Just the Car I Need

Turns out today is the 60th anniversary of the introduction of the Land Rover at the Amsterdam Motor Show, a fact that would have escaped me completely except for an ad on public radio -- that is, a sponsorship announcement, since everyone knows there are no ads on public radio (except when there are). In any case, the announcer mentioned the anniversary and also informed us listeners that Land Rovers are currently transporting x pounds (or was it tons?) of humanitarian relief around the world every year.

Is that a selling point? Maybe we're just supposed to admire the machine for its good works. Next time I have some humanitarian aid to delivery, I'll certainly consider getting me a Land Rover. Maybe the next time Wisconsin tries to wrest the Upper Peninsula away from Michigan by force -- there's bound to be a nearby humanitarian crisis then.

Funny how there was no mention of Land Rover's long and illustrious career as a military vehicle. Including this version. Made for desert fighting and better than anything the Rat Patrol had.

I can't quit without a tangent from that reference. Turns out that the actor who played the only regular German in The Rat Patrol -- a stand-in for Rommel, perhaps, as an honorable German officer -- later made his living acting in an American soap opera.