Ode to the Land Rover – SWB and LWB

Ode to the Land Rover – SWB and LWB

O faithful beast of steel and soil,

Built not for polish, but for toil,

You wore the dirt like noble thread,

Where others stalled, you surged ahead.

Short Wheelbase, tight and trim,

A bulldog’s growl, a boxer’s vim,

You danced through lanes and mountain bends,

With no pretence, and few amends.

Your turning circle small and proud,

A rebel fast, yet never loud.

Long Wheelbase, strong and wide,

A packhorse with a smoother stride,

With room for dogs, and tools, and gear,

The workhorse men would keep held dear.

Through desert flats or flooded fen,

You hauled the weight of dreams—and men.

Canvas tops or metal shell,

You’ve heard the stories drivers tell.

Of bog and sand, of snow and stream,

Of broken maps and freedom’s gleam.

You’ve ferried hope through storm and flame,

Yet never sought a hero’s name.

From bush and bog to quarry steep,

You woke where lesser engines sleep.

And through each dent, each war-earned scar,

We knew precisely what you are,

Not just a truck, but tried and true,

A part of life, in khaki hue.

Now shiny beasts with leather thrones

newer crowns with cultured tones,

But still we nod when old dogs pass,

With squeaking hinge and smoking glass.

For no new badge, no screen-lit dash

Can match your honest, clanking clash.

So here’s to SWB with grit,

And LWB, the long-fit kit.

To all the Landies bold and brave.

The ones we loved, and ones we gave.

A drink of oil, a kiss of clay,

You earned your place the hard-wrought way.