World Land Rover Day is 30 April 2018 – and here’s a Defender in SNOW ART for starters

Jaguar Land Rover has announced they’re declaring 30 April 2018 World Land Rover Day, 70 years on from the first Land Rover arriving. And they’ve chosen ‘Snow Art’ to kick things off.

It’s April already, and we’ve really not had a huge amount from Land Rover to mark their 70th anniversary yet. 

Yes, we’re going to see one of the original Land Rover launch cars from 1948 restored by JLR Classic, and we’ve had the arrival of the Defender V8 Works. But nothing on a properly grand scale.

But now JLR has gone from relatively low key celebrations of the Land Rover’s arrival in 1948 to a declaration that 30 April 2018 is World Land Rover Day. So now you know.

To kick things off, Land Rover got ‘Snow Artist’ Simon Beck to create an outline of the Defender at 2,700m up the French Alps at La Plagne, creating an outline 250m wide taking 20,894 steps in the process.

Of course, the whole point of the ‘Snow Art’ take on the Defender is to emulate the drawing in the sand by Maurice Wilks of what would eventually become the Defender in the sand of Red Wharf Bay, a trick Land Rover also used to mark the Defender going out of production, but then it was a 1km wide drawing made by Defenders in the Anglesey sand.

Land Rover say they invite fans around the world to join celebrations on World Land Rover Day for an online broadcast to see those who created the Land Rover, and see what makes Land Rover’s products tick – from the original ‘Series’ cars to the 1970 Range Rover and 1989 Discovery.

Ralph Speth, JLR CEO, said:

Land Rover is an iconic brand around the world and the outline of the Defender is instantly recognisable. To reach the landmark of 70 years is truly special and we will mark it with a year of celebrations that represents Land Rover’s ‘Above and Beyond’ spirit and honours the people behind the world’s favourite SUVs.