‘History of a Legend’ the British Military’s love affair with the Land Rover

Prince Philip served in the military and had a lasting life love affair with the Land Rover Military series.

THE LEGENDARY LAND ROVER The Land Rover appeal went beyond expectations. In 1949 the British Army ordered so many, that the decision was made to paint all Land Rovers in the Army’s dark green.

Rover soon saw that the vehicle’s appeal went beyond expectations. In 1949 the British Army placed its first order. It wanted 1,878, so many, that the decision was made to paint all Land Rovers in the Army’s dark green and they saw their first action the following year, in the Korean War. The Red Cross ordered its first Land Rovers in 1954, and its relationship with the marque endures to this day.

In 1954, Solihull made its 100,000th Land Rover and by the time the Series I was replaced in 1958, nearly 200,000 had been produced. With 70 per cent exported, the principles that Maurice Wilks first sketched in the sand at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey had been put into practice across the world.

1968 
saw the introduction of the 
Lightweight, designed for 
the British Armed Forces 
with its simple, narrower 
body which could be stripped down and made light enough to be air-portable.

In total, more than half a million Series II models were made over 13 years.

In 1979 the cult classic Series III Stage I V8 was born. The engine delivered a modest 91BHP, but packed significant torque, much to the delight of off-road enthusiasts.

The V8 was also used in the new Forward Control truck, announced in 1972. It was a military vehicle, designed to haul howitzers, a type of artillery equipment. The design reprised that of the commercial Forward Controls built in the ‘60s, with the cab perched high over the front wheels. It was a capable, reliable vehicle and hugely popular with soldiers, who named it after its carrying capacity: the One-Tonne.

The Land Rover remained in huge demand from the military. In the UK, the Land Rover 127 was used as a Rapier missile launcher and a three-axle version was developed. Additionally, Land Rover conversions had featured six wheels for some time, to spread heavy loads.

One of these 40^th anniversary models was converted into the most extraordinary Land Rover special edition seen to date. Using designs for military amphibious conversions, the ‘Floating Ninety’ was surrounded by huge rubber pontoons, with power sent to the propeller via its transmission, and steering controlled with a huge aft-mounted rudder. It was ‘sailed’ during Cowes week in 1988, much to the fascination and delight of spectators at the event.

In 1990 the original Land Rover gained its own name for the first time: Defender. It was a nod to its service to the armed forces, and the vehicle has kept the name ever since.

The Defender kept on getting better. From 1998 the powerful 124BHP, five-cylinder TD5 engine arrived followed by electronic driving aids, further improving its off-road ability.

And in 2001 the Defender entered the new millennium, gaining modern creature comforts such as electric windows, central locking and heated seats for the first time. But there was no question of the Defender going soft. In 1996, the Ministry of Defence placed an order for almost 8,000 military specification Defender XDs. The XD stood for ‘extra duty’, but the model is simply referred to by its codename: Wolf.

It first entered service in 1997 and has seen action around the world, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defender proved its toughness in peacetime too as one of the mainstays of both the Camel Trophy and the G4 Challenge, which Land Rover created in 2003.

The Sandglow paint of the Camel vehicles and the Tangiers Orange of the G4 cars have become instantly recognisable, and these two events allowed Defenders to prove their worth as competitor vehicles, support cars, and even prizes. But there can be few tougher customers than Lara Croft, who drove a Defender in the 2001 film Tomb Raider. Land Rover Special Vehicles Operations built three for the film, and a Tomb Raider special edition went on sale that year in the same Bonatti Grey.

“The new engine propels it at speeds as high as 85MPH with amazing civility, and the new six-speed gearbox moves with precision.”CAR magazine’s review of the 2007 Defender

“This is the specially modified Land Rover which transported the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin during his funeral. Prince Philip designed the Land Rover Defender 130 Gun Bus himself. ….His coffin was draped with his personal flag, which reflects his Greek heritage and his British titles, and his naval cap and sword will be laid on top of it. The Duke of Edinburgh always been a Land Rover driver and had a passion for the four-wheel drive vehicles.” The Royal Family

All the above information is excerpted from along series from Land Rover copyrights