Steel rationing.  That is what we owe the existence of Land Rover to.  Post-war steel rationing.

In 1945 World War II was over and the British were rebuilding.  With huge overseas debts to repay, the British government took on the slogan "Export or Die."  Steel stocks were rationed, and those car makers who could guarantee a high percentage of exports were the ones who would get the limited sheet steel supplies.

Rover Car Company early Viking marqueRover Car Company was a successful British car maker, with an excellent reputation since at least the mid 1930's. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, their track record for exports was not good - they were successful at selling cars locally but had no experience with exporting. This meant they would not be able to get enough sheet steel to keep their factory at Solihull going if they simply proceeded with producing the same Rover cars they had in the past.  They needed something new - a stop-gap - either a vehicle for which they could be sure of being able to reliably and consistently export, or else one that did not use much sheet steel, or really both. What to do?

Excellent book, entertaining read, but is very oriented to history.  If you are interested in Land Rover history, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.  If history is not your cup of tea, then pass.  I enjoyed it, and give it 4 stars.  Reviewers on Amazon.com did not like it as much, see below.  Read more »

This is a video tribute to Land Rover from Top Gear - the original, utilitarian Land Rover, and it is really really good.  It basically sums up what makes Land Rovers such great vehicles, and why we love Land Rovers so much we even have enthusiast sites for them.

From the back cover:

During World War II, and particularly after the USAs entry into the conflict, the military exploited to the maximum the potential of the 4x4 for staff transport and rapid forward movement. The US-manufactured Jeep (derived from GP for general purpose) set the standard for this type of vehicle and there was no directly comparable British-designed and built model until the launch in 1947 of the Land Rover.  Read more »

Needs to be Reviewed, but extra info below.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Genesis - The Why and How of the First Land Rovers

2 The Great Original - The 80-inch Models

3 Building on Success - The Series I 86 and 107 Models

4 Two More Inches - The Series I 88 and 109 Models  Read more »

Well, we just passed the 20th anniversary of the Land Rover Discovery - 1989 - 2009.  This book covers the first half of that period and has tons of information especially about its original conception and the history of bringing it to market.  Sometimes dry even for the Land Rover enthusiast, overall it is still an excellent and interesting read.  Read more »

 Nice vid-clip montage from Land Rover of Discoverys thru the years, in action, from 1989 on...