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Battle build-up for MoD
Page 12
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• Land Rovers fitted with the new Gemini engine will take part in next year's Ministry of Defence contract trials. This will be the first Land Rover application for the directinjection diesel engine, which debuted in the Discovery leisure vehicle (CM 5-11 October).
It is understood that several Land Rover models will be entered for the Truck Untility (light and medium) trials, including the 3.5-litre petrol veeeight, the 2.5-litre indirectinjection (ID!) diesel, and the 2.5-litre 83kW (111hp) Gemini. Hopes are running high for the new engine — a source close to the MoD has told Commercial Motor "its sheer technical design should help".
Competition for the contract is expected to be fierce, and the MoD will be looking at European vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz G Wagen, and Far Eastern manufacturers like Mitsubishi with its Shogun range. Deliveries of the winning vehicle will start in 1993, says the MoD, although Commercial Motor has been told that the "competition will take quite a while". Relations between the MoD and Land Rover management have improved considerably since the problems with the Mark Four IDI diesel engine in milita.-v Land Rovers (CM 2127 July 1988). The MoD has expressed satisfaction with the "very efficient programme of modifications" that were made to the engines.
Nearly 2,000 Land Rovers have been ordered by the MoD as an interim measure, 650 for delivery in the new year. Land Roves latest DI diesel engine will be fitted to Land Rover models for the MoD contract trials next year. Competition is expected to be stiff.