When Was Land Rover Founded?

Named while under the Rover Company, the first Land Rover appeared in 1948. The Rover Company was founded in Warwickshire, England in 1885 originally, and was known as a bicycle manufacturer. Learn more about the origins of Land Rover below, and contact Land Rover Darien near Norwalk for additional Land Rover needs.

Land Rover Model Series Origins

The initial design for Land Rover was conceived in 1947 by Chairman Maurice Wilks, an engineer at Rover Company. Wilks spent time working on the design while on his farm in Wales, along with his brother Spencer. A few things you may not know about the original Land Rover model include:

• The prototype Land Rover was built on a Jeep axle and chassis.
• Early Land Rover colors (link to Land Rover colors blog if available) were limited–models were only available in variations of army green due to military surplus of auto paint after World War II.
• The Land Rover model was officially released at the Amsterdam Motor Show on April 30, 1948.

Land Rover Company Timeline

• 1967: Rover Company becomes Rover Triumph, as part of Leyland Motors (later British Leyland Motors).
• 1970: The Range Rover model is introduced.
• 1976: The one millionth Land Rover is produced.
• 1978: Land Rover Limited becomes its own company under British Leyland Motors, 30 years after the creation of the first Land Rover model.
• 1987: The Range Rover is first released in the United States.
• 1989: the Land Rover Discovery is introduced.
• 1994: The Rover Group is acquired by BMW.
• 2000: The Rover Group is broken up by BMW and Land Rover is sold to Ford
• 2005: The Range Rover Sport comes on to the scene.
• 2007: The four millionth Land Rover is produced.
• 2008: Tata Motors based in Mumbai, India purchases Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, and creates a new Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary.
• 2011: The Range Rover Evoque is first released.
• 2017: The Range Rover Velar is introduced in London.
• 2018: Land Rover announces the project Cortex which aims to “create self-propelled cars-robots that are able to independently navigate off-road in all weather conditions.”

Explore the Land Rover Brand at Land Rover Darien

Learn more about Land Rover history today. The Land Rover brand has much to offer Wilton drivers, from innovative InControl® technology, to incredible off-roading capabilities. Be sure to explore the latest Land Rover models for sale at Land Rover Darien and drive home in a piece of the Land Rover legacy.

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