Land Rover began as a company formed by John Landro in January 1938 in Birmingham, England. The company quickly grew to become one of the largest car manufacturers in Britain, but was bought by Jaguar in November 1940. The reason for the purchase was the consolidation of Land Rover's manufacturing and production facilities into a single facility located at Old Oak Common, near Birmingham. The purchase was a major victory for Land Rover, which managed to reduce its dependence on costly imports from Britain. Land Rover's success was compounded by General Motors, which bought a majority share of the firm in June 1940. General Motors sold its shares to Jaguar Land Rover within two months of the purchase.
Land Rover had achieved enormous success within a short time period, making it one of the biggest growing companies in the automobile industry. In January 1941, Land Rover made its first official vehicle, the 150cc Closter. It was an immediate hit with the public, being much cheaper than its closest competition from Ford. Land Rover's next vehicle to enter the market was the Series I, and it was immediately famous for its rugged reliability and excellent handling. Production continued into the end of the war, and Series III was introduced in the United States.
The Series IV was an improved model that went through a number of changes to bring it up to the standard of the production vehicles. These changes included a new suspension, a stronger chassis, and larger engines. The Series V, the final model, was introduced in the early hours of the D-day and is believed to have been the world's first production vehicle, powered by an internal combustion engine. Its basic design was the same, but the Series V contained a gasoline engine. Production continued throughout the war, and the end of the war saw the final production of the Land Rover Series IV.
After the war, Land Rover was taken over by the Fisher-Price Company, and production continued there until the early 1970s when the company closed its doors. The company released a series of small sports cars and sedans called Roverlean, and these were produced as a low-cost alternative to Land Rover vehicles. The name was retained for some time but was changed to Roveron in the late eighties when production moved to Thailand. It was here that the name change occurred, to encourage a new wave of Rover vehicles. Some of these vehicles were based on the Land Rovers of old, and some were redesigned to incorporate modern safety features and performance improvements. Many modern vehicles are still named Land Rover.
As you can see, there are a variety of Land Rover vehicles from which to choose. And with so many options, even those who are not huge fans of these vehicles can agree that they are great cars! If you are looking to purchase one of these vehicles, do your research well, and you should be able to find a good used one at a reasonable price. You should also be able to find out the history of the Land Rover brand, and find out what its reputation as a reliable vehicle really is.
