http://oncewasengland.com/2011/06/17/th ... ollection/

The Land Rover Heritage Collection
There must have been a jolly rum-tumble at the Goat and Yurt the day some clever clogged yokel conceived the worlds first chariot. For on the steppes of ancient Mesopotamia was born a light, maneuverable vehicle, that went forth to drive a great empire. Hewn from oak and elm to withstand the stresses and strains of driving across a harsh and arid land, some five millennia later, a farmer-cum-designer in Solihull chopped a chip off the old block and crafted the ultimate go anywhere vehicle, the Land Rover.
Yours truly was cock-a-hoop at receiving an invitation to get behind the wheel of one of the first Landies at the companys Driver Training Experience, a plot of forest ensconced behind its factory gates. Mr. Roger Crathorne, Technical Communications chief of Land Rover, a company staffer of 50 years, knocked one bandy with his voluminous knowledge of the marque, as a pristine 1949 Series I and 1965 Series IIA were cranked up for play.
After WWII, having manufactured tank and aircraft engines for the MoD, Rover was left with a highly skilled workforce and a state of the art factory, but precious little work to keep it busy. A scarcity in the supply of steel demanded a stop gap product be
found to tide the company over, a vehicle with export appeal in particular for the colonies. Rovers technical director/ farmer Mr. Maurice Wilks owned a US army General Purpose GP (or Jeep), and emprised to build a more useful off-road utlity vehicle for farmers; to do those jobs that no ordinary vehicle could do. The first prototypes were tested in 1947, using existing Rover parts wherever possible. Body panels were fashioned with simple folds, minimizing the need for expensive new tooling and using aluminium in place of steel. A Rover P3 engine was popped under the hood and the vehicle was launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948, priced at Ŗ450 for the basic model. Rover had never previously exported a car and were struck dumb as their order books soon ran out of pages. Eight thousand Land Rovers were sold in the first year (overtaking the total sales of Rover cars). By jingo!
At the heart of the Land Rovers success was its adaptability which had not been engineered in its conception. Land Rovers were designed for pulling a harrow across a field, fording a stream or pulling a heavy load. It could be used as a light tractor, as a portable power unit (through its rear power source) and drive a chaff cutter or a thrashing machine. They were never intended to be used as fire engines, ambulances, police/ army/ rescue/ forestry or expedition vehicles, which they promptly were.
The first production Land Rover had a 4-cylinder petrol engine, producing 50 bhp @4000 rpm. Four-wheel drive gave the vehicle maximum traction and a light chassis and non-corrodible aluminium sheet body kept it light and nimble. The Land Rover was easily serviceable, dependable and indestructible. It could conquer the roughest ground and survive the harshest weather conditions. It could also be driven on normal roads.
Sixty years after its launch, the Land Rover is immortal. Its slab sided design is timeless, its reputation peerless. And though it has spawned many a younger imitator, it still remains the leanest dog for the hardest road. Mr. Churchill treasured his, the Queen still drives her 1950′s Series I at Balmoral and Once Was wouldnt give a sausage for any other 4×4. Pedigree indeed!
With the keys to the 49 Landie in hand and snaking dirt tracks beckoning, its time to double de-clutch and say tah-tah. Which is the way to the Goat and Yurt?
Solihull Land Rover Experience
