Land Rover Series 2a – 60cm Half Tone Flat Bed Print – Side View

The clue was always in the name; since its creation in 1948, the Land Rover was designed to rove the land, regardless of conditions. As the world’s first successful civilian 4×4, it has defined a world it helped change, opening new horizons for adventure, work and humanitarian action on every continent. Iconic expeditions documented its early exploits spanning the globe and, for many, it was perhaps the first car they ever saw. A name that became synonymous with the Camel Trophy, the Defender even went rallying through the motorsport experts at Bowler. Worldwide sales included military versions, inspiring the Defender name that would later be applied to all variants, whilst many civilian models performed heroics too, serving as breakdown trucks, ambulances and hydraulic platforms. Whilst its capabilities took it to the most inaccessible locations, its appeal took it to the most glamourous places with some of cinema’s biggest stars; Marylin Monroe, Steve McQueen and Paul McCartney were among those who owned a Land Rover. The association wasn’t just with Hollywood royalty either, Queen Elizabeth II herself was often seen behind the wheel of a Defender on the Royal estates.

This was possible because, above all else, the Defender was engineered to be capable. With lightweight aluminium panels, very short overhangs and, crucially, selectable four-wheel drive, the Defender stormed the globe. 70 per cent of its Land Rover’s output had been exported to 150 countries within just ten years of production. Every version went further, setting standards others struggle to follow: new, longer wheelbases made the original more useable, engines grew more powerful and efficient, and modern comforts started to appear in Series 3 models onwards. The Defender name was introduced in 1990, following the introduction of the Land Rover Discovery the year previous. It perfectly reflected what customers all over the world felt about this unique vehicle: trusted, dependable, rugged and reliable. Production finally concluded in 2016, with over two million examples built during its 68-year production life, the longest-running production for a car in the world, with an estimated 75% of them still roaming the globe. No vehicle before it had left so many tyre tracks across the world, and none in the future is likely to match its legacy.