The Range Rover name is simultaneously associated with world-spanning adventure and high-fashion opulence. SUVs wearing the Range Rover badge have conquered the most unforgiving off-road terrain and ferried celebrities and VIPs to posh red-carpet events. This dichotomy is a feat that few automakers have achieved, and Range Rover’s history helps to explain how the model became so dominant today.
Here’s everything you need to know about Range Rover. First things first: Range Rover is the model name, and Land Rover is the manufacturer. So, technically, if you’re driving a Range Rover, the official registration paperwork will describe it as a Land Rover Range Rover.
The confusion begins with Rover, a British company that started out building bicycles in the 1880s, then expanded into motorcycles. In 1901, Rover built its first automobile, and the company continued as an automotive brand until 2000. In 1948, the Rover company built its first four-wheel-drive vehicle, which was named Land Rover.
After several changes in ownership and management, Land Rover Ltd. was launched as its own standalone company in 1978. Through most of its history, Land Rover has also had a long relationship with Britain’s royal family.
From the end of World War II until the late 1960s, Rover built a single off-road utility vehicle, the Land Rover—often referred to as Series I, II, or III, and the precursor to the long-lived Land Rover Defender. In 1967, Rover began building prototypes for a large.
