(May 1, 2013) MAHWAH, N.J. — Land Rover marked 65years of technology and innovation with a celebratory event at Packington Estate near its Solihull hometown in the United Kingdom on Tuesday.

The desire to create a vehicle that will tackle any terrain has been at the forefront of the Land Rover brand since the foundations were first sketched in the sand by Maurice Wilks. Wilks was the chairman of the Rover Company and the pioneer responsible for the inspiration and concept work that led to the development of the Land Rover off-road utility vehicle.

Since 1948, the core principle of all-terrain capability has made Land Rover famous around the world. "HUE 166" was the very first Series I Land Rover, affectionately known by many as 'Huey', and was on prominent display at the event. A "HUE" themed birthday cake was flown in by special delivery in a Lynx helicopter by a member of the Black Cats Royal Navy display team,  renowned for thrilling audiences with their dynamic air displays.

Around 150 heritage Land Rover vehicles attended the celebratory event at Packington Estate which was the testing ground for the original 1947-48 Land Rover prototypes through to the Range Rover development vehicles of the late 1960's and early 70's. These vehicles showcased key milestones in Land Rover's 65-year history and also some 4x4 world firsts such as anti-lock brakes, adjustable air suspension, Electronic Traction Control, Hill Descent Control, Terrain Response and Stop/Start technologies.



The vehicles on display will demonstrated Land Rover's legendary breadth of capability, with plowing, emergency service, military, expedition, royal and concept vehicles all firmly positioning Land Rover as the world's most versatile vehicle. They sat alongside Land Rover's current model line-up — the Defender, LR4 (Discovery), LR2 (Freelander), Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque.

John Edwards, Land Rover's Global Brand Director said, "Land Rover is celebrating 65 years of proud heritage. It is in fact a dual celebration, as March saw Land Rover deliver the strongest ever monthly and quarterly sales performance in its history.

"Since 1948, every component in our vehicles has been designed and engineered with intent and Land Rover continues to this day, to build the world's most capable all-purpose vehicles. A blend of refinement, performance and unmatched all-terrain capability make Land Rover vehicles distinctive and unique, ready to tackle the world's most challenging and inhospitable terrain."

"The all-new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are the result of unprecedented investment in technology, in engineering and in our manufacturing facilities to produce the world's first SUVs with a lightweight aluminum body structure. Investing in innovation has always been the lifeblood of Land Rover and we will continue to develop innovative new technology and sustainable motoring solutions for the future, whilst retaining the class-leading and legendary breadth of capability that Land Rover's heritage is built upon," Edwards said.