Mahwah, NJ – Tuesday 29 July 2025: Following the unprecedented celebration of Land Rovers owned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Land Rover Classic has embarked on another grand automotive tribute.

For 2025, a curated collection of some of the most iconic expedition vehicles will gather on the famed 17th fairway at Pebble Beach to present: The Great Expeditions, 75 Years of Land Rover Traversing the Globe

Together, ten historic models spanning from 1950 to 2014 tell a story of adventure, endurance, and innovation, demonstrating that one marque stands alone in the history of global exploration.

Since its inception in 1948, Land Rover vehicles have aided explorers to traverse the world's most challenging terrains. A remarkable collection of these vehicles has been curated, each with its own legacy of adventure. Each vehicle has a unique story and pedigree to share, from their visionary owners to their expansive expeditions. Special appreciation on behalf of Land Rover Classic, goes to the British Motor Museum, and select collectors for their contributions.

Vehicles in this collection include:

‘Pollyanna’ 1950 Land Rover Series I 80” KYH628 – Barbara Toy Personal Expedition

Barbara Toy, an Australian actress, playwright, author, and adventurer, was a renowned travel writer who undertook many expeditions in Series Land Rovers. Her journey started in 1950 with her soft‑top Series Land Rover, Pollyanna, which she bought from a London dealer and drove solo from London to Baghdad to visit a friend. Over ten years, she traveled across the Middle East and North Africa, eventually becoming the first to circumnavigate the globe in a Land Rover. Her first long journey with Pollyanna was in her book A Fool on Wheels: Tangier to Baghdad by Land‑Rover. She later wrote several more books about her adventures: A Fool in the Desert, A Fool Strikes Oil, and Columbus Was Right! 

Barbara travelled alone with Pollyanna as her trusted companion. Land Rover valued her role in promoting the brand and persuaded her to upgrade Pollyanna to a Series II in 1959. Nearly 30 years later, in 1989, Barbara bought Pollyanna back after its owner died. In 1990, now in her eighties, Barbara and Pollyanna set off again around the world, including stops in Australia and the Far East. 

‘Oxford’ 1955 Land Rover 86”‑ SNX891 – Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition

The 1955–56 Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition remains one of the most iconic vehicle journeys of the modern era. Inspired by the earlier 1954 Oxford and Cambridge Trans‑Africa Expedition—also completed in Land Rovers—this ambitious journey from London to Singapore was undertaken by six students from Oxford and Cambridge universities. Their story was later immortalized in Tim Slessor’s First Overland, a book that remains in print.

At the time, no motor vehicle had ever completed the full route, and with Burma closed to overland travel, the expedition faced significant logistical and political challenges. Departing from Hyde Park in London on 1 September 1955 in two Land Rovers—Oxford and Cambridge—the team traveled through France, Monaco, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Malaya, and finally arrived in Singapore on 6 March 1956. The journey spanned six months and six days, covering over 18,000 miles. Sir David Attenborough documented the expedition in a series of three BBC films.

‘Grizzly Torque’ 1957 Land Rover Series I 107” – Foster‑Bateman Expedition

In the 1950s, two young Canadians set out on an extraordinary 14‑month journey around the world. The expedition was the vision of Bristol Foster, a biologist and ecologist, who knew he couldn’t do it alone. He invited his friend Robert Bateman, a Canadian artist and naturalist, to join him. Together, they mapped out an ambitious route that would take them through some of the most remote and challenging terrains on Earth.

To make the journey possible, they commissioned a custom‑built Land Rover Series I, which they nicknamed Grizzly Torque. Over the next 14 months, the pair traveled through 19 countries across four continents. Along the way, they painted, filmed, and photographed the people and wildlife they encountered, collecting specimens and documenting the world as they encountered it.

After returning to Canada, Grizzly Torque was sold and disappeared from view—until recently. The vehicle was rediscovered in British Columbia, and once its remarkable history came to light, the new owner began an extensive restoration project.

‘Cambridge’ 1960 Land Rover Series II 109” – Trans America Oxford and Cambridge Expedition

The Oxford and Cambridge Expedition to South America took place between 1957 and 1958, when teams from Oxford and Cambridge universities undertook an ambitious overland journey across South America. Driving three Land Rover Series II vehicles, this expedition marked the third in a series of landmark overland adventures by the two institutions.

The vehicle on display played a key role in the South American journey. During the expedition, team member Adrian Cowell encountered the Villas‑Bôas brothers and made the pivotal decision to leave the university team and join the Centro Geográfico Expedition, which aimed to locate the geographical center of Brazil. Ethnographic items collected during the expedition were later donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford by Peter Rivière, on behalf of the team.

‘Darien Gap’ 1971 Range Rover Suffix A – British Trans‑Americas Expedition

The Darién Gap—a 250‑mile stretch of dense jungle and swamp—breaks the continuity of the Pan‑American Highway, making it impossible to drive uninterrupted between North and South America. In the early 1970s, local action committees proposed an expedition to spotlight this formidable logistical and political barrier. The British Trans‑Americas Committee took up the challenge, aiming to prove that even this treacherous region could be crossed by road vehicles.

Launched just a year earlier in June 1970, the Range Rover was still a new vehicle, and the British Trans‑Americas Expedition served as a bold demonstration of its off‑road potential. The team, composed of members of the 17th/21st Lancers Cavalry regiments led by Colonel John Blashford‑Snell, relied on two specially prepared Range Rovers. Both were equipped with roof racks, bridging ladders, capstan winches, double front bumpers, a single rear passenger seat, and extensive storage for gear and supplies. 

From December 1971 to June 1972, the team drove the full 18,000‑mile length of the Americas—from Alaska to Cape Horn. The most grueling segment was the Darién Gap itself, which took 99 days to traverse. The expedition’s success dramatically elevated Range Rover’s global reputation for durability and off‑road capability.

The British Motor Museum Collection has generously loaned this vehicle for this special exhibition.

1989 Range Rover – Great Divide Expedition

In 1989, Land Rover North America launched an ambitious adventure to showcase the capabilities of the newly introduced 1990 model year Range Rover. The expedition, known as The Great Divide Expedition, set out to traverse the most demanding portion of the Continental Divide across the state of Colorado.

Against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, a convoy of expedition‑prepared Range Rovers tackled a grueling 13‑day, 1,100‑mile route. The journey included narrow, rocky trails with steep drop‑offs and mountain passes reaching elevations of over 13,000 feet. Highlights included Red Cone Pass at 12,800 feet and Mosquito Pass at 13,188 feet, the highest through‑road in America. The breathtaking imagery and dramatic terrain helped cement the Great Divide Expedition as one of Land Rover’s most memorable modern journeys. 

‘La Ruta Maya Expedition’ – 1993 NAS Defender 110 #58/500

In 1994, Land Rover launched the La Ruta Maya expedition across Central America to demonstrate the off‑road prowess of its new Defender lineup while promoting cultural preservation. Covering 1,500 miles through Belize, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, the journey navigated rugged terrain and remote landscapes, visiting key Mayan archaeological sites along the way.

The expedition not only showcased the vehicles’ durability and performance in extreme conditions but also reflected Land Rover’s broader commitment to community engagement and cultural heritage.

Vehicle #56 is one of just 500 NAS Defender 110 models ever imported into the United States during the 1990s, marking Land Rover’s return to the U.S. market. Serving as the technical support vehicle for the La Ruta Maya expedition, it later participated in numerous programs and expeditions across the country. It has been part of the Land Rover North America fleet ever since and continues to hold a special place in the JLR North America collection.

Camel Trophy Tierra del Fuego US Team vehicle – 1998 Land Rover Defender 110

The Camel Trophy remains one of the greatest chapters in Land Rover’s expedition legacy. Running from 1981 to 2000, the event brought together over 500 amateur competitors from 35 countries for annual adventures in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments. The Camel Trophy tested teams in off‑road driving, navigation, and endurance, with each two‑person team competing for the coveted award.

Throughout most of the event’s history, factory‑prepared Land Rover built vehicles were pushed to their limits in locations as diverse as Borneo, Mongolia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Siberia, and Tanzania. The Land Rover Defender not only competed but also served as a critical support vehicle across many of these expeditions.

This vehicle used by the United States team during the 1998 Camel Trophy, held in Tierra del Fuego. The 1998 event was unique in Camel Trophy history as the only one held during a winter season, adding another layer of difficulty to the Latin American adventure.

‘LONGITUDE Expedition’ 2003 – Land Rover Discovery II Vehicle #3

From November 2003 to March 2005, the LONGITUDE Expedition set out on a global journey to showcase the durability of Land Rover’s Certified Pre‑Owned Discovery lineup while raising awareness and funds for Parkinson’s disease research.

Led by a team of nine volunteers driving four Certified Pre‑Owned Discovery II vehicles, the expedition began in Sunnyvale, California, and spanned four continents and 31 countries. Over nearly 17 months, the team covered close to 41,000 miles, navigating a wide range of challenging terrains and climates—from deserts and mountains to jungles and urban centers.

The LONGITUDE Expedition not only demonstrated the off‑road capability and reliability of Land Rover’s Certified Pre‑Owned vehicles but also reflected the brand’s enduring commitment to community engagement and global causes. By combining adventure with advocacy, the journey left a lasting impact on both its participants and the communities they encountered.

A defining moment came on September 14, 2004, in India, when the team met with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Moved by their mission, the Dalai Lama offered his blessing and inscribed the hood of Vehicle #3 with the words, “May the Land of Snows Prevail,” above his signature. This extraordinary gesture became a symbol of the expedition’s spirit and purpose.

2014 Range Rover DHEV – Silk Road Expedition

In 2013, three Range Rover Diesel Hybrid prototypes embarked on one of Land Rover’s most ambitious engineering trials: a 53‑day, 13‑country journey from Solihull, UK, to Mumbai, India. Known as the Silk Trail Expedition, it became the world’s first hybrid vehicle expedition along the legendary Silk Road and served as the final engineering sign‑off before the Range Rover Hybrid entered production.

The route pushed both vehicles and drivers to their limits. The convoy faced a wide range of extreme conditions—from pothole‑ridden roads and dusty desert trails in 43°C heat to muddy cattle tracks, river crossings, and high‑altitude terrain with thin air. Mountain passes blocked by rockfalls and the dense, unpredictable traffic of Chinese and Indian roads added further challenges.

 

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ENDS