World Land Rover Day Commemorates 70 Years of British 4×4 Maker

Land Rover celebrated their 70th-anniversary paying homage to one of their most important models, the Defender, by creating a 250-meter wide outline of the iconic shape on a mountain in the French Alps.

The snow art pays special tribute to the moment when Maurice Wilks, engineering director of Rover, sketched the first shape for the original Land Rover, before eventually debuting the first ever Land Rover at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948. As time passed by, this became the shape of what we recognise as the Land Rover Defender.

Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Prof Dr Ralf Speth, said: “Land Rover is an iconic brand around the world and the outline of the Defender is instantly recognisable. To reach the landmark of 70 years is truly special and we will mark it with a year of celebrations that represents Land Rover’s ‘Above and Beyond’ spirit and honours the people behind the world’s favourite SUVs.”

To celebrate the 70-year milestone, Land Rover is inviting owners and enthusiasts to tune in to their World Land Rover Day online broadcast, where they will feature the key players that were involved in propelling the brand to where it stands today, such as the team members that were involved from the Series Land Rover and Defender to the introduction of the Range Rover in 1970 and Discovery in 1989.

Snow artist Simon Beck, who specialises in creating geometric outlines on foot, faced sub-zero temperatures in order to create the masterpiece 2,700m up at La Plagne in the French Alps. Beck walked a total of 20,894 steps, or 16.5km, through the cold of the French Alps. He said: “Making my snow art requires endurance, accuracy and strength – all attributes shared with the Defender. Its iconic shape is so simple and recognised across the world; this must be the most recognisable piece of art I’ve ever made.”