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Along with the Rolls, the Bentley, the Jaguar, the MG and the black umbrella, nothing is more British than the Land Rover.  It’s just plain tragic that none of these automotive marques remain in the hands of the Brits.  But in a way, it’s comforting to note that the Tata Motors Group that now own the Jaguar Land Rover company is managed by Brits at the helm, Carl Peter Foster and is still made in the historic city of Solihull, West Midlands in England.  The highly iconic British automotive landmark remains as British as ever.

Styling Trucks

The Series History

The history of the Land Rover Series starts from its pioneering days at the Amsterdam car show in 1968. It was unveiled up to the time the Land Rover Series III ended its production run in 1983 to give way to the Land Rover 90, 110 and 127 that later became the Defender line.

The Landy, as the Land Rover was affectionately called, can be considered the father of the Sport Utility Vehicle or “SUV” dating back to post-war 1948 when the military wanted a similar all weather, all terrain, utilitarian vehicle to replace the ubiquitous Ford Wiley’s Jeep.

It did replace the jeep not only in the British army, but is virtually all the militaries of Northern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, Australia and South America.  You can even see variant of the Land Rover alongside the mighty Hummer in the US Army.  It actually saw combat as part of the personnel and ammunitions carrier in the Gulf War.

No other 4X4 vehicle is as versatile.  Starting with is bare-boned profile and ladder frame chassis,  its after market conversion kit allowed it to become an ambulance, a police car, a delivery van, a pick-truck, a family station wagon, a farm tractor, an amphibious military vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, a patrol car and even a street cleaner.

Since 1948, the basic spartan Land Rover profile remained unchanged even when the Series line has been ended. The Series I lasted for 10 years during which time its 2 liter engines and permanent 4WD system made the marque a favourite among explorers around the world and cemented its iconic place in the world of automobiles.

1958 saw the Series II with its first 2.25 litter petrol engine and a longer 10-12 seater station wagon version.  The Series IIA followed in 1967 with a larger engine that now featured the marque first 2.5 liter diesel engine.

This is the model considered by motorists as the most durable of the Series line with features that have strongly ingrained the Land Rover look and styling to the general public.  It was featured in the 1060 movie Born Free.  A year after, the Rover company was subsumed under the British Leyland Corporation were it celebrated its 20th anniversary. 

In 1971, the Land Rover Series III entered into production and would reign as the definitive Land Rover SUV until 1985, its last production year, a good two years after renaming the Series into the Defender line.

Land Rover Series History

Chevrolet is often called Chevy by those who love it. It’s an automobile brand that was recently acquired by General motors. Chevrolet is on of the most popular American cars, and in 2005 it sold more cars and trucks then it’s main rival – Ford.

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Chevrolet was co-founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. Louis Chevrolet was a Swiss racecar driver, who developed the design of the first Chevrolet. William Durant, was the man who actually founded General Motors, but was forced out of it in 1910. He wanted to use Louis Chevrolet’s unique designs to make his way back to the top of the automobile industry.

In 1911, Chevrolet and Durant entered the automobile market to compete with the Ford Model T. In 1914, the “Classic Six” Chevrolet started marketing a new model they called ” The Classic Six”. It was a 5-passenger touring sedan equipped with a 4.9 L, 6-cylinder engine capable of taking the car’s passengers to a “stunning” top speed of 15 miles per hour.

The first use of the Chevrolet logo we all know was in 1913. That logo is often called “the bowtie”.

In 1916, Chevrolet was enough a strong player to allow Durant to buy his way in to General Motors. After the deal was finalized in 1917, Durant was president of General Motors, and Chevrolet was merged into GM, becoming a separate division.

The sixties have been an exiting time for the Chevy. Here are some trivia details from those years:

In 1960 The Corvair sedan model hit the market. It was the first American production car with all-round independent suspension.

In 1962 Compact Chevy II Nova introduced. all-round independent suspension.

In 1963, one out of every ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet.

In 1964 the All-new, full-size Chevrolet features dramatic, flowing styling. Luxurious Caprice model introduced. Also in that year, Chevrolet is the first to build more then 3 million cars and trucks in one year.

1966 – Chevrolet unveils the Camaro as a 1967 model. It proves an instant hit — so much so that,

in a 2.2 million-car year, 10 percent of 1967 Chevrolet sales are Camaros.

1967 First Camaro SS version paces Indy 500. By now, the pony car phenomenon has captured the country’s imagination and Camaro is right there to grab it. A popular magazine says, “the youth quake in Detroit has brought a new generation of cars”

Chevrolet – A Piece of American History