Genesis. The original Land Rover. Inspired by the American Jeep and designed in the sand on a beach by Maurice Wilks and his brother Spencer, the Land Rover was originally just another model in the Rover range.
The first one used a ladder frame chassis and was painted using military surplus paint. Thankfully, these days Land Rover has branched out and offers some colors that aren't green.
The latest Range Rover. The three-door SV Coupe will be produced in limited numbers – just 999 will be made – and each will cost a massive $295,995.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a standard Range Rover with the rear doors welded up and the price tag multiplied. More than three years of development was undertaken before the SV Coupe was revealed earlier this year.
Another example of diversifying the portfolio to satisfy demand. With Porsche bringing in the Cayenne a few years prior, sporty SUVs were now a thing. Land Rover, being the kings of the SUV, couldn’t afford to miss out.
Massively popular with soccer players, the Range Rover Sport has become one of Land Rover's best sellers.
In the late 1960s, Land Rover’s then-owner British Leyland was keen to expand its off-road lineup with a larger, more desirable model. The end result was the Range Rover.
It’s since become a sub-brand in its own right and following the somewhat recent discontinuation of the Defender, it’s currently Land Rover’s longest-serving model.
The Discovery was Land Rover’s first attempt at appealing to the masses. The Defender was more at home on the farm, while the Range Rover was more upmarket and more expensive to boot.
The original Discovery was based on the Range Rover, and made use of a number of Rover hand-me-downs. Now in its fifth generation, the Discovery is a firmly established favorite.
Eight years on from the Discovery's launch, Land Rover continued to expand its lineup by entering the compact SUV market. In the 1990s, it wasn’t as much of a big deal, but nowadays the small SUV market is the biggest money-maker going.
The trend-setter was supposed to be developed with Honda, who pulled out and built the CR-V instead. The Freelander has since been replaced by the bigger Discovery Sport.
With Land Rover moving away from agricultural workhorses and producing more so-called lifestyle cars, the 2004 Range Stormer concept was supposed to preview the future of the brand. Not to mention it was also the first time Land Rover had ever built a concept car.
It made it into production a couple of years later as the Range Rover Sport, albeit lacking the Lamborghini-style doors. Shame.
Arguably the first production Land Rover to put form before function. The Evoque was still a capable off-roader, but it was always intended to be more of a fashion statement.
The move paid off for Land Rover - reputation intact, and its bank balance suitably boosted. It’s hard to complete a journey without seeing an Evoque these days.
Apparently, the Range Rover Sport wasn’t sporty enough. Despite having a handful of sports cars in the same stable under the Jaguar banner, people still wanted a fast tank. Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations got to work on the Sport and this was the end result.
Land Rover’s dad-on-the-dancefloor moment or a stroke of genius?
Land Rover somewhat predicted the future by bringing in the Freelander in the ‘90s, and beat the likes of Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Lamborghini with the Range Rover Sport, so could the Evoque Convertible signal the start of a new drop-top SUV trend? Let’s hope not.
The last hurrah for the original Land Rover, which has been known retrospectively as the Defender since the 1990s.
The 405-horsepower (302-kilowatt) Works V8 is a handmade continuation model, based on handpicked donor cars intended to celebrate the company’s original offering before it’s replaced by an all-new Defender in 2019.
Land Rover celebrates its 70th anniversary this week, and to mark the occasion we've picked out some of the company's most important and influential creations which you can read about in our gallery. Originally a single model in the Rover range, Land Rover has since developed into a brand in its own right, and is a market leader in the off-road vehicle and luxury segments.
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