Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
LOGAN — Jeremy Jenkins likes adventure and travel, at least in his choice of vehicles. He has traveled extensively, and saw the iconic four-wheel drive vehicle known around most of the world as the Land Rover. He's now waiting for his third to arrive from France.
His interest in Land Rovers was born from seeing them on adventure TV shows. It's hard to estimate how many rhinos have been shot with tranquilizer darts fired from the back of a Land Rover in Africa, on "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom."
Jenkins bought his first Land Rover, a 1991 Defender, in 2018. He found it in a Land Rover forum online and bought it from a guy in California. This particular one started in the British military with a 2.5-liter diesel under the hood. No turbo, no speed. Jenkins didn't intend to fully strip it down, but with three sons ready for a project with Dad, it became one. The NATO green paint is changing to Marine Blue, and the engine is changing to a 200 TDI, the civilian choice for the Defender at the time. Jenkins likes the military backstory for the Defender, and is giving it the "Beach Runner" treatment: No rock-crawling, no overland stuff, just a get-around four-wheeler.
Jenkins saw a 1976 Series III for sale on a Facebook page for Land Rover enthusiasts. These are the ones with the "Wild Kingdom" look.
He had always thought it would be fun to buy an older Land Rover, and this was a factory original with low miles — and what a backstory. The original owner was a British civil engineer working in South America, who probably ordered the vehicle directly to Peru. A plus is that it was left-hand drive. Jenkins bought it from an auction and used a broker to ship it to Galveston, Texas, and had it trucked to Logan, where the Land Rover exceeded his expectations and was in great condition. There was some engine smoke, but he swapped out the valve seals and resurfaced the heads.
He put a South African tent on top and he and his wife take it camping. It goes to car shows, but will not go through rivers because Jenkins sees himself as a caretaker of a piece of history. He says he'll enjoy it, but won't go crazy with it. Jenkins runs a fabrication business, so if any parts go bad, he can just build his own. The Defender needed some radiator help, and a son helped custom build a bracket for the replacement.
Again on a forum (which is becoming an expensive habit), Jenkins saw a 1997 Land Rover Wolf XD for sale, and, again, what a backstory: The British military replaced the Defender with the Wolf in the late 1990s, and it was only sold to the military. After the Channel Tunnel connected England and France in 1994, British Explorer Sir Ranulf Fiennes hoped to drive from the U.K. to New York, crossing the ice of the Bering Strait. Land Rover built six Wolf XDs to his specifications, all in gold paint. The project never departed, for various reasons, and the six special Land Rovers sat.
Finally sold off, one Wolf went on an expedition to 33 countries — through Europe, Pakistan, and finally Thailand, where it hopped a boat to Los Angeles and drove to South America. That buyer sold it to a guy in France, who listed it on eBay. Nervous to proceed without a broker like his last Land Rover purchase, Jenkins started corresponding with the seller. In September 2023, Jenkins and his wife flew to France, checked out and bought the golden Wolf, and drove it 900 miles across France to Belgium.
He said this Land Rover exceeded his expectations, too, having even more features than advertised. It has a freshwater tank, solar panels, a roof tent and fridge. He's expecting it to arrive in Galveston in a few weeks.
His plans are to take it out — really far out — and treat it right.
Jenkins wants even more British cars, maybe picking up something more asphalt-oriented in the future. He has heard the jokes about British cars leaking oil, but likes having something no one else has, that has been places and can take you places.
He also likes a good backstory, and now you know his.
