Since the last chapter Raymond has been driving really well, which has allowed us to make some discoveries about him…
In a previous chapter, we mentioned the 3 cup holders in the front and none in the back. Well, we now know that one of the cup holders is adjustable so you can put drinks of varying size in it with no issue.
Adjustable cup holder
With the inevitable cold days of the British winter upon us, I was very excited with a fully functioning heated steering wheel. Another added bonus was the super demister that clears not only front and rear screens but also the wing mirrors. Magic!
Heated Steering Wheel button at the bottomFront and Rear demisters
The fuel situation is also improving with the MPG slowly creeping up to 21.2 meaning the fuel we put in might last a little longer, maybe the 5 working days??
After a week of no issues, our luck had come to an end as two problems occurred at once. A message stating the key fob battery was low and also that the coolant was low. The battery issue should just be a simple battery replacement, but the coolant one is different as it was only just topped up, which would suggest a leak somewhere. The workshop say they will investigate where or if we have a leak.
After diving back into the collection of model cars that we bought from an ex-employee, I came across yet another limited edition find. This Corgi Millennium Collection Land Rover is #1635 out of 3000.
There isn’t much on the internet about this collection itself and I could only find two other vehicles, a Q1 Trolley Bus and a Fowler B6 Super Lion Showman’s Engine. From what I can tell the collection is to do with some of the standout vehicles by the time we reached a new millennium. If this is the case, then what a testament to Land Rover for being selected. On the side of the box, we have a shortened version of what was on the 50 Years Anniversary box we looked at last time. The model itself is very similar to the 50 year one, however this is a silver version and does have the spare tyre on the bonnet.
Also amongst the boxes of boxes was this gem of a find in the form of a Limited-Edition Royal Mail Land Rover, #4646 out of 5600. This was one of two Limited Edition Royal Mail die-cast scale models in 1997, the other being the Bedford CA Van.
This Land Rover is based on a Series II SWB that was used by Royal Mail in the 1960’s for rural deliveries. The hardback top is actually removable on this model; however, I haven’t found anything to back up that Royal Mail ever used it without the top. I did however manage to find a photo on Pinterest of one in real life and the accuracy of the model is spectacular. Whilst looking into Royal Mail’s vehicles I found that they used a wide range of Land Rover’s in rural areas.
The final find for this post is yet another car from a television programme, Daktari. The popular TV show, Daktari, was a drama series in the 1960’s by MGM Television. The word ‘Daktari’ is actually Swahili for Doctor and the show was all about a scientist dedicated to the preservation of wildlife in the African Jungle.
This model car is another Land Rover Series II, however without the hard top, but with a wonderful jungle livery and the words Wameru Sub-District across the side. Wameru is the Swahili word for the Meru, an Bantu ethnic group. This set also comes with the two pets the doctor in the show had, Judy the Chimp and Clarence the Lion. Clarence on the show actually had a stunt double on the show called Leo, who was used for any snarling or ferocious scenes.
The final fact about this set is that is actually based on an original 1967 Corgi Daktari set which sold in excess of 1 million units in the seven years it was available.
Three amazing finds in this haul, once again showing the amazing diversity of Land Rover and the cultural impact that the vehicles have had. Delivering mail and saving the animals of Africa.
After the ordeal of the last drive, Raymond was now sat in the workshop, so that the technicians could reveal what really happened. And just as we had predicted last time, the air spring had deflated. So, now we need to get hold of a new one and then change them over.
A nice easy job, take off the wheels, remove the brake discs to reveal the air spring and then disconnect the air spring from under the bonnet. Then it is a case of placing the new air spring in and reconnecting it, putting the car on all fours and hoping that it inflates. And without any hesitation, Raymond rose like a phoenix. We also topped up the coolant as it was low.
We took Raymond out for a drive, and he feels so much better now, gliding over all the bumps, smooth as can be. It is amazing how one little change can make such a mountain of a difference.
