Land Rover Series I.

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rover
First Land Rover production car ever built
First Land Rover production car ever built
Land Rover
Production period: 1948-1958
Class : Off-road vehicle
Body versions : Station wagon , Kübelwagen , pick-up
Engines:
Otto engines : 1.6–2.0 liters (37–39 kW)
Diesel engine :
2.0 liters (39 kW)
Length: 3345 mm
Width: 1549 mm
Height: 1867 mm
Wheelbase : 2032 mm
Empty weight : 1177 kg
Previous model none
successor Land Rover Series II

The Land Rover is a vehicle by the British vehicle manufacturer Rover, which was produced from 1948 to 1958. It is the first Rover vehicle to bear the Land Rover name. Conceived as an agricultural vehicle, the Land Rover developed into an off-road vehicle that is widely used around the world. In order to distinguish the vehicle from its successors, the designation Land Rover Series I is used today by the manufacturer and in the specialist literature. The successor to the first Land Rover was the Land Rover Series II.

history

History and prototypes

Originally, Rover was a Coventry-based automaker that made upper-mid-range sedans. During the Second World War, a new factory was built in Solihull near Birmingham, mainly producing aircraft for the Ministry of Aviation. After a bombing raid, the entire production was finally relocated to Solihull in 1940. By the time World War II was over, Rover's range of models was out of date and sheet steel used in automobile construction was rationed by the British government. Firms that were economically successful in building vehicles for the export market were preferred by the government for the supply of steel. Rover's managing director, Spencer Wilks, was forced to order an easy-to- build vehicle made of Birmabright , an aluminum alloy for aircraft construction, which was attractive for export markets, in order to ensure the long-term survival of Rover.

The chief developer Maurice Wilks had the idea to build a vehicle based on the Willys MB , as he was impressed by the terrain characteristics of the Willys MB. The Willys MB had been brought to Europe in large numbers by the Americans in the course of the Second World War. Wilks constructed a simple body made of sheet metal that could easily be bent by hand and cut with a conventional saw. He put this body on the chassis of a Willys MB. What was unusual was that the steering wheel was mounted in the middle, so that there was only one seat for the driver in the first row. The resulting prototype was a mixture of a farm tractor and a light truck and was primarily intended for agricultural purposes. This prototype also had a power take-off shaft to drive attachments and its interior was minimalist. The arrangement of the driver's seat in the middle of the vehicle turned out to be impractical, as the driver's hand signals were no longer visible when the top was closed. The steering wheel was then moved to the right.

Production model

Tickford 80 station wagon with a wooden frame body.
Land Rover 86 station wagon with safari roof
Land Rover 107
The interior of a Land Rover
Rear view
Land Rover 88 with a fixed roof
Land Rover 109 as a station wagon

In April 1948 the Land Rover was presented to the public at the Amsterdam Motor Show. The production model has an independently developed chassis and no longer shares any components with the Willys MB. Only one model was offered, an open Kübelwagen with headlights behind the radiator grille and 80 in (2032 mm) wheelbase, which was mainly designed for functionality and not for driving comfort. The engine is a 1.6 liter gasoline engine, the output of 50 bhp (approx. 37 kW) is not sufficient for the purpose of the vehicle. The car was being offered for £ 450, which was relatively cheap in 1948 as the Land Rover was registered as a commercial vehicle and therefore did not have to pay the income tax that would have been due on a passenger car. Doors and soft top were subject to a surcharge. All vehicles were delivered with a green paint job.

Soon after its launch, the Land Rover advertised with the slogan go anywhere developed into a sales success, so that around 8,000 vehicles were built in the first year of production in 1948, which exceeded expectations. In October 1948, a model with a fixed roof was added to the model range, which enjoyed great popularity. The Land Rover quickly became the most built vehicle at Rover. To meet the demand for a more comfortable Land Rover, a seven-seater station wagon was offered from 1949, the body of which was built in a composite construction (with a wooden frame) by Tickford. It was optionally available as a three- or five-door model. Since this Land Rover was no longer classified as a commercial vehicle, but as a passenger car, an acquisition tax had to be paid, so the car was relatively expensive. The station wagon was discontinued as early as 1951; fewer than 500 Tickfords were built, few of which have survived to this day.

Originally an all-wheel drive system with permanent front axle drive was installed, which had a freewheel in overrun mode. This freewheel was operated with a ring-like lever in the footwell. In 1950 the all-wheel drive was changed: From then on, the front axle drive could be switched on with a yellow lever; if the reduction is inserted with the red lever, the front axle drive is activated. The weak 1.6-liter engine was replaced in 1951 by a two-liter engine that developed 52 bhp (about 39 kW). The headlights moved further forward, the grille was now T-shaped. Since the loading area of ​​the Land Rover was extremely tight, the wheelbase was extended to 86 in (2184 mm) from 1954. In 1956, the first variant followed with a long wheelbase, which is 107 in (2718 mm). These Land Rovers were also available as station wagons. To make room for the diesel engine offered from 1957, the wheelbase of both models was increased by 2 in (51 mm) from 1957. The Land Rover station wagon models were available with the so-called safari roof: it has a "second roof" over the roof, which is intended to cool the interior in summer and prevent the windows from fogging up in winter. The Land Rover was replaced by the Land Rover Series II ; The Land Rover has been retrospectively referred to as the Land Rover Series I since then .

technology

Land Rover 80: The axle articulation of the vehicle is clearly visible

The Land Rover is a two-axle, box-frame, four-wheel drive, aluminum-body off-road vehicle that shares some of its components with the Rover P3 . The frame is an extremely simple construction, its longitudinal beams were welded together from four sheet metal strips. Compared to open profiles of the same weight, this has the advantage of greater torsional rigidity and more cost-effective production. The frame is slightly cranked down between the axles. The Land Rover has rigid banjo axles at the front and rear , suspended and guided on longitudinal leaf springs below with hydraulic shock absorbers. This construction allows a certain axis articulation. The wheels are fitted with 16-inch tires (406 mm), which were available from the factory in three widths 6.0 / 6.5 / 7.0 in (152/165/178 mm). The car has hydraulically operated drum brakes all around, and is steered with a spindle nut steering .

Gearbox and power transmission

The torque is transmitted from the engine via a single-disc dry clutch to the four-speed gearbox, which is synchronized in gears three and four. A countershaft with two reduction ratios is connected downstream of the gearbox. The Land Rovers built up to 1950 have semi-permanent all-wheel drive: the rear axle is rigidly connected to the transmission, but the front axle is only halfway; the front axle is permanently driven, but it has a lockable freewheel . This simple construction does not require a center differential and was replaced in 1950 by a system in which the front axle drive can be switched on and off with a lever. If the reduction is switched on, the front axle drive is also switched on automatically; the front axle drive can also be switched on independently of the reduction ratio. A center differential that balances the torque between the front and rear axles when the front-axle drive is engaged is also missing here. Instead, the rear axle is still rigidly connected to the transmission. The front axle has drive wheel bearings on both sides, the rear axle has one-sided drive wheel bearings; the differential gears are designed as bevel gears and cannot be locked. The Land Rover was also available with a rear PTO on request.

Body and interior

The outer skin of the Land Rover's body consists of “Birmabright” ( duralumin ), an aluminum alloy used in aircraft construction. The individual sheets are riveted to a frame made of steel profiles. The bulkhead and the frame of the windshield are also made of steel. The body is designed in such a way that it can be assembled from hand-machined sheet metal with just a few tools. The doors and the windshield are simply attached so that they can be removed in a few simple steps. The windshield can be folded down. In the original model, only a hood, which is subject to a surcharge, protects against the weather. Later there was also a closed body with a fixed roof, either as a combi body or with a loading area at the rear.

Various interior fittings were available for the Land Rover, with seats for three to twelve people. There are three seats in the first row, all of which can be folded down. In the rear of the vehicle, four or eight seats could be delivered, depending on the wheelbase. Due to space restrictions, the seats are not suitable for drivers who are taller than 185 cm. Both right- and left-hand drive variants were built. The fuel tank is installed under the driver's seat in right-hand drive vehicles, so that the seat has to be folded down to refuel. The controls are centrally located in the interior; The dashboard built into the center console has two round instruments: a speedometer and an instrument cluster with a fuel gauge, an ammeter and a headlight indicator.

Motorization

Combustion chamber of the three-liter engine with IOE valve control
Land Rover diesel engine

The Land Rover was delivered with three different engines, initially only with a gasoline engine with a displacement of 1.6 liters. From 1951 there was a more powerful two-liter engine. From 1957 a diesel engine with a displacement of 2 liters was available. All engines are in-line four-cylinder engines with water cooling, chain-driven side camshafts and used cylinder liners. The gasoline engines are alternately controlled, i.e. the exhaust valve is stationary and the intake valve is hanging over it . The diesel engine, on the other hand, has overhead valves . The gasoline engines have a Solex downdraft carburetor, the diesel engines have swirl chamber injection . The fuel consumption of the engines is very high.

Technical specifications

Parameters 80 in 86 in 88 in 107 in 109 in
Construction period 1948-1951 1951-1954 1954-1957 1956-1958 1957-1958 1956-1957 1957-1958
length 3353 mm 3569 mm 4407 mm
width 1549 mm
height 1867 mm
wheelbase 2032 mm 2184 mm 2235 mm 2718 mm 2769 mm
Ground clearance approx. 20 cm
Dimensions 2594 lb (1177 kg) 2604 lb (1181 kg) 2702 lb (1226 kg) 2740 lb (1243 kg) 2936 lb (1332 kg) 2740 lb (1243 kg) 3080 lb (1397 kg) 3276 lb (1486 kg)
Motorization 1.6 liter petrol 2.0 liter petrol 2.0 liter diesel 2.0 liter petrol 2.0 liter diesel
Displacement 1595 cm 3 1997 cm 3 2052 cm 3 1997 cm 3 2052 cm 3
Bore × stroke 69.5 × 105 mm 77.8 x 105 mm 85.725 x 88.9 mm 77.8 x 105 mm 85.725 x 88.9 mm
Valve control IOE OHV IOE OHV
Mixture formation Downdraft carburetor Swirl chamber injection Downdraft carburetor Swirl chamber injection
rated capacity 50 bhp (37 kW) 52 hp (39 kW) at 4000 min -1 52 hp (39 kW) at 3500 min -1 52 hp (39 kW) at 4000 min -1 52 hp (39 kW) at 3500 min -1
maximum torque 11 kgf · m (108 N · m) at 2000 min -1 14 kp m (137 N m) at 1500 min −1 12 kgf · m (118 N · m) at 2000 min -1 14 kp m (137 N m) at 1500 min −1 12 kgf · m (118 N · m) at 2000 min -1
Top speed 55 mi / h (88 km / h) 45 mi / h (72 km / h) 55 mi / h (88 km / h) 45 mi / h (72 km / h)

literature

  • Maurice Thurman: Land Rover Series I, II & IIA: The Essential Buyer's Guide , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2016, ISBN 978-1-84585-014-2 ,
  • John Christopher: Land Rover - Series I, II, IIa, III, & Defender , Amberley Publishing Limited, 2014, ISBN 978-1-4456-4069-3 , pp. 5-28
  • Land Rover (Ed.): Series I Workshop Manual , 3rd Edition, Brookland Books, 1971, ISBN 978-0-907073-98-7

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Workshop Manual, p. 187
  2. ^ Workshop Manual, p. 317
  3. ^ Workshop Manual, Figure H-4
  4. ^ Workshop Manual, p. 157
  5. ^ Workshop Manual, Figure B-1
  6. ^ Workshop Manual, p. 92
  7. ^ Workshop Manual, p. 130
  8. ^ Workshop Manual, Figure E-2
  9. ^ Workshop Manual, p. 326
  10. ↑ a b c Thurman: Land Rover Series I, II & IIA: The Essential Buyer's Guide , p. 6
  11. ^ Workshop Manual, Figure Q-1
  12. ^ Workshop Manual, Figure M-1
  13. ^ Workshop Manual, Figure M-24
  14. ↑ Thurman: Land Rover Series I, II & IIA: The Essential Buyer's Guide , p. 18
  15. ^ Cleveland: Land Rover Technical Specifications
  16. ↑ a b c Workshop Manual, p. 34
  17. ↑ a b Workshop Manual, p. 52
Timeline of civil Land Rover models since 1945
Type \ vintage rover British Leyland Rover Group BMW ford Tata
1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
Off-road vehicle Land Rover (Series I) Land Rover (Series II) Land Rover (Series III) Land Rover 90/110 / Defender Land Rover Defender
Range Rover Sport Range Rover Sport
Discovery I. Discovery II Discovery 3 / LR3 Discovery 4 / LR4 Discovery V
Range Rover I. Range Rover II Range Rover III Range Rover IV
SUV Freelander I. Freelander 2 / LR2 Discovery Sport
Range Rover Evoque I. Range Rover Evoque II
Range Rover Velar