Coming in as a very close second to the Jeep, the Land Rover is one of the longest living Four-wheel drive brands in the history of the automobile. 

Originally beginning as a humble model for the Rover Company, the Land Rover brand emerged from a marque to a separate company. 

A large range of four-wheel drive vehicles were developed under the super vision of a number of owners, such as British Leyland, the British Aerospace, and BMW.

Production Details of the Land Rover

Manufactured exclusively at the Solihull plant in England near Birmingham, the Jaguar factory was moved near Liverpool that was once a Ford plant.  The Defender models, however, are created in several worldwide areas; Spain, Iran, Brazil, and Turkey. 

Brief History of the Land Rover

The very first Land Rover was dreamt up in the year 1948 in the United Kingdom on the Island of Anglesey by Mr. Maurice Wilks, who was the head designer of the Rover car company in Newborough, Anglesey. 

His story says that he was inspired to create the Land Rover after driving a Jeep during the summer at his vacation home in Wales. 

This was reflected by the very first prototype—which was designed on a Jeep undercarriage. 

Distinct features of the Land Rover include their bodies, which are constructed of lightweight aluminum and magnesium alloys named “Birmabright”.

The vehicle's ability to resist aging helped build their reputation for endurance in tough and rugged situations. 

The original color was simply determined because the only supplies available were from the military surplus, so the earlier models only came in a number of light green shades. 

Since the ‘70s, in distinct areas of South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia, the Nissan Patrol had taken over as the 4x4 of choice.  This was somewhat do to its reputation for sturdiness. 

In Australia and other areas, pricing supports the Land Rover as a result of the shortened supply.  The Nissan Patrol is also found to have a larger engine than the Land Rover, meaning that it is more capable of performing hard labor.    
 
In Britain the Land Rover also lost fans within the farming communities when the less expensive Japanese alternatives came onto the markets; Daihatsu Fourtracks, Isuzu Troopers, and Mitsubishi Pajeros. 

These Japanese models became a common sight on farms all over the country, until they eventually became corroded, and thus their lives as working vehicles came to an end. 

Land Rover, seeing this as an opportunity and supported by their “through thick and thin” reputation fine tuned their Defender model in the 90s. 

These renovations introduced more powerful and reliable engines, and now it is a common sight to see a Land Rover in the driveway of many British farms. 

In the year 2000, the Land Rover Company was sold by BMW to the Ford Motor Company, instantly becoming part of their Premier Automotive Collection.  In June of 2008, the Jaguar Land Rover plans were handed over by Ford to Tata Motors.