The Range Rover first took to the road in 1970, when the Land Rover, hitherto famous for its rough-terrain work/adventure properties, underwent a marvellous metamorphosis resulting from an improbable mix of robust, off-road, four-wheel-drive ruggedness, high-tech innovation and chic luxury. The practical, all-terrain, farmers'-friend vehicle acquired a more gracious silhouette and started cruising the tarmac in grand style: the Range Rover, the first SUV, had arrived.

Range Rover roots: the first Land Rover

The Land Rover, a heavy-duty work vehicle, was created by Rover engineers Maurice and Spencer Wilks in 1948. The original design was based on the US Army Jeep; Maurice Wilks admired its toughness and practicality. He adopted its basic form, eliminated many defects, substantially improved the design and came up with a high-performing utility vehicle. His enthusiasm was such that, impatient to launch the new car construction project, he first illustrated his design idea in the sand at Anglesey where the brothers were on holiday in 1947.

The Range Rover "In Vogue"

Fast forward twenty years: the highly innovative Range Rover makes its début in 1970, dumbfounding the sector with its super-luxury, high-comfort interiors and state-of-the-art options, alongside its tough, ready-for-anything yet elegant exterior and 4x4 all-terrain characteristics. The Range Rover's top-notch performance, equally outstanding both on the road and off it, assured its success. During the 1970s, technological innovations, such as electronic traction control, in addition to the constant updating of systems and materials (the first all-aluminium SUV is a fourth generation Range Rover), kept the Range Rover in a top-of-the-market position, appreciated for its heavy-duty sturdiness, up-to-the-minute safety features and reliable high performance. Its appeal started spreading to fashionable circles when a Range Rover prototype appeared in a lavish photographic layout in the high-fashion magazine "Vogue" in 1981. The new model was consequently officially named the "In Vogue" Range Rover and came to be regarded as the quintessence of motoring high-style. By 1983, its posh-appeal was well consolidated; it became the trend-setting vehicle of the moment. The first generation Range Rover (later renamed Range Rover Classic to distinguish it from later models) was produced between 1970-1996.

Some very special Range Rovers

Completely bulletproof: two of the three pope-mobiles constructed for the Pope's UK visit in 1982 were custom-built Range Rovers. Equally important, a majority of ambulances all across the UK were Range Rover based and, from 1971 to 1993, both Land Rovers and Range Rovers were widely adopted by constabulary and police forces. The TACR2 (Truck fire-fighting Air Crash Rescue) was a custom-built six-wheeled Range Rover employed for first-response emergency services and used by the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and fire brigades.