Land Rover Vehicles

Land Rover is a manufacturer of luxury sport utility vehicles, and it has its origins in Great Britain. Many of Land Rover's vehicles are full of the sort of comforts that would remind one of high tea or a hunting lodge in the forest. However, the Land Rover also won fame as a trailbreaker, and they all come with the equipment necessary to make it over almost any terrain. Land Rover is owned by the Ford Motor Company, and it is one of just a few American brands that only deals in SUVs. In this article, you will learn more about Land Rover and how they came to be known for their tough, reliable vehicles.

After the end of WWII, brothers Maurice and Spencer Wilks were enamored with the durable and practical aspects of the United States Army's Jeeps. The Wilks borthers worked with Rover, a British car maker, to assemble the first Land Rover back in 1948. It was named the Series I, the truck had all-wheel-drive, a canvas top, and doors that were optional. The earliest Land Rovers were somewhat crude in styling, but they were suitable for field work.

The decade after the war saw Land Rover increasing the power of its vehicles as well as their refinement. The Series II was introduced in 1958, and it had more horsepower and a more stylish exterior; special sills hid the chassis and exhaust systems. During these years, the first diesel Rover was made, and after, the Series IIA was produced for ten years from 1961-1971. At the end of the 1960s, Land Rover was bought out by Leyland Motors, which later was renamed British Leyland.

The famous Range Rover was first introduced in 1970- equipped with a powerful V8 engine and an aluminum body, this vehicle was more stylish and consumer-focused than the vehicles which came before it. In the mid-1970s, Leyland was nationalized, and ten years later, Land Rover was bought yet again by British Aerospace.

Land Rover's vehicles officially hit the United States auto market in 1987, when the Range Rover arrived. That SUV was followed two years later by the Land Rover Discovery (which was initially offered only in two-door form). During the 90s, the SUV's growing popularity put Land Rover in a good position; their vehicles became more luxurious after BMW bought the company in 1995, but the Land Rover kept its all-terrain heritage close.

Since then, the Land Rover stable has kept on growing, and the end of the 1990s brought the Freelander's debut; that SUV had the distinction of being the first equipped with a system which automatically applies the brakes when descending a steep hill. However, BMW's ownership of the company was short-term, and Land Rover was sold to Ford in 2000.

That company worked to improve Land Rover's reputation for reliability, but continued financial woes resulted in the company being sold yet again to India's Tata. Today, Land Rover is still renowned for its luxurious SUVs, such as the LR4, Evoque and Range Rover.