The evolution from royal favourite to luxury global icon

IN THE rarified air of celebrities, royals and moguls, in the star-studded streets of Hollywood and in manicured estates, the Range Rover is a constant in their choice of vehicle.

- Willem van de Putte [e-mail]

I doubt many of them, except perhaps British royalty, are aware of its illustrious history and the fact that this year sees the 55th anniversary of the iconic luxury Land Rover marque.

Many have followed, but when it was first revealed on June 17, 1970, it was the world’s first vehicle that combined a proper 4x4 with luxury, comfort and refinement.

Stayed true

As the times have changed, so has Range Rover, including its vehicle portfolio, but it has stayed true to the ethos first envisioned as a luxury SUV with exceptional all-terrain capability.

So too has the design, but it’s always been eye-catching, and while beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, I have always maintained that Range Rover is the embodiment of beautiful car design and no other manufacturer makes an SUV that can compare.

There aren’t many cars that can boast an exhibition as an icon of great industrial design in the Louvre shortly after it was launched or as recently as April, at Milan Design week, with an immersive “Futurespective” installation which transported visitors on a cinematic journey between two distinct eras, bookending its history.

But it almost was not to be.

A very British car

Despite misgivings from some senior Land Rover engineers, Spen King, nephew of Land Rover founders Maurice and Spencer Wilks, forged ahead with his idea that 4x4s could and should be far more refined and comfortable than existed back in the late ‘60s.