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A busy few months are in store for a group of dedicated volunteers of Killarney Valley Classic & Vintage as the club restore a battered 1989 Land Rover Defender which has been off the road for several years, and which will be given a whole new lease of life all in the name of charity.

Club members are devoting their time and know-how to the exciting restoration project and they hope to have the project completed in April and to raffle the newly restored vehicle over the summer months.

The restoration is a huge project for the club to undertake and the costs involved will be quite substantial but the intention is to afford the perfect finish to the restored jeep which has only 82,000 miles on the clock.

“We are calling on anyone who would like to get involved and help out with this project to get in touch,” said Tom Leslie. “The costs involved are growing as we get deeper into dismantling the jeep but hopefully we will get a few more sponsors to come on board, no matter how big or small a donation will go along way.

“Our members meet every Thursday evening from 7pm to 9pm to work on the jeep with a cup of tea and a chat afterwards. It will be an enjoyable and interesting charity project to get involved with and a great way of meeting new people who share similar interests.  Everyone is welcome to call to the Kerry Mental Health building on Lewis Road – the old Ross Products building – any Thursday night to see what is involved.”

“We are always looking for more members to join the club and get involved and if anybody is interested in the restoration of jeeps or cars and can offer any advice, we would be delighted to hear from them.” said Tom.

Members are looking forward to overseeing the full service of the vehicle, the full restoration of the chassis, the full respray of the body parts and the extensive cosmetic facelift of the interior without the vehicle losing any of its original character. The project managers for the Land Rover restoration are committee members James Looney and John Coffey, who have vast experience in the car industry.

The Club were delighted with last year’s charity project which involved the full restoration of a battered 1968 MF135 Tractor which raised a huge amount of money for local Kerry charities.

The Club would like to thank Dermot Healy of Dermot Healy Motors Ltd, Mallow Road, Killarney, who has now come on board as a main sponsor for this year’s project and support has also been kindly received from Humphrey Kerins Crash Repair, Premier Auto Parts, McElligott’s Land Rover in Tralee, Castleisland Tyre Centre, Reen’s Garage Rathmore, Stryker Abbeyfeale, Killarney Oils & Seamus Weldon in Barleymount.  “It is great to have their support and the backing of our club’s project as it would not be possible to restore this jeep without it” said Tom.

Anyone interested in getting involved or helping out with the project can contact Tom Leslie directly on 087-2383809.

2018 Club Membership for Killarney Valley Classic & Vintage Club is now open and costs €15.00 to join for year and €35.00 to join the Club and the Irish Vintage Society Ltd.  You can contact the Club Secretary on 087-3381842 for further information or call to Jacqueline Looney at Killarney Glass, Woodlands Industrial Estate for a Membership Form.