About The Land Rover Series
After WWII, between 1948 and 1985, the UK based Rover Company built a series of off-road all terrain vehicles starting with the Land Rover Series I until production ceased with the Series III. This established the Land Rover marque as one of the most popular and recognizable rugged road vehicles ever built.
It was inspired by the US-made Willys Jeep deployed during the war as the main transport mode for the US military personnel on land and has been in used similarly in the British armed forces ever since.
Brief History
The Land Rover started as vehicle model in the Rover Company’s portfolio and the division was spun off as a separate company specializing in four-wheel drive off-road vehicles that became the precursor of today’s SUVs.
Since 1948, the marque went through successive changes in ownership which included the British Leyland Motors in 1967, British Aerospace in 1988 and then BMW in 1994, before it was sold to the US based Ford Motor Company in 2000 under its Premier Automotive Group. In 2008, Ford sold it to the Tata Motors of India.
The Land Rover Series 1 was first unveiled at the Amsterdam motor show in 1948. Ten years later, the Series II went into production, followed by the series IIA in 1962 and the Series IIB in 1966. The Series III was launched in 1971 with more than 440,000 units produced until 1985.
In 1976, the one-millionth Land Rover left the factory at Solihull near Birmingham. Two years later, the Land Rover Company which had already been owned by the British Leyland was incorporated as the Land Rover Ltd affiliate. British Leyland became the Rover Group in 1987 marketing both the Land Rover and Range Rover which started in 1970.
It was the Rover Group that BMW bought in 1994 and then sold to Ford Motors in 2000 for ₤1.8 billion. By this time, the Land Rover had already introduced newer 4X4 off-roaders like the Discovery in 1989 and the Freelander in 1997. In June 2008, financially beleaguered Ford sold off its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to the Tata Motors.
Timeless Off-Road Qualities
Up to this day, it is claimed that there are still around 70% of the Land Rover Series vehicles produced on the road. This speaks of the high reliability and rugged durability of the Series which have found its way not only in the UK military, but in the military forces around the world, notable those countries with economic relations with Britain as well as private expeditionary companies in Africa, Australia and South America.
Since its introduction the Land Rover Series and succeeding models like the Defender enjoyed one of the most versatile body styling ranging from canvass-topped pick up to full station wagon types with 3rd party after market services for conversion kits to make it a fire engine, hydraulic platforms, truck beds, snow ploughs, ambulances, amphibious vehicles, among others.
But what endeared it the most was its power take-off using its famous hardy-Spicer propeller shafts enabling the Land Rover to remain stationary while running farm machineries. One other distinctive feature is its exceptional axle articulation allowing great traction on any road surface condition while its drive train structure can sustain punishing off-road conditions, tackling road angle gradients of up to 45 degrees and even towing loads of up to 4 tons.
About the Author
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CV (double Cardan) drive shaft look over