The Underpowered Hour

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss JLR launching a £154,000 Range Rover and then cutting 4,500 jobs, which JLR attributes to tariffs and falling sales, and note UK officials plan to meet with new CEO PJ Balaji. They cover signs JLR may revive a military-style “Defender Wolf Series 2,” potentially to compete against vehicles like a Toyota Hilux-based platform and the Ineos Grenadier. Ike recaps the All British Field Meet in Portland, where Land Rover was absent as an exhibitor but Ineos Grenadier was a featured sponsor, and highlights the strong turnout of Range Rover Classics and Series trucks, including Steve driving his 1957 109 pickup. They review a Bring a Trailer LS3-swapped, six-speed 1976 Series III build that failed to sell near $100,000, and close with updates on a re-emerged Forest Rover and progress on another Forest Rover restoration.

00:00 Show Intro and Hosts
01:18 JLR Job Cuts and Tariffs
03:36 Defender Wolf Rumors
07:02 Wolf vs Modern Rivals
07:45 All British Field Meet Recap
11:24 Ike’s Yellow 109 Road Trip
12:13 Ant Colony in the Rover
13:29 Goat Man Land Rovers
14:26 LS3 Series III Build
17:38 Ugly Details Breakdown
21:14 Forest Rover Update
23:02 Forest Rover Engineering
25:41 Wrap Up Credits

Steve Beres and Ike Goss return to The Underpowered Hour after travel and discuss preparing for Destination Defender in Temecula, including expected heavy rain. They cover news that the all-new electric Defender has been delayed again, now to 2030, as JLR focuses on electric Range Rover models. They also discuss a major Range Rover steering knuckle recall that is being “recalled” because prior repairs may have used incorrect parts and the new fix is still pending. The hosts review the sale of Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz’s Series II pickup, noting its restoration details and features, and that it sold for $56,000. They mention Gerry McGovern’s departure from JLR, a Discovery 2’s plot role in the film "Bodies Bodies Bodies," and Jenna assembling two two-door Range Rovers into one for racing.

00:00 Show Cold Open
00:36 Hosts Intro and Updates
01:19 Destination Defender Weather Talk
02:09 Electric Defender Delayed
03:42 Recall of a Recall
05:41 Old School Rover Reliability
06:36 Daniel Craig S2 Pickup Sale
10:25 McGovern Exit and Design Future
13:35 Weekend Dad Jokes
13:51 Jerry OnlyFans Bit
14:27 Discovery in Bodies
16:45 Two Range Rovers One
19:22 Flight Delay Stories
21:50 Gore Verbinski Picks
23:02 Joe Rodan Experience
23:42 Destination Defender Plans
24:45 Show Credits Outro

Steve and Ike discuss King Charles’ Defender selling at auction for about £67,000 (well above the ~£40,000 estimate) and then dig into uncertainty around proposed 25% tariffs on foreign-made vehicles and parts slated for April 2nd, including questions about how they’d affect imports already on the water, used/antique parts, and compounding with existing taxes like the chicken tax; they note market reactions such as GM and Tata Motors share drops. Ike also recounts receiving a packed 20-foot container from Australia containing multiple Land Rovers and parts, including a Series I factory welder project and two Series I 80-inch restorations. They briefly mention a Land Rover credit-fraud scheme ending in a three-year sentence and preview a short episode with more guests and event recaps next week.

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss Jaguar Land Rover’s Q1 results, including a £109M profit before tax (2.8% EBITDA) that’s down 68.9% year-over-year and a free cash flow balance of -£998M, speculating it reflects heavy spending on new models and facilities and inviting an accountant to explain it. They cover the Freelander 8 presale delay due to Typhoon Dolphin, pricing around $50,000 with a $68,000 limited launch edition, and its unusual featured details. The hosts recap Monterey Car Week news: Sotheby’s sold a 2007 SV Ultra and a 1993 Range Rover Classic for about $967K, plus notes about export and California sales restrictions, and they mention the $248K Range Rover SV Pearl Lustre benefiting the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. They also touch on the Dakar Defender Octa edition, an Octa used as a land-speed-record push vehicle, attend Mogfest in Oregon, and share workshop updates including transporting vehicles, clutch work, and Ike acquiring a 1965 Series IIA 109 pickup with a rear PTO.

00:00 Show Introductions
01:18 JLR Q1 Profits and Cash
02:23 Negative Cash Flow Explained
04:08 Freelander 8 Typhoon Delay
05:24 Launch Edition Oddities
08:02 Monterey Car Week Buzz
08:12 Auction Range Rovers Drama
10:24 SV Pearl Lustre Edition
12:22 Dakar Defender Octa Reveal
14:06 Color Scheme Hot Takes
16:06 Octa Tuning and Push Car
17:40 Land Rovers and Speed Records
18:47 Bluebird Support 109s
19:42 Mogfest Off Road Meetup
22:02 Unimog Reunion Story
23:29 Tiny Unimog Driving Impressions
25:05 Haflinger Love and Nesting
26:16 Shop Logistics and Repairs
27:55 New Series IIA Pickup Arrival
30:38 PTO Ice Cream and Blender Ideas
32:05 Wrap Up and Announcements
33:17 Credits and Support

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss the presale launch of Chery’s new Freelander 8 and why Chinese vehicles face bans in places like the United States while gaining ground in the UK, including ownership-related legislation that impacted Polestar. They react to the Freelander’s “L-A-D-Y” passenger-seat acronym, joke about future models, and note rising JLR China profits as old Evoque stock clears and a former plant becomes a “Freelander Super Factory.” The conversation shifts to the new Range Rover GT—low roofline, minimal ground clearance, and built on JLR’s new electromodal architecture—plus Range Rover removing pricing limits for bespoke builds after a reported $550,000 example. They also cover a 50 million PR budget, a BYD/“Ti7” Defender-like SUV copy headed to Europe, workshop prep for NORRA Baja support vehicles, race-car parts arriving, and motorcycle trip plans.

00:00 Show Intro and Hosts
01:23 Freelander 8 Presale Buzz
02:12 Chinese Car Bans and Ownership
04:01 The LADY Seat Controversy
05:13 Wheelander and Jimny Jokes
06:44 China Stock Clearance and Super Factory
08:28 Range Rover Model Explosion
09:21 Range Rover GT Road Rover
11:51 No Price Limit Special Editions
14:39 Sauna Load Space Wishlist
15:46 Ridiculous Options and Steel Wheels
16:11 Farm Gear Mods
16:26 Forbidden Luxury Interiors
17:28 Wild Range Rover Features
18:21 Just Make It Reliable
19:37 JLR Bad Publicity Budget
21:47 BYD Defender Clone
26:07 Workshop Support Truck Plans
27:39 Race Car Build Update
28:45 New GS Motorcycle Talk
30:24 Chicken Alaska And Denny's
31:31 Closing Trail Signoff