Video: Range Rover Evolution

THE venerable Range Rover is almost half-a-century old. To pay tribute to the legendary Rangie, Land Rover commissioned this two-minute video to mark the key dates of Range Rover’s evolution.

The video illustrates the design and engineering innovation of the brand across four generations, beginning with the 1969 Range Rover Prototype (Velar). The Velar-badged prototypes (Velar meaning to veil or cover in Italian) included 26 pre-production models.

The launch of the first-gen Range Rover, the two-door Classic, followed in 1970. Notably, the original 1970 Classic was the first SUV to hit the world stage that delivered permanent four-wheel drive. It also featured the trademark clamshell bonnet and split tailgate.

The 1973 Classic established the trademark floating roof design, and in 1981 the four-door body hit the market.

In a first for a 4x4, anti-lock brakes were fitted in 1989. And in 1992 the Rangie became the first SUV to be fitted with electronic traction control and automatic electronic air suspension.

The second-gen Rangie landed in 1994 and with it came an all-new body with the now-familiar rectangular headlamps and a direct-injection diesel engine.

The third-gen Rangie, which introduced the side-vent graphics and monocoque construction, arrived in 2001.

In 2012 the fourth-gen Range Rover became the world’s first all-aluminium SUV. And in 2014 All-Terrain Progress Control was introduced.

The Rangie’s wheelbase was extended by 200mm when the Autobiography Long Wheelbase was launched in 2014. The 2016 SV Autobiography was next and introduced duotone paintwork, enhanced detailing and graphite atlas and polished chrome trim.

Finally, the SVAutobiography Dynamic, launched globally in January 2017, gets a 5.0-litre V8 supercharged donk implanted into the engine bay. The ride height has also been lowered by 8mm.

Don’t forget the performance-based Sport SVR, which can reach 100 clicks in just 4.7 seconds.

“Range Rover has, over time, achieved iconic design status through a progressive evolution of its unique DNA, culminating in a vehicle of peerless distinction,” Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer, said. “From its sense of evolution and sophisticated sensibilities inherent in its interior design to its understated yet powerful exterior proportions, Range Rover stands alone. There's simply nothing else like it.”

Since it hit the market 48 years ago, Land Rover has shifted more than 1,700,000 Rangies across the globe.