The History of Land Rover

Every great brand has a great story behind it. You learn about the brand’s humble origin, as well as the struggles and efforts that make high-end brands what they are today. The Land Rover history starts in 1885 as a bicycle company, but the first vehicle that appeared on the road was in 1948. When was Land Rover founded? Get all of the details, then visit our South Brunswick-area dealership to find your next luxury vehicle. Contact us or visit us!

Land Rover History and Origin

Land Rover Chairman and engineer Maurice Wilks conceived the first Land Rover vehicle model in 1947 while working on the model with his brother Spencer on a farm in Wales. Some details about this prototype include:

• The prototype Land Rover was built on a Jeep axle and chassis.
• Early Land Rover colors were limited – models were only available in variations of army green due to the 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.

See the Wilks brother’s reach with new Land Rover models at our Mount Laurel-area dealership! 

Land Rover History and Company Timeline

When was Land Rover founded? It was a long way to the top for this now luxurious model SUV, but it had a long-standing effect on what the vehicle is today. Some points of interest of the Land Rover History include: 

• 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.
• 2014: The Land Rover Discovery Sport comes onto the market in September.
• 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 can independently navigate off-road in all weather conditions.”
• 2019: The return of the Land Rover Defender is announced for 2020.

Test Drive These Luxury SUVs at Land Rover Princeton Today!

The Land Rover history and vehicle has come a long way from its roots. For Land Rover lovers in Hopewell, “when was Land Rover founded?” might be a question that they’d love to know. See how far the Land Rover history and brand have come at our Princeton dealership!