Land Rover?!” Jeff Aronson - Rackspace Hosting

“Despite my clean
Rovers North
t-shirt, my photo call
never came.”
frame have to go.” So I unbolted the hoop set and set them in the
woods for the day. “Good,” she said, “without the top we can fill it to
the max, as it should be on any good road trip!” My efforts to polish
the car almost made the grade, but Elise sent out a production
person with ammonia and cloths to clean the windows, inside and out
(In 18 years of ownership of this Land Rover, I’ve never considered
cleaning the windows; that’s why there’s rain).
I parked the car as requested and then waited for my media call
– surely, the fit and strikingly beautiful/handsome models would
insist I join them behind the steering wheel. They certainly fawned
and cooed over the dog, a Vizula named, who put her dirty feet on my
newly-cleaned seats. I didn’t whine when one stunning model rested
her left foot on the clutch as she smiled to the camera; feeling
big-natured, I let her ride the clutch. As I watched the production
team load up the rear with camping gear, kayaks, coolers and
artfully-arranged firewood, I resisted the temptation to drive off with
the awesome goods.
Matt Martin, Rovers North’s Marketing Manager, clearly understood
all that went on around him. He swapped art director chatter
with everyone, nodded knowingly as he listened to the photography
team and remained on site for the entire day before starting out on
his 8-hour drive back to Vermont. Matt also joined me in raiding the
tour bus of its outstanding lunch buffet and endless variety of snacks.
For my part, I moved the car a few times, helped move kayaks and
gear, and stayed out of the way. Despite my clean Rovers North t-shirt,
my photo call never came.
At sunset, the production team packed up with remarkable speed
as I laboriously reassembled the hoop set and set the soft top. The QE
I, still clean and now featuring shiny window glass, looked pretty
good to me. Elise Plakke summed up the appeal of a Land Rover. “It’s
rugged and honest. Its resilient nature is to be what it set out to be —
and no more - is a truth. This multi-purpose vehicle is resourceful
and responsible. Like Land Rover, the L.L. Bean brand prides itself on
similar values, this type of rugged utilitarianism, speaking to the
importance of function following form.” Right ho – that’s what I
meant to say, too.
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