Land Rover Series 3 Chibi Papercraft Model

9 May, 2022

The first generation of Land Rover – Series, County, and Defender names only existed after the 1990s – was born under the Rover Company umbrella. Previously, Rover produced luxury cars that were no longer in demand after World War II. Because their factory in Confinity-England was hit by a bomb during the war, plus raw materials were very limited for industrial companies, they had to improvise.

Rover moved to the "shadow factory" in Solihull that previously built the Bristol Hercules aircraft engines. They made several prototypes of economical cars, but they were never produced due to cost problems. Finally, Maurice Wilks, Rover's chief designer, had the idea to make a utility vehicle like the Willys Jeep. The difference is, that the Jeep is designed for war while the Land Rover is for agriculture.

The prototype (1947) used a Jeep chassis with the engine and gearbox of the Rover P3 saloon car. The body is made by hand and the material uses an aluminum sheet (Birmabright) to save on the use of steel which was then rationed. The paint also uses a surplus of military aircraft cockpit paint. So the early Land Rover cars only had a light green color variation. Uniquely, the location of the steering wheel of this prototype is in the middle (center steer) so that the space on the left and right of the front cabin can be used for cargo.

After passing the test, it turned out that center steering was not practical so the production car (later named Series I) returned to its normal position. The body is also made simpler to save costs. Rover installed a larger, 1.6-liter petrol engine producing 50 bhp, and designed a special 2-speed transfer gearbox to replace the unit from the Jeep. So Land Rover no longer uses a single part of the Jeep.

As a car intended for agriculture, this car is equipped with PTO (power take-off) at the front or rear of the car. The device that gets power from a 4-speed transmission is intended to drive agricultural machinery like a tractor.

The Land Rover Series I will initially only be produced for two to three years to raise funds so that the Rover Company can return to producing luxury cars. But because the demand is so high, they develop like the use of gasoline and diesel engines are larger, with a capacity of 2.0 liters. They also added a wide selection of wheelbase sizes (86, 88, 107, and 109 inches).

The success of Series I made them launch the Series II which was produced from 1958-to 1961. Armed with a wheelbase of 88 (SWB/short wheelbase) and 109 (LWB/long wheelbase) inches, this car is armed with 2.0 L petrol and diesel engines like its predecessor plus a new 2.25 L petrol engine with 72 hp. The LWB variant, which previously had a capacity of 10 passengers, also received a new option, 12 passengers. The goal was to get around the UK tax which stipulates that a car with 12 or more passengers is categorized as a bus. As a result, it is free from several types of taxes.

The specialty of Series II is not only that. This is the first car to catch the attention of Rover's styling department. David Bache the chief stylist made the car's hips rounded and the roof curvy. This style was maintained until the Defender. The difference between Series II and II A (1961-1971) is not much. The most striking change is in the position of the headlamp. If the previous generation was in the middle (squint), the Series IIA headlights moved to the side to meet regulations in Australia, America, and the Netherlands. In addition, the two wiper blades now only use one motor, not individually as before.

Rover again added a larger engine selection for the Series III (1971-1985). Apart from the 2.25 L petrol engine from the previous generation, this time there will be 2.25 L diesel, 2.6 L petrol, and 3.5 L V8 petrol. The dashboard is now no longer bare metal but gets a black vinyl coating. The control panel has also moved from the center of the dashboard to the rear of the steering wheel.

This generation also marks a shift in function from agricultural and commercial cars to family vehicles. This can be seen from the choice of a new, more comfortable interior trim in 1982, with a fabric layer for the seats, silencers, and others. This model became known as the Land Rover County as well as the transition to the Defender variant (1983-2016).

The Defender at that time still used names taken from the length of the wheelbase in inches: Land Rover Ninety (actually 92.9 inches), One Ten, and 127. At this time the public already viewed Land Rover as a "recreational" vehicle, although the basic model was still used as a work car. So don't be surprised if there are more color choices and convenient features such as a radio-cassette player and roof rack. But the biggest factor determining the success of this model is the transition from leaf to the snail. As a result, handling is improved, more comfortable, and more capable in off-road terrain.

Until the Defender stopped being produced, there were not many significant changes in terms of form and technology. Even so, this does not affect the prestige of this brand. Even today, the Defender holds a special meaning in the lives of many car enthusiasts.