There has rarely been a British success story like the Land-Rover. Developed in a short time and on a small budget, it was launched in 1948 and having passed though many revisions is still a world leader today. The Series detailed in Land Rover takes the reader from the beginning to 1985, and the many surviving examples, supported by a comprehensive parts and restoration industry, are seeing a solid increase in values. Here James Taylor, the premier historian of the marque, provides a detailed study of the Land-Rover's evolution through the period and the variants and special-purpose versions that were produced. Uniquely, it is the manufacturer's own sales brochures and advertising that supply the illustrations, which number some 400 images and serve not only to correctly depict the vehicles but also to re-create the atmosphere of the times when they were made.

After graduating from Oxford and pursuing further academic studies at Reading, James Taylor spent 12 years working in central government. However, the lure of writing about cars – which he was doing in his spare time – proved too great and he decided to turn it into a career. James has now written well over 100 books in all, and among them have been several definitive one-make or one-model titles. He has written for enthusiast magazines in several countries, has translated books from foreign languages, and even delivers effective writing training in both the public and private sectors. He spent the best part of ten years as the editor of Land Rover Enthusiast magazine and has always counted the products of the old Rover Company and of Land Rover as his favourite subject. He also co-organised the “15 Years of Rover V8” event at Donington in 1982.