Sameway 631

631
2021 LAND ROVER
DEFENDER P400S
William Leong
The US military Jeep had
been produced during WW2
in answer to army demand for
an all-terrain vehicle. British
Rover admired the concept
and saw an opportunity. They
inspected some examples of
the Jeep, went to work, then
responded with their own
leaf-spring suspension, steel
ladder chassis, aluminium
body version. This came on the
market in April 1948, not too
long after the US Jeep itself
appeared as a mass produced
consumer item in 1945.
The first Land Rover was
known by series number and
wheel base size in inches, e.g.
Series1 – 90, 110 or 130, and
evolved into the renamed
'Defender', which appeared
in 1984, with innovative coil
spring suspension. As well as
a popular consumer item, the
vehicle was mass adopted by
armed forces worldwide, rescue
services, emergency vehicles,
police and governments,
including the Australian
Military.
Lane Rover endured through
some periods of British industrial
hardship and several changes of
ownership, UK Rover to German
BMW to US Ford and finally to
present owners, the Indian Tata
Group, which formed a Jaguar/
Land Rover subsidiary.
The Land Rover evolved over
time, but being conceived as an allterrain
vehicle, management didn't
worry too much about meeting
evolving regulations until it had to,
since fans were more concerned
with utilitarian purpose and
abilities, and willing to overlook
safety factors.
Finally, however, with
continuing difficulties, first being
banned in the US from 1996 over
safety and other regulations, then
later troubles in Europe, it became
obvious that a major overhaul was
required, and production stopped
after the last unit left the UK
Midlands facility on 29 January
2016.
In September 2019 an allnew
Defender, completely
redesigned with no original
parts, manufactured in Slovakia,
SAMEWAY ISSUE 631 P. 20 09.04.2021