This is one of eight Land Rover titles by Brooklands, who for over 30 years have been publishing automotive titles for second-hand owners. They have also done a book on the Range Rover and six titles on Rover cars.

The Series III title consists of 31 articles reprinted from automotive periodicals 1971-82, such as Autocar and Overlander. Ten of the articles are road tests. Others include used LR buying tips, military conversions, a Sahara crossing, and the Fairey overdrive. A few of the illustrations loose a bit of sharpness in reproduction, but the book is definitely not a cheap photocopy. Hard-core LR fans have probably seen all the illustrations in other sources.

The articles are offered in chronological order, which provides some opportunity to trace the evolution of characteristics of the Series III. But then, the anthological approach detracts from the book's cohesiveness. The three articles on buying a used LR give plenty of good tips on general LR weaknesses to watch out for as well as key differences in various engines (4 cyl, 6 cyl, V-8, diesel, Isuzu). Did I say weaknesses? Well, maybe it was the previous owners who were at fault.

Review by T.F. Mills