Range Rover Classic - Rackspace Hosting

My Rover and Me
Story & Photos by Amy Langevin
[Amy Langevin, Cumberland, ME, lives with her husband John and
children Collin, Conor, Christian and Aynsley. Asked often by her
children, “Why can’t you be more normal like other Moms,” she
refuses to conform to what society expects from a 40-something
Director of Health and Wellness at the University of New England.
Here’s her story –ed.]
It wasn’t until recently that I became hooked on Land Rovers. As a
young child, I spent my summers in the shade of a ’47 Willy’s Jeep
during our visits to Little Pleasant Bay, in East Orleans, on Cape Cod
(I consider those my formative 4x4 years). As I walked along Nauset
Beach, I always loved looking at all the “beach buggies,” especially
the Volkswagen-based buggies that seemed to have no problem with
the sand without four wheel drive! In later years, I would see various
Rovers navigating the deep sands of the outer beach, but never really
gave them a second glance.
My love affair with Rovers began with the acquisition of a ’97
Discovery XD Camel Trophy edition (screaming yellow!). When I met
John, I was driving a trusty but dowdy domestic minivan sporting
210,000 miles. I was in deep denial of the actual state of that vehicle,
but with great prodding and convincing from my husband, I
reluctantly donated it to charity and assumed the wheel of the aforementioned
Rover. I immediately dubbed it my “boyfriend car”. With
its bright exterior and extensive off-road packaging, I likened my
driving it to a high school girl wearing the football star’s letter jacket…it’s
a bit big and obviously made for someone else. I have never
officially been off-road in this Rover. Not unless you count the night
we came home from a party and I decided to take a few tours around
the yard, just to see what it was like. I do hope to someday test the
Rover’s mettle off-road.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the other Rover my husband
owned at the time. It was a cherry red soft-top D-90, also a ’97. It
was his pride and joy. As with all vehicles we fall in love with, he too
was in denial about its functionality. Listed on the title as “Totaled,”
the previous owner had taken it for a swim without the benefit of a
snorkel. My husband bought the Defender (and the XD) from Land
Rover Scarborough. The story of the D-90 is longer and more
involved, but essentially the original owner (name unknown) totaled
it, then another gentleman from Cumberland bought it from an insurance
company and restored it (mostly).
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