Seventy years ago today Land Rover introduced their first vehicle, the Series I, at the Amsterdam Motor Show. You can find examples of this iconic brand in all corners of the globe today. Land Rover has built over 7 million vehicles over the past 70 years!
There are all sorts of anniversary celebrations happening around the globe for this much loved brand. Land Rover enthusiasts are super passionate gearheads. They are able to overlook the shortcomings that Land Rover has had over the years, mostly on the reliability front, for the proven off road capabilities and iconic designs.
Land Rover Off Road Prowess
Besides the mighty Jeep, it would be hard to argue that any other off road vehicle manufacturer has left its mark on the world more than Land Rover. The iconic shape of the Defender in particular is instantly recognizable worldwide and known for its off road prowess.
A few key moments in Land Rover off road history were the 1956 London to Singapore Expedition, the 1972 Trans-America Expedition, the Range Rover’s win at the inaugural Paris-Dakar rally in 1979, the partnership with the legendary Camel Trophy starting in 1981 and the G4 challenges starting in 2003.
The Trans-America Expedition in 1972 in particular was a monumental accomplishment for Land Rover. Specifically the crossing of the Darien Gap, the narrow piece of land connecting Central and South America, by ‘land’ in a Range Rover was a truly impressive feat. It took a massive team 3 months to traverse the 250 road-less/bridge-less miles through the Darian’s jungle and swamp. The rest of the 18,000 mile journey from Alaska to the tip of Argentina was a serious undertaking at the time, but pales in comparison to the hardships endured and resources need to conquer the Darien.
Land Rover’s Iconic Designs
The boxy flat paneled shape, with exposed hinges and rivets, of the Land Rover Defender are instantly recognizable the world over. The floating roof, clamshell hood, continuous waistline and split tailgate are Range Rover design elements that help solidify the vehicle’s iconic status. Competitors have imitated all of these design elements for years, but none with the continual clean design aesthetic that Land Rover continues to evolve.
The Defender Design Taken to New Heights
To help celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the brand Land Rover took the iconic Defender outline to new heights. Simon Beck, a snow artist specializing in creating geometric art on foot, created an 820-foot Defender outline on La Plagne in the French Alps. The outline took Beck 20,894 steps to complete, at an altitude of 9,000 feet.
“Making my snow art requires endurance, accuracy and strength – all attributes shared with the Defender. Its iconic shape is so simple and recognized across the world; this must be the most recognizable piece of art I’ve ever made.” –Simon Beck
Land Rover Today
You’ll find new Land Rover vehicles in more than 100 countries around the globe today. The company started in 1948 when they debuted the Series I, a small utility vehicle with impressive off road capabilities. Today Land Rover offers a wide range of luxury 4x4s that are more street oriented than their predecessors, but still offer truly impressive off road capability.
The Land Rover vehicle lineup in North America today consists of the Range Rover Evoque, Discovery Sport, Discovery, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Sport and the all mighty Range Rover.
Land Rover Tomorrow
The future is bright for this iconic British auto manufacture, which is now owned by the Indian corporate manufacturing giant the Tata Group. The much-anticipated iconic Defender’s return is scheduled for 2019. The Defender is sure to lay out the future vision of the company and show the world how much, or how little, Land Rover cares about creating truly off road capable utility vehicles moving forward.
An electrified option of every Land Rover model will be available from 2020 onward. Land Rover has been at the forefront of technology many times though out it’s 70 year history, and it aims to continue to offer technologies that make their vehicles more capable, more luxurious and have better on road manners.
