The latest stuff from, by, about, at, or for British Pacific

updated 11/17/09

BP will be CLOSED Nov. 26th for Thanksgiving
We will be OPEN Friday the 27th, but UPS is not shipping that day.

Montana? Wyoming?

Even though we're not too far from Los Angeles, we're closer to the Angeles National Forest, and true 4WD trails are only a few miles away. The area around us is punctuated with movie and TV studios, and this valley has been used for making motion pictures for over 100 years. Many, many westerns were filmed out here, not to mention Star Trek and other sci-fi movies out by Vazquez Rocks.

Customer Kurt Wilson took this beautiful shot of his Disco II in Vazquez Canyon, only about 14 miles from where we're based.

Photo by Kurt Wilson, Executive Producer at Largo Vista Entertainment, Inc.
Member: Academy of Country Music, Southern California Land Rover Club (www.sclr.org)
Websites: www.largovistaent.com www.calcountryfest.com
"Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work it until it's done and done right" Walt Disney

Do you have a great photo to share? Send it along!

Looking for original size tires for your Series rig?
The original 7:50 x 16 truck tires are hard to find these days. If you like to keep your rig close to stock the tires are a big part of that. Additionally, too wide a tire can make the truck very hard to steer and reduce your turning lock. Lucas Tire in Long Beach CA. has the old style 7.50x16 lug type bias 10 ply truck tires at very reasonable prices. Contact them at lucasclassictires.com

Tata Expects Jaguar Turnaround After ‘Difficult Time’
By Vipin V. Nair and Sarah Rabil Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) --

Tata Motors Ltd., the Indian owner of Jaguar Land Rover, is hopeful of turning around the unprofitable luxury unit as it cuts costs to battle a slump in sales during the global recession. “Our main issue would be to sustain ourselves through this and continue to try to do what we’ve been doing the last several months,” Chairman Ratan Tata said in Washington late yesterday. “It’s been a very difficult time.” He didn’t elaborate.

Tata Motors hired KPMG International and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants to reduce costs at the luxury unit, which it bought for $2.5 billion last year from Ford Motor Co. Falling sales at Jaguar Land Rover pushed India’s biggest truckmaker to its first consolidated annual loss in at least seven years in the year ended in March. Jaguar Land Rover had a loss before interest, tax and exceptional items of 8.73 billion rupees ($189 million) in the quarter ended June, according to the latest earnings report from Tata Motors. The British luxury-car maker said in September it may close one of two factories in England’s West Midlands and add jobs at a third elsewhere as it seeks to return to profit. Jaguar Land Rover received as much as 170 million pounds ($286 million) as a five-year working capital facility from General Electric Co.’s GE Capital division, the lender said yesterday. Tata Motors also raised $750 million last month by selling securities, enabling it to refinance debt taken to purchase Jaguar Land Rover.

Jaguar Land Rover Gets £170m Cash Boost
Nov 16 2009 by Graeme Brown, Birmingham Post

Loss-making Jaguar Land Rover has been granted a new five-year £170 million loan in a major boost to cash flow within the company. JLR announced that it had secured the new fund from GE Capital, enabling the vehicle maker to cash in on its products in advance of delivery to showrooms worldwide. The loan enables JLR to access funds as soon as vehicles leave the group’s three manufacturing plants at Solihull, Castle Bromwich and Halewood. The terms of the agreement will free up cash flow within the company, cutting the 30 to 40-day gap between vehicle production and delivery to dealerships across the world.

Rich Green, chief executive officer of GE Capital’s distribution finance business, said the loan was the first of its kind for the European automotive sector. “We are talking to several other European car-makers about a similar facility, but as far as we know this is the first of its kind. “Having identified a large group of assets that had been underutilised we looked at how working capital can be freed up from them and we found a solution.”

The GE Capital loan marks another shot in the arm for JLR and the job security of thousands of West Midland workers at sites in the region, including Castle Bromwich, Solihull, Gaydon and Whitley. Last month JLR parent group Tata announced an agreement on £500 million of new funding facilities with banks, including a £175 million loan with the State Bank of India and a £57 million export financing facility with Arab Banking Corporation International Bank. The GE Capital agreement comes less than two months after JLR unveiled a new Business Plan which will see either the Land Rover plant at Solihull or the Jaguar factory at Castle Bromwich close by the middle of next decade.

In the last 12 months, JLR has cut more than 2,000 jobs and slashed production, while unions have agreed a wage freeze in return for no compulsory redundancies for two years.

Uneven Tire Wear Class Action Lawsuit

On November 20, 2006, Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah (“SFMS” or the “Firm”) filed a complaint against Land Rover of North America ("Land Rover") alleging that Land Rover LR3 model tires are wearing unevenly and prematurely, thus, causing owners and lessees to replace the tires after a very short life-span. On average, it appears that consumers’ tires are wearing unevenly especially on the inside of the tires and many have to replace the tires prematurely. Land Rover issued a technical service bulletin LA 204-005 in the US in October 2006, which covers VINS from 5A000360 to 6A403382. The TSB states that uneven tire wear may be caused by a degree of bush settle that affects the geometry of the tires increasing tire wear. In October 2006, Land Rover also issued TSB LS 204-008 in the United States, which covers Range Rover (LS) VIN Nos. 6A900129 to 6A970174. TSB LS 204-008 likewise attributes premature tire wear in these vehicles to the steering alignment geometry of the affected vehicles experiencing "bushing settlement."
Plaintiffs are seeking to remand these cases back to the respective state courts. A hearing on Plaintiffs’ Motion to Remand will occur on November 13, 2009.

Land Rover Doubles October Sales
Nov 5 2009 By Jon Griffin

Land Rover has doubled its UK October sales in just a year in the 4x4 specialist’s best showroom performance for months, it was revealed today. Sales at Lode Lane defied the recession to soar from 1,283 in October 2008 to 2,584 last month, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show.

The performance, which saw sales jump by more than 101 per cent, mark a major boost to the Solihull vehicle maker as the union campaign to protect thousands of JLR jobs went to Westminster. Meanwhile, Jaguar turnover remained stable, with 1,312 sales last month compared to 1,404 in October 2008.

The Land Rover sales rise was announced less than 24 hours after prominent Midland MP Richard Burden urged JLR to repair workforce trust damaged by its plans to close a factory at Solihull or Castle Bromwich. The Northfield Labour MP stepped into the controversy following a top-level London summit of MPs called by unions to express concern at plans by JLR to close one of the two Midland plants by the middle of next decade. West Midlands and North West MPs met for emergency talks at the House of Commons yesterday amid growing resistance by unions at cutbacks they fear threaten thousands of jobs.

Tata blames Jaguar Land Rover for £41 million quarterly loss

Sep 1 2009 by Alison Dayani, Birmingham Post

Indian car giant Tata has blamed Jaguar Land Rover for a £41.2 million quarterly loss. Tata Motors, which pumped in millions to turn around JLR’s fortunes, recorded the loss between April and June saying it had been driven by a 52 per cent drop in sales volumes at JLR and the cost of servicing its debt. During the same period last year, Tata posted a profit of £90.7 million.

“With volumes down so much, it’s really a challenge,” said chief executive Ravi Kant. “We are doing a lot of cost-reduction measures, but we need support from the market.” In July, the company reported its stand-alone results. Without the burden of its June 2008 JLR acquisition, which included its plant at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, India’s largest commercial vehicle maker made a quarterly profit of £64.4 million. The company has worked hard to manage its growing debt burden – now more than 350 billion rupees or £4.35??billion – most of it incurred to buy and operate JLR. Consolidated net sales for the quarter were £2 billion.

Tata Motors took out a £1.84 billion bridge loan to buy the brand from Ford in June 2008, and has since had to pump in additional funds. Last quarter, it provided £50 million to fund JLR’s operating expenses, and is finalizing an additional £100 million in loans from commercial banks, executives said. Earlier this month talks collapsed with the British Government about serving as guarantor for a £340 million loan from the European Investment Bank to fund research to develop more environmentally friendly cars at Jaguar Land Rover. Tata Motors said at the time it was securing guarantees from commercial banks instead. Executives declined to name those banks or discuss how much cheaper a government-guaranteed loan might have been. It has also secured funding from a group of 24 banks to roll over £522 million of the loan it took out in 2008. Earlier this month, Standard & Poor’s Ratings downgraded Tata Motors ratings because of high debt and the poor performance of Jaguar and Land Rover.

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CA Dealer Launch of 2010 Range Rovers and LR4

British Pacific joined with Land Rover Ventura for the debut of the new 2010 5 liter models this month. Shown above are the new Sport (left) and the new full size supercharged (right). The new LR4 was in the showroom.

Based on the Jaguar 5 liter, the big news is the power: 375 hp in normally aspirated form, and a whopping 518 in supercharged! The computer and traction control distribute the power to all 4 wheels, but will gradually apply it so you won't smoke all 4 tires! Huge Brembo brakes are included. We're told they are brutally fast and they stop just as hard. Of course traction control is included, with the usual selectable settings for different road or off road conditions. The electric e-brake is now fitted to all models: pull the handle and it will stop the vehicle in a straight line, hands (and feet) free.

Computer interface is amazing too. The Range Rovers have 4 proximity video cameras all around the vehicle, and all 4 displays can be shown at once. The plugs for phones and data storage are included in the center cubby: slip your I-phone or I-pod in the jack and the vehicle's computer will download both phone numbers and tunes, and of course it's all hands-free Bluetooth as well.

The overall sizes of the trucks are the same, but subtle styling clues improve all 3 models. The extensive use of high intensity LED lighting looks sharp too.

BP provided 3 'heritage' vehicles as part of the festivities:

On the right is Keith Money's '58 88", our 2005 Greatrace rally truck. On the left is Tim Kinnamon's Lightweight Air Portable. BP's staff was invited to bring our personal classics, which were placed in front of the new models. This dealership is aware of the rich heritage of Land Rover and is proud to display it. We also brought the '95 D90SW seen in the background on the top picture.

The LR4 was hard to get a good picture of due to the crowd! While retaining the utility of the previous body design, the new Disco 4 adds that powerful 5 liter with the clever 7 passenger seating from LR3. The dash and electronic displays are similar to Sport, just a boxier and roomier cabin.

A live DJ, ample catered food, an open bar serving fine Californian wines, and hot dogs for the kids created a festive atmosphere.

Land Rover Ventura does a great job with customer care, and their staff loves the old trucks. We're happy to teach the public about Land Rover's Heritage, while we learn about the new stuff we'll be servicing soon.

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2010 LR4

The rest of the world will know it as a Discovery 4, but we know what it really is: facelifted and souped up. The new 5.0 Jaguar engine is good for 375 hp and 375 ft. lbs. of torque, a considerable improvement over the current model. The six speed will be a nice touch as well. A new front end with revised headlamps works with a new rear end with LEDs, while an all-new Range Rover style interior provides accommodations for five or seven passengers. A Surround Camera system joins keyless entry, push-button start, gradient release control and tow assist (max. towing is 7,716 pounds). A revised suspension, improved steering and larger brakes (14.2-inch discs in front and 13.8-inch rotors in the rear) round out the major modifications.

This driveline will also be used in 2010 Range Rovers, which are available now. LR4 deliveries will be delayed while dealers move through remaining stocks of LR3's.

The 5 liter has lots of gimmicks like variable valve timing and direct injection that runs at 2100 psi. There is still no mention in the LR press packets of mileage numbers, but we do understand that the 5.0 engine runs very clean in terms of emissions.

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Land Rover Maker Ordered to Pay $21.1 Million in Rollover Case
Quadriplegic Award Record In Califronia

A California man was recently awarded a record $21.1 million after his Land Rover Discovery rolled over and caused him to suffer a severe spinal cord injury which left him a quadriplegic and completely reliant on others for his care. California product liability This California product liability lawsuit involves 53 year old Sukhsagar Pannu. According to news reports, Pannu, a competitive field hockey player in Hong Kong, was driving on California's Freeway 118 in 2003 when another vehicle hit his 1990's Land Rover Discovery. The Discovery rolled over and its roof collapsed from the impact – causing Pannu to suffer a severe spinal cord injury. He no longer has use of his arms or legs and must rely on the constant care of others.

He sued Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), now owned by Indian car manufacturer Tata Motors, which purchased JLR from Ford Motor Company in 2008. A jury awarded him a record $21.1 million for his injuries. Attorney shows Discovery was defectively designed. Pannu's California car accident attorney was able to show the jury that, even though Pannu's truck was hit by a speeding car prior to the rollover, the Discovery was defectively designed as its roof collapsed too easily and its high center of gravity made it prone to roll over. While the defense argued that blame should be placed on the driver who hit Pannu, and not the vehicle's manufacturer, the jury disagreed.

The National Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 37 percent of fatal crashes are due to SUV rollover accidents. In 2006, the Insurance Information Institute found that SUVs had the highest occupant fatality rate of any vehicle type in rollover accidents, with a fatality rate of 7.77 per 100,000 registered vehicles. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute found that 8,026 occupants of SUVs died in 2006.

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BP customer Mayo Brown is sharing this amazing picture with all of us from last Thanksgiving.
This is the payoff for all the work it takes to keep 'em 'off the road'.

From BP customer Nick Dolaptchieff:

"I just wanted to take a moment to thank all you fine members of British Pacific who made it possible for me to take my Rangie on it’s inaugural off-road trip. I did the 25 mile Barstow Poker Run this weekend. Although I did not do the course at the same speed as my buggy-driving friends, I WAS able to drive the course in air conditioned leather cocooned comfort whilst sipping on a martini!"

If you have some great shots like this please send 'em along. We'd love to post 'em for you.

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Do you have a cool (or hot) picture to share? Send it along.
If we like it we'll post it on the bulletin board for everyone to see!
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