History of the Land Rover brand

Land Rover manufactures quality premium vehicles with off-road capability. For many years, the brand has maintained its reputation, working on old versions and introducing new cars. Land Rover is regarded as a respected brand worldwide for its research and development to reduce air emissions. Not the last place is occupied by hybrid mechanisms and novelties, which accelerate the development of the entire automotive industry. 

Founder

The history of the foundation of the brand is closely connected with the name of Maurice Carrie Wilk. He worked as the technical director of Rover Company Ltd, but the very idea of ​​creating a new type of car did not belong to him. Land Rover can be called a family business, as the elder brother of the director, Spencer Bernau Wilkes, worked for us. He worked on his case for 13 years, supervised many processes and had a fairly serious influence on Maurice. The founder's nephews and his brother-in-law took part in everything, and Charles Spencer King created the equally legendary Range Rover.

The Land Rover brand appeared back in 1948, but until 1978 it was not considered a separate brand, since then cars were produced under the Rover line. We can say that the difficult post-war years only contributed to the development of new cars and unique technologies. Previously, the Rover Company Ltd produced beautiful and fast cars, but after the end of the war, they were not needed by buyers. The domestic market needed other cars. The fact that not all parts and mechanisms were available also played a role. Then Spencer Wilkes tried to figure out how to load all the idle enterprises. 

The brothers got the idea to create a new car quite by accident: Willys Jeep appeared on their small farm. Then Spencer's younger brother could not find parts for the car. The brothers thought that they could create a low-cost all-terrain vehicle that would definitely be in demand from farmers. 

They wanted to improve the car and started a variety of modifications, trying to foresee all the disadvantages and advantages of their work. Moreover, in those years the government made a considerable stake on the production of cars. It was this car that became the prototype for the future lineup, which was destined to conquer the world market. Brothers Maurice and Spencer began work at Meteor Works. During the war, engines for military equipment were produced there, so a lot of aluminum remained on the territory, which was used to create the very first Land Rover. The design of the car turned out to be too laconic, the alloys used did not undergo corrosion and allowed to drive the car even under the most adverse conditions. The very first prototype received the working name Center Steer, it was completed in 1947, and already in 1948 was presented at the exhibition. The cars were very austere, simple and affordable, thanks to which the public paid attention to them. Three months after the launch of full-fledged production, the first Land Rovers drove to 3 countries. The officers liked the car most of all, as it was quite tough and powerful, reaching speeds of up to 68 kilometers per hour.

At first, the Wilkes brothers saw Center Steer as an intermediate option to help them get through hard times. True, over the course of several years, the first prototype was able to bypass other Rover sedans, which by that time were already popular. Thanks to high sales and low profits, the founders of the brand began to introduce new technologies and advanced mechanisms into their cars, allowing Land Rover to remain strong and durable. In 1950, variants with the original drive system were presented, which is why the cars were often used for the needs of the army. For military vehicles, they were very convenient, because they could get into unpredictable conditions. In 1957, Land Rover was equipped with diesel engines, durable bodies and an insulated roof, and it also used a spring suspension - those models are now better known as the Defender.

Emblem

The history of the creation of the Land Rover emblem may seem even funny. Initially, it had an oval shape that repeated the sardine can. The designer of the brand had lunch, left it on his desk, and then saw a beautiful print. The logo is made as simple as possible, it is laconic and conservative, but at the same time very recognizable. 

The very first logo featured a simple sans serif typeface and added decor. The founders wanted to make it clear that Land Rover cars are as understandable and affordable as possible. Occasionally the words “SOLIHULL”, “WARWICKSHIRE” and “ENGLAND” appeared in the voids.

In 1971, the emblem became more rectangular and the words were written much wider and sweeping. By the way, this particular font remained the brand name.

In 1989, the logo changed again, but not drastically: the dash became similar to the original quotation marks. Land Rover executives also wanted the brand to evoke associations with environmental initiatives.

In 2010, after the Land Rover rebranding, the gold color disappeared from it: it was replaced with silver.

Vehicle history in models 

In 1947, the first Land Rover prototype was named Center Steer, and the following year it was presented at an exhibition. The military liked the car due to its good technical characteristics. True, the model was quickly banned on public roads, as its handling and design features could be dangerous to other motorists. Since 1990, the model has been called Defender, which has been improved and refined over several years.

The Station Wagon, a seven-seater model, was soon introduced. It has a heated interior, soft upholstery, leather seats, high-quality aluminum and wood were used in the production. But the car turned out to be too expensive, and therefore did not become popular.

In 1970, a Range Rover appeared with a Buick V8 and coil springs. The car is presented in the Louvre as an example and an indicator of the rapidly developing industry. In the North American market, the model was called the Project Eagle, and it was a real breakthrough. The car accelerated to 160 kilometers per hour, and because of it, the Range Rover of North America company was created. It was aimed at wealthy motorists, so the classic model was equipped with the most advanced technology. In the 1980s, Discovery rolled off the assembly line, a family car that has become a legend. It was based on the classic Range Rover, but simpler and safer. 

In 1997, the company took a risk and created the smallest model from the line at that time - the Freelander. There was a joke in the community that now Land Rover began to produce souvenirs, but even a small car found its consumer. A year after the presentation, at least 70 cars were sold, and until 000 the Freelander was considered the most famous and purchased model on the European market. In 2002, the design was updated, added to the new optics, modifying the bumpers and the appearance of the interior.

In 1998, the world saw the Discovery Series II. The car was released with a better chassis, as well as improved diesel and injection systems. In 2003, the New Range Rover rolled off the assembly line, which became the bestseller thanks to the monocoque body. In 2004, Discovery 3 came out, which Land Rover had been developing from scratch. Then the Range Rover Sport came along - it was called the best car ever for the Land Rover brand. He had excellent dynamic performance, excellent handling, the car could drive off-road without any problems. In 2011, the company introduced the Range Rover Evoque crossover in several variants, it was developed specifically for urban driving. The car proved to be as economical as possible in order to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions into the air.