Saturday 13 September 2008

Land Rover at 60

The Land Rover burst into the world sixty years ago. The chief designer of the Rover car company designed it in 1948 while at his farm on the island of Anglesey, off the coast of Wales. He was inspired by the World War II Willys jeep, but created a sturdy workhorse that is uniquely British.

Since then, they've been used in the toughest conditions around the world. Mechanically simple, they were designed to be serviced in the field and to run on the poorest quality fuels.

The manufacturer has developed other models, including the upmarket Range Rover, the Discovery, and the Freelander. However, the classic Land Rover (now labeled the Defender) is the definitive model, and remains very close in appearance to the original 1948 design.

Here are some photos I've taken of Land Rovers on my recent travels and around London.





















4 comments:

Paul Pincus said...

terrific post.

Toad said...

Iknow you did this to taunt me. I have wanted a Range Rover County since forever. Finally, you can find them reasonably priced, but its harder to justify if you live near paved roads.

columnist said...

So nice to see The Royal Circus too, one of the most stunning pieces of architecture, in my view.

Sir Fopling Flutter said...

Well spotted, Columnist! That's exactly right - it's a nice change from the usual rustic habitat of the Land Rover.