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110-650: The Land Rover Series I , II , and III , or simply the Land-Rover (commonly referred to as Series Land Rovers, to distinguish them from later models) are compact British off-road vehicles , produced by the Rover Company since 1948, and later by British Leyland . Inspired by the World War II jeep , it was the first mass-produced civilian four-wheel drive car with doors, and an available hard roof. Contrary to conventional car and truck chassis, it used

220-411: A bus , and was exempt from Purchase Tax and Special Vehicle Tax. This made the twelve-seater not only cheaper to buy than the 10-seater version, but also cheaper than the seven-seater 88-inch (2.24 m) Station Wagon. The twelve-seater layout remained a highly popular body style for decades, being retained on the later Series and Defender variants until 2002, when it was dropped. The unusual status of

330-640: A caterpillar track with a flexible belt, rather than interlocking metal segments. It can be fitted to a conventional car or truck to turn it into a half-track , suitable for use over rough or soft ground. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 , Kégresse returned to his native France where the system was used on Citroën cars between 1921 and 1937 for off-road and military vehicles . The Citroën company sponsored several overland expeditions with vehicles crossing North Africa and Central Asia . A huge wheeled vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under

440-456: A station wagon , on a body comparable to that of a light truck , with four-wheel-drive drivetrains . Later, during the 1990s, as off-road vehicles became more popular, more companies started to produce their own line of what became known as Sport Utility Vehicles . Around this time, manufacturers began to add more features to allow off-road vehicles to compete in the consumer market with regular vehicles. Over time, this evolved into what we call

550-427: A blueprint for the engine adapter plate (the same one the factory would go on to use for three other V8s they would build). In addition to the increased horsepower, Green would upgrade the 10" SLS drum brakes to 11"x3" DLS from the new NADA 109" they would soon be testing; increase fuel capacity; relocate and fit adjustable driver’s seat; and, with the help of Moeller Bros Body Shop, modify the rear bulkhead and then paint

660-435: A body built by Tickford , a coachbuilder known for their work with Rolls-Royce and Lagonda . The bodywork was wooden-framed and had seating for seven people. Tickford was well equipped in comparison with the standard Land Rover, having leather seats, a heater, a one-piece laminated windscreen, a tin-plate spare wheel cover, some interior trim and other options. The wooden construction made them expensive to build. The Tickford

770-439: A brand new 2.0-litre diesel engine was introduced that, despite the similar capacity, was not related to the petrol engines used. The petrol engines of the time used the rather out-dated inlet-over-exhaust valve arrangement; the diesel used the more modern overhead valve layout. This diesel engine was one of the first high-speed diesels developed for road use, producing 52 hp (39 kW) at 4,000 rpm. The successor to

880-597: A freewheel mechanism, and the Stage 1 V8 version of the Series III featured permanent 4WD. All three models could be started with a front hand crank and had the option of front & rear power takeoffs for accessories. After adding a long wheelbase model in 1954, Land Rover also offered the world's first four / five door, 4WD off-road station wagon in 1956. Series Land Rovers and Defenders continually excelled in space utilization, offering (optional) three abreast seating in

990-452: A higher center of gravity , therefore increasing the risk of rollover. When an SUV turns, the vehicle's mass resists the turn. This carries the SUV's weight forward, thus allowing the traction from the tires to create a lateral centripetal force as the vehicle continues through the turn. The conflict between the top weight of the SUV's desire to go straight and the friction of the tires on

1100-470: A higher top speed. A tracked drivetrain has greater off-road capability. Tires play a significant role for any off-road vehicle equipped with wheels, ensuring optimal traction to keep it moving. The off-road tire tread types vary depending on the terrain type. The most common types of off-road tires are A/T (stands for "All Terrain") and M/T (stands for "Mud Terrain"). While the A/T tires perform excellently on

1210-555: A light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat that is straddled by the operator, and has handlebars. As the name implies, it is designed to handle a wider variety of terrain than most other vehicles. It is street-legal in some countries, but not in most states, territories and provinces of Australia,

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1320-436: A matching front axle came later. Tyres were large 900×16 types on deep-dish wheel rims to spread the ground weight of this heavy vehicle. These vehicles were somewhat underpowered for the increased load capacity (1.5 long tons or 1,500 kg), and most had a hard working life. Less than 2,500 were made, and most had a utility body, but surviving examples often have custom bodywork. With an upgraded powertrain, they can be used as

1430-529: A number of years, many of which were dispatched directly to Goddard in the late 1940s and instantly knew his name. In a joint effort by Massey and Bishop, and series of interviews were planned and put to Arthur to look at the early days of the vehicle's development and production from an insider's point of view. Subsequently, detailed recollections from Goddard were published in the club magazine of The Land Rover Register 1948 to 1953, Full Grille in May 2009 and led to

1540-466: A radio cassette player, the GAME was available in a single colour scheme of 'Yellow Devil' body, white roof, black front panels and silver windscreen vent panel. Optional extras included a Fairey overdrive, safari roof, and free-wheeling hubs. Sales were limited and the model was discontinued in 1979. A problem specific to Australia was the always-limited supply of new Land Rovers. Leyland's factory never had

1650-707: A small motorhome. The vehicle was not the first COE (cab over engine) vehicle produced by the plant, since they had also produced the Leyland 15/20 which was based on the Standard Atlas . The Series IIB FC produced from 1966 was similar to the Series IIA FC but added the 2.25-litre diesel engine as an option. The 2.25-litre engine was the standard engine for this model, the 2.6-litre engine being only available for export. Heavy duty wide-track axles (designed by ENV) were fitted to improve vehicle stability, as

1760-525: A standard gearbox often has an output speed too high. The vehicle often has one of two things, either a very low ("granny") first gear (like the all-wheel drive Volkswagen Transporter versions) or an additional gearbox in line with the first, called a reduction drive . Some vehicles, like the Bv206 in the picture on the right, also have torque converters to reduce the gearing. SUVs are built with higher ground clearance , for off-road use, and thus have

1870-457: A sturdier fully box-welded frame. Furthermore, due to post-war steel shortage, and aluminium surplus, Land Rovers received non-rusting aluminium alloy bodies, favouring their longevity. In 1992, Land Rover claimed that 70% of all the vehicles they had built were still in use. Most Series models feature leaf-spring suspension with selectable two or four-wheel drive (4WD), however Series I's produced between 1948 and mid-1951 had constant 4WD via

1980-460: A team led by engineer Arthur Goddard . Tests showed this prototype vehicle to be a capable and versatile machine. The PTO drives from the front of the engine and from the gearbox to the centre and rear of the vehicle allowed it to drive farm machinery, exactly as a tractor would. It was also tested ploughing and performing other agricultural tasks. However, as the vehicle was readied for production, this emphasis on tractor-like usage decreased and

2090-564: A visit back to the Land Rover factory by Goddard in April 2010, 62 years to the day on which the Land Rover was launched. Goddard's career with the Land Rover was covered in the August 2010 Edition of Classic & Sports Car magazine. In 2011, the information about Arthur Goddard's career at Land Rover was drawn together into a book, "They Found Our Engineer". Arthur has since become

2200-474: The Law Lords after an owner was charged with exceeding this limit, the Land Rover was classified as a "multi-purpose vehicle" which was only to be classed as a commercial vehicle if used for commercial purposes. The 1954 model year brought major changes. The 80-inch (2.03 m) wheelbase model was replaced by an 86-inch (2.18 m) wheelbase model, and a 107-inch (2.72 m) wheelbase " pick up " version

2310-520: The PTO drives. The Land Rover was designed to only be in production for two or three years to gain some cash flow and export orders for the Rover Company so it could restart up-market car production. Once car production restarted, however, it was greatly outsold by the off-road Land Rover, which developed into its own brand that remains successful today. Many of the defining and successful features of

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2420-474: The Rover P3 was used, with a new two-speed transfer box. This incorporated an unusual four-wheel-drive system, with a freewheel unit (as used on several Rover cars of the time). This disengaged the front axle from the manual transmission on the overrun, allowing a form of non- permanent 4WD. A ring-pull mechanism in the driver's footwell allowed the freewheel to be locked to provide more traditional 4WD. This

2530-505: The SUV today. It also evolved into the newer crossover vehicle , where utility and off-road capability were sacrificed for better on-road handling and luxury. To be able to drive off the pavement , off-road vehicles need several characteristics: They need to have a low ground pressure , so as not to sink into soft ground, they need a lot of ground clearance, to not get stuck on obstacles, and they need to keep their wheels or tracks on

2640-537: The Series I . This was launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show. It was designed for farm and light industrial use, with a steel box-section chassis and an aluminium body. Originally the Land Rover was a single model offering, which from 1948 until 1951 used an 80-inch (2.03 m) wheelbase and a 1.6-litre petrol engine producing around 50 bhp (37 kW; 51 PS). The four-speed gearbox from

2750-506: The Sierra Club , publish and encourage appropriate trail ethics . ORVs have also been criticized for producing more pollution in areas that might normally have none. In addition to noise pollution that can cause hearing impairment and stress in wildlife, according to the U.S. Forest Service , old-style two-stroke engines (no longer a component of new off-road vehicles, although some are still in use) "emit about 20 to 33 percent of

2860-613: The road causes the bottom of the vehicle to move away and out from under the SUV during a turn. SUVs are more likely to be in rollover accidents than passenger cars . According to a study conducted in the United States , SUVs have twice the fatality rate of passenger cars and have nearly triple the fatality rate in rollover accidents. In the United States, light trucks (including SUVs ) represent 36 percent of all registered vehicles. They are involved in about half of

2970-544: The "County" spec. Station Wagon Land Rovers, available in both 88-inch (2,200 mm) and 109-inch (2,800 mm) types. These had all-new cloth seats from the Leyland T-45 Lorry, soundproofing kits, tinted glass and other "soft" options designed to appeal to the leisure owner/user. Of more interest was the introduction of the High Capacity Pick Up to the 109-inch (2,800 mm) chassis. This

3080-425: The 1960s in series II guise, commanding some 90% of the off-road market, and with practically every farm having at least one Land Rover. The series III continued this success in the early 1970s, but from the middle of the decade sales declined. A large coal export deal to Japan relied on the subsequent import of Japanese cars and other goods, a combination of this increasing competition and increasingly poor quality of

3190-409: The 2.25-litre petrol and diesel engines received five main bearing crankshafts to increase rigidity and the transmission , and axles and wheel hubs were strengthened. This was the culmination of a series of updates to the transmission that had been made since the 1960s to combat the all-too-common problem of the rear axle half-shafts breaking in heavy usage. This problem was partly due to the design of

3300-624: The Australian production. Top speed is 77 mph (124 km/h). This helped slow the sales decline, but the rest of the vehicle's shortcomings let it down. The One Ten was also available with this engine, and a turbocharged version producing in excess of 100 horsepower (75 kW) powered the military 6×6. South Africa's relationship with Land Rover started in 1949 when the first series-I 80-inch models were sold in South Africa . In August 1950, Car Distributors Assembly (Pty) Ltd assembled

3410-594: The British Government in the company to improve the Land Rover and Range Rover product offerings to counter the aforementioned market challenges, and were a transitional development on the way to the coil-sprung Land Rover 90 and 110. The use of the Range Rover engine and drive train made it the only Series III vehicle to have permanent four-wheel drive. Most of the V8 Stage 1 vehicles were exported, as

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3520-643: The Japanese competition, the Land Rover was underpowered, unreliable and slow with a poor ride quality, despite their arguably superior off-road ability. Poor rust-proofing and low-quality steel used in comparison to the Japanese vehicles turned the buyers away in large numbers and by 1983, with the introduction of the One Ten, the Toyota Land Cruiser became the best-selling 4×4 in Australia. In

3630-469: The LT95 gearbox and 3.5-litre Rover V8 petrol engine. The engine was detuned to 91 hp (68 kW) from the 135BHP of the contemporary Range Rover. The vehicle came about because the competing Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol vehicles, fitted with powerful and durable 6-cylinder engines, were making considerable inroads into the market, particularly in Australia and Africa. A V8-powered Land Rover with

3740-411: The Land Rover design were in fact the result of Rover's drive to simplify the tooling required for the vehicle and to use the minimum amount of rationed materials. As well as the aluminium alloy bodywork (which has been retained throughout production despite it now being more expensive than a conventional steel body due to its ideal properties of light weight and corrosion resistance) other examples include

3850-581: The Land Rover, from its many appearances in popular films and television documentaries set in Africa throughout the 1960s, such as Born Free . In February 1968, just a few months after the Rover Company had been subsumed, under government pressure, into the Leyland Motor Corporation , the Land Rover celebrated its twentieth birthday, with total production to date just short of 600,000, of which more than 70% had been exported. Certainly it

3960-681: The Land Rover. Early in 1966 the project was given to then Service Manager and newly appointed Product Development Engineer, Richard F Green of Rover Motor Company of North America, Ltd., based in South San Francisco. Green’s past included years in Grand Prix and sports-car racing with teams like Aston Martin and MG/BMC. Green came to America in February 1956 after the Monte Carlo Rally, sponsored by Ken Miles. The project

4070-494: The Meteor project and put him onto Rover cars, and developing Rover's new 4- and 6-cylinder IOE engines, and then he moved on to vehicle testing in noise and vibration. This led to heading up the research areas of the company and being one of the few broadly experienced engineers in the company, rather than a specialist in one area. The Land Rover project idea had been Maurice Wilks from finding out how useful his old Wartime Jeep

4180-608: The One-Ton versions. Little changed cosmetically from the IIA to the Series III . The Series III is the most common series vehicle, with 440,000 of the type built from 1971 to 1985. The headlights were moved to the wings on late production IIA models from 1968/9 onward (ostensibly to comply with Australian, American, and Dutch lighting regulations) and remained in this position for the Series III. The traditional metal grille, featured on

4290-694: The Pinzgauer replacement vehicle became available. The vehicles were sold off in a series of disposal auctions, and many are now cherished by private owners in New Zealand. The 1 Ton 109 inch was produced from late 1968 to 1977, covering late IIA and series III Models. It was basically a series-IIB forward control built with a standard 109 in body, featuring 2.6-litre petrol engine, lower ratio transfer gearbox, ENV front and rear axles, (Salisbury front and rear on later series IIIs) though some late IIAs were fitted with ENV axles in front and Salisbury on

4400-514: The Range Rover's constant 4WD system was a considerable technological advancement on the part-time 4WD and 4-cyl engines of previous variants, though the Stage 1 still used the Series III's leaf springs. The Stage 1 was normally available only in LWB 109-inch (2,800 mm) form but 24 examples were built with the SWB 88 in (2,235 mm) wheelbase. "Stage 1" refers to the first stage of investment by

4510-592: The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine for their own Meteor project based on the Merlin engine for use in tanks. Rover's head of Engine Development had crashed his motorcycle and broken both his legs and was laid up for quite a while. Goddard was interviewed by Maurice Wilks and got the job filling in. Once war had really ended in Europe in 1945, Maurice Wilks, eager to get back in the car game, took Goddard straight off

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4620-612: The Rover Cars engineering and by Jack Pogmore who was in charge of the Land Rovers engineering until 1962. Tom Barton one of the original team from 1947 was put in charge of the Land Rovers Engineering after Pogmore had been moved to an administration role. Arthur Goddard had been working on Rover cars in the area of noise and vibration as the Land Rover programme began and ran the development department. Part of

4730-551: The Series I. The 107-inch (2.72 m) Station Wagon continued until late 1959 due to continued demand from export markets and to allow the production of Series II components to reach full level. The SII and the SIIA are very difficult to distinguish. There were some minor cosmetic changes. Body configurations available from the factory ranged from short-wheelbase soft-top to the top-of-the-line five-door station wagon. A 2.25-litre diesel

4840-455: The Tickford version, they came with basic interior trim and equipment such as roof vents and interior lights. The Station Wagons saw the first expansion of the Land Rover range. Station Wagons were fitted with a "Tropical Roof" which consisted of a second roof skin fitted on top of the vehicle. This kept the interior cool in hot weather and reduced condensation in cold weather. Vents fitted in

4950-488: The United States, and Canada. By the current ANSI definition, ATVs are intended for use by a single operator, but some ATVs, referred to as tandem ATVs, have been developed for use by the driver and one passenger. The military market for off-road vehicles used to be large, but, since the fall of the Iron Curtain in the 1990s, it has dried up to some extent. The U.S. jeeps , developed during World War II , coined

5060-544: The V8 vehicles were 109" configuration and were supplied with a plastic-coated canvas canopy with bodywork in Deep Bronze Green. All had 24v electrics with Fitted For Radio (FFR) vehicles having a larger 100 amp generator supplied by Milspec Manufacturing Pty Ltd of Australia. Variants included a hard-top fitted vehicle used for specialist signals tasks (some of which had dual rear wheels for lateral stability to counteract

5170-478: The age of 101. Goddard began working on testing World War II aero engines, for problems in operating at high altitude. He continued this field of work moving down to Coventry and working at Alvis in the Aero Engine research lab where they tested all kinds of wartime aircraft engines from both sides and all countries. Towards the end of the war the Rover Company suddenly needed an engineer with experience in

5280-420: The brief to develop the Land Rover idea but also to find out as much as they could about farming machinery and potential uses for the new vehicle, which was hugely successful from its launch at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show. Numerous photos exist of Goddard and his development driver Johnny Cullen testing the first pre-production Land Rover. During this time at Rover he also worked on Rover Gas Turbine project and

5390-475: The capacity to meet possible demand and the need to import almost the entire vehicle in kit form from Britain restricted the supply and manufacturing process further. This led to a long waiting list developing for the Leyland product whilst commercial operators could receive large fleets of Japanese vehicles very quickly. The other problems faced by Land Rover were the same throughout its export markets- compared to

5500-460: The car Golden Rod Yellow, which would then become the new project name: "Golden Rod". They drove the completed the Golden Rod to New York City for McWilliams to see, from where it was shipped to Southampton, where Green would later collect it and drive it to Solihull. From 1979 until 1985, the Stage 1 was built using some of the same components as the Range Rover and 101 Forward Control, such as

5610-496: The centre steering proved impractical in use. The steering wheel was mounted off to the side as normal, the bodywork was simplified to reduce production time and costs and a larger engine was fitted, together with a specially designed transfer gearbox to replace the Jeep unit. The result was a vehicle that didn't use a single Jeep component and was slightly shorter than its American inspiration, but wider, heavier, faster and still retained

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5720-562: The components being shipped from Britain meant that Land Rover's dominance slipped. In an attempt to address declining sales in the rural and civil engineering markets in the mid 1970s, Leyland Australia developed the Land Rover GAME, an up-market, short-wheelbase Series III aimed at the emerging recreational 4WD market. Fitted with fifteen inch white spoke wheels and wide tyres, wheel arch extensions, deluxe bonnet, rear bumperettes, rear swing away spare wheel carrier, interior trim, and

5830-506: The consumed fuel through the exhaust" and "discharge from two-stroke snowmobile engines can lead to indirect pollutant deposition into the top layer of snow and subsequently into the associated surface and groundwater." In 2002, the United States Environmental Protection Agency adopted emissions standards for all-terrain vehicles that "when fully implemented in 2012... are expected to prevent

5940-547: The development of the Land Rover Defender range today. Goddard became Rover's assistant chief engineer of Rover cars and Land Rovers in 1952. Once the Land Rover Series 2 design was finished Goddard moved on from Rover in 1957 to become the technical director of Girling brakes. After he left Rover, Arthur's old job was so big as the company had grown it was split in two. He was replaced by Chris Goode on

6050-714: The direction of Thomas Poulter called Antarctic Snow Cruiser , was intended to facilitate transport in Antarctica . While having several innovative features, it generally failed to operate as hoped under difficult conditions and was eventually abandoned in Antarctica. Early off-road vehicles, such as the U.S. Jeep Wagoneer and Ford Bronco , the British Range Rover , and the station wagon -bodied Japanese Toyota Land Cruiser , Nissan Patrol , and Suzuki Lj's series were all had bodies similar to those of

6160-497: The distinctive flat body panels with only simple, constant-radius curves (originally used because they could be cut and formed by hand from aluminium sheet on a basic jig) and the sturdy box-section ladder chassis , which on series vehicles was made up from four strips of steel welded at each side to form a box, thus cutting down on the complex operations required when making a more conventional U- or I-section frame. Land Rover entered production in 1948 with what has later been termed

6270-437: The early 1980s, Land Rover Australia had made some changes to the vehicle to try to combat this sales decline. As well as the fitting of the V8 petrol engine in the 1979 "Stage One", as in the rest of the world, Australia also received the same vehicle with the option of a 3.9-litre 97 hp (72 kW) four-cylinder Isuzu diesel engine ( 4BD1 ). This was introduced in 1982, and was meant to be equipped in about ten per cent of

6380-414: The engine and gearbox out of a Rover P3 saloon car. The bodywork was handmade out of an aluminium/magnesium alloy called Birmabright , to save on steel, which was closely rationed. The choice of colour was dictated by military surplus supplies of aircraft cockpit paint, so early vehicles only came in various shades of light green. The first pre-production Land Rovers were being developed in late 1947 by

6490-506: The engine was too heavy and slow-revving, which stunted performance and produced torque that the Rover gearbox could only just cope with. Rover convinced the MOD that, considering the quantities of Land Rovers they were considering ordering, that the standard 1.6-litre engine would suffice. The MOD started ordering Land Rovers in batches from late 1949. The initial batches were for 50 vehicles, but by

6600-431: The engineering programme developed quickly. A team was made up of engineers to get the 'Land Rover' project going. Overall Maurice Wilks was the technical director and Robert Boyle was chief engineer at Rover. Goddard was development engineer and put in charge of the overall Land Rover test and development programme in 1947. Through the late 40s and early 50s Goddard was in charge of a fleet of development vehicles that led to

6710-401: The environment than foot traffic alone, and ORV operators who attempt to test their vehicles against natural obstacles can do significantly more damage than those who follow legal trails. Illegal use of off-road vehicles has been identified as a serious land management problem ranked with dumping garbage and other forms of vandalism . Many user organizations, such as Tread Lightly! and

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6820-680: The fatal two-vehicle crashes with passenger cars, and 80 percent of these fatalities are to occupants of passenger cars. In the United States , the number of ORV users since 1972 has climbed sevenfold—from five million to 36 million in 2000. Government policies that protect wilderness but also allow recreational ORVs, have been the subject of some debate within the United States and other countries. All trail and off-trail activities impact natural vegetation and wildlife, which can lead to erosion , invasive species , habitat loss , and ultimately, species loss decreasing an ecosystem 's ability to maintain homeostasis . ORVs cause greater stress to

6930-511: The feature but were less flexible as transport). The original Land Rover concept (a cross between a light truck and a tractor) is similar to the Unimog , which was developed in Germany during this period. The first prototype had a distinctive feature — the steering wheel was mounted in the middle of the vehicle. It hence became known as the " centre steer ". It was built on a Jeep chassis and used

7040-643: The first Land Rover CKD in Port Elizabeth , South Africa. The first local production of fuel tanks and chassis at the Port Elizabeth plant was announced in August 1963 and from then on the local content in the production of Land Rovers increased steadily to 44% of vehicle weight by 1972. Local content included: chassis, road springs, entire body, tyres, seat frames and upholstery, battery, fibreglass roof and all glass. In 1974 Leyland SA had three assembly plants. Local content increased further in 1980 with

7150-724: The fitting of a Gas Turbine engine into a Rover car to make the Rover JET1 car. Goddard moved to Lucas Girling and Girling Brakes in 1957 to become technical director. Rover and Lucas had been very close since the 1930s. While at Girling he played a key role in the future of disc brake systems on standard road vehicles. He stayed at Girling until 1970. He also held a seat on the Lucas Girling board at this time. He then moved to Australia as managing director of Automotive and Girling Australia, manufacturers of braking components for Australian vehicle manufacturers. Goddard's experience

7260-403: The front chassis cross-member was moved an inch forward, to accommodate the new diesel engine, to be an option the following year. This change was made to all models with the exception of the 107 Station Wagon, which would never be fitted with a diesel engine, and would eventually be the last Series I in production. These dimensions were to be used on all Land Rovers for the next 25 years. In 1957

7370-456: The ground, so as not to lose traction. Wheeled vehicles accomplish this by having a suitable balance of large or additional tires, combined with tall and flexible suspension . Tracked vehicles accomplish this by having wide tracks and flexible suspension on the road wheels. The choice of wheels versus tracks is one of cost and suitability. A tracked drivetrain is more expensive to produce and maintain. Wheeled drivetrains are cheaper and give

7480-478: The home market. Export markets had even fewer examples, making this one of the rarest types of Land-Rover ever built. 22 IIA 1-tons were built with 2.25 litre petrol engine for the ministry of defence as fire tenders, known as the TACR1. The series III version was an uprated version of the standard military Land Rover. Australia has always been an important export market for Land Rovers of various models, but especially

7590-614: The immediate post-war period and raw materials were strictly rationed to those companies building construction or industrial equipment, or products that could be widely exported to earn crucial foreign exchange for the country. Also, Rover's original factory in Coventry had been bombed during the war, forcing the company to move into a huge " shadow factory " built just before the war in Solihull near Birmingham , previously used to construct Bristol Hercules aircraft engines. This factory

7700-564: The introduction of the first five-door model, on the 107-inch chassis known as the " station wagon " with seating for up to ten people. The 86-inch station wagon was a three-door, seven-seater. The new station wagons were very different from the previous Tickford model, being built with simple metal panels and bolt-together construction instead of the complex wooden structure of the older Station Wagon. They were intended to be used both as commercial vehicles as people-carriers for transporting workmen to remote locations, as well as by private users. Like

7810-592: The larger engine was not really sought-after by UK owners, for whom the 4-cyl 2286cc engine seemed to be sufficient and somewhat more economical. A small number may have been used by the British armed forces. However, the New Zealand Army bought 566 Stage 1 V8 Land Rovers which entered service over the period 1982 - 1986. The New Zealand Army standardised on the type, retiring the previous mixture of British- and Australian-built 88" and 109" Series 2 variants. All

7920-434: The later part of its life as Land Rover updated the design to meet increased competition. This was the first model to feature synchromesh on all four gears, although some late H-suffix SIIA models (mainly the more expensive Station Wagons) had used the all-synchro box. In keeping with early 1970s trends in automotive interior design, both in safety and use of more advanced materials, the simple metal dashboard of earlier models

8030-768: The mid-1950s the Army was buying Land Rovers 200 vehicles at a time. Land Rovers were deployed to the Korean War and the Suez Crisis , and became standard light military vehicles throughout the Commonwealth. Off-road vehicle One of the first modified off-road vehicles was the Kégresse track , a conversion undertaken first by Adolphe Kégresse , who designed the original while working for Czar Nicholas II of Russia, between 1906 and 1916. The system uses

8140-464: The patron of a local Australian Land Rover enthusiast club and interviewed numerous times about the vehicle's origins. During 2015 he returned to the UK to see the vehicle in its last year of production. He was publicly reunited with the first Land Rover at the 2015 Goodwood Revival meet, which he had used for test and in 1948 Land Rover launch footage shown on British Movietone news. Arthur also helped with

8250-408: The present day. This is despite the 1982 re-design (mainly the increase of driving- splines from 10 to 24 to reduce stress) that all but solved the problem. Also, new trim options were introduced to make the interior more comfortable if the buyer so wished (many farmers and commercial users preferred the original, non-trimmed interior). These changes culminated in April 1982 with the introduction of

8360-434: The rear. Later series IIIs had a Rover type front axle with a supposedly strengthened differential. The chassis frame was unique to the model and featured drop-shackle suspension similar to the military series Land Rovers. 900x16 tyres on deep dish steel wheelrims were a standard feature and these machines were commonly used by utility companies and breakdown/recovery firms. Only 170 IIA and 238 series IIIs (1 Ton) were built for

8470-470: The release of more than two million tons of air pollution each year—the equivalent of removing the pollution from more than 32 million cars every year." Common commercial vehicles used for off-roading include four-wheel-drive pickup trucks and SUVs such as the Ford F-Series , Jeep Wrangler , and Toyota Land Cruiser , among others. Typically, owners will perform additional modifications to

8580-458: The roof allowed added ventilation to the interior. While they were based on the same chassis and drivetrains as the standard vehicles, Station Wagons carried different chassis numbers, special badging, and were advertised in separate brochures. Unlike the original Station Wagon, the new in-house versions were highly popular. In mid-1956 the wheelbases were extended by 2 inches (51 mm) to 88 inches (2.24 m) and 109 inches (2.77 m), and

8690-476: The sand, they are barely usable in the mud. There are also unique Sand Blaster and Mud bogging tires used for the most challenging terrains such as dirt, sand, and even water to maintain traction at extreme angles and high speeds (off-road motorsport ). Most off-road vehicles are fitted with low gearing . This allows the operator to optimize the engine 's available power while moving slowly through challenging terrain. An internal combustion engine coupled to

8800-404: The seating rows with doors, and troop seating in the rear, resulting in up to seven seats in the SWB, and up to ten seats in the LWB models, exceeding the capacity of most minivans , when comparing vehicles of the same length. The Land Rover was conceived by the Rover Company in 1947 during the aftermath of World War II . Before the war Rover had produced luxury cars which were not in demand in

8910-542: The series I, II and IIA, was replaced with a plastic one for the Series-III model. The 2.25-litre engine had its compression raised from 7:1 to 8:1, increasing the power slightly (the high compression engine had been an optional fit on the IIa model for several years). During the series-III production run from 1971 until 1985, the 1,000,000th Land Rover rolled off the production line in 1976. The series III saw many changes in

9020-621: The series-IIIS models fitted with locally produced petrol(R6) and diesel(ADE 236) engines. In 1992, the Blackheath factory in the Cape Province was identified as the largest Land Rover CKD assembly outside the United Kingdom . The British Army used series Land Rovers in large numbers (and continues to use the modern Defender versions). The British Army tested the 80-inch (2.03 m) series-I Land Rover almost as soon as it

9130-468: The shafts themselves. Due to the fully floating design of the rear wheel hubs, the half shafts can be removed very quickly without even having to jack the vehicle off the ground. The tendency for commercial operators to overload their vehicles exacerbated this flaw which blighted the Series Land Rovers in many of their export markets and established a reputation that continues in many markets to

9240-407: The sill panels were redesigned to be shallower a few months afterward. Later still, the rear wheelarch profile was changed, possibly to accommodate 900x16 tyres fitted with snow chains on 1-Ton 109" models. The Series IIA is considered by many the most hardy Series model constructed. It is quite possibly also the type of classic Land Rover that features strongly in the general public's perception of

9350-486: The successful Series I was the Series II , which saw a production run from 1958 to 1961. It came in 88 in (2.24 m) and 109 in (2.77 m) wheelbases (normally referred to as the 'SWB' and 'LWB'). This was the first Land Rover to receive the attention of Rover's styling department. Chief Stylist David Bache produced the familiar 'barrel side' waistline, with a 5 in (12.7 cm) greater width to cover

9460-487: The twelve-seater remained until the end—such vehicles were classed as minibuses and thus could use bus lanes and (if registered correctly) could be exempt from the London Congestion Charge . There was some degree of overlap between Series I and II production. Early Series II 88-inch (2.24 m) vehicles were fitted with the old 2-litre petrol engine to use up existing stock from production of

9570-479: The utility models. 80-inch series-I models were sold to the Australian government in the late 1940s for work on civil engineering projects such as dams and road construction, which brought the vehicle to the buying public's attention. Large sales followed and in the 1950s Land Rover established factories in Australia to build CKD kits shipped from the Solihull factory. The Land Rover continued to sell well throughout

9680-461: The vehicle's wider tracks, as well as the improved design of the truck cab variant, introducing the curved side windows and rounded roof still used on current Land Rovers. The Series II was the first vehicle to use the well-known 2.25-litre petrol engine , although the first 1,500 or so short wheelbase (SWB) models retained the 52 hp (39 kW) 2.0-litre petrol engine from the Series I. This larger petrol engine produced 72 hp (54 kW) and

9790-510: The weight of additional equipment carried). There was also a white-painted 300 TDI conversion of approximately 20 vehicles, including a hard top and locally-devised disc brake conversion, for peacekeeping service with New Zealand's UNPROFOR contingent in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1994 to 1996. The retirement of New Zealand V8 Stage 1 vehicles started from 2000, with the last examples taken out of service in 2006 once sufficient numbers of

9900-642: The wheels, tires, suspension, and body to improve their performance off-road. Several decommissioned military vehicles have also been used by civilians, including the Jeep CJ and the AM General Hummer . Some, like the early Land Rovers , were adapted to military use from civilian specifications. Specialized off-road vehicles include Utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), All-terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes , dune buggies , rock crawlers , and sandrails . An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as

10010-786: The word many people use for any light off-road vehicle. In the U.S., the Jeeps' successor from the mid-1980s was the AM General HMMWV series. The Red Army used the GAZ-61 and GAZ-64 during World War II . The Eastern Bloc used the GAZ-69 and UAZ-469 in similar roles. Vehicles used as the primary transport in an expedition , not for profit, scientific research or personal use. [REDACTED] Media related to Off-road vehicles at Wikimedia Commons Arthur Goddard Engineer Arthur Goddard (31 January 1921 – 11 August 2022)

10120-861: Was a British-Australian engineer, who worked at the Rover Company from 1945 to 1957 and was in charge of the Land Rovers engineering development from 1947 to 1957. Goddard was the second son of John Newman Goddard. Goddard went to the Little Sutton Church of England Primary School in Ellesmere Port , Cheshire. After schooling, he completed a Mechanical Engineering Certificate at a college in Liverpool . Goddard reached 100 in January 2021. He died in Brisbane on 11 August 2022, at

10230-400: Was a basic vehicle: tops for the doors and a roof (canvas or metal) were optional extras. In 1950, the lights moved from a position behind the grille to protruding through the grille. From the beginning, it was realised that some buyers would want a Land Rover's abilities without the spartan interiors. In 1949, Land Rover launched a second body option called the " Station Wagon ", fitted with

10340-430: Was a front anti-roll bar and revised rear springs which were mounted above the axle rather than below it. In the process the wheelbase was increased to 110 in (2,794 mm). Production ended in 1974 when Land-Rover rationalised its vehicle range. Many IIB components were also used on the "1 Ton" 109 in vehicle. The Series III had the same body and engine options as the preceding IIA, including station wagons and

10450-509: Was a pick-up truck load bay that offered 25% more cubic capacity than the standard pick-up style. The HCPU came with heavy-duty suspension and was popular with public utility companies and building contractors. The first Prototype V8 Land Rover was the creation of Bruce McWilliams, then president of the Rover Motor Company of North America Limited. McWilliams thought that the newly acquired all alloy V8 from GM would be perfect for

10560-465: Was added to the engine line, which after 1967 included a 2.6-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine for the long-wheelbase models, which also had servo-assisted brakes. 811 of these were NADA (or North American Dollar Area) trucks, which were the only long-wheelbase models made for the American and Canadian markets. From February 1969 (home market), the headlamps moved into the wings on all models, and

10670-563: Was at light farming and small jobs about the place. Wilks had found the Jeep particularly useful during the hard winter of 1947 but also great on beach at Anglesey , where the Wilks family had a holiday home. The idea for the Land Rover as a vehicle for Rover to manufacture was first thought up at Anglesey. The British Government was bringing in some strict rationing for steel supply for car companies unless they concentrated very strongly on export. The Land Rover had huge export potential for Rover, so

10780-411: Was closely related to the 2.0-litre diesel unit still in use. This engine became the standard Land Rover unit until the mid-1980s when diesel engines became more popular. The 109-inch (2.77 m) Series II station wagon introduced a twelve-seater option on top of the standard ten-seater layout. This was primarily to take advantage of UK tax laws, by which a vehicle with 12 seats or more was classed as

10890-417: Was introduced. The extra wheelbase was added behind the cab area to provide additional load space. In mid-1954 the "spread bore" petrol engine was introduced (from engines 5710xxxx), allowing better cooling between the cylinders. This had been introduced in the Rover car the year before. The engine was modified again in 1955 (from engine 1706xxxxx), sometimes known as the 'later' spread bore. September 1955 saw

11000-670: Was latterly chief engineer of his own family-run business, Vehicle Components Pty Ltd, in Brisbane , Australia, that specialize in off-road trailer and caravan hitches and suspension systems. Goddard's story was rediscovered in 2009, 61 years after the Land Rover was introduced. A young Australian early Land Rover enthusiast, Alex Massey's family owned a business opposite Goddard's family business in Brisbane, Australia. Massey mentioned this connection to Land Rover historian and friend Michael Bishop in passing conversation. Bishop had been collating data on early engineering prototype Land Rovers for

11110-833: Was launched in 1948. At that time, the Army was more interested in developing a specially designed military utility 4×4 (the Austin Champ ). However, the Champ proved too complex, heavy and unreliable in battlefield conditions so the Army looked to the Land Rover. In the late 1940s the Ministry of Defence was keen on the standardisation of its vehicles and equipment. Part of this plan was to fit Rolls-Royce petrol engines to all its vehicles (even though most were not actually built by R-R). A batch of series-I Land Rovers were fitted with Rolls-Royce B40 four-cylinder engine, which required modification to an 81-inch (2.06 m) wheelbase). However,

11220-604: Was named "BOP" (Buick-Olds-Pontiac). McWilliams listed specifications he wanted in addition to the V8 such as Primrose Yellow paint, black upholstery, side pipes from a Corvette, a Hurst shifter, making a hot rod in the California sense of the word. Green had other ideas. A new 1966 88" Station Wagon was collected at the SF Docks and taken to British Sports Car Service in Hayward, California for teardown. Green designed and drew

11330-508: Was now empty but starting car production there from scratch would not be financially viable. Plans for a small, economical car known as the M Type were drawn up, and a few prototypes made, but would be too expensive to produce. Maurice Wilks , Rover's chief designer came up with a plan to produce a light agricultural and utility vehicle , of a similar concept to the Willys Jeep used in the war, but with an emphasis on agricultural use. He

11440-608: Was possibly inspired by the Standard Motor Company , who faced similar problems and were producing the highly successful Ferguson TE20 tractor in their shadow factory in Coventry. More likely, he used his own experience of using an army-surplus Jeep on his farm in Anglesey , North Wales. His design added a power take-off (PTO) feature since there was a gap in the market between jeeps and tractors (which offered

11550-475: Was redesigned to accept a new moulded plastic dash. The instrument cluster, which was previously centrally located, was moved to the driver's side. Long-wheelbase series-III vehicles had the Salisbury rear axle (the differential housing and axle case are one piece) as standard, although some late SIIA 109-inch (2,800 mm) vehicles had them too. North American sales from the factory ceased in 1974. In 1980,

11660-574: Was repeated in many countries in Africa and the Middle East. A rail-road version was developed in partnership with Dunlop . The Series IIA FC launched in 1962 was based on the Series IIA 2.25-litre petrol engine and 109 in (2,769 mm) chassis, with the cab positioned over the engine to give more load space. Export vehicles were the first Land Rovers to get the 2.6-litre petrol engine. Most examples had an ENV (heavy duty) rear axle,

11770-421: Was replaced with a more conventional setup, with drive to the front axle being taken through a simple dog clutch. Around this time the Land Rover's legal status was also clarified. As mentioned above, the Land Rover was originally classed as a commercial vehicle, meaning it was free from purchase tax. However, this also meant it was limited to a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h) on British roads. After an appeal to

11880-432: Was sought in an Australian Government enquiry in 1975 in regards to the standard of Australian-manufactured vehicles brakes in comparison to those from vehicles manufactured in other countries, which led to a change in the standard of braking for Australian vehicles. Throughout his career he has worked with many leading automotive engineers, including Spen King , Alec Issigonis , Norman Dewis and Giulio Alfieri . Goddard

11990-407: Was taxed as a private car, which attracted high levels of Purchase Tax unlike the original Land Rover. As a result, fewer than 700 Tickfords were sold, and all but 50 were exported. In 1952 and 1953, a larger 2.0-litre petrol engine was fitted. This engine has Siamese bores, meaning that there are no water passages for cooling between the cylinders. During 1950, the unusual semi-permanent 4WD system

12100-467: Was whilst the Series IIA was in production that sales of utility Land Rovers reached their peak, in 1969–70, when sales of over 60,000 Land Rovers a year were recorded. (For comparison, the sales of the Defender have been around the 25,000 level since the 1990s.) As well as record sales, the Land Rover dominated many world markets- in Australia in the 1960s Land Rover held 90% of the 4×4 market. This figure

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