BUCKLEY BROTHERS | Land Rover Spares

History

Two Brothers, One Vision

Land Rover is a name universally identified with the definitive four-wheel-drive vehicle. Although Land Rover is constantly enhancing and developing its products, the history behind these unique vehicles reveals a consistency of vision – a combination of firm values and purpose-driven design.

The first Land Rover emerged from post-war Britain in 1948 – a brilliantly simple and inventive work-focused vehicle made of aluminum. Brothers Spencer and Maurice Wilks, working for the British car company Rover, created a new vehicle that combined utilitarian simplicity with rugged, dependable quality. An instant success, the Land Rover name was, by the mid-1950s, firmly established as synonymous for durability and off-road excellence. Military and agricultural customers, as well as such demanding clients as the emergency services industry, all found in Land Rover the qualities they needed in a vehicle.

By 1959, the 250,000th Land Rover rolled off the production line in Solihull, West Midlands, and the pattern for enduring success in the market was established. But the Land Rover story is about more than just one classic vehicle.

The 1960s saw significant demand for four-wheel drive vehicles and Land Rover found itself at the forefront of this burgeoning new market. To meet this challenge, Rover engineers set to work on a vehicle which would combine the comfort and road performance of a family car with the off-road capability of a Land Rover.

The result was Range Rover, launched in 1970 to immediate and ecstatic acclaim. Its iconic design was uniquely honored when it went on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. But it wasn't just good looks and comfort that the vehicle delivered: a British army major confidently drove a Range Rover from Anchorage, Alaska, to Ushuaia in Argentina – a grueling six-month test few other vehicles would have passed.

Evolution of Land Rover vehicles continued through the 1970s and 80s, with Land Rover vehicles earning distinction in endurance motorsports events such as the Paris-Dakar rally, exemplifying the strength of Land Rover's engineering.

A new Land Rover named Discovery was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1989 and immediately carved out a reputation as an exceptional SUV. It was followed by Freelander, a new vehicle that distilled Land Rover DNA into a new size of SUV. It so impressed the editors of Automobile that Freelander immediately made the magazine's coveted "All-Star" list.