The very first Land Rover, launched in 1948, owed its low-key existence to shoestring British ingenuity and - literally - odds and ends left over from World War II.
Rover thought it could keep its factory ticking over as the companys post-war fortunes slowly revived. They also thought that farmers might appreciate it as a handy cross between a pick-up and a tractor.
But it was soon obvious that the company had created, in the land Rover, a world-beating product. Giles Chapman tells the story of how Land Rovers have tamed the planets toughest terrain with their unstoppable off-road capability.
It also charts how the Land Rover legend allowed the marque to gradually expand its range with the Range Rover, Discovery, Freelander and the latest Range Rover Evoque. Theyre all cars as familiar in cities and suburbs as they are at home in the countryside.
Land Rover has been controversial, its fortunes tied to Britains economic ups and downs. Today its on a roll, leading a renaissance in British design and manufacturing, yet the continued presence of the Defender helps keep the Land Rover Story absolutely pukka.
