Craftsmanship in Motion: Restoring Land Rovers at Pangolin 4x4
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” It is with this sentiment that we are featuring this series of profiles in craftsmanship. Stories of passion, dedication, sweat, and an obsession with detail. In the same manner we approach shoemaking, these talented creators and makers are proving that design can be simultaneously timeless AND original.
When Ike Goss flipped through the pages of National Geographic magazine as a young boy, he noticed all the inspiring naturalists, scientists, and explorers featured in the captivating stories had one thing in common: They all drove Land Rovers.
The British four-wheel-drive icon became his first car at the age 17, when he bought a 1967 Land Rover Series IIA. And he's been crafting his own story as a Land Rover enthusiast ever since. As the owner of Pangolin 4x4 in Springfield, Oregon, he restores Land Rovers day in and day out with a passion and tireless dedication for building, by hand, something that will last forever.
I want to make something that lasts beyond my lifetime. I want to leave a legacy for the next generation of enthusiasts.
"At the end of the day, I want to produce a vehicle that I'm proud of. I want to look at that car and say, 'This is something that I built, and it can last for another 60 years with care and maintenance,'" Ike says. "I like a product that lasts indefinitely. You can have this car or pair of shoes or briefcase your entire life. People that care about what they make, they don't want to make something that is disposable. They want to make something that lasts forever.
"I want to make something that lasts beyond my lifetime. I want to leave a legacy for the next generation of enthusiasts."
Watch Ike in his natural element, as if plucked from the pages of a NatGeo story himself, in the 5-minute film above.
Ike wears the KEEN Austin Boot
