Black Land Rovers

I saw some Black Land Rovers with MoD plates (Old Series III, but still in service) can't say where I saw them

But dose anyone know what there for? I never seen black ones before.

 

Ever considered the possiblity that they ran outa green/brown/pink/tartan ?

 

In Osnabruck in the mid 80s we had a 'Show & Tell' with the Yanks and French. The Frogs brought there new big Gun and the Yanks there new Tank.
As we did not have anything to show, my QM had two Landrovers painted compleatly black and had black film placed over the windows and lights. We then stuck as many masts as we could on the roofs.
Once they were ready, we put them under guard and stopped anyone from getting to close or from taking any photos.
When asked what they were, we told them they were new very hush hush urban response vhes we were testing.
Later we heard that the Yanks had contacted Lanrover Special Projects wanting to buy as many of the new urban response vehs as they could and our QM got a new Range Rover as a thank you from Landrover.

Not likly to be the same ones you saw, but reminded me of the blag we pulled on the yanks

 

Nice one GOS.
I remember when we did border patrols the British Frontier types would get you to make up wierd looking machines so that they could play mind games with the Border guards in their towers.
Jerrycans with hoover hoses and strange nozzles with the whole patrol humming.
The little chaps would rush for their camera and we would put it all in the L/R and go on to the next tower. The goons would get beside themselves with excitement trying to get a phot of the new wierd detector.

Great sport.

 

You sure they're SIII's?

 

i know what they are where were they?

 

Yep, I know the difference between a SIII and a Defender, the front grill is set back from the wings. They was definatly SIII's. And in service because thye had our plates, when I asked what they was, no one knew (or wouldn't say).

 

I see. Decidedly odd.

 

they are the new land rover prototype chassis and engine with the S3 shell on to prevent attrating the attention of Jeremy Clarkson and Co from the press, They were trialing them near me recently

 

Back in the early 80's at Sennelarger we had two, sometimes four all black LWB Land Rover's Striped down with a GPMG mount on a roll bar and smoke discharger's on front wings. 5 man crew wore tankies black coveralls with black stained 52 webbing and black woolly hat.

What for you ask?

Well we were Op-Forces on NATO exercises to do hit & run on locations mainly at night. The black gear was just to look the part.

Got stopped once by American MP's but as we had MOD90's and Registration Plates so there was nothing wrong! I think they had differant ideas! Plates were covered on 'Op's'

Other such units existed as well...

 

Ashchurch

 

They may well be official Land Rover developement models, but if they are they won't be on military plates, they'd have to be on civvy ones.

 

What on old SIII's, nah if they was LR ones they'd be on the new defender and with like you say civvy plates or trade plates. These were definenatly on our (MoD) plates.

 

Arm't the black ones for Royal Duty, like at Windsor Castle, etc?