When Was Land Rover Founded?

What would eventually become known to Minneapolis drivers everywhere as Land Rover actually began as the name of a model series in the lineup of the Rover Company, which was founded in Warwickshire, England in 1885 and originally started out as a bicycle manufacturer. Learn more about the unique Land Rover history with Land Rover Richfield to see how it began and how it became the automotive titan that it is today. Then, visit our dealership to experience the unique Land Rover history by test driving any of our available new Land Rover models. 

Land Rover Model Series History

The first-ever Land Rover was created in 1947 by Maurice Wilks, an engineer who was also the chairman of Rover Company. Wilks created the model on his farm in Wales with his brother Spencer. Here are some other fun facts about the original Land Rover model that many St. Paul drivers might not know:

• The Land Rover prototype was made on a Jeep axle and Jeep chassis. 
• Land Rover color options were limited for early models since there was a military surplus of car paint after WWII. Because of this, most early models only came available in variations of green. 
• The Land Rover model was officially released on April 30,1948 at the Amsterdam Motor Show. 

Land Rover History Timeline

When was Land Rover founded, and when did it become distinct from Rover Company? Land Rover didn’t become what it is today overnight, and there were a lot of significant events that happened in between its conception and where it is today. To give Edina drivers a better understanding of how Land Rover became the automotive brand that it is today, here is a comprehensive Land Rover history timeline:

• 1967: Rover Company becomes Rover Triumph as part of Leyland Motors, which would later become British Leyland Motors. 
• 1970: The first-ever Range Rover model is introduced. 
• 1976: The one millionth Land Rover model is produced. 
• 1978: 30 years after making the first Land Rover, Land Rover Limited becomes its own company underneath British Leyland Motors.
• 1987: The Range Rover makes its way to the American market. 
• 1989: The Land Rover Discovery is introduced. 
• 1994: BMW acquires the Rover Group. 
• 2000: BMW breaks up the Rover Group, and Ford buys Land Rover.
• 2005: The Range Rover Sport is introduced. 
• 2007: The four millionth Land Rover is produced. 
• 2008: Tata Motors, which is based in Mumbai, India, buys Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, while creating a new Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary. 
• 2011: The Range Rover Evoque is first released. 
• 2014: The Land Rover Discovery Sport becomes available on the market. 
• 2017: The Land Rover Velar is introduced in London. 
• 2018: Project Cortex is introduced by Land Rover. Project Cortex aims to “create self-propelled cars-robots that are able to independently navigate off-road in all weather conditions.”
• 2019: The Land Rover Defender is announced that it will be returning for 2020. 

For all of your Land Rover research needs and questions, rely on the expertise of Land Rover Richfield.

Learn More About the Land Rover History in Richfield

Now that you know when Land Rover was founded and how it became what it is today, contact us for any other questions you have about the history of the brand or Land Rover models in general. For all of your Land Rover research needs and questions, rely on the expertise of Land Rover Richfield.