Monday 10 December 2018, Solihull – 87 year‑old Dorothy Peters enjoyed a literal drive down memory lane when Land Rover took her off‑roading in one of the earliest Land Rovers in existence. Fulfilling a lifelong dream, the retired employee got to go off‑road in the vehicle she worked with 70 years ago. The surprise day sparked a wave of emotional memories.

In July 1946 at the age of 15, Solihull‑born Dorothy joined the service department at the Lode Lane factory working alongside the first Series Land Rovers to be built at the site. In June this year, Dorothy went to Land Rover’s 70th celebration event in Solihull, UK, with a photograph album of her time working at the plant. Little did she know that one particular picture would trigger a series of events that would reunite her with a very special Series Land Rover – number 16 off the production line.

The reunion was made possible by Mike Bishop, Land Rover Classic’s Reborn Engineering Specialist and heritage expert, who spotted an old photograph of Dorothy posing next to a car he now owned. It was at this point the Land Rover team decided to create an experience Dorothy would never forget.

Over the course of the following weeks the Land Rover team at Solihull worked with Dorothy’s daughter to create a day full of surprises, bringing her back to Solihull and back to the car she posed next to in the treasured photo 70 years earlier. The results were captured in a heart‑warming film to mark the end of Land Rover’s 70th anniversary year.

To complete the surprises, Dorothy and her friends were given a preview of the reunion film in a special screening at Dorothy’s retirement home.