SIXTY years ago a crude but effective box on wheels was born out of a wartime factory in a place known as Lode Lane.

The year before, also in Lode Lane, was born a man who went on to work at that factory as an engineer.

Since then, the utilitarian vehicle from those workshops in Solihull has become an automotive legend – and the man is now known as Mr Land Rover.

Roger Crathorne joined Land Rover as an apprentice in 1963, went on to help create the Range Rover with engineering supremo Spen King then became head of the company’s demonstration team.

An unassuming character, Crathorne is synonymous with Land Rover’s spirit of adventure. He has covered more off-road miles in a Land Rover than anyone else on the planet.

As an instructor he has also helped many VIPS and royalty, including Princess Anne and Prince William, to master the intricacies of Land Rover driving in the harshest of conditions.

As part of Land Rover’s diamond anniversary celebrations – it’s official birthday is on April 30 – Crathorne has chronicled his 4×4 exploits in Born in Lode Lane, a book written by Gavin Green.

To mark its publication the veteran off-roader took part in a tree planting ceremony with Land Rover managing director Phil Popham at the company’s Eastnor Castle proving grounds on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire border.

Sixty new oaks have been set on the Eastnor estate – one for each year of Land Rover’s history.

The occasion also saw a gathering of historic Land Rovers – military conversions which have seen action in Iraq, Range Rovers and amphibians which have taken part in global expeditions and the oldest surviving Land Rover, the first pre-production vehicle from 1948 now affectionately known as Huey because of its HUE 166 registration.

These were vehicles built to go anywhere – and with Crathorne at the wheel they do. His skills behind the wheel are described by his biographer as akin to that of a top racing driver.

“Roger drives ‘at one’ with his vehicle,” says Green. “He is truly the Moss-of-the-mud, the Senna-of-sand or the Prost-of-the-peatbog.”

Born in Lode Lane reveals Crathorne’s global exploits which have taken him from the muddy slopes of ‘gearbox hill’ at Eastnor to the Sahara sand hills and the volcanoes of central America.

As well as Crathorne’s adventures, Born in Lode Lane is interspersed with interviews featuring Land Rover living legends including Spen King who reveals the Range Rover was not conceived with luxury in mind but originally came with vinyl seats and rubber mats.

Other tales come from explorer and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and from Land Rover’s current managing director, Phil Popham who says: “Although never in senior management, Roger is known to many – royalty, senior military officers, explorers, customers, journalists and myself – as Mr Land Rover.

“It therefore seemed fitting that his memories of life with Land Rover be documented to mark the company’s anniversary year.”

Land Rover last year set record sales of 226,000 vehicles and has recently received two Queen’s Awards, one for export and another for innovation.

The company is currently being sold to Indian conglomerate Tata as part of a £1billion acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford.

Its next projects will see attention paid to making 4x4s more environmentally friendly with stop-start technology and hybrid engines to reduce CO2 emissions.

Born in Lode Lane is published by Redwood Publishing, priced £12.50. It is available from Land Rover Gear – www.landrovergear.com – and proceeds will go to the British Red Cross.

This article was taken from: icliverpool.network.co.uk

It’s official: size matters in car design. Only instead of ever-bigger and brawnier gas-guzzlers, it’s the little guys who now rule the roadway. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the new Land Rover LRX. Long known for its size and off-road power, the iconic all-terrain brand is going mini (well, mini-er). Six inches shorter and almost eight inches lower than an LR2, the LRX was conceived as a premium car, designed to appeal to customers who want the benefits of a 4×4 and the presence of a larger vehicle, but don’t want to be held personally responsible for the disappearance of the ozone.

The LRX is a 2.0 liter turbo hybrid, capable of running on bio-diesel. The model’s weight-loss makes for reduced aerodynamic drag, which in turn increases fuel efficiency and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. While the LRX is compact, clever use of space makes it impressively roomy. The clear roof relieves claustrophobia, as do the LRX’s distinctive “floating” seats. The three doors are a head-scratcher, but the iPhone and iPod docks, buttery chocolate brown leather, and top-of-the-line dashboard features more than make up for the extra time it takes to climb out. —Rebecca Heydon

Thi sarticle was taken from: Black Book

International sales growth and technical expertise have resulted in Land Rover winning two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – for International Trade for increasing export sales by 52% to nearly £4 billion a year, an increase of £1.3 billion in three years, and the award for Innovation for its patented Terrain Response System.

Land Rover exports over 75% of the production of its vehicles to 147 countries. The brand achieved a third successive year of record sales in 2007, with a total of 226,395 sales, versus 192,511 in 2006 and 185,120 in 2005.

This represents a 17.6% increase on the previous year. Sales for the first quarter of 2008 are 57,859, up 13% on the same period last year. Emerging markets are helping to drive sales – Russia is currently running 176% ahead of last year with 4,690 sales and China is ahead by 224% with 3,239 sales.

This article was taken from: Auto Industry

Employees at Halewood Operations on Merseyside are celebrating after producing the 100,000th Land Rover Freelander 2. The milestone vehicle has been built just 17 months after Freelander 2 production started at Halewood.

2007 was the first full year of Freelander 2 sales and saw the all-new model prove hugely popular across the world, particularly in key emerging markets such as Russia, China and the Middle East.

The 100,000th car, a Rimini Red 2.2 Diesel Auto, is now en route to a customer in the city of Surgut, located on Russia’s Central Siberian Plateau. Sales of Land Rover vehicles are booming in Russia – over 12,000 units were sold there last year, an increase of 95 per cent over 2006.

Freelander 2 is engineered to perform in the most extreme weather conditions from minus 40 to plus 50 degrees Celsius and, like all Land Rover products, has a true breadth of capability. This makes it perfectly suited to the Russian market, which is one of the most diverse and challenging environments in the world with driving conditions ranging from extreme desert heat to freezing snow and ice. Russian Freelander 2′s have special Fuel Fire Heaters fitted which heat the diesel fuel up to prime the engine during winter months.

Thomas Klein, Operations Director at Halewood said: “The 100,000th Freelander is an important milestone for the plant – Freelander 2 helped Land Rover achieve its best ever sales year in 2007 and has won several major awards in its first 12 months in the market place. Freelander is continuing to perform well in traditional Land Rover markets such as the UK but sales in emerging areas like Russia and China are also growing rapidly so it’s entirely fitting that this car is destined for a customer in Siberia. I’d like to congratulate the Halewood workforce on this fantastic team achievement.”

Dmitry Kolchanov, Managing Director of Land Rover Russia added: “We are pleased by the way the Land Rover business is developing here. Russia is now Land Rover’s third largest market, after the UK and USA, which is a significant achievement. The crucial selling point for Freelander 2 is that it is the authentic compact premium 4×4 and excels off-road. At the same time, Freelander 2 is excellent on-road and is perfectly suited to a city where its premium styling attracts a great deal of attention.”

This article was taken from: Easier Motoring

Bold evolution of Land Rover design, the Land Rover LRX is a desirable, premium and more compact SUV which extends the definition of ‘breadth of capability’. With its metallic black paintwork, silver roof and precisely detailed exterior features, the second version of the LRX concept is designed to show how well the vehicle can deliver a contemporary example of personalization. Using lightweight material technologies, Land Rover has developed a series of bespoke features for the black and silver LRX that add to the vehicle’s individuality and flexibility.

This article was taken from: AutoIndia.com