Land Rover collection brings history, off-road navigating to car buff

METRO DETROIT — Every time Steven Schechter drives his rare Land Rover 101 Forward Control military vehicle in a local car cruise, he brings a piece of British military history with him.

The Franklin resident purchased the 1972 model from Auto Europe, which has a service center and a showroom in Birmingham.

“Someone had imported it years earlier, just stored it and never driven it,” Schechter, 65, said. “It was just sitting for years. It wasn’t running when we bought it. Auto Europe got it back in service for us. It needed a lot of work to bring it back.”

While doing research, Schechter, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills, discovered the Land Rover 101 FCs were produced between 1972 and 1978 for the British military.

“They were originally designed as a gun tractor to tow artillery and hold 1 ton of ammunition, so they call it a ‘one tonne,’” Schechter said. “It’s also called a 101 because it has a 101-inch wheelbase. The front of it is flat so they could stack them on ships without wasting space. They also used helicopters, so they could be lifted. They used it in the Falklands War and the Gulf War.”

Schechter has driven the military vehicle with family and friends in the Woodward Dream Cruise, the Franklin Labor Day Round Up & Car Show and Battle of the Brits at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. He also drives it around town and for family outings. The vintage vehicle always gets attention from onlookers.

“They love it because it’s so unusual. The look is very unique. It’s very rare. It’s super cool and super fun,” he said. “You’re really high up. You’re sitting right in the front because there is no hood. And it’s a manual transmission. I just enjoy the ruggedness, the look of it and the off-road capability.”

Because it’s a British vehicle, the steering wheel is on the right side, which is something to which Schechter had to adapt. The military vehicle can cruise up to 45 mph and could also be used as a battlefield ambulance.

To connect with other Land Rover owners, Schechter became a member of the 101 Forward Control and 2a FC and 2B Facebook group. When checking into the Land Rover’s serial number and with help from the group, Schechter discovered the FC 101 he owns wasn’t used by military personnel, but served as a preproduction prototype.

“It was mostly used for training purposes, demonstrations or display,” he said. “This one never saw combat. Historically, you do think about how these were driven. There are some photos and videos you can find on YouTube and such where they show what it would be like to drive them in the brush.”

The rear license plate reads “EX MOD,” which Schechter said stands for Ministry of Defense.

But  Schechter didn’t stop at just one Land Rover. He owns a whole collection, which includes two models — 2002 and 2003 — from the Discovery Series II. Also parked in his garage are two 1997 Defender 90s models.

“They’re good for traveling,” the Land Rover enthusiast said of the Discovery Series II. “They’re comfortable for long trips.

He also said the Defender 90 models were only available in the U.S for four years.      

“They’re for off-road driving and just having fun,” Schechter said.

Off-road driving involves navigating unpaved terrain like rocks, mud, sand and steep trails. Schechter also has displayed automobile memorabilia in the garage near his vehicles. A Land Rover sign can be seen overhead along with a nearby Texaco sign and a gas pump.

According to the website landroverusa.com, Discovery II introduced the family-friendly five-door body style in 1998 with new technology that included traction control and hill descent control to make the vehicle more capable off-road.

“The 1990 Land Rover Defender is significant because it was the first year the model officially used the ‘Defender’ name (previously Ninety/One Ten) and introduced the reliable 200Tdi engine,” the website states. “The 1990 rebrand set the stage for something Land Rover hadn’t attempted in years: selling in America. The Land Rover Defender 90 was launched in the U.S. in 1993 and sold here until 1997, though only about 2,000 were imported each year.”

The website landroverusa.com also kept track of the 10 Land Rover, Defender and Range Rover vehicles that Queen Elizabeth II used when she toured North America in 2024. The once-in-a-lifetime display, presented by Land Rover Classic, stopped at four locations throughout the U.S.

“Land Rover has enjoyed a long and ongoing association with the royal family and each model in the touring convoy has carried official duties or worked behind the scenes on the Royal estates, including two of the earliest Royal vehicles: the first Land Rover Series I State Review vehicle and a Land Rover Series I owns by the Royal Family,” as per the website.