The idea of a Road Rover – a genuine crossover between a Land Rover and a Rover – goes right back to 1951, when the first mock-up was created by Rover’s owners, the Wilks brothers.
They employed a shortened Rover road car chassis and flat aluminium panels, like the Land Rover itself, to create their first, rather ungainly station wagon prototype. Although not an instant hit in the Rover development garage, the idea of developing a more luxurious car than the spartan Land Rover Series was sound enough to remain on the developmental backburner.
By 1956, the idea had matured into another three-door, high-roofed estate car, but one that was longer and significantly more stylish. Eventually, the 1956 Road Rover developed into at least nine running prototypes and was pencilled in for production in 1960.
However, the Road Rover never made it to production. Still, the philosophy behind it – a rugged, useful car equally at home on the road as off-road – ultimately matured into the philosophy that spawned the original Range Rover. Famously, the 1967 clay model of the first Range Rover prototype was photographed wearing the Road Rover name, although this did not make it to production.
The Mk1 Range Rover was initially sold by Rover dealers and advertised alongside the P6 saloon as a Rover model – perhaps proof that it was the first true crossover ever created.
ELECTRIFYING THE RANGE
The fifth generation of the world’s most recognisable luxury off-roader launched last year, powered by a range of mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Yet, the big news is that an electric variant is set to follow imminently as part of a push to see every Range Rover model offered with a combustion-free powertrain option by 2030.
Of course, this means that the next Range Rover will become the most radical and technically advanced version in the SUV’s 50-year history, a fitting tribute to the Mk1 Range Rover that set a course for the first electric Range Rover’s destined arrival.
Report by BERNIE HELLBERG JR | Image © WIKIPEDIA
