The Defender remained the golden standard of off-road capability until they ceased production in 2016 - only to return for the 2020 model year.įor the 1989 model year, Land Rover released the Land Rover Discovery. 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. Today, the Range Rover name is still synonymous with luxury and capability.Ī 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. 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.įor 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. It featured a unique freewheel hub to engage/disengage four-wheel drive. 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. The original Land Rovers were cheap and easy to maintain. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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