OFF ROAD ICON: Land Rover (1948)
This iconic vehicle started life as a bit of desperate post-war improvisation in a bid to save a failing British car company. Designer Maurice Wilks took the chassis and axles of a World War II Willy’s Jeep, added an engine and gearbox from a Rover P3 saloon car, some off-road tires and the prototype was born.
It was aimed at first at farmers and even came with a tractor-style power take-off at the back you could run equipment from. In the 1950’s Land Rover sales outsold all other Rover cars by 2 to 1 and pretty much saved the company. From there it has of course evolved into a world conquering off-road brand, favoured b everyone from desert explorers to Mum’s on the school run.
TIMEWARP… cash strapped Rover used war surplus aluminium for the bodywork coated in layers of war-surplus army and airforce shades of paint… all of which helped create the legend!
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT… the spawn of the iconic Willy’s Jeep this was the original and still best loved commercial off-road vehicle in the world.
This film features Chris Barrie going off-road in an original Land Rover.
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10 май 2015
