Military origins

The original Land Rover vehicle was created by Maurice Wilks, chief designer at the Rover Company, on his farm in Newborough, Anglesey. The design may have been influenced by the American Jeep and the prototype, later nicknamed ‘Centre Steer’, was built on a Jeep chassis and axles. The early choice of colour was dictated by military surplus supplies of aircraft cockpit paint, so early vehicles only came in various shades of light green.

Changing hands

All models until recently feature sturdy box section ladder-frame chassis. Initially Land Rover was a product line of the Rover motor company until Leyland Motor Corporation acquired the brand in 1967. In 1994 Land Rover changed hands again, this time being acquired by BMW. This relationship lasted only 12 years and in 2006 Ford purchased Land Rover from BMW for around £6 million. Land Rover’s stay in the Ford stable was even shorter - only two years – with Indian motoring giant Tata acquiring the iconic name plaque in 1998 and still having ownership of the iconic British brand which include Range Rover and Jaguar.

Royal 4x4

Despite its humble farm yard origins and intended purpose the Land Rover Defender has had many forays into the world of glitz and glamour. Royals, statesmen, famous actors and even football managers have all been seen in a Defender. Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Winston Churchill, James Bond… The list of famous Land Rover owners is long and the list of the vehicle’s silver screen appearances even longer.

Replacement

Though Land Rover has said that we can expect a new vehicle carrying the Defender badge, the carmaker has yet to release official images of the Defender’s replacement. Speculation in the motor world has it that the new Defender will be based on a concept which Land Rover developed in 2011. Regardless, the vehicle to carry the Defender badge forward has huge boots to fill.