When Was Land Rover Founded?

Land Rover first appeared in 1948, but it began as the name of a model series under the Rover Company, which was founded in Warwickshire, England, in 1878 as a bicycle manufacturer. Learn more about Land Rover history and origins below, and contact Land Rover Anaheim Hills near Orange County for all your Land Rover needs!

Land Rover History: Model Series Origins

The original Land Rover design was conceived in 1947 by the engineer and Rover Company Chairman Maurice Wilks. Wilks worked on the model while on his farm in Wales, alongside his brother Spencer. Some things you may not know about this original Land Rover model:

• The prototype Land Rover was built on a Jeep axle and chassis.
• Early Land Rover colors were limited—models were only available in variations of army green due to a military surplus of auto paint after World War II.
• The first Land Rover model was officially released at the Amsterdam Motor Show on April 30, 1948. Called the Series 1, it remained in production until 1958, when it was supplanted by the Series 2.

Land Rover History: Company Timeline

• 1967: Rover Company becomes Rover Triumph, as part of Leyland Motors (later British Leyland Motors).
• 1970: The Range Rover model is introduced.
• 1976: The one millionth Land Rover is produced.
• 1978: Land Rover Limited became its own company under British Leyland Motors, 30 years after the creation of the first Land Rover model.
• 1987: The Range Rover was first released in the United States.
• 1989: The Discovery is introduced.
• 1994: The Rover Group is acquired by BMW.
• 2000: The Rover Group is broken up by BMW, and Land Rover is sold to Ford
• 2005: The Range Rover Sport comes onto the scene.
• 2007: The four millionth Land Rover is produced.
• 2008: Tata Motors, based in Mumbai, India, purchases Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, and creates a new Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary.
• 2011: The Range Rover Evoque is first released.
• 2014: The Discovery Sport comes onto the market in September.
• 2017: The Range Rover Velar is introduced in London.
• 2018: Land Rover announces the project Cortex, which aims to “create self-propelled cars-robots that can independently navigate off-road in all weather conditions.”
• 2019: The return of the Defender is announced for 2020.
• 2023: Land Rover announced that an all-electric Land Rover is in the prototype testing phase and that the waiting list was open.

Explore The Land Rover Brand At Land Rover Anaheim Hills

Discover what the Land Rover brand has to offer today, from the innovative InControl® technology to incredible off-roading capability. Explore the latest Land Rover models for sale near Los Angeles so you can take home a piece of the Land Rover legacy.