48 years of Range Rover: the evolution of the world’s most luxurious SUV

19 January, 2017

When talking luxurious, refined, well-engineered, and pioneering designs, there is probably one SUV that springs to mind … Range Rover. 

Since its inception in 1969 (as a prototype), the brand has evolved into one of the world’s most elegant and sophisticated SUVs, with any number of who’s who celebrities driving one, and it has since cracked more than one million units sold (1.7 million to date, to be exact).

Forty eight years on and it’s hard to sum up the brand’s heritage in a simple two-minute space, but it was long enough for Range Rover to celebrate this motoring icon through a specially commissioned animation — created to mark key dates in history for the legendary SUV.

You can see that today’s incarnations retain many of the original design hallmarks established way back when in 1970. These include its ‘floating’ roof design, distinctive clamshell bonnet, continuous belt line, and practical split tailgate.

Timeline: 
1969 Range Rover Prototype (Velar)
1970 Range Rover Classic (two-door)
1973 Range Rover Classic (Suffix C)
1981 Range Rover Classic (four-door)
1994 Second-generation Range Rover (P38a)
2001 Third-generation Range Rover
2012 Fourth-generation Range Rover
2014 Fourth-generation Range Rover Long Wheelbase
2015 Range Rover SVAutobiography
2016 Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic

Hiroshima Express

One of the rarest Mazdas,and amongst one of the rarest production cars in the World, a 1967 Series 1, Cosmo made its public debut at the 2025 Cromwell Classic and Hot Rod Car Show on Saturday January 18 this year.
After a challenging 5-year restoration, its proud Cromwell owner, Mike Elford celebrated its appearance along with Dunedin specialist, Mazda rotary engine builder, Cory Wilson who trallered the car through to the show.
“There are a number of details still to attend to and fine-tune the engine and then it will at last be finished. I’m very pleased with the result,” Cory said.
Mike is extremely pleased with the end now in sight of what has been a very challenging project. The tiny jewel of Japanese motoring engenuity attracted many on-lookers at the show as it sat glistening in the sun on an appropriately brilliant Central Otago summer’s day.

Merry Christmas from NZ Classic Car magazine

The Classic Car magazine team is taking a few weeks’ holiday from the work computer and heading to the beach for some kickback time.
Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful summer holiday to all our readers, followers, and fans. Enjoy this special extra time with the family. We will be posting archive articles again in mid to late January.
Have fun, be good and be careful out there.