Range Rover SUVs: books - history and models

Range Rover - The Creators of an Icon - Origins and History of the Marque, Design & Development of Early Models

This book is a personal memoir by Graham Bannock, reflecting on his time at the Rover Company in the late 1950s and 1960s, during the development of the Range Rover.

Contents:
- Introduction
- The Pearl in the Oyster: Origins of the Range Rover
- Earlier History
- How it Was: Solihull in the 1960s
- Across Africa: Travels in Sudan and Ethiopia
- Journeys in North America, Europe, and Africa
- Renaissance
Appendices:
- Rover's Finances (by Graham Bannock and Alan Doran)
- Rover Gas Turbines (by Graham Bannock and James Taylor)
- Internal Memoranda
- Bibliography

Information

Police Range Rovers - A Fifty Year Story

This book presents the complete history of the Range Rover in UK police service from 1971 to today, making it one of the longest-serving police vehicles.

It details the introduction of the Range Rover into law enforcement, the competition from other vehicles, its markings, and its various roles over the past 50 years. The book also highlights specific models used by different UK police forces.

Additionally, it features preserved ex-police Range Rovers that are now considered historic vehicles. With over 300 photographs, many published for the first time, this book provides a unique insight into the Range Rover's role in policing.

Information

Range Rover

When the Range Rover was introduced in 1970, it quickly gained attention. Its combination of elegant design, excellent off-road capability, and comfort on paved roads created a new driving experience. The Louvre Museum in Paris even displayed it as an example of industrial design. Today, fifty years later, the Range Rover remains highly sought after.

In this detailed book, Rover expert James Taylor explores all Range Rover models, from the original 1970s classic to the latest fifth-generation version. He highlights Land Rover's engineering achievements in creating a vehicle equally suited for rough terrain and city streets. The book also traces how the Range Rover evolved into a luxury status symbol.

Information

The Range Rover Story

The original Range Rover, introduced in 1970, pioneered the luxury SUV market. Designed with limited resources, it was the first four-wheel-drive vehicle to offer both off-road capability and on-road comfort, setting a new standard in automotive design.

"The Range Rover Story" provides a clear and concise account of the vehicle's history, highlighting its development and impact. It traces the journey from the early ideas of a small team of engineers to the global success of the Range Rover.

Information

Making the Range Rover Legend: The 1971-72 British Trans-Americas Expedition

In 1971/72, a British Army team embarked on a challenging journey to drive the entire Pan-American Highway, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. A key obstacle was the Darién Gap, a 200-mile stretch of dense jungle in Panama and Colombia, where no road existed. The British Trans-America Expedition took nearly 100 days to navigate this terrain, using two Range Rovers to drive, winch, and float across the wilderness.

Although previous expeditions in 1960 and 1961 had crossed the Darién Gap using different vehicles, the British team was the first to complete the full journey from Alaska to Argentina. Their success cemented the Range Rover's reputation as a capable and durable SUV, just a year after its launch.

This book explores the history of the Darién region and the early expeditions that paved the way for the 1971/72 challenge. It includes first-hand accounts from the team - six soldiers and two Rover engineers - along with rare photographs, maps, and commemorative materials.

Information

La dynastie Range Rover

The Range Rover, often called the "Rolls" of off-road vehicles, has enjoyed continuous success since its launch in June 1970. However, its development was lengthy. As early as 1952, Maurice Wilks, head of Rover, considered transforming the Land Rover into a more luxurious vehicle.

The first attempt used a modified Rover P4 chassis with a 60-horsepower Land Rover engine but was abandoned. At the time, British vehicles remained specialized: the Land Rover for the countryside, the limousine for the city.

In the 1950s, the leisure vehicle market grew in the United States, reigniting Rover's interest in a high-end 4x4. There, the brand found its ideal engine: an all-aluminum V8. The project took shape in 1966. Unlike American SUVs, the Range Rover embraced British elegance. Initially called "Road Rover, " it was soon renamed "Range Rover."

Today, despite strong competition, it remains an off-road icon, synonymous with quality and an exclusive automotive lifestyle - far beyond just city driving.

This richly illustrated French book describes the history of the Range Rover. It covers the development and construction of the different models since 1970. Includes many illustrations, mostly in color.

Information