The Underpowered Hour

Steve Beres and Ike Goss open with Steve’s trip to Eugene/Springfield and an update on his rough-but-charming 1998 Defender high-capacity pickup, which needs multiple repairs but may become a support vehicle rather than a full restoration. In the news, they react to Range Rover’s “British Summertime Collection” of lifestyle goods like blankets, purses, tea sets, and parasols featuring the new stacked-R logo, joking that the brand has become a purse company. They also discuss JLR’s color-shifting “Spectral Green” Works V8 Defenders with white interiors and roll cages, compare the look to the Joker, and mention recent Wall Street Journal coverage of vintage Defender demand. The episode closes with spy-shot talk of a new Velar that looks more sedan-like and plans to attend the Ouray, Colorado national rally (July 26–30), including a possible live show.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions
01:21 Steve Arrives in Oregon
02:26 Croatian Farm Truck Check
04:05 Plans for the High Cap
04:58 Range Rover Summer Merch
08:56 Color Shifting Works V8
12:43 Wall Street Journal Hype
16:22 JLR Trends and EV Pivots
19:15 New Velar Spy Shots
24:45 MaxTrax Wellness and Rally
26:30 Ouray Event Wrap Up

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss Steve traveling to Vancouver, Canada to pick up a Land Rover pickup and bring it into the U.S., deciding to pay the chicken tax and debating whether to tow it due to worn tires. They cover reports of JLR profits dropping sharply and sales down 15%, talk about JLR’s U.S.-market strategy including a potential partnership with Stellantis and building Land Rovers in the U.S. to avoid tariffs, and mention the upcoming all-electric Range Rover reveal at Goodwood with a 77,000-person waitlist. They also touch on an airbag recall tied to corrosion and a stop-sale, share that cast member Linus Tremaine was hit by an uninsured drunk driver while driving a late-1920s Lincoln (he’s okay), update on a decal-covered 1958 Series II 109 pickup restoration, and preview the Ouray National Rally with a planned live show and guests.

Steve Beres and guest co-host Liza cover a week of JLR-heavy news while Ike Goss and Jenna attend Overland Expo. They discuss New York Times reporting on the major JLR cyberattack, including claims of Russian involvement, a simultaneous breach by a Jordanian hacker, Microsoft’s role in reporting the incident, and the estimated $2.5B impact on the UK economy. The episode also reviews a new JLR stop-sale recall affecting about 250,000 SUVs for driver airbag issues, alongside other recent recalls and a 23% sales downturn. They react to plans to price upcoming JLR EVs higher than gas models, highlight the new China-market Freelander with Chery, and note CEO changes at JLR North America as Leonard Hoenek replaces Joe Eberhardt, who stays on as a consultant tied to a controversial Stellantis Defender project. The show debuts “Insta-Rovers,” rating extreme Defender builds and questioning which are real versus AI.

Steve Beres and Ike Goss (joined by Jenna) welcome off-road racer and stunt performer Sara Price, a Land Rover Defender Dakar team member and second-place finisher, to discuss her path from starting motocross at age eight to turning pro at 16, entering the stunt industry in LA, and transitioning into side-by-sides, trophy trucks, a 2019 Baja Championship win, and driving the full Baja 1000 solo for 19.5 hours. Price explains how she self-funded her first Dakar via the Road to Dakar, how Dakar teams and vehicles differ from U.S. racing, and how she joined Land Rover after a Facebook message. She shares key Dakar moments including winning the prologue, early suspension damage, a dangerous dune incident, and the Defender’s performance and support, plus post-Dakar races in Portugal and Argentina and her E1 electric hydrofoil boat racing.

Steve Beres and Ike Goss catch up on a busy week of Land Rover projects and travel plans, including Steve’s upcoming trip to Canada to retrieve a green early-’90s Defender 300 TDI high-capacity pickup that’s been stored with family in Vancouver/Canmore, with plans to convert it into a Camel Trophy–style support truck for the NORRA rally and address pickup duty by adding seats. They riff on Canadian stereotypes and discuss the Calgary Stampede, including rodeo events and chuckwagon racing. Ike shares Pangolin4x4 shop updates: a newly purchased Series II 109 pickup after a five-year delayed acceptance, progress fabricating one-off window hardware for a coachbuilt “Woody” wagon, reverting an off-road-built short-wheelbase pickup back to stock-ish spec, building a marine blue 109 wagon, and planning an 86-inch restomod with a fuel-injected 2.8L four-cylinder. They also preview the national rally in Ouray, a 1927 Harley-Davidson pickup in Fort Collins, and a potential Series 1 Whipsaw Trail trip, plus tease upcoming guests Jeff Aronson and possibly Sarah Price.