VIVA SANTANA!
by Mr P. Hart.

My wife and I moved to Spain in 1984 taking our SWB Series 3,
import duties forced us to return it to the UK. We searched Spain
for a good Land Rover, but they are highly prized (and Priced!) in
Spain and owners of vehicles in good condition hold onto them.

Eventually we found an ex Spanish Government Series 3 SWB
in the repair shop of the Land Rover agent in Mercia. Diesel of
course. (Tlie Land Rover agent in Cartagena told me that he had
only once seen a Petrol engined Land Rover). After a short test run
I bought it. The journey home showed that the vehicle was very
low geared, the cause not being understood to this day. The noise
in the back axle stopped when it was filled with oil and the subse-
quent leakage of oil into the rear brakes was cured when the axle
breather was unblocked. An overdrive unit raised the cruising speed
to 45mph and a very recent change to 7:50x16 tyres has since made
a further big improvement.

The vehicle differs from British built Land Rovers in not having
a heater or demister, the brakes, fuel system, overdrive unit, starter
and free wheeling hubs are all of Spanish make, but are interchange-
able with British units. The rear door is short and square topped and
the steering is made by Honda.

Even when used privately a Land Rover in Spain is classed as a
goods vehicle and as such has to undergo l.T.V. every six months.
The Inspection Tecnica de Vehiculos is similar to the MOT test, the
inspecting mechanics are very obliging and give every reasonable
assistance, any small faults which could cause a vehicle to fail the
test can be corrected on the spot and the test resumed. After passing
the test a coloured label is fixed on the windscreen so that the date
of the test is displayed.

The vehicle did not have any towing attachments and 1 wanted
to tow my boat. The effort, expense and paperwork involved in fitt-
ing a ball hitch defies belief. The drop plate and ball must be bought
through a garage and they are supplied with a certificate of quality.
All fitting must be done by a garage who supply a certificate for the
fitting. The certificates, and vehicle documents are then given to a
solicitor, who arranges a visit to the local government testing centre.

If the inspector passes the job the documents are eventually
returned with a suitable endorsement. Total cost - nearly £120. By
law I should have repeated this process for the hitch on the trailer,
but of course I didn't. 1 have all the original documents, number and
towing plates and I am trying to keep the vehicle in its original
condition. It will probably outlast me.
(courtesy of Land Rover Lincs Mag)

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