How did the first Land Rover come about?

The idea for the first Land Rover came to Maurice Wilks, the engineering director of Rover, a British car company, when he sketched his design on the sand of Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey.

Land Rover soon gained a reputation for making vehicles that could handle any terrain, and the first model was produced in 1948. It was nicknamed Huey, after its registration number HUE 166, and it was the start of a successful range of vehicles.

The first Land Rover was unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show on Friday 30 April 1948, and it was simply called “The Land Rover”. It attracted a lot of attention and orders, as it could serve as a car, a power source and a small tractor. It also had excellent off-road capabilities, which made it ideal for farmers.

Due to the scarcity of steel, the body panels were made of aluminium, which became a distinctive feature of many later Land Rover models. The original engine was a 1.4l Rover 10, but it was soon replaced by a more powerful 1.6 litre engine. The gearbox had a transfer case and a four wheel drive unit, as well as the option to attach various power take-offs.

The price of the first Land Rover in the UK was £450, which seems unbelievable today. The initial target was to sell 5000 vehicles in the first year, but the actual sales were 8000, thanks to its popularity.

In 1954, Land Rover reached another milestone, when the 100,000th vehicle was built. That year also saw the introduction of the first long wheel base (LWB) model, with a 107 inch wheelbase and a four door station wagon body.

In 1956, two Series One Land Rovers completed the London to Singapore expedition, which was considered the ultimate challenge for motoring at the time. It took them six months to reach their destination.

By 1958, when the Series Two was launched, Land Rover had produced 200,000 Series One models.