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Look back at the birth of the original Land Rover | How Land Rover has driven adventure and scientific exploration | GQ Editor Dylan Jones talks inspiration with Chief Design Officer Gerry McGovern | Exploring the potential impact of electrification and connected vehicles | Tackling the 999 steep steps up to Heaven’s Gate in China

PEERLESS LUXURY 1994 |

PEERLESS LUXURY 1994 | Totally new Range Rover P38A generation launched 1996 | ‘Classic’ production ends, with 317,615 vehicles made 1999 | Six limited edition Linley models introduced 2001 | New generation revealed at the Design Museum in London 2004 | Range Stormer concept shown at Detroit A relentless march upmarket continued and the first-generation Range Rover (it would later acquire the ‘Classic’ nickname) reached its zenith with the introduction of the ‘Autobiography’ version in 1993. The first cars to wear that badge were wholly bespoke and could be specified with a fax machine in the rear cabin. The last Classic was built in 1996: it was the 317,615th. The original design was so popular that it still continued in production for two years alongside its replacement, the second-generation Range Rover, codenamed the P38A after the building in which it was developed. That model continued until 2001, when it was replaced by the third-generation Range Rover, codenamed the L322. Launched at the Design Museum in London, the .4 billion development budget of the L322 was greater than any other British car before it. Its imposing design and extraordinary off-road ability “Range Rover was the first luxury SUV in the world in 1970 and 45 years on it continues to lead the way, mixing peerless comfort with cuttingedge technology to provide the ultimate luxury SUV experience” NICK ROGERS JAGUAR LAND ROVER DIRECTOR GLOBAL ENGINEERING OPERATIONS were rapturously received by the motoring press, and the following year the halfmillionth Range Rover was built. Over its lifetime the L322 model would introduce new technologies such as virtual cockpit instruments and the dual-view infotainment screens. One key Land Rover technology was revealed on the first Range Rover concept car. The Range Stormer was revealed at the Detroit motor show in 2004 and featured Terrain Response ®* now a signature technology for the brand. But Range Rover wouldn’t have made its first concept just to showcase a technology; even one as important as Terrain Response ® . The Range Stormer vehicle’s significance was far greater than that, as it revealed both a new, more dynamic design language for the brand while introducing the idea that Range Rover could be more than just one vehicle. Range Stormer sparked an extraordinary wave of creativity at Range Rover, with new cars and concepts from Solihull almost every year since. Just a year after it was unveiled, Range Rover became a family with the addition of the Range Rover Sport, which also introduced the Dynamic Response * system. RADICAL NEW DESIGN In 2008, Range Rover’s second concept car, the LRX, was revealed. Like the Range Stormer, it hinted at a forthcoming addition to the Range Rover family. In 2011 the Range Rover Evoque was launched, maintaining the radical design of the LRX while simultaneously making Range Rover relevant to a new, younger, more urban set. At 3,527 lbs, it was also one of the lightest modern Land Rover vehicles ever. *These systems are not a substitute for driving safely with due care and attention and will not function under all circumstances, speeds, weather and road conditions, etc. Driver should not assume that these systems will correct errors of judgment in driving. Please consult the owner’s manual or your local authorized Land Rover Retailer for more details. STRETCHING OUT David Bache’s original, acclaimed design for the Range Rover was soon stretched by a series of bespoke conversions. Some served a serious purpose. The original Range Rover vehicle’s unrivalled off-road ability and comfort made it highly suitable as an ambulance for patients injured in remote spots. Equally, its road-holding and high performance with full load made it the perfect base vehicle for airport fire and rescue tenders. Hundreds of these were made, most with a stretched chassis and second rear axle to carry fire-fighting gear as well as a large water tank. Coachbuilders began offering Range Rover convertibles long before the Evoque version was launched. Six-wheel and even six-door stretch conversions proved popular with wealthy private clients, too, particularly in the Middle East. A few customizers combined all these elements to make stretched, six-wheel, open Range Rover vehicles for falconry, in which the falconer could stand and launch his bird. Surrey-based Jankel Engineering even made one with a throne-like elevating central seat. PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY / MAURITIUS IMAGES, BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM HERITAGE TRUST, SONY PICTURES 40

RIGHT XXXXXX 2005 | Range Rover Sport debut, with Dynamic Response ® 2006 | Terrain Response ® system fitted to flagship models 2008 | LRX concept shown at Detroit 2010 | Millionth car donated to Help for Heroes charity 2011 | The Range Rover Evoque starts production 02 01 03 PHOTOGRAPHY: XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX 01 As with so many other Land Rover vehicles, the Range Rover has long ago found its place in popular culture 02 In 2004, Land Rover presented the Rover Stormer concept vehicle as a predecessor to the Range Rover Sport, which followed that same year 03 The first Range Rover Sport was built on semimonocoque chassis, adapted from the LR3 for the US 04 The Land Rover LRX concept vehicle was presented to the world at the North American Auto Show in 2008. It would later evolve into to the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover’s first ever compact SUV European models shown. 04 41

 

Land Rover

Land Rover Magazine 39

 

Land Rover Magazine showcases stories from around the world that celebrate inner strength and the drive to go above and beyond

Land Rover stands for not only the most capable premium vehicles, but a state of mind where a sense of curiosity, exploration and wonder informs all of life’s adventures. Encounter this throughout the latest issue of Land Rover Magazine, from meeting a herd of Ice Age survivors on the Dutch coast with the Land Rover Discovery, to the most innovative sustainable architecture on a Californian journey with the Range Rover Evoque

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