The great British car brand, Land Rover marked its 70th anniversary this week with a global, online broadcast celebrating the world’s favourite 4x4s and the people who love them.
On April 30th 1948, the first Land Rover made its debut at the Amsterdam Motor Show and in 2018 celebrates more than 7 million vehicles sold. Beginning with just one, utilitarian vehicle, aimed at the UKs post – war agricultural market, the brand now encompasses a vast model range exporting to over 100 countries worldwide. Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque each define the world’s SUV sectors, What’s more is that they are a proud part of British Motoring Heritage – just like Duckhams!
The company celebrated this momentous occasion with an online TV programme starring the cars and the people who make and drive them. The online programme paid tribute to seven decades of adventure, humanitarian aid and hard work around the world.
Prof Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, said: “Land Rover is so much more than just the most capable all-terrain vehicles. It connects people through a passion for adventure and making more of our world. From our employees to customers and enthusiasts, this is the family that makes Land Rover special.”
Duckhams and Land Rover collaborated together at the moment when a highly innovative design team, lead by legendary BL engineers Spen King and Gordon Bashford, invented the SUV. The prototype was called the Velar and 21 were made before the production car went on sale, called the Range Rover.
The Range Rover, the 88’, 90’, 109 and 110 Station Wagons (later the Defender) and the new kid on the block in 1989, the Discovery – all utilised the proven Rover V8. The recommended oil for ensuring this powerful engine kept its robust reputation, was Duckhams Q20w-50.
So, from all at Duckhams Oils – Happy Birthday Land Rover! You changed the world, made it smaller and more accessible and are the pride of British motoring heritage. Here’s to another 70 years and beyond for the “greatest 4×4 by far”.
Duckhams Top 3 favourite Land Rovers.
- Range Rover
It was the vehicle that invented the SUV and it was launched with the legendary Rover V8 engine. It was to transform the 4×4 market forever and is a car that is often copied but never bettered. It was so good that even to this day, it remains the only car allowed to exhibit as a piece of art in the Louvre, Paris.
2. Land Rover Series III
Launched in 1971, the Series 3 Land Rover was the first time the model started to show an evolution of styling, plus some level of comfort and everyday practicality. Even more important, was the fact that this was the first model to feature the Rover V8 option with its recommendation to use only Duckhams Q20w-50.
3. Land Rover Discovery
Yes, it might have been launched at the end of the 1980s when the economic downturn dominated the story of the British car industry. Sure, it came with Austin Maestro Van rear lights and door handles from a Morris Marina – BUT it was still an example of Land Rover innovating once again. This was the birth of the sports utility vehicle, aimed at young, mobile families looking to explore their world. Nearly 30 years later and the Discovery Sport is Land Rover’s best – selling model.
70 years of Land Rover – The Timeline.
- Land Rover Series I launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show
1953 Long Wheelbase version of the Series I is introduced
1956 Oxford and Cambridge teams complete on London to Singapore expedition in Series I
1958 Land Rover Series II unveiled with more refined design
1970 Original two-door Range Rover (the Classic) goes on sale
1971 Land Rover Series III launched
1972 Range Rover crosses Darien Gap on 18,000-mile Trans-America expedition
1976 1,000,000th Land Rover built
1979 A Range Rover wins the inaugural Paris-Dakar rally (and again in 1981)
1981
1981 Four-door Range Rover released
1989 Land Rover Discovery, the third Land Rover model, goes on sale
1990 Original ‘Landie’ relaunched and renamed Defender
1994 Second generation Range Rover launched
1997 All-new Freelander is unveiled with innovative new technology: Hill Descent Control
2001 Third-generation Range Rover with all-round independent air suspension revealed
2003 Inaugural G4 challenge sees 16 teams traverse USA, South Africa and Australia
2004 Range Stormer Concept previews performance Range Rover and three-door body
2004 Discovery 3/LR3, the third-generation Discovery, launched at New York Motor Show
2005 All-new Range Rover Sport unveiled
2006 Freelander 2/LR2 launched. The first Land Rover to be manufactured at Halewood
2008 LRX concept car previews design language of a new luxury compact SUV
2009 Fourth generation of the Land Rover Discovery introduced
2010 Range Rover Evoque, the world’s first luxury compact SUV, makes global debut
2012 Fourth-generation Range Rover introduced – the first all-aluminium SUV
2013 New generation of Range Rover Sport unveiled at New York Motor Show
2014 Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division is officially launched
2014 Range Rover Sport SVR debuts, the fastest, most agile, most powerful Land Rover
2014 Discovery Vision Concept previews design vision for new family of Discovery vehicles
2014 Launch of Discovery Sport, a new premium compact SUV with 5+2 seating
2015 Trio of end-of-line Defender editions revealed with biggest sand drawing in UK
2015 Exclusive Range Rover SVAutobiography long wheelbase launched in New York
2015 Evoque Convertible becomes world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible
2015 One-of-a-kind Land Rover ‘Defender 2,000,000’ sells for £400,000 at charity auction
2016 Last Defender rolls off the production line
2016 All-new Discovery with world-first remote Intelligent Seat Fold technology launched
2017 Land Rover launches the fourth Range Rover, the Velar
2018 Limited Edition Range Rover SV Coupé debuts at Geneva Motor Show
Relive the TV broadcast here: