Major mile-stones and developments in the history
of Land Rover four wheel drives, including
Range Rover, and Land Rover Discovery, Freelander and Defender.
1884:
Starley
and Sutton start making the
Rover
safety cycle - the name stuck.
1947: First prototype Land Rovers built
(based on the WWII
Willys Overland Jeep)
including the centre-steer prototype.
1948-1958: Series One (SI)
Land Rover
The 80" SWB Land Rover with a 1.6L ioev engine world debut
at the Amsterdam motor show 30 April 1948.
It featured full-time 4WD with a front free-wheel mechanism which
could be locked by a "ring-pull" control.
The head-lights were mounted behind the radiator grille
(which made them hard to clean). The side-lights were mounted
on the fire-wall or bulkhead.
1949: 80" Station-wagon model.
1949: First Land-Rovers used on the
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme
(SMHEA).
1949: Head-lights "through" the radiator grille.
1950: Selectable 2WD or 4WD - the free-wheel mechanism dropped.
1951: 2L engine. 80" station wagon discontinued.
1952: Exterior door-handles, new inverted-T radiator grill,
side-lights on wings.
1953: 107" model introduced; SWB lengthened to 86".
1954: Station wagon reintroduced.
1955: 10-seater LWB station wagon
introduced (the ultimate "Meccano" kit car?).
1956: Wheelbases increased by 2" (88" and 109"),
except 107" SW.
1957: Optional 2L diesel engine.
Fully-floating halfshafts on LWB.
1979-1985:
Land Rover SIII Stage-1,
leaf-sprung LWB (109"), 3.5L V8, LT95 4-speed full-time 4WD;
also an Australian version powered by the Isuzu 3.9L 4BD1 4-cyl diesel.
1981: Camel Trophy
switches to Land Rover products -
Range Rover in this instance.
1996: UK Ministry of Defence orders 8000 Land Rover XD110 and XD90
(XD - eXtra Duty) 4WDs to be delivered 1996-2000,
and 800 XD130 ambulances, ending months of speculation.
1997:
Modern, small Land Rover,
code name CB40, finally revealed and christened
Freelander. On sale in UK late 1997.
Also used in the 1998 Camel Trophy!
1999 Sept:
The `Rover Group' name to disappear except for legal and accounting
purposes; with all major decision making taking place at
BMW,
and no local Rover corporate structure,
it is just another `marque' owned by BMW.
2000 March: BMW decides to sell Landrover to
Ford
for about US$2.7bn, and probably also
Rover cars
to an investment group `Alchemy'.
What does this mean for the next Range Rover?!
May: The `Phoenix' group, led by an ex-Rover executive is firming
as favourite to get (and subsequently got) what is left of Rover (cars).
July 1, 2000: Ford takes control of Land Rover.
- 4wd.sofcom.com/LandRover/Landy.html
Range Rover
1970: Range Rover,
3.5L V8, 100" WB, 4spd manual, full-time 4WD, locking centre diff',
coil springs, self-leveling.
(On very early models the centre diff was also limited-slip
but this feature was dropped as unnecessary.)
1981: 4 door Range Rover introduced.
1982: 3spd auto option (various conversions before this).
1983: 5-spd manual gearbox.
1985: fuel-injected 3.5L V8.
1986: VM 2.4L 4-cyl turbo-diesel option (unpopular in Australia).
1987: Imports into USA begin
1989: Imports into Canada begin
1989: 3.9L V8.
1990: VM 2.5L turbo-diesel.
1992: electronic air-suspension, ABS, electronic traction control,
silent-chain transfer-case with viscous-coupling centre diff.
(200 series Tdi replaces VM diesel option.)
1992:
Vogue SE, 3.9 V8, 2540mm (100") WB,
Vogue LSE, 3.9 V8, 2743mm (108") WB (4.2L V8 in UK).
2.5L Tdi becomes the diesel option.
Morse chain, or silent chain, transfer case with viscous coupling
instead of diff' lock.
Air-suspension on top models.
1994: driver and passenger air-bags.
300 series Tdi new diesel option.
1994 Sept 29: New Range Rover
released,
(code name Pegasus) on 108" WB,
electronic air suspension, ABS, traction control,
5-spd manual transmission (R380) or 4spd auto,
semi-floating hubs,
rear-axle located by Panhard rod
and composite (fibre-glass?) radius arms (no A-frame),
more rounded styling.
1989: Land Rover Discovery is
unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Tuesday 12 September.
Coil sprung, full-time 4WD, 5spd manual LT77 gearbox,
LT230T transfer case, locking centre diff, 100" WB.
Initially 3.5L V8 and 2.5 (4cyl) TDi, 2 door.
1993: 1994cc Mpi petrol 4cyl option - for pricey-petrol Europe
1994: 3.9L V8 and 2.5 (4cyl) TDi, 2 door and 4 door,
5spd man' (R380) and 4spd auto,
driver's air-bag and optional passenger air-bag.
1998 Sept:
Updated Discovery,
Code-name Tempest, finally launched (5 September) -
4.0L V8 or 5-cylinder Td5 diesel, longer and wider than old car.
1997: CB40 is revealed and named as Freelander -
the new small Land Rover with monocoque construction,
transversely mounted engine and no low-ratio or "proper"
transfer-case. Nevertheless it takes on the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V
head-on.
2000 August: 2.5 litre V6 Freelander, and 2-litre Td4 diesel,
released in UK and USA.
Sources:
British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (Gaydon),
Rod Genn,
Tony Hutchinson Land Rover The Early Years (1982),
Dixon Kenner,
Land Rover Owners Club,
Land Rover Register,
Tony Luckwill,
Anthony Maeder,
Todd Mills,
Range Rover Register,
Graham Robson The Range Rover / Land Rover (1979),
Rover Australia,
S.A.E. Journal,
Phillip Simpson,
K.&J.Slavin & G.Mackie Land Rover (1981),
Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority
Ed: L_A11ison
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