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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 0 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 11 T R E N D I N G By Michael C. Bingham MY SWEET RIDE Taking 'off-road' to new heights C hris Velardi's 1975 Land Rover 101 Forward Control (FC) was designed and built to go off-road. Like, 10,000 feet off the road. e British-made vehicle, which began its life in the service of the Royal Air Force, was designed to tow a light field gun and haul 2,000 pounds of ammunition for the artillery piece (hence its infor- mal moniker, One Tonne). It was also designed as Lightweight Air Transportable, able to be airlied by helicopter or fixed-wing transport aircra into combat. e vehicles — of which some 2,600 were man- ufactured between 1972 and 1978 — were never sold to the public. Except Chris Velardi, who makes his living restoring vintage Land Rovers for North America Overland of Monroe, which performs top- of-the-line, frame-up restorations of classic Rovers including older Range Rovers and classic Defenders. e restoration packages are not cheap — averaging about $75,000, according to NAO founder and principal Mike Sandone. e price tag includes contemporary safety furnishings and comfort upgrades such as soer suspensions. e results are exquisite moving objects of sturdy splendor to optimize the "ownership experience" for well- heeled, and well-wheeled, clients. Velardi came by this odd duck — one of just 62 right-hand drives made — in England in 2000 as he was preparing for a trans-African expedition called Vintage Rovers Across Africa. e idea was to cross the entire continent in Land Rovers that were at least a quarter-cen- tury old. e 101 FC was to be a support-and-supply vehicle for the ambitious trek. e African landscape, Velardi notes, is dotted with Rover hulks from ages past, because for much of the 20th century, the indomitable 4WD monsters were one of the only motorized vehicles that could ne- gotiate the continent's rudimentary, or worse, byways. Velardi estimates that Rovers historically "were prob- ably the first [motor] vehicles ever seen by 90 percent of Africans." Political turmoil in some of the nations the expedition was charted to transit rendered the original itinerary unfeasible and possibly unhealthy, and Velardi withdrew from the expedition. But not from his 101FC, which he had shipped to his home in Hamden and ever since has used for family off-road camping — and of course to travel to vintage Land Rover events. Veliardi calls his Rover the "Krak- en," which sounds like the name of a Danish heavy-metal band. And like Scandavian headbanger music, the 101FT is not for everyone. e 101 refers to its wheelbase in inches (most civilian Rovers have 88-inch wheelbases). It's not as heavy as it looks — made of lightweight aluminum and weighing about 5,000 pounds (it had TO be lied by helicopter, right?). But woe to the wildebeest that ever wanders into its right-of-way. e Kraken is powered by a mod- ified Range Rover 3.5-liter alumi- num-block V8 and LT 95 transmis- sion. It has permanent four-wheel drive with center-differential lock. Its ridiculous 74:1 first-gear ratio allows it to crawl at 7 mph at 5,000 rpm. In the nearly two decades he's owned it, Velardi's Kraken has been awarded numerous best-in-show trophies, been the subject of fea- tures in publications from Rovers magazine to Alloy + Grit — and the object of more queries and ex- clamations from curiosity-seekers and admirers than Velardi can even remember. Above all, "ere have been a lot of good times, and great memories," he says. With more, for sure, to come. n Woe to the wildebeest: Velardi with his military-issue Land Rover 101FC. North America Overland's Rover ranch in Monroe. PHOTOGRAPHS | NEW HAVEN BIZ

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