SLIDESHOW
The most interesting Land Rover derivatives
Rover unveiled the original Land Rover to the world at the Amsterdam motor show on 30 April 1948, 75 years ago this coming Sunday.
Designed as Britain’s answer to America’s Jeep, the Land Rover was basic, was tough and, most importantly, could go anywhere.
And it was endlessly adaptable with it, spawning many derivatives designed for special purposes. Here are some of the most interesting.
TOM EVANS
Minerva 80” 1952
Belgium’s Minerva started making cars in 1902 but had more or less petered out by the time of World War II. In 1951, it signed a deal with Land Rover for the 80” (later replaced by the 86”) to be built under licence to produce vehicles for the Belgian army. They stood out for being made mostly from steel, not the aluminium of British-made examples. However, the Belgians and the Brits fell out over the contract, and the dispute ended up in court. Minerva won, but it proved a pyrrhic victory, as the Land Rover deal swiftly ended and took Minerva down too. Minerva built around 2500 Land Rovers.