The Underpowered Hour

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.

On this episode of The Underpowered Hour, Steve Beres and Ike Goss cover Land Rover and 4x4 news, including Ford’s Filson Edition “fancy” Bronco aimed at the Defender market and rumors of a JLR–Stellantis co-development deal to build vehicles in the U.S. to avoid tariffs, noting prior Jeep–Land Rover prototype history. They discuss rare Land Rover amphibians like the APGP and the Mark II Amphibian mock-up, then react to a California Highway Patrol pursuit that ended with a 2018 Land Rover submerged in Lake Isabella and the driver killed. They touch on uncertainty around Gerry McGovern’s status and spy shots of a lightly camouflaged 2027 Defender facelift. They also talk about Jason Momoa’s On the Roam featuring Electrogenic electric conversions of classic Land Rovers and mention the film We Bury the Dead, where Daisy Ridley drives a Perentie in Tasmania.

Steve Beres and Liza Beres cover news while Ike Goss and Jenna Fribley are away interviewing Tread Lightly. They discuss Land Rover’s Sedona Edition red Defender 90 and the practicality challenges of owning a 90 with a kid and dog, plus updates on the Defender Rally team competing in Argentina’s FIA-certified Desafío Ruta 40 where all three Defenders finished and Sarah Price races as part of an all-women’s team. They also highlight new Mini GT Camel Trophy Land Rover miniatures, including a Sikorsky helicopter display and a Tierra del Fuego 110 with a raft accessory. In the featured interview, Jenna speaks with Tread Lightly executive director James Boyd about the nonprofit’s origins, the TREAD principles, education and trail-maintenance work to prevent closures, funding via grants, membership and partnerships, and the new “Protect What Moves You” campaign and BRP-supported training incentives.