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The 17^th June saw the launch of one of a select group of cars that deserves to be referred to as ‘iconic’. And so, here are 12 facts about the Range Rover:

1. The idea of an upmarket 4x4 Rover that would tempt US buyers from the Kaiser-Jeep and the Ford Bronco dates from 1964. However, the firm had considered building a 2WD 2-door estate called the “Road Rover” as early as 1951.
2. The project was initially known as the ‘100-inch Station Wagon’ and at one point management considered using the name “Land Rover Ranger”. It would not be until the 18^th December 1968 that they formally approved “Range Rover”.
3. Gordon Bashford and Spencer King devised the famous coachwork, with David Bache modifying the swage lines and the front grille.
4. Rover badged a fleet of prototypes as “Velar”, in order to deter curiosity during the R-R’s evaluation around the globe.
5. The British Leyland (BL) Competitions Department wished to use the R-R in the 1970 London-Mexico World Cup Rally, but no models were ready in time. BL eventually used Austin 1800 “Landcrabs”.
6. Similarly, Donald Stokes, BL’s CEO, wanted the R-R to debut at the Geneva Motor Show but was an impossible goal for Solihull. A press launch in Morocco proved equally unfeasible, and eventually, this took place at the Meudon Hotel in Cornwall on 1^st June 1970.
7. The price of a new R-R was £1,998, and before long there was a black market, such was BL’s inability to match the demand.
8. Cheshire Constabulary is believed to be the first force to use the R-R, taking delivery of a batch of four in April 1971. The early “Police Specification” models featured an additional battery, an auxiliary switch panel, a centrally mounted calibrated speedometer and an electrical harness for the roof sign and lights.
9. Leyland marketed the R-R as the ‘seven-days-a-week luxury motor car for all business and domestic purposes’ - but they were slow to enhance its list of standard fittings. A cigar lighter would not be an optional extra until 1972, and PAS was not officially available until 1973.
10. A very early Range Rover guest-starred in The Morning After, one of the most enjoyable episodes of The Persuaders! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSZFb3VzVWU
11. By the early 1970s, the powers-that-be of Leyland issued an edict that there were no more funds for the development of the R-R. Cancelled derivatives included a four-door version and Solihull would not build a  Range Rover in this format until as late as 1981.
12. In the later 1970s, there were plans to offer an R-R “HL” with cloth trim, halogen headlamps and pinstripe decorating the coachwork. BL abandoned the idea before the end of the decade, but it did anticipate the 1981 Vogue.

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We have links with some of the top classic car clubs around the country and some of our policies even offer discounts of up to 25% for club members.

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• Historic rally cover
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