For practical reasons – due to post-war shortage of steel and surplus of aluminium, brothers decided to use anti-corrosive aluminium alloys as body liner.
Land Rover has been very warmly received by the market. Starting with 3 thousand cars in the first year of production, the company increased its output to 8,000 in 1949 and doubled it in 1950. In subsequent years, production capacity was increasing steadily, reaching 30,000 cars in 1958, and 50,000 – in 1968. The car, created in fact only to make use of idle plants, overshadowed production of passenger cars which used to be the main Rover products.
Not only farmers had appreciated the practicality of the new SUV. First generation Land Rover was used as military light utility vehicle in several countries. Military experts have recognized the reliability and versatility of Land Rover. Delivery of these vehicles to the armed forces of foreign countries had become an important part of the company’s business.