Why everyone’s talking about... Land Rovers

Land Rovers will be seen differently after Prince Philip’s funeral – no longer what Jeremy Clarkson once described as ‘the red phone box of cars’ favoured by people who attend real ale festivals. So what’s their story?

It began in 1947 when Maurice Wilks, Rover’s chief designer, adapted a US Army Willys Jeep to clear fallen trees on his farm on Anglesey. He and brother Spencer later sketched design ideas in the sand at nearby Red Wharf Bay. The prototype had its steering wheel in the middle, an idea that was soon dropped. Testing was done on rugged terrain on the Isle of Islay where Spencer owned an estate, and the name came when the gamekeeper remarked: ‘ This must be a Land Rover then.’

How was it received?

First marketed to farmers to replace horses, Land Rovers were an instant success, saving the ailing company. Despite being Europe’s first civilian off-road vehicle, it was popular with the military, and saw action in the Korean War.

Because it was good off-road?

Exactly. In the 1950s, adventurers drove Land Rovers into remote areas, prompting the claim that the marque was the first vehicle ever seen by a third of the world’s population. One advert boasted of a vehicle that, thanks to the driver’s ingenuity, ran 700 miles on banana oil. But it wasn’t all macho: in 1958 the Series II, below, was introduced with a softer design, after Maurice Wilks’s wife Barbara complained about laddering her stockings on ragged edges.

It became popular with the country set and, in 1970, the Range Rover cornered a new market in leisure 4x4s.

Any other famous owners?

Many! Winston Churchill was given a Series I for his 80th birthday, modified with an extra-wide passenger seat and heated footwell.

Chef Jamie Oliver’s model slow- roasts meat under the bonnet, dispenses olive oil from the boot and makes icecream in the wheel drums.

And the future?

The Solihull-based firm will launch six electric models by 2026. And Land Rovers are used in the Virgin Galactic space programme. Just for landbased tasks… for now.