Land Rover Celebrates the Legend at Goodwood Revival

12 August 2015

Land Rover’s celebration of 67 years of Series Land Rover and Defender production will continue with a not‑to‑be‑missed spectacle at this year’s Goodwood Revival taking place from the 11 – 13 September 2015.

  • Celebration of 67 years of Land Rover Series/Defender production at Goodwood Revival, 11th to 13th September
  • Land Rover stand to chart the birth of the legendary Series I and its progress to the ultimate Defender of today
  • Daily parade of more than 50 pre‑1966 Land Rovers
  • Bonhams to show The Defender 2,000,000 ahead of its auction for charity in December

Whitley, 12 August 2015 ‑ Land Rover's celebration of 67 years of Series Land Rover and Defender production will continue with a not‑to‑be‑missed spectacle at this year's Goodwood Revival taking place from the 11 ‑ 13 September 2015.

The engineering bloodline that links the original Land Rover Series One with the 21st century Defender will be celebrated in a special presentation and displays at this year's Goodwood Revival. The Land Rover stand will capture the birth of the legendary vehicle and its progress through the past seven decades as a model that has constantly defined the concept of "go‑anywhere" all‑wheel drive engineering. 

Faithful to the retro spirit of the meeting, Land Rover will be recreating key elements from the development of the original Series I, which made its UK public debut at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show, including drawing board plans and an early pre‑production chassis. A Series I model will be shown tilted at 45 degrees, demonstrating the unprecedented capabilities it brought to the market, and the team manning the display will be dressed in replica engineering smocks worn by the 1940's production workers.

The culmination of the presentation is the latest Defender Autobiography, a model that brings together the robust qualities of the original with bespoke and contemporary design features.    

Land Rover owners will be taking part in a daily parade of more than 50 pre‑1966 Series models, including many special conversions body styles and will be on static display on Lavant Bank for the rest of the event. One highlight includes; the bright yellow 1950 Series I Bertam Mills Circus vehicle. This fascinating Land Rover was built by Bertam Mills Circus in the late 1950s. It was designed to give the impression that the circus elephant, named Kam, was driving the car.

In addition, 11 of the owners of pre‑production Land Rovers have confirmed that they are to participate in the celebration weekend. The vehicles, which all descend from the famous pre‑production vehicle number one, 'HUE 166' are believed to be the largest number of pre‑production vehicles ever seen in motion.

The sheer breadth of Land Rover vehicles, and conversions will span fire tenders, military conversions, prototypes, recovery vehicles, ambulances, Tickford conversions, mobile welders and even a tracked Cuthbertson 88" to make for an incredible spectacle.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director said: "To see such a brilliant coming together of so many significant Land Rovers in one place at Goodwood Revival is not to be missed. The Parade will demonstrate the sheer enthusiasm for the marque and will provide owners and visitors the perfect opportunity to celebrate this iconic vehicle."

The Bonhams' stand at the revival meeting will be showcasing Defender 2,000,000, a unique version that has been specially built as a tribute to the model's production heritage and its two million production landmark at Solihull. The vehicle will be offered for sale at a charity auction hosted by Bonhams in London on 16 December, with the money raised going to support Land Rover's humanitarian and conservation partners, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Born Free Foundation.

ENDS

For further information log onto www.uk.media.landrover.com or contact:

Kim Palmer
Public Relations Manager, Land Rover UK
T: 02476 564 129
M: 07795 666 169
E: kpalmer@landrover.com

 

Tracey Tompsett
Senior Press Officer, Land Rover UK
T: 02476 565 210
M: 07469 032 064
E: ttompset@landrover.com

 

Jessica Rumboll
Press Officer, Land Rover UK
T: 02476 564 258
M: 07880 177 300
E: jrumboll@landrover.com

 

Editors Note:

‑         Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true breadth of capability across the model range. Defender,  Discovery, Discovery Sport,  Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors. Land Rover products are currently sold in approximately 180 global markets.

 

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About Bonhams

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge, Oxford and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit www.bonhams.com