The Series I Land Rover would be released
at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show, a solid workhorse
that would quickly garner a loyal following
of devotees with its rugged no-nonsense
style and ability. The original 80” wheelbase
would be extended to 86” in 1954, later
the 107” making it an attractive proposition
as an agricultural workhorse. 10 years after
its initial introduction, the Series II would
be released, it featuring a vastly improved
appearance and better levels of comfort and
performance (but most importantly it would
remain every bit as rugged as its predecessor).
By 1959 there would be 250,000 Land Rovers
on and off the bitumen, that figure doubling
by 1966. Recognizing that there was a niche
to be filled by providing a luxury version
of the venerable Land Rover, the engineers
set about designing the up-market Range Rover,
a paradigm shift in the concept of off-road
vehicles. Released in 1970, the Range Rover
was years ahead of its time. The following
year the Series III was released, and by 1976
over 1 million Land/Range Rovers had been sold.
By now there were plenty of competitors determined
to muscle in on the success of the vehicle,
most notable would be Toyota with their Land
Cruiser. But unlike all the others, Land Rover
remains as the only marque to have a heritage
forever linked to rugged terrain and dirt roads.
1948 - 1958
The car's most notable appearance in a movie was in the
South African film 'The Gods Must Be Crazy', and from
our expericence the brakes were never that good although
the film version did go to extremes! More>>
1958 - 1971
After 20 years of uninterrupted producction Rover claimed that 600,000 Land-Rovers were operating in more than 170 different territories all over the world. Over that time the outward appearances changed remarkably little, but major developments, particularly to the power unit, had been introduced over the years. More>>
1970 - 1996
Whoever it was at Rover that convinced the powers to
be to develop a "high end" Land Rover must have
had an accurate crystal ball, the resulting Range Rover
proving to be a huge sales success and spawning a love
affair for many with the notion of driving a large, expensive
fuel guzzling monster capable of obliterating pedestrians
and other road users without ever having the intention
of taking the vehicle "off road". More>>
1980 - 1986
1980 heralded big news for lovers of the Land Rover,
as now for the first time the Rover V8 engine could be
optioned! Dubbed the "Stage 1", the V8 offered vastly
superior performance and made the Land Rover a much more
drivable conveyance on the highway - and was the first
Land Rover to feature full time 4WD. More>>
1990 -
Many commentators were critical at the time of the Disco's
bland styling, which looked traditional and obviously
familiar. But they were missing the point, here was a
Range Rover for the masses, and the public loved it. It
was a shame then that the quality control was not able
to keep pace with the rapid expansion of the production
facilities, and the inevitable damage to the Discovery's
reputation followed a string of reliability issues. More>>
