The Range Rover arrived 45 years ago today

[nggallery id=2123 template=customlinks]

Forty-five years ago today the first Range Rover was revealed to the world’s media, and delivered the world’s first luxury SUV in the process. Land Rover are celebrating.

The world without a Range Rover would be a poorer place; despite the efforts of rival car makers to make a car that matches the prowess and appeal of the luxury off-roader from Land Rover, none have really succeeded.

So it’s fitting that Land Rover celebrates yet another milestone for the Range Rover, with today being the 45th anniversary of the reveal of the very first Range Rover on 17 June 1970.

Aimed more at Gentleman Farmers than celebs in Cheshire, the first Range Rover gave this small niche segment a car they could drive round their farms and estates and still use it to go the The Club or off to meetings, with nothing more than a quick hose down.

But in that 45 years, the Range Rover has turned in to the must-have car for anyone with enough money to not think too hard about dropping up to £150k on a car, a sum that would seem incredible to buyers of that first Range Rover. But to modern buyers, the Range Rover has become a Bentley on stilts (until the Bentley SUV arrives), and as such is almost a bargain.

The Range Rover Generations

First Generation Range Rover (1970-1994)

The first Generation Range Rover – now referred to as the Classic Range Rover – only had two doors, but it had 4WD, disc brakes and an aluminium V8 engine.

The Classic lasted for 25 years, and by 1981 it was available with four doors, got an auto ‘box option in 1982 and a diesel engine option in 1986.

Second Generation Range Rover (1994-2001)

The P38a – the MK 2 Range Rover – delivered the start of proper luxury for the Range Rover as well as better on-road ability. It also introduced features like the clamshell bonnet and split tailgate that survive to this day.

Technical improvements included height adjustable suspension and increased engine options, with a 2.7 litre diesel available alongside 3.9 and 4.6 litre versions of the petrol V8.

Third Generation Range Rover (2001-2012)

The third generation of the Range Rover is when it became the car we know today, with huge improvements (thanks to BMW’s money) including a luxury interior that was the match of many luxury cars.

By 2010, the Range Rover had gone all Atari too, with virtual instruments replacing the traditional dials, the arrival of the split-screen infotainment screen and more appealing engines – the 4.2 litre V8 and the 3.6 litre diesel – which eventually turned in to the 5.0 litre Supercharged and 4.4 litre diesel V8 we still see today.

Fourth Generation Range Rover (2012- )

That brings us to the latest Range Rover, a car that manages to take all that has gone before, retains its design familiarity and technical prowess, but takes it to another level, literally in terms of price with the latest SVAutobiography costing £150,000.

Engine options now include hybrid, 3.0 litre V6 diesel, 4.4 litre V8 diesel and 5.0 litre Supercharged V8 with up to 542bhp.

Happy 45th Birthday, Range Rover.