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In the beginning -

The Land Rover marque was founded in 1947 by Maurice Wilks, the man largely responsible for the inspiration and the concept work that led to the creation of the Land Rover. His pioneering design efforts made him quite the celebrity in the automotive industry.

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Land Rover Series 1 -

The first production model, Land Rover Series 1 (pictured), was launched in April 1948 at the Amsterdam Motor Show.

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Willys MB -

Wilks probably drew inspiration from the Willys MB, an off-road American military utility vehicle commonly known as the jeep that saw widespread service throughout the Second World War.

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Utility vehicle -

The Land Rover Series I was marketed as an effective, all-purpose utility vehicle. Soon after its launch in 1948, emergency services in Great Britain were using modified Land Rovers equipped as fire engines. Here's an example on display at the 14th International Motor Show at Earl's Court in London.

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All purpose -

Land Rovers were soon being used for all sorts of tasks. In this 1950 image, an "air-cushioned" Series I chassis has been adapted as a hovercraft cabin and makes short thrift of rough farm land against a conventional Land Rover.

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Royal Warrant -

The Land Rover found immediate favor with Britain's royal household. In fact, the vehicle was granted a Royal Warrant by King George VI in 1951. In 1953-54, Queen Elizabeth II embarked on a lengthy tour of the commonwealth, when the Land Rover was put to great use. Pictured is the new British monarch and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, waving to crowds in Australia in 1954.

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Hollywood star -

By the early 1950s, the Land Rover had already made its mark in Hollywood. Pictured are Ava Gardner and Clark Gable on location in Africa with a Series I model during filming on 'Mogambo' (1953).

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Grandstand view -

Queen Elizabeth II with, left to right, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Beaufort (Master of the Horse), the Duchess of Beaufort (seated), the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret, using a Land Rover as a 'grandstand' as they watch competitors in the cross-country section of the European Horse Trials in Windsor Great Park in May 1955.

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Lift off -

British racing driver Stuart Lewis-Evans at the wheel of his Cooper 500 Formula 3 car as it is loaded from a homemade ramp onto the roof of a Land Rover for transport to Bexley Heath racetrack in Kent in May 1956. Helping him is Tony Harris.

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Land Rover Series II -

In 1958, production began on the Land Rover Series II, when sales of utility Land Rovers reached their peak. Three years later, in 1961, the Series IIA (pictured) was launched.

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Trunk road -

Tough, durable, and exceptionally hard wearing, the Land Rover was occasionally put to novel uses, such as in this 1959 publicity photograph for a forthcoming circus show.

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Scene of crime -

In August 1963, a Land Rover made headlines for all the wrong reasons when one was photographed being examined by police forensics experts at Leatherslade Farm, near Oakley, Buckinghamshire, after it was believed to have been used during the infamous Great Train Robbery that took place on August 8 at Bridego Railway Bridge in nearby Ledburn.

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'Born Free' -

The Land Rover's four-wheel drive made it ideal for negotiating difficult terrain, which made it especially efficient in places like the African savanna. In the popular 1966 movie 'Born Free,' Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, the stars of the film, are often seen driving a Land Rover. But it's the big cats who steal the show. Here's Elsa the lioness hitching a ride in a scene from the film.

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Royal rovers -

Queen Elizabeth II with Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Anne, Princess Royal during a visit to the Isles of Scilly in 1967. Following his death in 2021, it was a Land Rover hearse designed by Prince Philip himself that carried his casket.

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Land and sea -

Land Rovers today are built to survive relative immersion in water. But in 1969, the vehicles were still being tested for their amphibious abilities.

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Conflict vehicle -

The Troubles in Northern Ireland began in the late 1960s. British troops were deployed on the streets of Belfast, initially to maintain peace between Protestants and Catholics. But the Army soon became embroiled in the conflict. The Land Rover proved highly useful as a patrol vehicle, such as this one parked on Shankill Road in 1969.

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For the adventurous -

By the early 1970s, the Land Rover was one of the most popular vehicles on the planet. It regularly played a part in travel expeditions to some of the most far-flung places in the world. Pictured here in 1970 is a Series II near Nuristan in Afghanistan.

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Land Rover Series III -

As if to rubber-stamp its fame, in 1971 the Land Rover Series III was launched. In 1976, the year of the model pictured, the one-millionth Land Rover was made, a station wagon.

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Royal transport -

The love affair between British royalty and the Land Rover continued into the 1980s. Pictured is Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, being driven through Newcastle in March 1983 during their tour of Australia. Diana is wearing a pink Catherine Walker dress and a hat by John Boyd.

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Live Aid -

1985 was the year of Live Aid and the co-organizer of the charity appeal, singer-songwriter Midge Ure, was on hand at London's Gatwick Airport to supervise the transportation of a Land Rover Defender—"A Gift From Band-Aid" written on the door—as the first air consignment of Band-Aid famine relief supplies to Ethiopia. The Defender was developed in the 1980s as the Land Rover Ninety: it was renamed Defender in 1990.

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Land Rover Discovery -

Launched in 1989, the Land Rover Discovery was the first new model series since the launch of the 1970 Range Rover Classic, on which it was based (the Range Rover Classic was marketed as a luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced from 1969 to 1996).

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Sting at the wheel -

Rock star Sting drives a Land Rover over an obstacle course to promote the new Discovery model in New York City in March 1994. 

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All terrain -

A Land Rover plows its way through a sea of sand in Hartmann Valley on Namibia's remote Skeleton Coast.

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BMW takeover -

In 1994, Land Rover was taken over by BMW. The Ninety and One-Ten range of Land Rover models were then given the generic name of Defender.

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Land Rover Freelander -

In 1997, the Land Rover Freelander was introduced in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive versions. Production of the Freelander lasted until 2014.

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Production line -

In 2006, Ford acquired the Rover trademark from BMW. In 2008, Ford sold  its Land Rover operation (and Jaguar operation, which it also owned) to Tata Motors. Pictured is the production line at the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Solihull, England. Solihull has been home to Land Rover for over 60 years.

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James Bond -

A mean-looking Defender SVX was one of the four-wheeled stars of the James Bond movie 'Spectre' (2015). The vehicle is pictured with actress Naomie Harris, one of the two-legged stars of the film.

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Royal passenger -

A youngster takes to the wheel of a scale model Land Rover as Prince Harry rides beside her as he visits Toronto's Distillery District for the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge ahead of the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada.

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New generation -

Prince William, at the wheel of a Land Rover Discovery, driving his wife, and their daughter Charlotte to a Christmas lunch for members of the royal family hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in December 2018.

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Today's Land Rover -

The Land Rover Defender 90 off-road 4x4 vehicle on display at Brussels Expo in January 2020. The Land Rover Defender (L663) is available as a three-door (90) and five-door (110) off-roader.

Sources: (Architectural Digest) (The Independent) (The Guardian) (Land Rover)

See also: The celebrity appeal of Rolls-Royce

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