Land Rover: The Story of the Car that Conquered the World

Land Rover: The Story of the Car that Conquered the World
Ben Fogle

Sunday Times Bestseller

As quintessentially British as a plate of fish and chips or a British Bulldog, the boxy, utilitarian Land Rover Defender has become an iconic part of what it is to be British.

It is said that for more than half the world's population, the first car they ever saw was a Land Rover Defender. It mirrors many of our national traits, stiff upper-lipped and slightly eccentric. The car has remained relatively unchanged for nearly seven decades and has spawned an industry that includes dozens of publications, car shows, clubs, associations and even model car collectors who dedicate their lives to the Land Rover.

To understand this national love affair, Ben has travelled the length of the British Isles in a Defender, spending time with fellow Land Rover enthusiasts: from visiting Colonel Blashford-Snell, who crossed the jungles of the Darien Gap, to patrolling the streets of Belfast with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Ben has met folk who have converted their beloved Defenders into everything from hearses and coffee shops to works of art and fire trucks. He has travelled from the Red Wharf in Anglesey, Wales onto the Western Isles of Scotland and Islay, the island used as a testing ground by Spencer Wilks in 1947 to put several of the early Series Land Rover prototypes through their paces.

After 67 years and 2 million vehicles the Land Rover Defender has ceased production, and this book is a fitting tribute to this most British institution which has stood as a beacon of durability and Britishness across the world. Every Land Rover has its own unique story to tell. This is the story of the world's favourite car.

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COPYRIGHT (#u600bbff9-72a4-5bdd-9169-ef60e95d018e)

William Collins

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This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2016

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Text © Ben Fogle 2016

Photographs © Individual copyright holders

While every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material, the author and publisher would be grateful to be notified of any errors or omissions in the above list that can be rectified in future editions of this book.

Ben Fogle asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

Cover photographs: bottom © Matthew Ward/Getty Images; top © JLR Ltd

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9780008194222

Ebook Edition © October 2016 ISBN: 9780008194239

Version: 2017-05-04

DEDICATION (#u600bbff9-72a4-5bdd-9169-ef60e95d018e)

To Willem

CONTENTS

COVER (#ua373c521-0f6b-5cc4-8ea2-8fa578d0ae52)

TITLE PAGE (#u0d86f0e5-8efb-5735-abab-280ef2208c34)

COPYRIGHT (#ua4588aff-88fe-51d6-b370-4a018b46df88)

DEDICATION (#ubc94af9a-fa1f-5771-82e4-c4d9d8951819)

PROLOGUE (#u6e1f7b50-1f50-5716-9ce9-74530553dc58)

INTRODUCTION (#ua2680a11-962f-5341-ba17-223c78801860)

Chapter One: A LOVE STORY (#u6ef341c2-6c08-5fa7-ba13-2108aa65b5f3)

HISTORY OF THE LAND ROVER – PART I (#ua99b52a3-2d0c-5d91-a6fb-b64ca0fa2d02)

Chapter Two: THE RANGE OF ROVER (#u4b42d9f5-6e3d-5a0e-ac24-0a4a23f9e628)

HISTORY OF THE LAND ROVER – PART II (#u11276a67-a658-5498-b9b0-9209c6493dd2)

Chapter Three: RIOT ROVER (#u10ee57bf-5cf6-5530-808d-8384704faebf)

HISTORY OF THE LAND ROVER – PART III (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Four: FIGHTING ROVER (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five: KAHN AND THE ART OF LAND ROVER MAINTENANCE (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six: WEIRD ROVER (#litres_trial_promo)

HISTORY OF THE LAND ROVER – PART IV (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven: CRUISIN’ FOR A BRUISIN’ (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight: LANDED ROVER (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine: DEFENDER OF THE LAND (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten: MARLEY AND ME (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven: SEA ROVER (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve: LAND ROVER HEAVEN (#litres_trial_promo)