Land Rover A true SUV Posted By : Lance Dixon

The Land Rovers are originally British vehicles and have a manufacturing unit at Solihull in England. The first Land Rover was made in 1948 in England itself. It was designed by Maurice Wilks. He is known to have been inspired by an American jeep that he had seen at Wales. The first car was in fact itself called the Land Rover. But as time progressed, Land Rover became a brand that took to manufacturing newer cars under it. The Land Rover has passed through many hands, from the Rover group to the Premier Automotive Group, which is a part of the Ford Motor Company, and currently owns it.

If you hear the Land Rover's rich history, you are sure to exclaim, "The Land Rover almost sounds like best out of waste!" And the reasons are plenty. The body of the Rover is very light and is made from an alloy called 'Birmabright' that is made from aluminium and magnesium. This alloy is extremely rust-resistant. These vehicles were in reality, forced to be made from aluminium, as they were made in the post war periods, where there was little steel and surplus aluminium available. This alloy was also found to be softer than steel and so could bend and mould easily, requiring less number of tools. Another peculiar thing about these cars was that, the earlier vehicles were mostly of green color. This was due to the excess of green paint available after the war! The military used this color to paint the aircraft cockpits! Who would think that a world class SUV would have been made in such a way! In fact it is said that the Land Rover was designed just to keep the Rover Car Co! mpany busy during the depression period! This first model was a simple vehicle, primarily made for farm and industrial use and was made such that it could traverse all terrain. The car was highly functional and could be cleaned fully when dirtied. It was even bulletproof! The Land Rover was first showcased at the Amsterdam Motor Show and was an instant hit. It attracted the entire world and the media played an important role in this. Even the non-motor magazines gave the car lots of coverage, making the car reach beyond its target customer group.

Many of the Land Rovers have been extensively used by the military due to their durability and sturdiness and astounding features. Endurance of these vehicles can be judged from the fact that many of the cars that were made at the time of the Land Rover's introductory period, are still driven by people or appear at various shows or are being used after a little bit of restoration! This just shows that a Land Rover is certainly a lifetime investment. They are considered to be one of the safest cars to travel in and will never let you down.

1970s saw the dawn of the luxury Rovers that had all the features of a premium car besides the trademark ruggedness. The Range Rover (the first in this category) was so good that it is the first and only car to be kept in the Louvre museum at Paris as an exemplary form of modern sculpture. So much for the beauty of the Rover! It is simply incomparable. Range Rover was initially a two-door version but when its sales picked up it was made a four-door one. Increased demand and popularity amongst people, led the Range Rover to advance to better versions like the Land Rover Discovery, Defender, Freelander-which is a landmark by itself.

The Land Rovers have a fan base in the film industries across the world too! They have featured in many films! Land Rover celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998.

The various well-known models of the Land Rover are the DISCOVERY3, FREELANDER2, DEFENDER, RANGE ROVER SPORT and RANGE ROVER VOGUE.

Despite being premium cars these cars have high maneuverability, are very fast, work astonishingly well for long distance travel, can withstand any kind of torture and are amazingly safe! If you want to experience what a true SUV is like, the Land Rovers are your best option.