventies, Series Land Rovers had only leaf springs, no power steering, no synchromesh on first gear, meaning you better learn to “double the clutch” real quick or get your ear clipped! Land Rover Defenders did not emerge until the late 80s. They came with fully independent coil sprung suspension, power steering and a five speed fully synchroed gearbox (transmission).
Whoopee doo, don’t get too excited
AC was still basically unheard of, in early Defenders, so they are minuscule more civilized at best.
Why would you read on? Good question!! And herein lies the answer and our Mission Statement.
We are here to help reawaken to the Jeep Wrangler Community, their younger brother, Land Rover Defender, missing in the USA since the mid-nineties (Land Rover stopped importing Defenders in 1997 because they had no Airbags and lacked emission upgrades). Now with an age exclusion clause, Land Rover Defender’s can enter the USA if they are 25 years or older.
Our Motto is Bringing Jeep and Land Rover Defender Families Together.
Our commitment is to search the globe for Land Rover Defenders and give them a new home in the good old USA.
We have lived, loved, and breathed America for almost 40 years but our roots will always be connected to Australia and the UK. With a little help from our friends, you guys!!! We can have some fun.
Disclaimer One:
The story is true, but the pictures of the Series Land Rovers are NOT the actually vehicles in question but they ARE the exact Models for those years. We might dig into some old slides and photos, to capture digitally, those original vehicles but don’t hold your breaths!!!
Disclaimer Two:
This is not a “save the whales appeal.” This is business. There are 10 times better men than us, already fully established, for those of you “well healed.”
See the link on our website
There you will find two other brothers from the UK, Tom and Elliot Humble who only 6 years ago established E.C.D. Automotive Design (www.ecdautodesign.com) Go visit and enjoy.
Plus, there is a British Company in the UK called Arkonic (www.arkonic.com) that will make you a vehicle to be super proud of. Takes a year to build and costs upwards of $125,000. I have visited them and was treated royally.
Kit and I will offer some price options!!! The goal is to bring these vehicles to a larger audience.
Please visit our For-Sale Tab and give us a ring (British for “a call”).
