Love Your Landy!
We all recognise a Land Rover when we see one, don’t we? After all, they’ve been around since 1948 and, from the outside, they really haven’t changed much since then. On the inside, and under the bonnet, Land Rovers have been altered considerably over the years and they just go on and on...
Depending on who drives it, a Land Rover is either male or female and almost anyone who’s ever owned one has given it a name. Sometimes the name relates to the registration letters (WND 4637 was called Wendy, of course) and sometimes it’s suggested by the paint job (one well-travelled yellow specimen based in London goes by the name of Marigold) but, for some strange reason, Land Rovers are often “christened” and spoken to rather like a family pet!
Let’s face it, Land Rovers tend to last a long time because of their aluminium alloy bodywork, making them more durable in wetter climates where rust eats away at most other cars. In fact, just a few years ago, Land Rover claimed that 75% of Landies ever built were still on the road and, even now, their estimate is still as high as 65%!
 Built by the Wilks brothers in March 1948, Huey is said to be one of the first Land Rover prototypes ever built. He’s a familiar sight on the island of Anglesey in North Wales where they first conceived the brand. |
When Maurice Wilks, the chief designer at British car manufacturer Rover, was on his farm in the North Wales island of Anglesey, he needed a sturdy and reliable vehicle that could navigate muddy uneven terrain. He was already familiar with the American Willys Jeep so widely used in World War II but decided it could do with some improvements. He and his brother, Spencer (Rover’s MD), went down to the beach and, after agreeing that the new vehicle should combine the advantages of a tractor with on-road practicality, they started drawing basic designs in the wet sand. Then they purchased another Jeep and equipped it with a Rover engine and gearbox. A few prototypes later and the Land Rover Series I was ready for launching at the Amsterdam Motor Show in April 1948.
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Within its first month on the market, orders from paying clients shot up from 100 to 500 a week. The choice of colours was restricted to a range of sludgy greens as the majority of Land Rovers were bedecked in aircraft cockpit paint sourced from military surplus supplies. The Series II was launched in 1958, followed by production of the Series IIA in 1961. Next to arrive was the Range Rover in 1970, just before the classic Series III a year later.
In 1976, the millionth Land Rover rolled off the production line in Solihull. The Land Rover 90 (the “Shorty”) and 110 were introduced in 1983, along with the 127 (later known as the Defender) and, six years later, the Discovery was introduced. More recently came the Freelander in 1997 and the revamped Discovery in 1998. Two years after Land Rover was sold to Ford, a third generation Range Rover was launched in 2002, followed swiftly by the third generation Discovery and LR3 two years after that. Developments in 2006 included the new 2.4l diesel engine and six-speed gearbox for the Defender and production of the Freelander 2.
In May 2007, Land Rover number 4,000,000 came off the production line and, now under the ownership of India’s Tata Motors, new or improved models still keep on coming and coming.
Maurice Wilks was adamant that Land Rovers should be equipped with PTO (power take-off) so farm machinery, compressors and other contraptions could be run while the vehicle was stationary. PTOs were regular options on Series I, II and III Landies until 1985 and are still fitted on Defenders by special order.
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Land Rovers have proved their versatility over the years and Defenders and Series vehicles have been adapted and converted to suit a huge variety of purposes, such as ambulances, fire engines, cherry pickers, snowploughs, excavators and safari vehicles. Fire Engines and Ambulances Both Land Rovers and Range Rovers have often been adapted for use as fire engines and ambulances. Their use by the emergency services is widespread, particularly in the country where its off-road capabilities give it a major advantage in reaching fires or medical patients on muddy hillsides, for example. However, many such conversions are used in urban, tarmac situations as well. Although Land Rover once made their own, they soon decided to grant licences to a variety of specialist manufacturers to take over the production of these fire appliance and ambulance conversions. Cuthbertson Tracked VehicleIn the late 1950s a rather odd conversion was introduced by a Scottish firm, James A Cuthbertson & Sons. It was designed to handle even trickier off-road conditions than a normal Land Rover. A standard Series II long wheelbase Landy was placed on a sub-frame and the wheels were replaced with tracks fixed around bogeys on each corner. Thanks to a modified power steering system, the front tracks could be steered more or less as normal. This vehicle was perfect for wet, boggy conditions as the ground |
   pressure was much reduced but it wasn’t too good at clambering over obstacles as it tended to “ground” for fairly obvious reasons! Less than 20 of these extraordinary vehicles were produced, the last in the late 1970s.
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 The Centaur Half-track
Engineering firm Laird developed the Centaur half-track, which was half Land Rover and half light tank. The tracks are shorter versions of those used on the Alvis Scorpion tank and the rest of the vehicle is pure Land Rover. It comes in heavy, weighing almost 4 tonnes (3880kg) unladen and nearly 7 tonnes (6970kg) fully laden and has a maximum speed of around 80 kph. The first prototypes were built in 1978, intended for use as ambulances, missile platforms, command vehicles and for bomb disposal teams. Prototypes were tested and demonstrated in various African states such as Libya and Ghana, as well as in Oman, Iraq, Norway, the Persian Gulf and Germany. Despite the interest, orders never materialized and the concept was shelved in 1985. However, some of the original prototypes still survive in the UK and Libya. |
 Rail Rovers
Intended for rail inspection and some light shunting work, a number of Rail Rovers were produced but never gained much interest among their intended clients so, after a few attempts, the concept was ditched. A company called Permaquip made several Road/Rail Defenders, which proved more popular. Using a Hy-Rail conversion, they could quickly be adapted to run on railway tracks and had much greater acceleration than conventional locomotives but, unfortunately, their small size often failed to show up on the train detection circuitry, causing potential problems. As a consequence, even these never really gained popularity in their UK homeland. A 101 FC example shown left, however, survives in Port de Soller on the Ferrocaria de Soller on the Spanish island of Mallorca where it was spotted by a Mr Keith Tanner just last year! |
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101 Forward Control
Special Land Rovers have been produced for specific military purposes, such as the versatile 101 Forward Control. This vehicle was designed to tow a field gun and carry a ton of ammunition and other equipment in the rear. This gave it its alternative name, the One Tonne. The Landy FC was designed for transportation by air and, because of its square shape, unused load space was minimised in transport aircraft. The 101 FC was produced throughout most of the 1970s but was replaced in the late 1990s by Defenders and Pinzgauers. |
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Half-ton Lightweight
In the early 1960s the Royal Marines and the British Army requested a vehicle that could be slung beneath their newly-acquired Westland Wessex helicopters, which could carry 1,140 kgs. The Series IIA (the smallest model available at that time) was too heavy so the body width was reduced by 100 mm. Then many non-essential items were removed and various body components were made easily detachable so they could be carried inside the helicopter. Used in over 20 countries worldwide, the Lightweight was produced between 1968 and 1984. |
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Other Special Variations
A number of amphibious models have been developed, as well as armour-plated Series and Defender models which have seen service in countries such as Northern Ireland and Iraq. |
Land Rover Owners
Here in Africa, Landies are particularly popular for the simple reason that spares can be found just about anywhere. It’s said “You can’t kill a Land Rover” but the owner of the super-exclusive Singita Game Reserve in South Africa buried his with full honours! In case you think it’s uncool to drive a Land Rover, just look at the great company you’re in... |
These days, the present Queen can often be seen driving around in one of several Landies dressed in plain clothes and usually wearing a headscarf.
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Other famous owners include Cuba’s Fidel Castro, TV and film stars Mel Gibson, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Costner, Jim Carrey, Bill Cosby and Robin Williams, singing stars Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, Cher, Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow and Sting to name but a few.
Whether you’re a fan or not, Land Rover’s sheer versatility and durability speak for themselves and just remember...
...it all started with a few doodles in the sand!
Whether you’re a fan or not, Land Rover’s sheer versatility and durability speak for themselves and just remember...
...it all started with a few doodles in the sand!
