2023: An eventful year

Wow, 2023 has certainly been one to remember. There’s been more great Land Rover events this year than ever before, and you’ve turned up in your droves to take in the fantastic atmosphere, get inspired by brilliant vehicles, buy and sell parts and accessories, meet up with friends both old and new and make the most of the long summer evenings with a barbecue and some beers.

We’re taking a look back over the plethora of events that made 2023 such a memorable year – from Spares Days to LRM Live and the Billing Off Road Show, plus more. We also have the full complement of dates for your diary in 2024 – so you can plan which events you want to attend and have lots of Land Rover goodness to look forward to in the new year.

 

Malvern Land Rover, 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day

Bargains everywhere and happy hunters to snap them up

​​​​​​The season kicked off in early February with our first Spares Day of the year, at Malvern in Worcestershire. Hundreds of buyers and traders braved the biting cold to get the calendar rolling with aplomb, and many came away with the parts they needed to finish their winter projects or pockets full of cash from selling extra bits from a garage or shed clear-out over the festive period. The Series One and Series II club proudly displayed their vehicles in the Avon building, and hands were warmed over bacon sandwiches and mugs of steaming hot tea.

We were back at Malvern to cap off the season on 29 October, with much milder weather and just as many enthusiastic traders and punters. In fact, there were so many traders that some spilled out into the parking area in front of the main gate – no matter where you looked, there were bargains everywhere and loads of happy hunters snapping them up.

 

Ripon Land Rover, 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day

After a number of years absence from the venue, 12 March saw the welcome return of a Land Rover, 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day to Ripon Racecourse. We were unsure how many of you would turn up, but were overwhelmed with positivity from the buyers and sellers who arrived in droves. It’s safe to say we weren’t expecting such a response, with traders coming from all over the Yorkshire Dales, hills of the Lakes and even the Scottish Highlands to sell their wares in the picturesque countryside. It was a brilliant day, and everyone we spoke to was delighted to see the autojumble return to Ripon.

It was back to the racecourse on 15 October for a second round of buying and selling at Ripon, and once again it was a good turnout from both sides. We can’t wait to get back to Yorkshire in the new year to continue to build what has proven to be a much-loved Spares Day. See you there!

 

LRM Live

Enjoying the sun and sights at the LRM Live 'Big Weekender' event

The weekend of 20-21 May brought stunning views, loads of Land Rovers and, to top it off, beautiful weather for the inaugural premier two-day event – LRM Live – at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern. The camping area began to fill on the Friday, and the air was soon filled with the smells of barbecues and the sounds of laughter, music and happy voices as the sun dipped behind the Malvern Hills.

Gates opened to day visitors on Saturday morning, and the event got into full swing, starting with a live auction run by HJ Pugh, with a huge number of Land Rovers, spares, accessories and automobilia going under the hammer. A jaw-dropping array of vehicles courtesy of The Dunsfold Collection took pride of place in the Hall of Fame along with REVs Restore, and the outdoor arena hosted various demonstrations and clubs throughout the day for members to show off their Land Rovers and share the stories behind them.

Optimill was headline sponsor for the event

​​​​​​Trade stands included headline sponsor for the event, Optimill, as well as Richards Chassis, Oak Ridge Engineering, Defender Rear Tubs, Alive Tuning, Marshland Chassis, Empire Tuning, Rimmer Bros, Tomcat, FrontRunner Outfitters, Nene Overland, Muddymods, Overland Gear and many more – there was truly something for everyone.

Both trade stands and autojumble areas were busy over the two days, and it was great to see so many of you walking around with purchases, or enjoying an ice cream or beer in the sun.

It wasn’t just older Land Rover enthusiasts that were kept entertained either – the kids could take to a specially-made off-road course in a little Land Rover, or test their hand-eye coordination on driving radio-controlled models.

LRM stand was busy all day

The Land Rover Monthly stand was a bustling hive of activity, thanks to our special subscription deals and gifts, and various members of the team, including Martin Domoney, Steve Miller, Gary Pusey, Alisdair Cusick and Ed Evans were on-hand to chat Land Rovers.

LRM Live plans to be bigger and better next year

We can’t wait to show you what we’ve got planned for the 2024 event, but believe us when we say it’s going to be bigger and better than last year – you won’t want to miss it.

 

Billing Off Road Show

Billing... A staple for Land Rover fans

Everyone loves Billing! A staple for Land Rover enthusiasts, the Billing Off Road Show blends camping, shopping and off-roading into a fantastic weekend, and the 2023 event was no exception. Proof if ever it were needed that as media partners for the show, LRM brings the sunshine with it – the Northamptonshire countryside was bathed in fantastic weather on the weekend of 1-2 July, and soon vehicles that turned up clean were getting progressively muckier with each drive of the on-site off-road courses and infamous mud run. The Challenge South West crew made sure the action didn’t stop, offering white-knuckle passenger rides around an impressive course on the sprawling hillside, while traders and punters lapped up the sunshine.

LRM’s Martin and Steve hosted the Show and Tell stage

The show was packed, and Editor Martin and Associate Publisher Steve Miller took to the Show and Tell stage at lunchtime on both days to interview enthusiastic owners about their chosen steeds, followed by a special procession to celebrate 75 years of Land Rover. Saturday evening brought the ever-popular Charity Auction, with many traders kindly supplying wares to be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.

Ever-popular charity auction

Auction over, revellers made a beeline for the beer tent to enjoy great live music and polish off a few pints before getting stuck back into the action on Sunday. A brilliant event as always – we can’t wait to see more of you there next year.

 

Rutland Land Rover, 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day

For a first event in a new venue and postponed due to weather, the turnout was brilliant

Another first for this year was the introduction of a Land Rover, 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day at Rutland Showground. Initially planned for April, a particularly wet spell meant having to postpone the Spares Day because of the ground conditions, and the event went ahead on 3 September instead. We were yet again blessed with beautiful blue skies and sunshine, and for a first event in a new venue the turnout of both traders and punters was fabulous.

As with all the Spares Days, the car park itself was a sight to behold – at Rutland we went one step further and introduced Land Rover-only parking. A vast range of Land Rovers turned up, from workhorse Defenders and immaculate Range Rovers to restored Series Is and even a fire appliance, which got plenty of attention from both young and old visitors.

We’ll definitely be back at Rutland in 2024, so tell your friends and get the date in your diary.

 

Newbury Land Rover, 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day

If you’ve never been to a Spares Day, Newbury will not disappoint... Trust us

An absolute giant of a Spares event, Newbury is a Land Rover parts shopper’s dream – it is truly enormous, and you’ll be lucky to get around the whole thing in one day. Traders descended on Newbury Racecourse on 2 April en-masse to get their wares set up ready for a bumper day of selling, and eager hunters did not disappoint when the gates opened, with many returning to load their vehicles more than once with armfuls of goodies.

The second Spares Day of the year on this very popular site was on
1 October, bringing with it a fresh crop of parts, and buyers hungry for bargains. Newbury really has to be seen to be believed; the sheer size of the site and number of incredibly diverse parts and accessories for sale is astounding. If you’ve never been to a Spares Day before, definitely make the trip to Newbury. You’ll be hooked.

 

2024 events for your diary 

Appetite whet for a fantastic 2024? Look no further – here are all the important dates you’ll want to set aside for this coming year.

 

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