PROFILE / Max Simmons

THE LAND ROVER MUDDY CHEF CHALLENGE

This week we interview attorney, new father, style icon and sunroof-less Discovery owner Max Simmons.

Proust/Solihull Questionnaire


 

1. If Land Rover made an aircraft would you fly in it? Why/Why Not?

 

I’d always trust a Land Rover to get me to the remotest location. I’d want an aircraft carrier there waiting for me in the event that it assumed the British position when I went to start it the next morning.

 

2. Tell us a little about your background, your career and where you live.

 

Blue-eyed blond welfare baby born to a teen single-mother in small-town central Illinois. After working my way through college (and I do mean working — ask me sometime about some of those jobs!) I spent nearly a decade working for non-profits and politicians in Wisconsin till opting for law-school. I now live in New Haven with my perfect wife, Abigail, and our perfect children, Emma-Marguerite and Francesco. My eyes are still blue but the hair is gray.

 

3. How many Land Rovers have you owned and which was your favorite?

 

My ’97 Discovery is my first. It’s perfect for me. Stepped roof, alpine windows, and super-robust frame and drivetrain echo the original safari-mobiles while the ABS, airbags, A/C and side-impact beams update it just enough (my friends say it’s perfect for me because it’s a little bit redneck and a little bit elitist). After a long region-wide search (I wanted one without sunroofs) I found it hibernating mostly rust-free in an East Haven garage. The owner bought it as a project that he never got around to starting.

 

4. What’s the best thing about owning a Land Rover?

 

Two things: (1) Seeing it waiting for me in the parking lot: It promises adventure and escape, even if only once in a while, and (2) the friendship with my mechanic.


5. What’s the worst thing about owning a Land Rover?

 

The friendship with my mechanic.

 

6. Been on an adventure? – tell us about it

 

Besides the Muddy Chef? So far the adventures have been the steep learning curve in roadside repairs using bubblegum and duct tape.

 

7. How do you plan to beat the competition this year at the Muddy Chef Challenge?

Lock Eric Archer and Chris Copeland in the basement till August 3rd.


 


8. If you could ask Land Rover for a particular type of vehicle what would it be?

 

An updated NAS Defender 110 (or a 130!). I’m a family guy, and I’d love to have a suitably sized Rover for hauling the whole herd into some more remote locations.

 

9.    What upgrades/modifications does your Land Rover have?

TrueTrac diffs, front diff guard, JATE rings, and . . . new headliner!


 


10. If you were on safari what three people (living or dead) would you pick to bring along?

I probably should say Selous, Stanley and Schweitzer, but more likely I’d prefer Groucho Marx, Julia Child and Ansel Adams.



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