The Best 4x4x50

Range Rover, “the best 4x4xFar” is now 50 years old and Land Rover is celebrating with the Fifty limited edition.

It’s hard to believe that the Range Rover is fifty, isn’t it? The original luxury SUV still looks as fresh as a daisy whatever environment it happens to be cruising or crawling through.

The design brief for the car has remained the same – to offer true breadth of ability wherever it is needed, and the familiar silhouette, floating roof, clamshell bonnet, practical split tailgate and continuous waistline all continue to this day.

Exactly 50 years since the original Range Rover was first launched on 17 June 1970, Land Rover has announced the Fifty limited Edition to celebrate “50 years of pioneering innovation, peerless refinement and unparalleled all-terrain capability”, and who could argue with that?

Range Rover Fifty will be restricted to just 1,970 vehicles globally, in recognition of the year the original Range Rover was launched.

Building on the luxuriously appointed Autobiography, the Range Rover Fifty features a number of bespoke exterior accents in Auric Atlas as well as two unique 22-inch wheel designs. The badging features a ‘Fifty’ script created personally by Prof Gerry McGovern OBE, Land Rover’s Chief Creative Officer, which will appear on the exterior of the vehicle and throughout the interior on the unique “1 of 1970” centre console commissioning plaque, headrests, dashboard and illuminated treadplates.

The Fifty will be offered in both standard and long-wheelbase bodies with a range of petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains. We’re particularly excited to hear that Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations is also offering the Range Rover Fifty in one of three Heritage exterior solid paints reproduced from the original Range Rover paint palette; Tuscan Blue, Bahama Gold and Davos White. Let’s hope we see plenty of those on the road.

Range Rover timeline

• 1967 Development begins on the ‘100-inch Station Wagon’ – the first Range Rover prototype, on 6 September 1967
• 1970 Two-door Range Rover launches on 17 June – it features a lightweight aluminium V8 engine, permanent 4WD and all-round disc brakes
• 1972 The Range Rover is the first vehicle to cross the length of the Americas, including the Darién Gap, an 18,000-mile British Army Trans-America expedition, taking 99 days to cover 250 miles of dense jungle
• 1979 A specially modified Range Rover wins the inaugural Paris-Dakar rally (a Range Rover wins again in 1981)
• 1982 Range Rover production reaches 100,000
• 1987 Range Rover launches in North America
• 1992 Range Rover Classic is the world’s first 4×4 to be fitted with electronic traction control (ETC) and automatic electronic air suspension – two world firsts!
• 1994 2nd generation Range Rover (P38A) is launched with a long wheelbase chassis and re-styled semi-monocoque body plus upgraded electronic air suspension
• 1996 Range Rover Classic bows out after total production of 317,615 units (two year production crossover with P38A)
• 2001 Third-generation Range Rover (L322) is launched with all-round independent air suspension, demonstrated with drive at RAF Kinloss, Skibo and Novar Estate
• 2002 Half-millionth Range Rover is built at the Solihull plant
• 2005 Second model line – the Range Rover Sport – is launched
• 2010 Third model line – the Range Rover Evoque – is launched and creates a new vehicle segment, the luxury compact SUV
• 2012 Fourth-generation Range Rover (L405) is launched on 6 September at the Royal Ballet School, London – the world’s first all-aluminium SUV
• 2015 Six millionth production Land Rover is a Range Rover Long Wheelbase Vogue SE and celebrates 45 years of Range Rover
• 2017 Land Rover Classic announces ‘Range Rover Reborn’, a new programme providing the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectible two-door Range Rover direct from the original manufacturer
• 2017 Fourth model line – the Range Rover Velar – is launched
• 2020 – Range Rover celebrates 50 years of success.

Images courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover.

To configure finance for your next Range Rover, try our Range Rover PCP calculator.