When was Land Rover Founded?

Land Rover provides rugged luxury that’s set the standard for sport utility vehicles since their inception. When was Land Rover founded? Borne of post-war British ingenuity, here’s how Land Rover started, and why you should see the latest models at Land Rover Englewood.

The Birth of Land Rover

Maurice Wilks, an automotive and aeronautical engineer from Hampshire, England, was only 18 years old when he started his automotive career in 1922. In 1930 he began with the Rover Company as a chief engineer. Two years later his older brother Spencer would become managing director of the company. They decided that Rover would focus on high-quality cars. But duty called, and at the beginning of World War II they worked on gas turbine engines for aircraft.

On his farm in Anglesey, Maurice had an old army surplus jeep he used for farm work. He and Spencer tinkered with with it to see if they could make a 4-wheel-drive vehicle for farmers. They called it a Land Rover.

When was Land Rover founded? In 1947 the brothers introduced the prototype Land Rover, built on a jeep chassis. A few months later, the Rover Company ordered 50 models for evaluation. The Land Rover made its public debut at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show. A year later, the Wilks’ gas turbine engine research paid off, and they introduced the first gas turbine powered car.

More Land Rover History Facts

• 1967 – Leyland Motors, LT, acquired the Rover Company.
• 1970 – The Range Rover makes its debut on the sales floor, becoming the most popular Rover model.
• 1987 – The company begins U.S. sales.
• 1994 – BMW purchases Land Rover.
• 2000 – Ford Motor Company purchases Land Rover.
• 2007 – Jaguar and Land Rover are combined in a single company under the Indian-owned Tata Motors.

Test Drive a Piece of History at Land Rover Englewood

Land Rover is a perfect fit–from New York City to the Louvre. It was the first car displayed in the Paris museum in 1970 as a work of engineering art. You can drive your Range Rover from Fort Lee to Jersey City, or you can drive it from Paris to Senegal – a team from France did just that in 1979 and won the inaugural Dakar Rally.

No other vehicle combines power, style, and history like Land Rover. Contact Land Rover Englewood to schedule a test drive, and be a part of Land Rover history.