8 Classic Car Mart Spring 2016
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ISLE OF MAN DEFENDER SEND-OFF
A pair of Manx Land Rover enthusiasts brought
the Green Oval community together to say
goodbye to the Defender on Sunday, January 31,
in one of the largest recorded gatherings on the
British Isles.
Two days after the fi nal Heritage 90 Soft Top
(registered H166 HUE, in deference to the pre-
production Series 1 soft-top HUE 166) left Lode
Lane, nearly 350 people gathered on the Isle of
Man (IoM) for End of Defender, spelling out the
model’s name using Land Rovers.
Organisers Fin and Ray Procter needed 53
Land Rovers to make the display happen; thanks
to social media, 150 Solihull stalwarts showed
up, consisting of Series Landys and Defenders.
Word quickly spread about the event, roping in
almost every local Land Rover available – working
vehicles from the Isle of Man Constabulary, Red
Cross Ambulance, Civil Guard and Royal National
Lifeboats Institution (RNLI) all took part. Island
dealership Mylchreests Land Rover brought several
new Defenders to the celebration, which was
supported by Land Rovers belonging to event host
the IoM Motor Museum.
End of Defender organiser Ray Procter
said: “It was good to see so many Land
Rover Defender drivers and their personalised
vehicles all in one place.”
Ray currently owns nine Defenders, two
of which are Heritage and Adventurer limited
editions. His love of the Solihull marque rubbed
off on his son Fin, currently studying at the Isle of
Man business school: Aged one, his fi rst words
were “Land Rover”.
“It was an emotional time for thousands of
people like us, who grew up with these incredibly
versatile and loveable vehicles,” added Ray.
He continued: “The turn-out was massive
considering it is the IoM; any more and it would
have been a challenge. The best bit was the
fantastic effort everyone made in getting into
place to make the word ‘Defender’ using their
cars; everyone was so happy posing for the
Manx Motor Museum’s drone! We have already
had some messages asking if we will do
something again next year.”
An incredible Danish cache of 50 classic
Renaults will be auctioned off next month. It’s
thought to be one of the biggest single-marque
collections of its kind in Scandinavia.
Funen island resident Anker Krarup began
accumulating cars 48 years ago when he decided
to buy a Renault 4CV instead of a bicycle. The
rear-engined berline soon endeared itself; despite
a tired engine and a broken heater, he kept the car
until 1980 when a Dauphine supplanted it. Anker
kept his fi rst car alongside the Dauphine instead
of trading it in and word soon spread about his
growing fl eet. Owners from all over Denmark began
selling their Renaults to Anker when they wanted to
change vehicles.
Nearly fi ve decades later, his hoard occupies
several barns. The Krarup family used their
Renaults as Billancourt intended, taking Anker,
his wife Marianne and their boys around Europe.
Scarce Renaults arrived in threes as the
years wore on. Spanning everything from
4CVs to Supercinqs (and almost every model
in between) a triumvirate of Juvaquatre
Dauphinoises and as many Dauphine Gordinis
(among many others) attracted considerable
amounts of interest when revealed.
RARE RENAULTS RESCUED
Anker also ended up with one of the earliest
4Ls in Denmark; sales did not start there until
1962, making Anker’s one of the fi rst batch to be
imported. A lone FrégateTransfl uide (automatic)
and 16 help bolster the line-up, accompanied by
several 20s and 30s in varying states of repair.
The Krarups’ cars were swapped around
periodically, many becoming permanent storage
fi xtures as they were retired. Despite protective
wax and covers, many of Anker’s cars remained
non-runners. Mindful of earlier ‘barn fi nd’ sales
handled by Campen Auktioner (covered in an
earlier edition of Classic Car Mart) the Krarups
decided to sell up.
“The cars should get back on the road where
they belong,” explained Anker. “Our cars have
taken us around Europe and it will be sad to see
them go, but I think they will fi nd good homes,”
added Marianne.
Campen Auktioner director Finn Campen said:
“The Krarups’ consignment of Renaults for our
Sunday, March 20, auction is quite fantastic.
We have a lot of experience in moving large
collections. We’re very proud of that fact that we
moved 60 cars in a day and half from Funen to
our facility in Randers.”
Editor of Renotes, the magazine for the Renault
Owners’ Club, Al Worsley, was similarly delighted:
“It’s an interesting fi nd for sure. Renaults always sell
for more on the continent than they do in the UK;
perhaps Renault itself will take an interest.”
While the formal sale will take place on
Sunday, March 20, bids can also be submitted
online at http://ow.ly/Yavw4.
RARE RENAULTS RESCUED