History : Range Rover timeline

To commemorate 50 years of the Range Rover, David Morgan has compiled this definitive timeline highlighting many of its milestones. It starts with the first model and progresses to the latest offerings in the current four-model line-up.

Although we’ve pulled this together to celebrate the Rangie’s half-century, we’ll keep this page updated and will keep adding entries as and when required. Drop Keith Adams an email if you have anything to add or contribute.

50 years of the Range Rover (1970-2020)

Year	Events	Images
1966	Summer: First prototype (100/1) is built by the Rover Company Limited.
1969	December: Build starts on the 27 pre-production Velars (YVB 150 – 177H).
1970	April: First of the 20 press demonstration vehicles built (NXC 231 – 250H). 1 June: Press launch takes place in Cornwall based at the Meudon Hotel, Mawnan Smith, near Falmouth. The event also included off-road driving in the Blue Hills Mine near St. Agnes. 17 June: Official reveal of the Range Rover. Price: £1998 (including Purchase Tax). 1 September: Sales in the home market start.
1971	Range Rover becomes the first vehicle to be displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, applauded for its ‘exemplary work of industrial design’ – the production model is displayed in the entrance while a quarter-scale model is exhibited inside.
1971/72	The British Trans-Americas Darien Gap Range Rover expedition led by Major John Blashford-Snell. Two vehicles registered as VXC 868K and VXC 765K cover an 18,000 mile journey from North to South America between December 1971 and April 1972.
1972	Supplementary four-door model with one-piece tailgate built as a prototype. It went no further because of a lack of available funds from British Leyland.
1973	January: Introduction of the Suffix ‘B’ cars. October: Introduction of the Suffix ‘C’ cars. Includes black vinyl covering for the rear pillars.
1974	October: Introduction of the Suffix ‘D’ cars.
1975	First State Review Range Rover is delivered to the Royal Household. October: Introduction of the Suffix ‘E’ cars.
1977	October: Introduction of the Suffix ‘F’ cars.
1978	September: Introduction of the Suffix ‘G’ cars.
1980	March: Monteverdi produced four-door bodystyle announced at the Geneva Motor Show.
1981	March: ‘In Vogue’ special edition unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. June: Official factory produced four-door bodystyle announced. Features black finish side window frames and pillars to create a ‘floating roof’ effect. Range Rovers are used in the Camel Trophy event.
1982	100,000th Range Rover is built. May: Two specially built Range Rover ‘Popemobiles’ are ready for the arrival of Pope John Paul II to the UK. August: ‘In Vogue’ four-door special edition launched. Features alloy wheels and automatic transmission as standard features.
1983	August: Third ‘In Vogue’ special edition launched. It is based on the four-door bodystyle and is finished in Derwent Blue metallic. 325 made.
1984	June: Range Rover Vogue announced as the new mainstay flagship model for the 1985 Model Year.
1985	October: 1986 Model Year Range Rover announced. 165bhp fuel-injected V8 introduced in the Vogue model.
1986	April: Range Rover Turbo D announced featuring a 112bhp 2.4-litre VM turbo diesel engine. August: Project Bullet – a Range Rover 2.4-litre VM Turbo Diesel sets 27 Sprint and Endurance records. The first diesel car with an engine of between 2.0-litres and 3.0-litres in displacement size to maintain over 100mph for 24 hours at MIRA.
1987	The Range Rover goes on sale in North America. Introduction of a new front grille design featuring horizontal vanes.
1988	March: Announcement of the new Vogue SE flagship model. Price: £27,350.
1989	Second State Review Range Rover is constructed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. October: 1990 Model Year range announced featuring the 182bhp 3.9-litre V8 engine. Turbo D now features a marginally more powerful 119bhp 2.5-litre VM engine. Introduction of anti-lock braking – the first off-road vehicle in the world to feature it.
1990	250,000th Range Rover is built. September: ‘CSK’ three-door special edition announced. 200 examples built. Price: £28,995 (manual) or £30,319.32 (automatic).
1992	June: ‘In Brooklands Green’ special edition announced. 150 made. Price: £31,500. September: Unveiling of the Vogue LSE featuring an eight-inch increase in the wheelbase and a new 200bhp 4.2-litre version of the V8 engine. Features electronic traction control and automatic electronic air suspension – both world firsts for an off-road vehicle. Price: £38,393. November: Announcement of the Vogue Tdi featuring the 2.5-litre 200Tdi engine.
1993	October: Autobiography personalisation programme announced at the London Motor Show.
1994	January: Last three-door bodystyle is produced. March: Announcement of the 1995 Model Year Range Rover at the Geneva Motor Show. Features an all-new ‘soft dash’ dashboard facia and the availability of driver and front seat passenger airbags. Automatic transmission available with the updated and renamed 300Tdi turbo-diesel. July: Production of the 4.2 Vogue SE Autobiography special edition commences. Production is limited to 26 examples. Price: £42,000. 29 September: Announcement of the new, second generation (38A) Range Rover. Press launch takes place at Cliveden House in Taplow, Berkshire. 14 exterior colours offered at launch. Prices range from £31,950 for the entry level 2.5 DT and 4.0 to £43,950 for the 4.6 HSE. First-generation Range Rover is renamed as the Range Rover Classic.
1995	October: Introduction of the Autobiography personalisation programme for the 38A. Initially restricted to one-off exterior paint colours, different leather facings styles for the seats and burr walnut wood upgrade kits. October: Range Rover Classic 25th Anniversary Final Edition special edition announced at the London Motor Show. Twenty five examples built for the UK market only. Price: £40,000.
1996	Third State Review Range Rover, based on the second-generation model, is delivered to the Royal Household. 8 February: The last Range Rover Classic is completed. 15 February: The last Range Rover Classic leaves the assembly line as part of a special end-of-line ceremony, with television personality Noel Edmonds doing the driving honours. A total of 326,070 examples had been built, including CKD examples. October: Expanded Autobiography personalisation programme revealed at the British International Motor Show for the 38A. Includes technology such as a Satellite Navigation System and rear television screens with VHS player for rear seat passengers.
1997	July: HSE+ and CARiN special editions introduced featuring 4.6-litre V8 engine, British Racing Green metallic paintwork, body styling enhancement pack and 18-inch wheel designs. HSE+ (100 made): £53,000; CARiN (30 made): £63,000. November: Introduction of DSE+ as the first Range Rover special edition with a diesel engine. 400 made. Price: £45,995.
1998	April: Vogue 50 special edition announced commemorating 50 years of Land Rover and utilising elements from the Autobiography programme. 100 made. Price: £71,000. June: dHSE special edition released featuring diesel-turbo engine in flagship HSE trim level. Offered in a choice of six exterior colours. 600 made. Price: £47,075. August: County special edition announced. 240 made. Price: £41,995. August: Vogue SE special edition goes on sale, based on 4.6 HSE. Offered in a choice of four exterior colours. 220 made. Price: £53,750. December: County SE announced with the choice of 4-litre V8 or 2.5-litre diesel-turbo engine. 250 made. Price: £42,595. December: Second Vogue SE special edition announced. 100 made. Price: £54,995.
1999	September: Third Vogue SE special edition announced. Features 18-inch ‘Hurricane’ alloy wheels. Offered in four exterior colours. 150 made. October: ‘Vogue’ nameplate is re-introduced onto the Range Rover for the 2000 Model Year as the new flagship identity above the HSE trim level. Offered with the 4.6-litre V8 only. October: Linley limited edition announced as the most exclusive and expensive Range Rover built. Just six examples were ultimately built. Price: £100,000. October: Holland & Holland special edition announced. Features Cheshire grade dark brown bridle leather with French-American walnut veneers with gunstock grain. 400 made, of which 100 were for the UK market. Price: £63,495 (£68,495 with optional TV and VHS player package).
2000	March: 30th Anniversary Edition unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show for sale in various markets. It utilises colour and trim features from the Autobiography personalisation programme. 100 examples made for the UK market out of a production run of 600 vehicles. Price: £57,500 (or £63,500 with optional rear TV screens, DVD player, picnic tables and privacy glass). July: County model is introduced to replace the current entry-level 4.0 and 2.5 DT. Offered with a choice of 4.0-litre V8 petrol or 2.5-litre DT diesel-turbo engines. Price: £40,000.
2001	February: Westminster special edition announced at the Geneva Motor Show. 100 made. Offered in a choice of three mainline colours and either the 4.0-litre V8 petrol or 2.5-litre diesel-turbo engines. Price: £46,495. June: Bordeaux special edition announced finished in Alveston Red. 4.0-litre V8 petrol (100 made) and 2.5-litre diesel-turbo (100 made) engines offered. Price: £38,995. September: Fourth Vogue SE special edition enters production. Features 4.6-litre V8 engine and wood trim with highlights to match the exterior colour. 300 built. Price: £53,995 (or £57,995 when specified with the rear TV and DVD player system and privacy glass). November: Braemar special edition announced at the Scottish Motor Show for sale through Scotland-based dealers. Based on 4.0 SE/2.5 DSE models and finished in Blenheim Silver. Just 25 examples are made. 21 November: All-new, third-generation (L322) Range Rover is unveiled at a special media and VIP reception held at the Design Museum in London. The result of a £1 billion investment programme and the first Range Rover to feature monocoque construction and BMW supplied diesel and V8 petrol engines. 13 December: The final 38A generation Range Rover, a 4.6 HSE built to North American spec, leaves the assembly line at Solihull driven by former 38A Project Director John Hall. A total of 167,259 examples had been built.
2002	15 February: L322 Range Rover officially goes on sale, priced from £42,995 for the 3.0-litre Td6 turbo-diesel SE to £59,995 for the 4.4-litre V8 petrol Vogue. 12 exterior colours offered. 1 May: 500,000th Range Rover, a 4.4-litre Vogue finished in Epsom Green, is driven off the assembly line by England and Arsenal goal-keeper David Seaman MBE. May: Availability of the Autobiography personalisation programme for the L322 is announced at the Canary Wharf International Moto Expo event. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II takes delivery of a new State Review Range Rover based on the L322 generation model.
2003	Specially prepared L322 Range Rovers are used in the Land Rover G4 Challenge event. November: Autobiography Edition special edition is announced. Offered in Java Black or Zambesi Silver metallic. Features 4.4-litre V8 petrol. 125 examples made. Price: £65,995.
2004	January: Range Stormer concept car unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Described as previewing ‘a new production model that will be an additional model line in the Land Rover portfolio’. It also showcases new Terrain Response technology. November: Orders books open for a new performance orientated ‘Sports Tourer’ set to be unveiled in early 2005, which customers have not yet seen.
2005	9 January: All new (L320) Range Rover Sport (right) revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It signals the Range Rover name extending to a second model line-up and having a presence in the performance segment of the SUV market. January: A second Autobiography Edition special edition is announced for the L322 Range Rover. Offered with Td6 turbo-diesel or 4.4-litre V8 petrol engines. Finished in Java Black or Cairns Blue metallic paint. Td6 (150 made): £59,995; V8 (50 made): £64,995. January: Announcement of Jaguar AJ V8 4.4-litre and supercharged 4.2-litre petrol engines to replace the 4.4-litre BMW V8 in the L322 Range Rover. Vogue SE name is introduced as the new flagship model. May: Range Rover Sport goes on sale. Prices: £34,995 for 2.7-litre TDV6 S diesel to £58,995 for 4.2-litre V8 Supercharged ‘First Edition’. September: 35th Anniversary Edition announced for the L322 Range Rover. Based on the Vogue SE with 4.2-litre supercharged V8 engine. Features unique ‘Anniversary Claret’ metallic paint and Carmen Red leather interior. 35 made. Price: £85,000.
2006	March: Range Rover Sport HST announced with unique body styling enhancement pack. Price: £63,000. April/May: Range Rover Sports are used in the Land Rover G4 Challenge event. Examples used are the 4.4-litre V8 HSE. May: Announcement of the 2007 Model Year L322 Range Rover at the Madrid Motor Show which is available with a new 272bhp 3.6-litre TDV8 engine. November: Showroom arrival of the Range Rover Sport with TDV8 engine option for the 2007 Model Year.
2008	January: Unveiling of the Land Rover LRX cross-coupe concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It would go on to form the basis of the third member of the Range Rover family – the Evoque.
2009	January: Range Rover Sport Stormer special edition announced, featuring the HST’s body styling pack. 300 made. Price: £43,550. March: Westminster special edition announced for the L322 Range Rover. Features the TDV8 engine. 300 made. Price: £62,995. April: Revised L320 Range Rover Sport announced with new engines: a 245bhp 3.0-litre TDV6 diesel and a 5.0-litre V8 petrol offered in normally aspirated and supercharged forms. July: The Autobiography nameplate is to head up the L322 Range Rover’s line-up for the 2009 Model Year as a mainstay variant. September: Range Rover Autobiography Sport limited edition announced at the IAA International Motor Show, Frankfurt. 500 to be made for the UK market. Introduction of the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol to replace the 4.2-litre version for the 2010 Model Year. Normally aspirated 5-litre V8 replaces the 4.4-litre V8.
2010	17 June: 40 years of the Range Rover and the announcement of an Autobiography Black 40th Anniversary special edition for the L322. 700 to be built in total of which 100 are for the UK. Prices: £83,795 for the 4.4-litre TDV8 (70 made) or £87,500 for the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol (30 made). New 313hp 4.4-litre TDV8 engine to replace the 3.6-litre version in the L322 (TDV8 to be discontinued in the Range Rover Sport). 1 July: First images and details are released of the new (L538) Range Rover Evoque at a special 40th birthday celebration of the Range Rover held at Kensington Palace in partnership with Vogue magazine. It is the first generation of Range Rover to be offered with a choice of four-wheel drive or front-wheel drive. 30 September: Official public debut of the Range Rover Evoque at the Paris Motor Show, initially shown as a three-door coupe. Customers are offered the design themes of ‘Pure’, ‘Prestige’ and ‘Dynamic’ rather than a traditional trim level hierarchy. Prices: £28,950 for the 2.2-litre eD4 Pure (front-wheel drive) to £44,320 for the 2.0-litre Si4 Dynamic (Lux Pack) automatic. November: New five-door version of the Evoque makes its global public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Prices: £27,955 for the 2.2-litre eD4 (front-wheel drive) Pure to £43,320 for the 2.0-litre Si4 petrol Dynamic (Lux Pack) automatic. 4 November: 1,000,000th Range Rover is built, an L322 Autobiography. It is handed over to Help for Heroes to be auctioned.
2011	March: (L322) Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition is announced at the Geneva Motor Show. 500 examples to be built for sale in a total in 20 countries. Price: £120,000. July: 2012 Model Year Range Rover Sport is announced, with a more powerful 256bhp SDV6 turbo-diesel engine and restyled one-piece tailgate.
2012	February: (L322) TDV8 Westminster Edition is revealed to replace the Vogue and Vogue SE variants. Price: £69,995. April: Range Rover Sport HSE ‘Red’ and HSE ‘Luxury’ special editions are announced. Prices: £58,020. April: Evoque SE (special edition) makes its global debut in Beijing, China, the result of a collaboration between Land Rover Design and acclaimed fashion designer Victoria Beckham. Powered by the 240hp 2.0-litre Si4 petrol engine. Indicative production is for 200 examples. Estimated price: £79,995. Production of the L322 Range Rover ends. Total made: 293,494. 6 September: World launch of the all-new fourth-generation (L405) Range Rover at an all-star event held at the Royal Ballet School in Richmond, London. Prices: £71,295 for the Vogue 3.0-litre TDV6 to £98,395 for the Autobiography 5.0-litre supercharged V8. Range Rover Sport HSE Black Edition is launched for the 2013 Model Year. Price: £57,895.
2013	Production of the L320 Range Rover Sport ends. Total made: 413,841. January: Announcement of the Evoque ‘Sicilian Yellow’ special edition at the Brussels Motor show. Deliveries begin in May. Price: £47,405. February: Announcement of the world’s first nine-speed automatic transmission, the ZF 9HP, for the Evoque at the Geneva Motor Show. 26 March: All-new second-generation (L494) Range Rover Sport makes its global debut. Actor Daniel Craig reveals it as part of a dramatic drive through in New York to VIP guests waiting at the Skylight on Moynihan Station on 8th Avenue. Prices: £51,500 for 3.0-litre TDV6 diesel SE to £81,550 for 5.0-litre V8 supercharged Autobiography Dynamic. November: Unveiling of the exclusive specification Autobiography Black model for the L405 Range Rover at the Dubai International Motor Show. It features an Executive Class rear seating package. Deliveries commence in August 2014. Prices: start from £143,400. November: Reveal of a long-wheelbase (L405) Range Rover at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Deliveries commence from March 2014. Prices: start from £107,950.
2014	February: Evoque Autobiography Dynamic debuted at the Geneva Motor Show with a 285hp version of the 2.0-litre turbocharged Si4 petrol engine. It ultimately does not become a production model. 500,000th Range Rover Sport is built. April: 6,000,000th Land Rover vehicle is sold – a specially manufactured L405 Range Rover Vogue SE LWB with unique puddle lamp designs. April: World debut of the diesel-powered Hybrid Long Wheelbase version of the L405 Range Rover at the Beijing Motor Show. August: New 550hp high performance Range Rover Sport SVR makes its global debut at Pebble Beach. Price: £93,450. September: Autobiography nameplate is introduced to head the Evoque’s line-up. November: Announcement of the Holland & Holland (L405) Range Rover, based on the Autobiography Black specification. Recommended Retail Price is £180,000.
2015	January: Evoque ‘NW8’ special edition makes its global debut at the Montreal International Motor Show as the third of three ‘Inspired by Britain’ special editions. Just 1,000 will be produced for certain markets. March: New flagship Range Rover SVAutobiography is revealed at the New York International Auto Show for the L405 line-up. It replaces the Autobiography Black variant. Priced from £148,900. June: New State Review Range Rover makes its debut when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II presents New Colours to the Royal Welsh Regiment in Cardiff. It is based on a long-wheelbase L405 featuring a diesel hybrid engine. September: L405 Range Rover Sentinel luxury armoured vehicle is announced. November: Evoque Convertible bodystyle is launched at the Los Angeles Motor Show as the ‘world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible’. Prices: £47,500 for 2.0-litre TD4 HSE Dynamic to £52,400 for 2.0-litre Si4 petrol HSE Dynamic Lux.
2016	24 February: 500,000th Evoque leaves the production line at Halewood. April: Evoque ‘Ember’ special edition is announced. Price: £47,200. August: New SVAutobiography Dynamic variant joins the 2017 Model Year L405 line-up. Available in standard and long-wheelbase forms. Price: from £132,800. August: Announcement of a 340hp supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine for the L405 Range Rover.
2017	22 February: ‘Teaser’ announcement of the (L560) Range Rover Velar as an all-new, fourth member of the Range Rover family. An example is displayed in the Design Museum in London for customers eager to see it before sales commence in the summer. 1 March – The Velar officially arrives complete with a choice of six powertrains. Prices range from £44,830 for the Velar D180 diesel to £85,450 for the 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol P380 ‘First Edition’. May: Evoque ‘Landmark’ special edition is announced. Price: £39,000. October: Plug-in Hybrid Electric (PHEV) Range Rover Sport P400e is announced. October: Range Rover Sport SVR features a more powerful 575hp supercharged 5.0-litre V8.
2018	January: Announcement of the L405 Range Rover SV Coupe two-door which will be limited to 999 units and built by the Special Vehicles Operation. It ultimately does not proceed into production. Production of the first-generation Evoque ends after global sales of over 750,000. 22 November: World launch of the new, second generation Range Rover Evoque (L551). Prices range from £31,600 for the 2.0-litre D150 diesel to £50,400 for the 2.0-litre petrol P250 First edition.
2019	February: Announcement of the Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition featuring a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine. Price: £86,120. February: Range Rover Sport HST special edition is announced. It debuts a new 400hp MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle) featuring a 3.0-litre in-line six Ingenium petrol engine. May: Announcement of a supplementary P400 MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle) option for the L405 Range Rover with a 3.0-litre in-line six Ingenium petrol engine. May: Announcement of an exclusive (L405) Range Rover Astronaut Edition. It is only available to members of the Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut community.
2020	January: Announcement of the Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic Black limited edition. 500 examples to be built. Price: £56,995. March: Land Rover announces the beginning of 50th Anniversary celebrations for the original luxury SUV. It commences with a giant piece of ’50 Years of Range Rover’ sub-zero art measuring 260 metres wide, created by snow artist Simon Beck at Land Rover’s Arjeplog cold weather test facility in Sweden. April: Announcement of a new P300e PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) version of the Range Rover Evoque. It features an all-new 200hp 1.5-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine supported by a high capacity 109hp electric motor. May: The first Range Rover built under social-distancing measures comes off the assembly line at Solihull. 17 June: 50 years of the Range Rover, with a special edition launched to commemorate.