By Horness Spencer (Horness) on Thursday, October 11, 2001 - 04:48 am: Edit

Found this article in local press. Thought some of you may want to see it.


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The three-millionth Land Rover was today driven off the production line, 53 years after the first vehicle was made at the company’s Lode Lane assembly plant in Solihull.
The historic vehicle, a Monte Carlo blue Freelander V6 bound for the United States, was driven off the line by singer Ronan Keating.

The three-millionth Land Rover underlines the company’s contribution to both the local and national economy over the past 50 years. Since 1948, Land Rover has employed tens of thousands of people at its plant in the West Midlands.

The following timeline charts Land Rover’s manufacturing history since the first Land Rover was made in 1948.

1948; The Land Rover was originally conceived as a stopgap model, developed specifically for farmers and developing world markets. It was launched in April 1948 at the Amsterdam Motor Show. It was an immediate success and attracted ordered from across the globe.

1958; Ten years after launch, a total of 200,000 Land Rovers had been produced, with annual production levels reaching 30,000.

1966; As production levels reached 500,000, the news Series IIB model became the first Land Rover to be fitted with a six-cylinder engine.

1970; As total annual production reached over 56,000, the next major milestone was the launch of the Range Rover to bridge the gap between traditional cars and the now well-established Land Rover.

1971; The Land Rover Series III was born with the release of 88-inch and 109-inch wheel base models, which, for the first time, were equipped with a fully synchronised gearbox.

1976; Total Land Rover production reached one million.

1980; During the 1980s, both the Land Rover and the Range Rover underwent further developments. An automatic gearbox became an option on the Range Rover and the first luxurious ‘In Vogue’ limited edition appeared, while the Land Rover was further enhanced with the better-equipped County station wagons. A new Land Rover 110 model was launched in 1983.
This vehicle featured permanent four-wheel drive and long travel coil springs derived from the Range Rover, as well as updating styling.
The Land Rover 110 was followed by the short-wheelbase Land Rover 90 in 1983.

1981; The first four-door Range Rover was produced.

1987; The Range Rover, now fitted with a more powerful fuel injected engine, was launched in North America.

1989; As the Range Rover moved further upmarket, the gap developing in the range was closed with the introduction of the Discovery, a mid-priced 4x4 station wagon aimed at the growing family/leisure market.

1990; The vehicles known as Land Rover 90 and 110 models were renamed ‘Defender’.

1994; As the last two-door examples of the original Range Rover were built for export in January 1994, the second-generation Range Rover was launched. The new model confirmed Range Rover’s status as the worlds leading luxury off-road vehicle.

1995; Total annual production reached 100,000 vehicles for the first time, aided by the best-selling Discovery model. This increase enabled total production to reach a further milestone of two million vehicles.

1997; As the Land Rover brand approached its 50th anniversary, the all-new Freelander model was nearing completion. The Freelander gave the brand an entry into the small/medium four-wheeled drive leisure sector and was an instant success.

2000; Shortly after the acquisition of Land Rover by Ford Motor Company in July, and of Land Rover becoming part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, production of the Discovery reached the 500,000 mark.
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All good stuff eh.

HRNESS

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Thursday, October 11, 2001 - 02:39 am: Edit

Yeah, but the 88" and 109" wheelbases were introduced back in the late 50s, when the Series I was stretched to make room for the new engines.... The Series III did add a synchro on the tranny, but the more obvious change was the dash.

Still, good to see Rovers in the news.....


-L