Land Rover, together with Rover,
has a long tradition in various ownerships. The actual owner
is Ford Motor Company
(click here for details on the
deal), although the
rest of Rover was sold to a private consortium and is bankrupt
in the meantime. Here a little overview of the Land Rover story
over the decades:
Since the very first design appeared
in 1948, the Land Rover name has become universally identified
with definitive four-wheel drive vehicles. Between them, Defender,
Freelander, Discovery and Range Rover have evolved to satisfy
every requirement for urban style, comfort and unbeatable off-road
capability. It´s a remarkable story that reads like a history
of the 4x4 itself.
Over the last 55 years, the Land Rover
range of vehicles has evolved to become a byword for toughness, durability,
comfort and elegant style. Year by year, Land Rover models have redefined
the world´s 4x4 categories.
Winston Churchill in WW2 in front of the
Land Rover Defender
First manufactured back in 1948,
the history of this unique vehicle reveals a remarkable consistency
of engineering vision, from the earliest models right through
to today´s Defender, over 55 years later.
Designers of the Range Rover David Bache, Span King and
Gordon Bashford
In the mid 1960s, convinced that there
was a market for a more luxurious four-wheel drive vehicle, Land Rover
developed a ground breaking new model.
1970 Range Rover by Leyland Cars, the owner of
Land Rover at this time
It combined saloon car levels
of performance, handling, ride comfort and refinement with all
the ruggedness and 4x4 ability of a Land Rover.
Discovery is a vehicle with a rich
heritage, building as it does on over fifty years of Land Rover expertise.
Demonstrating how experience and innovation can lead to unbeatable designs,
its latest form – All New Discovery 3 – stands ready to redefine the
sector once again.
Launched in 1997, Freelander showed
once again that new Land Rover products always redefine their sector
of the market. It launched Land Rover into a new area of the 4x4 leisure
market and expanded the brand´s appeal well beyond traditional 4x4 buyers.
