Land-Rover R04

Key facts

Year

1948
Country

Great Britain
Capacity

1,595cc
Cylinders

In-line 4
Valves

Overhead
Output

50hp @ 4,000rpm
Performance

58mph
Price new

£540 (production models)
Owner

The National Motor Museum Trust
Manufacturer

The Rover Co. Ltd

Inspired by the wartime Jeep, the first prototype Land-Rovers appeared in 1947. Rover then built forty-eight pre-production, or pilot, versions for testing and evaluation purposes before the launch of the production vehicles in 1948. R04 is the fourth of the pilot batch and one of the oldest surviving Land-Rovers.

Planned as a four-wheel-drive agricultural runabout, the Land-Rover was quite unlike anything the Rover Company had built before. The engine and gearbox came from the Rover P3 road car. As on the Jeep, a transfer box transmitted the drive to front and rear axles. Body panels were made from aluminium, which was relatively cheap and in plentiful supply compared with steel, the use of which was restricted by the government. Production Land-Rovers were an instant hit. By the end of 1948 Land-Rovers were outselling Rover’s road cars and were being exported in large numbers.