By now, it was apparent to everyone that the Land Rover was here to stay. It was a market leader in so many countries, and production was reaching records levels. The 500,000th Land rover had rolled off the lines in 1966 (it took eleven years to build the first 250,000 examples, and just seven years to build the next 250,000), and by then the factory was almost at bursting point. It was only Land Rover’s keenness to develop overseas production that enabled the company to expand its manufacturing still further, with more and more countries now producing Land Rovers from kits of parts. By the late 1960s, no less than 30% of land Rover’s export vehicles were leaving the factory in kit form for local assembly in any one of 29 countries. Rover’s association with MSA of Spain, which had evolved over the years, proved most useful, with some of the Spanish-built Land rovers being shipped to other countries to supplement those going abroad from Sulihull. By the time the Land rover’s 21st birthday was being celebrated in 1969, the vehicle being sold in 182 different countries, with exports now accounting for 80% of annual production. As the 1970s dawned, total Land Rover production was edging towards the 650,000 mark.

In terms of the history of the Land Rover, 1970 is probably best remembered for the launch of the all-new Range Rover.

The Land Rover wasn’t being neglected though, for in 1971 came the Series III, consisting of a package of improvements to increase the consumer appeal of the evergreen Land Rover. From a cosmetic point of view, modifications included a new injection-moulded radiator grille, flatter door and bonnet hinges, and a new heater air-intake on the nearside front wing.

The Series III changes were more than skin deep though, for the Land Rover now boasted a fully-synchromesh gearbox (although it had been fitted to the last few Series IIA vehicles), plus an up rated clutch on all models. Brakes were also altered, with new brake drums, re-routed brake pipes and now servo-assisted brakes as standard on all Station Wagon and six-cylinder variants.

It was in the late 1960s and early 70s that the future of Rover as a company, and in particular its mainstay Land Rover, took several major turns... which at times proved rather worrying for those who cared about the Land Rover marquee.

At this time, with several other manufacturers (mainly overseas companies) developing and launching their own 4x4 models in an attempt to gain a slice of the action, Rover were having to fight harder to retain their healthy share of the four-wheel-drive market... both in Britain and abroad. Indeed, it was primarily this new threat of increased competition that had led to the launch of the Series III Land Rover. It is a credit to the company that Land rover’s total production for the 1970-71 year reached as new record of 56,663 units, aided slightly by the introduction of the Range Rover (although this new model actually took some sales away from the top end of the Land Rover range, as well as helping to boost total sales for the company.

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