The 'Land Rover' moniker was first used by the Rover Company in 1948 for an all-new off-roader constructed by Rover chief designer Maurice Wilks. In post-World War II England, Rover found itself at in inflection point: the luxury vehicles they built before the War were no longer in high demand, and typical manufacturing materials were either rationed or prohibitively expensive.
However, by producing a more utilitarian vehicle that could be sold internationally to drum up foreign commerce, Rover was able secure the resources required to continue churning out units.
Heavily inspired by the rugged capability of military-grade Jeeps and coated in surplus military aircraft paint (and therefore only available in shades of green), series Land Rovers were among early 4x4s available for non-military personnel, designed to take on the rigors of the farm and countryside domestically and abroad. The original Land Rovers were cheap and easy to maintain. Short on frills, big on capability. Made of a steel box-section atop an aluminum body, the Land-Rover (later the Series I) was powered by a 1.6L engine mated to four-speed transmission and two-speed transfer case. It featured a unique freewheel hub to engage/disengage four-wheel drive.
A TRADITION OF OFF-ROAD EXCELLENCE.
Over the subsequent decades, Land Rover would continue to develop their off-road SUV and truck offerings, becoming synonymous with some best and most capable 4x4s on the planet.
For the 1970 model year, the Range Rover line was introduced as "A Car For All Reasons" - an upmarket two-door SUV that could tow, comfortably carry a family of five, and take on the rigors of off-road duty. Today, the Range Rover name is still synonymous with luxury and capability.
A decade later in 1983, the Land Rover 90 and Land Rover 110 - later renamed to Defender 90 and Defender 110, respectively - were introduced in the Land Rover family. These rugged and versatile 4x4s were offered as either recreational or utility vehicles across the globe. There was a slight overlap with the last of the Land Rover Series III, which officially exited the market in 1985. The Defender remained the golden standard of off-road capability until they ceased production in 2016 - only to return for the 2020 model year.
For the 1989 model year, Land Rover released the Land Rover Discovery. The Discovery (colloquially, "Disco") took the role previously intended for the Range Rover, which had since evolved to even more of a more luxury SUV: a family-friendly 4-wheel drive machine with on-road manners and off-road prowess. Additionally, the Discovery intended to go head-to-head with popular models like the Toyota Land Cruiser. It carries that mission through today, now in its 3rd Generation.
Other Land Rover models include the Freelander (1997), Evoque (2011), and Velar (2017).