Celebrating 60 Years of Land Rover
Recollecting Land Rover – book celebrates Land Rover’s 60th anniversary year
Land Rover celebrates at 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed – 40ft above ground
60th anniversary Defender SVX special edition
Land Rover donates 60 vehicles to the Red Cross
Photo exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society
Portraits of Adventure
Prince of Wales Celebrates with Land Rover
Recollecting Land Rover – book celebrates Land Rover’s 60th anniversary year
Land Rover’s heritage is captured through the eyes of its
longest-serving employee Roger Crathorne in its special anniversary
book ‘Born in Lode Lane’.
Written by one of Britain's best known
motoring journalists, Gavin Green, the book brings together
'behind-the-scenes' recollections of Land Rover's history and anecdotes
from the man affectionately known as ‘Mr Land Rover’.
Roger
Crathorne, a Land Rover employee of over 45 years was born in April
1947 in Solihull Hospital, one mile away from what was to become Land
Rover's historic manufacturing plant on Lode Lane – the same month that
the Wilks Brothers conceived the first ever Land Rover vehicle. Having
served as an engineer for 15 years, he is now widely regarded as one of
the best off-road Land Rover drivers and instructors and is expert in
demonstrating the vehicles' all-terrain capabilities.
He has
trained Royalty, was integrally involved in the development of the
original Range Rover, turned off-road driving into a science and
travelled all four corners of the globe – from the muddy tracks of
Eastnor Castle, to central American volcanoes and the Sahara sand
hills. Some of his amazing stories have been brought to life in 'Born
in Lode Lane'.
The book is interspersed with interviews
undertaken by Roger with the likes of Phil Popham, Spen King, the
Father of the Range Rover, and renowned explorer and adventurer, Sir
Ranulph Fiennes – all of which provide a unique insight into Land
Rover's past 60 years and into its future.
Priced at £12.50 and available through Lookers Land Rover, proceeds from the book are donated to the British Red Cross.
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Land Rover celebrates at 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed – 40ft above ground
Land Rover made an impact at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed in
July with its 40ft raw steel rock structure featuring five of its
vehicles to celebrate its 60th anniversary year.
Gerry Judah's
largest and most impressive Central Display structure was positioned
directly in front of Goodwood House, was designed to capture Land
Rover’s ‘any terrain’ essence.
As 2008’s featured marque at the
Festival, Land Rover showcased its past, present and future. The first
ever pre-production Land Rover from 1948, affectionately known as HUE,
was on display alongside the current product line-up, the Defender SVX
Limited Edition – launched to mark the milestone anniversary – and the
acclaimed LRX concept cross-coupe – a bold evolution of Land Rover
design that signals the brand's future direction.
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60th anniversary Defender SVX special edition
The 60th anniversary Defender SVX special edition models are the
most stylish and feature-packed versions that Land Rover has ever
produced.
With metallic black paintwork, the Defender SVX is
available in the UK in 90 soft-top and station wagon versions. Each
model is also fitted with an individually numbered plaque, i.e. 001.
New exterior features include a restyled grille surround, tubular
side-steps, alloy wheels, reinforced aluminium front undershield,
clear-lens headlamps and LED reverse/rear fog lights. The soft-top
model is especially eye-catching, with a metallic silver tubular cage
that supports a tailor-made, removable black fabric hood.
Inside,
the SVX is equipped with custom-designed Recaro front seats,
distinctive alloy gear knobs, a new audio system (with subwoofer and
USB socket), iPod compatibility and Garmin satellite navigation.
Only 300 SVX vehicles will be available in the UK, with a total of 1800 produced worldwide. Prices start from £30,495.
The Land Rover Defender SVX was unveiled by Zara Phillips at the British Red Cross Ball last year.
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Land Rover donates 60 vehicles to the Red Cross
As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, Land Rover is donating 60
vehicles to the British Red Cross Society and its sister national
societies around the world.
The vehicles were officially handed over to the President of the Red Cross, HRH The Prince of Wales, during a garden party at Buckingham Palace. This year also marks the 100th
anniversary of the Royal Charter being granted to The British Red Cross
by HM King Edward VII.
Half of the donated vehicles will be taken across the globe where they will deliver vital supplies and emergency response personnel to those in desperate need. This includes natural disaster operations such as cyclones, floods and earthquakes. National societies in Sierra Leone, Lesotho and Mongolia are among those who will receive vehicle donations to ensure they can access rural and harsh-terrain territories.
The remainder of the donated vehicles will be dispersed throughout the UK to help with
regional operations such as local flooding, off-road emergencies and public events. Some of these Land Rovers will undergo minor ambulance conversions and will be fitted with emergency vehicle equipment as well as stretchers and medical kits.
The donation is an addition to Land Rover's commitment to raise over £1m for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies during the course of the next two Land Rover G4 Challenge events.
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Photo exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society
A collection of 60 photographs that represent the spirit of adventure has been brought together for a special exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London, to celebrate Land Rover's 60th anniversary this year.
The exhibition, called Portraits of Adventure, runs from 22 July to 3 August.
Portraits of Adventure includes 50 rarely seen archive images from leading landscape, portrait, action and travel photographers, as well as 10 specially commissioned giant four-metre high portraits by top British photographer Alastair Thain, featuring adventurous personalities such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Zara Phillips.
Over 3,000 photographs were researched to find the chosen 50 archive pieces. These include images of explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and mountaineer Todd Skinner, as well as some more surprising takes on the idea of an adventurous spirit, including Marilyn Monroe, a New York cab driver, David Beckham and a group of UN peace-keepers.
The photographs span the last 60 years and have been taken in many countries across the globe.
The exhibition is accompanied by a large-format coffee table book containing all the images, and proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to benefit the British Red Cross.
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Portraits of Adventure
22nd July – 3rd August 2008
Monday-Friday 10am-5pm
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
1 Kensington Gore
London
SW7 2AR
Located in Kensington on the junction between Exhibition Road and Kensington Gore, the main entrance is on Exhibition Road.
Nearest tube: South Kensington
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Prince of Wales Celebrates with Land Rover
Land Rover welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales at the company's factory in Solihull in May as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations.
The Prince of Wales, who also celebrates his 60th birthday later this year, cut a specially designed Land Rover shaped birthday cake and unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. The cake was donated to Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Members of key engineering projects over the years were present as The Prince of Wales was given an overview of the manufacturing process at the plant. A number of historic and iconic Land Rovers were on show including HUE 166, the first Land Rover, and a Range Rover Classic used by the Prince himself.
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