AMAZING LAND ROVER STORY
In 1947 a man sitting on a beach in Wales was doodling in the sand and sketched out a rough and rugged car of his imagination. That sketch turned into one of the most noteworthy vehicles in the world of automobiles! The man, Maurice Wilks, driving a WWll Willys Jeep on his farm decided that a similar but better backcountry vehicle could be done by the British. Along with his brother, Spencer, they saw a market gap they thought could be filled. Starting with a Jeep chassis and a Rover engine, they decided that since steel was almost impossible to get after the war that they would use alloy paneling that was available, cheap, and light. A car that could rove over the land.
A Land Rover!
The Wilks brothers introduced their new Land Rover at the 1948 Amsterdam Auto Show to booming reaction and by the end of that year they sold cars to people in 70 different countries. In 1949 they shipped their first cars to the United States and followed up in 1950 with a new easy to operate 4-wheel drive system. Throughout the 1950’s they continued to upgrade the engines, wheelbase and technical innovations that made the Land Rover quickly into an iconic vehicle. By 1959 250,000 units had been sold worldwide, In 1961 the new bigger, more rugged Series 2A vehicle was introduced and by 1965 it sported a 3.5 liter alloy V8 which helped push sales to 500,000 units.1967 and 1968 were major change years with the merger of Rover and truck maker, Leyland, in 1967 and then in 1968 merged again with British Motor Corporation. That year brought about a development that set the Land Rover legend on the path that would make it ubiquitous in the minds of adventurers and explorers for decades to come. With the addition the three numbers of 109 to the Series 2A, a designation standing for a wheelbase of 109 inches, the Series 2A-109 was built to the specs of the British Army and became its mainline small transport vehicle for use in all conditions throughout the world for over a decade.
With us at the show today, that exact vehicle, a Series 2A-109, is here as one of our two featured Land Rovers. It is in its original condition, having traveled close to half a million miles since 1962. (See separate article about the incredible story of this car in “Worth Reading” The Man The Machine The World)
With this rapid history of success, in 1970 Land Rover launched the new line of Range Rover cars to appeal to a more general market. With a new engine and drive train, a suspension switch to coil springs, more rounded body paneling and a plusher interior, the Range Rover enters into the yet unnamed realm of SUVs pioneered by the Jeep Wagoneer in 1962. From that point on, “Katie bar the door”, in the development and growth of Range Rover to become the dominate maker of ever more luxurious cars that make city folks feel like intrepid adventures.
With great appreciation and thanks to the Price Family Dealerships we have the opportunity to see these spectacular cars here at the car show. They are located at the front end of the show line, so go see them and talk to their folks to hear the rest of this glorious automobile story.
