A Short History of the Land Rover Defender The Land Rover Defender was the vehicle that effectively kept the original Land Rover from being made hopelessly obsolescent by the new generation of Japanese four wheel drives, most notably the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Nissan Patrol. The Series I, II and III Land Rover was limited…
The Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40 was the diesel variant of the J40 series, with its better known sibling the FJ40 being fitted with a petrol engine. The J40 series of 4x4s had a remarkable 40+ year production run that started in 1960 and didn’t end until the last factory building them closed down in Brazil…
Introduction to the Range Rover Classic When it was first introduced in 1970 the Range Rover immediately caught the motoring public’s attention because it represented the addition of something that had been largely missing from the world of 4×4 vehicles – luxury. With the Range Rover the British nailed the concept of the comfortable 4×4, and created a…
Introduction The Land Rover Series I was never expected to be a sales success. When it was first introduced it was not expected to be in production for more than three years and had you told Rover executives and planners that it would wildly outsell their line of prestigious luxury cars for decades into the…
Autobiography of a Jeep is a relatively short film at just under 10 minutes in length, it was created in 1943 during the Second World War by United Films to show young GIs how the Jeep had come about, and also to instill a certain amount of affection in their hearts for the little 4×4. It’s…
The Ford Bronco Half Cab was a rare version off the iconic 4×4, just 2,317 were built in 1969, as the overwhelming majority of buyers opted for the slightly more practical wagon body style. Officially called the Bronco Sport Utility Pickup, the motoring public quickly nicknamed it the “Half Cab”, and today this is the…
A 50 Year Adventure is a documentary about one of the world’s most famous, and most successful 4×4 manufacturers – Land Rover. The film shows the story of the development of the first Land Rover in the years shortly after WWII, it offers a detailed glimpse into its origins including some fascinating early footage. The toughness and…
The Story of the East Coast Defender Project 13 The Land Rover Defender 90 shown here has been through a full tear-down and rebuilt at the hands of East Coast Defenders – it was commissioned by professional Major Soccer League player Servando Carrasco and his Olympic soccer star wife, gold medalist Alex Morgan. They worked closely with the…
The Jeep Wagoneer is credited by many with being the first luxury SUV, long before the term SUV was created, and decades before the genre became one of the most popular in the automotive world. It stayed in production from 1962 till 1991 – an astonishing 28 years, and the third longest production run in…
The Land Rover first appeared in the years just after WWII, resources were strictly rationed in the United Kingdom and practicality was cherished above all else. The initial concept was to take the best elements of a tractor and blend them with the best elements of the Jeep – creating a vehicle that could be used on…
The Lamborghini LM 002 was the first production 4×4 built by the Italian supercar (and tractor) builder, it was based on their 1977 Cheetah 4×4 prototype which had been intended for military use – with a rear mounted Chrysler V8. It’s not known how well-formed the plan was for a Lamborghini-badged military vehicle, although it’s clear…
The Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser is one of the major players from the world of civilian 4x4s that began mass production after WWII – a time when the original Jeep had introduced 4x4s to millions of young men around the world. The first J40 series Toyotas began rolling off the production line in 1960, they were…
