The Range Rover... 40, not out

Land Rover

Unless you've been sleeping for the last few decades, you'll know what a Range Rover is.

To many in South Africa it is a symbol of nouveau riche excess, the kind of car you buy if you're a 'tenderpreneur' or if you've recently won the Lotto. To others it represents the pinnacle of all-round automotive capability, the car you'd own if the law dictated that you were only allowed to have a single vehicle.

But for the last four decades (it officially turned 40 on June 17) it has undoubtedly represented the best of current technology, styling and luxury, pioneering a number of firsts when it comes to making a 4x4 which is also capable on tarmac and suitable for driving day in and day out.

I have a couple of happy memories with the first generation version: the first, aged about 12 or 13, revolves around being transported to Kyalami for a big race day - by a wealthy family friend. I was in awe, as one tends to be at that age, and loved that feeling of being high above the masses as we rolled imperiously towards the track.

Some years later, I was in France and en route to the Le Mans 24-Hour, squeezed into the back of an early three-door Range Rover - which had been kitted out as a Paris-Dakar pursuit vehicle (an event to which the Range Rover was once closely aligned) which meant no rear seats and only a steel roll cage on which to rest my head. But the sheer presence of it, complete with rumbling V8 and performance exhaust, has stuck in my mind for the last two decades.

Phil Popham, Land Rover's managing director had this to say: "Land Rover has a history of product innovation but the Range Rover probably remains the most historically significant vehicle we have ever launched. It is one of the most important vehicles in the history of motoring."

He may well be right and it was the first fully capable luxury 4x4 and a milestone in the development of the SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle). There have been three generations of Range Rover. The original, now known as the Classic, went on sale in 1970 and continued in production, with numerous upgrades and a multiplicity of variants, for just over 25 years.

The second-generation vehicle, known as the P38a, went on sale in 1994 and was replaced in 2001 by the current model. The continuing success of the Range Rover ensured that other premium makers jumped into the booming luxury SUV market. The latest version has enjoyed higher annual sales than any previous models and continues to be popular around the world.

"The Range Rover is really four vehicles in one," says Popham. "It's a seven-days-a-week luxury motor car; a leisure vehicle that will range far and wide; a high performance car for long distance travel; and a working cross-country vehicle."

A brief history of the Range Rover

1966 Work began on the first Range Rover prototype, known as the '100-inch station wagon'.
1970 The original two-door Range Rover - known as the Classic - goes on sale.
1971 Range Rover receives the RAC Dewar award for outstanding technical achievement.
1974 Range Rover completes west to east Sahara desert expedition - 7,500 miles in 100 days.
1977 A modified Range Rover wins the 4x4 class in the London-Sydney Marathon, a gruelling 30,000 km (18,750 miles) event and the longest ever speed-based car rally.
1979 A specially modified Range Rover wins the first Paris-Dakar rally (a Range Rover wins again in 1981).
1981 First production four-door Range Rover appears.
1982 Automatic transmission becomes available.
1983 Range Rover 5-speed manual gearbox is introduced.
1985 The diesel-powered Range Rover 'Bullet' breaks 27 speed records, including a diesel record for averaging more than 100 mph for 24 hours.
1987 Range Rover launched in North America.
1989 Range Rover is the world's first 4x4 to be fitted with ABS anti-lock brakes.
1992 Range Rover Classic is the world's first 4x4 to be fitted with electronic traction control (ETC).
Long-wheelbase LSE (known as County LWB in the US) launched.
Automatic electronic air suspension introduced, a world first for a 4x4.
1994 Second-generation (P38a) Range Rover goes on sale.
1996 Range Rover Classic bows out after total production of 317 615 units.
1999 Limited Edition Range Rover Linley appears at London Motor Show.
2001 All-New Range Rover (L322) launched.
2002 Half-millionth Range Rover produced.
2005 Second model line - the Range Rover Sport - launched.
2006 Terrain Response and TDV8 diesel introduced.
2009 Range Rover features all-new LR-V8 5.0 and 5.0 supercharged petrol engines and technology updates.
2010 Range Rover celebrates its 40th anniversary.

From princes to politicians, from rock gods to rock climbers, from footballers to fashion models, the Range Rover has always appealed to celebrity owners. They have included:

  • The Queen, who had one of the very first production Classics. She has also owned second- and third-generation models.
  • Prince Charles, who has had his latest Range Rover converted to run on biodiesel.
  • Princess Anne.
  • Prince Andrew.
  • Prince Rainier of Monaco, owner of an early Classic.
  • President Bongo of Gabon, one of the first Classic customers.
  • Johnny Cash, the country music legend, whose Classic appeared in a French production of The Jungle Book. It was matt black embellished all over with brightly coloured hand-painted jungle plants and animals.
  • James Bond. Range Rovers have appeared in many 007 films, but in Quantum of Solace, James Bond (Daniel Craig) drove a Range Rover Sport in the Bolivian desert.
  • Peter Sellers. The British comedian was one of many celebrities in the '70s and '80s who drove customised Wood and Pickett-modified Range Rovers. They were more luxuriously specified than the contemporary Range Rover, and were precursors of the Range Rover Vogue model.
  • Madonna. Her wedding car at Skibo Castle in Scotland was a second-generation Range Rover. She and Guy Ritchie also owned a Range Rover Sport.
  • Pope John Paul II. The Pontiff's 'popemobile' was a converted Classic, featuring bullet proof glass.
  • Billy Connolly, comedian and Range Rover Classic owner.
  • Paul McCartney, ex-Beatle and Classic owner.
  • Bruce Springsteen, rock god, and The Boss.
  • David Gower had a special edition CSK Range Rover. He now has a new Series Three.
  • Michael Phelps, winner of 14 Olympic gold medals, and perhaps the greatest swimmer of all time.
  • Jane Fonda, actress and Classic owner.
  • Michael J Fox, actor and Classic driver.
  • Rod Stewart, pop star.
  • Jennifer Aniston, actress, best known as Rachel in Friends.
  • Michael Jackson had a number of Range Rovers, including a Classic. When he died, the Jackson family travelled to the funeral in a convoy of 10 black Range Rovers.
  • Bruce Willis, star of Die Hard, a Classic and third-generation Range Rover.
  • Jack Nicholson, actor.
  • Midge Ure, Ultravox frontman, owner of 'tatty old Range Rover' (a Classic).
  • Mike Tyson, retired boxer and former world heavyweight champ.
  • Jeremy Clarkson. The Top Gear star owns a Range Rover and recently proclaimed it 'best car in the world' in The Sunday Times.
  • The Sultan of Brunei. One-time 'richest man in the world' has many Range Rovers, including a custom-made gold-plated model for official ceremonies.
  • David Beckham, frequently photographed behind the wheel of his Range Rover Sport.
  • Meg Ryan, actress.
  • Richard Branson, Virgin boss and owner of second- and third-generation models.
  • Britney Spears, singer.
  • Angelina Jolie, actress. In the first Lara Croft Tomb Raider movie, she drove a Land Rover Defender.
  • Miley Cyrus, star of Hannah Montana.
  • Pamela Anderson, actress.
  • Greg Norman, golfer.
  • Michael Douglas, actor.
  • Michael Jordan, basketball legend.
  • Keira Knightley, actress.
  • Nicole Kidman, Australian actress.
  • Tom Cruise, actor.
  • Hilary Duff, actress, best known in TV series Lizzie McGuire, and singer.
  • Eva Longoria, TV star, best known for Desperate Housewives.
  • Kiefer Sutherland, actor, son of Donald, and star of TV series 24.
  • Gwen Stefani, singer and fashion designer.
  • Dr Mae Jemison, former astronaut.
  • Lee Pearson, Paralympic athlete, winner of nine gold medals in dressage events.
  • Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio.
  • Sonya Kraus, German TV presenter, former ballerina and fashion designer.

...and many more!