According to the legend, Maurice used to spend all the free time on his farm on Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. Being in dire need of hybrid between cross-country vehicle and a light truck, he bought an American Willys Jeep form army property clearance sale. When old jeep got worn-out, Wilks brothers designed their own, instead of buying a new one.
The first Land Rover was officially presented in 1948, at the Amsterdam Motor Show. The car was offered in single configuration: open body on 80 inch (2032 mm) short-wheelbase chassis.
In the early 1970s, the Musée du Louvre in Paris exhibited a Range Rover as an “exemplary work of industrial design”. No other car has ever received such an honour.