Land-Rover: A little more than 50 years ago, on a rural Welsh farm, the idea was born of necessity and desperation. In a time of rebuilding and forced austerity, the durable goods industry in postwar Britain quickly found that it would not be able to survive purely off the scant purchases that were being made by British patrons. Consequently, several manufacturers, particularly those of automobiles, concluded that their futures, at least for the moment, would be dependent upon exportation. While this presented no problem for the sports car makers that had found favor with American GIs, the reserved Rover Company Limited, long accustomed to building respectable cars for the British upper middle-class, appeared to be drifting toward imminent doom as long as it relied upon its traditional products and clientele. To encourage its automakers to export as much product as possible, His Majesty's Government imposed rations on steel whereby those companies that sold more goods outside of Britain received more raw materials from which to build its products. In the meantime, a Rover engineer named Maurice Wilkes had purchased a surplus World War II Jeep that he had discovered to be ideally suited to any multitude of tasks on his farm in Wales. As with most decommissioned items, the Jeep had had its best miles driven out of it years before, leading Wilkes to ponder what he would do, other than buy another, when it required replacement. Suddenly, it all came together: he was an automotive engineer, he had found several areas where the Jeep's design could bettered and expanded upon and Rover was in dire need of a product that would increase sales abroad. Thus was born the Land-Rover. Featuring body panels of aluminium alloy to circumvent the British government's rationing of steel and razor-edged styling to prevent the need for complicated (and costly) dies and pressings, the Land-Rover was introduced to the public at the 1948 Amsterdam Auto Show. Although Rover initially planned for the Land-Rover to be made until both the British economy and demand for its customary products restabilized, this simple vehicle originally intended for agrarian use was soon seen going where no other vehicle had gone before and conquering the most remote reaches of the British Empire. Unexpectedly, the Land-Rover was an instant success very soon after it debuted and plans to discontinue the vehicle were soon abandoned in light of the hefty rosters of backorders. Rover simply could not produce enough Land-Rovers; in fact they never really have caught up with customer demand even to this day. After ten years, the restyled and slightly more rounded Series II appeared to replace the already venerable and slab-sided Series I. With hundreds of options available, a buyer could essentially order or build their Land-Rover to suit their particular needs and everything imaginable, from police vehicles to ambulances and fire trucks were being constructed on the rigid Land-Rover ladder frame. 1968 brought another stylistic change: the formerly well-protected headlamps were relocated outboard into the wings to satisfy various legal requirements in some of Land-Rover's many markets. However, the biggest news on the Land-Rover front was the introduction of the more upscale Range Rover in 1970 with its four-wheel disc brakes and 3.5 litre all-aluminium V8. For 1972, Land-Rover introduced the Series III which better integrated the styling changes made in 1968 while also upgrading the interior with more comfortable seating and gauges remounted to behind the steering wheel rather than in the center of the dash. After the Series III, Land-Rover development largely stagnated for the better part of a decade and in 1974 the plug was pulled on sales of Land-Rovers in the United States. In 1985, Land-Rover finally introduced a replacement for the Series III: the 90 and 110 featured an all-new coil spring suspension replacing the previously used leaf springs, front disc brakes to replace the four-wheel drums and even the option of power steering. While a great product, the new "coilers" simply could not stop the steady erosion the Japanese had wrought throughout the 1970s to the market once dominated by Land-Rover. Perhaps sensing the sport utility craze that would come to fruition during the 1990s, Land-Rover introduced the Range Rover to the United States after 17 years of production; in spite of its advanced age, it was still the best vehicle of its type in the world and it quite literally became an "overnight sensation" in car-crazed America. Not long thereafter, the Discovery and Defender joined Land-Rover's American product range to provide more market coverage and further penetration within the competitive SUV field. To document the history of the Land-Rover, several British toymakers
have produced a variety of diecast models through the years. The text that
follows serves as both an introduction and survey to those interested in
collecting 1:64 scale Land-Rover toys.
|
appear as if it had been pulled directly off the Serengeti Plain; nevertheless,
it was let down by unfortunate color choices. Early versions were painted
in an acceptable dark green; however, later versions appeared in a bright
blue which was later augmented by the metallic gold Superfast version.
Needless to say, Series I, II and IIA Land-Rovers were not offered by the
factory in metallic colors; however, special customers, such as members
of the royal family, would have been able to request any color they desired.
Even in light of this fact, the blue and gold paint schemes ruin the model's
authenticity.
|
 The next Corgi Junior Land-Rover to be offered
would be a much more conventional 109-inch wheelbase, late Series IIA Pickup.
Produced in civilian, military ambulance and tow truck versions, this model
remained a mainstay of the Corgi Juniors range for years.
And not to be forgotten, Impy made one of the most accurate Range Rover models ever offered. Although it had no interior, Impy's little Rangie was nearly perfectly proportioned and with it's dark-tinted window glazing, it looked almost exactly like what might be seen parked in front of Harrod's. Sold in civilian and police versions, this is one obscure model not to be overlooked. And here we end the Land-Rover tale for this month. In the near future, expect the story to continue with articles featuring models made by companies outside of the UK. 1:64 Scale Diecast Land-Rover models produced in Great Britian Benbros 34 Automobile Association Land-Rover References: Force, Dr. Edward. Corgi Toys. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing,
1984. |
After producing a multitude of variations based upon the
same couple of castings, it may seem somewhat curious that same company's
Husky and Corgi Juniors divisions would make several different small scale
Land-Rovers. The first of these was one of the most bizarre Land-Rover
models ever produced: the Forward Control Land-Rover was a modest success
for Rover which sold mainly to specialized markets, yet Husky offered two
variations of the vehicle for a number of years. Earlier castings are decidedly
better since they include the tiny wrap-around windows at the rear edges
of the cab (later eliminated) and because their baseplates were cast rather
than plastic
Originally available in metallic brown with an accompanying
horse trailer, Corgi Juniors' second Range Rover casting was a unique promotional
model for the James Bond film "Octopussy". For those who cannot
recall our hero's daring escape in the film's opening sequence, Bond jumps
from the open top Range Rover to the horse box where a miniature jet is
hidden. As the horse trailer remains stationary, a fake horse rump is lifted
out of the plane's path and 007 flies to safety while saving the entire
world one more time. Not widely available at the time of its release, an
intact James Bond set is even rarer today. Fortunately for Land-Rover completists,
Corgi later released the Range Rover convertible in red as a single model
without the horse box. As one of the most intriguing models ever produced
of a Range Rover (and yes, a few, real-life coachbuilding firms did actually
produce RR convertible conversions), either version of this model is definitely
worth seeking out for one's collection. It is shown above with the Series
II pick-up.
