Land Rover - History
We’re turning 60!
The desire to create a vehicle that will tackle any terrain has made Land Rover famous around the world. Add to that an indomitable spirit of adventure and constant insistence on outstanding innovation; and the arrival of the family of vehicles we know today is understandable.
Land Rover´s history is a long and illustrious one that started in 1948 with the vehicle known simply as Land Rover. Since then, every Land Rover and Range Rover has been engineered and designed to answer the same brief: create a powerful 4×4 that combines a sense of comfort with true off-road capabilities – to enable drivers and enthusiasts to fulfill their sense of adventure.
This year, Land Rover celebrates 60 years of that innovation.
Maurice Wilkes, technical director for Rover Cars in 1947, detected a strong demand for utilitarian ex-military 4×4s and felt sure that a British designed and built agricultural vehicle would have great potential.
The first Land Rover was conceived, built and designed within a year and launched in April 1948, at the Amsterdam Motor Show. Innovation and resourcefulness were instilled in the brand right from the beginning, as in post-war rationed Britain, aluminum replaced steel and paint left over from a fighter plane factory was used. With a Rover Cars engine, a lightweight chassis and permanent four wheel drive, this really was a unique little vehicle.
Ten years later, Land Rover brought out a new model that featured a long list of modifications. The changes made the Series II easier to drive without sacrificing durability. With a new 2.25 litre petrol engine, orders flooded in from over 70 countries and an international brand was well and truly established.
From the beginning, Land Rover was the choice of pioneers, explorers and anyone with a spirit of adventure. Numerous expeditions ran thanks to the gutsy Land Rover – including the first overland trip from London to Singapore.
In the UK, the Land Rover was the 4×4 of choice. Seeing how people were using the cars prompted the company to develop a more civilized vehicle; one that felt as comfortable in the country as it did in the city.
The Range Rover was born in 1970, and sported a new V8 engine that was both lightweight and powerful. It had permanent four wheel drive and independent suspension. At its introduction, the Range Rover became the fashionable 4×4 in Europe and was even displayed at the Louvre in Paris as automotive art. In 1987, the Range Rover appeared as the most luxurious utility vehicle in North America and took the market by storm.
By the end of the 1980s, Land Rover needed a new model to compete with more car-like Japanese vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Pajero. With the creature comforts of the Range Rover and the ruggedness of the original Land Rover, the Discovery was launched.
In 1996, Land Rover turned 50 and celebrated its anniversary with the launch of the next generation of off-road vehicles; a smaller SUV called the Freelander.
In 2005, the Range Rover Sport was launched bringing another level of dynamism to the 4×4 market. With a Jaguar-derived 4.2 litre V8 petrol supercharged engine and a V8 Turbo Diesel engine to choose from, the Sport offers as much power as off-road capability.
