Land Rover has built a replica of the production line used to manufacture the Land Rover Series I 4×4 in 1948.

LAND ROVER OPENED its replica production line to the public yesterday as part of its ‘Defender Celebration Line’ showing how the company built the first Land Rover at its Solihull manufacturing plant. On show are replica vehicles in various stages of production, built using identical parts and in the same way as the original Series I.

The opening of the replica production line marks a year of Defender-based celebrations in the long-running model’s last-year in production before an all-new model is released, according to Land Rover.

Jaguar Land Rover Heritage Director, John Edwards, says “Land Rover has a rich heritage based around the Series I and Defender models, and we wanted to create something extra special that would give visitors and enthusiasts a unique insight into how it all started back in 1948.

“It has been a huge task to recreate a production line from almost 70 years ago, from sourcing original parts for the Series I models, to authentically re-creating the working environment and uniform of employees who were here. The team involved has been meticulous in their research, planning and creation of what is a fitting tribute to the legendary heritage of Land Rover.”

Jaguar Land Rover Heritage says it sought the assistance of Phil Bashall, a noted Land Rover enthusiast and collector. “It’s been a struggle at times, but a real labour of love to source all of the original parts needed for vehicles that stopped production so many years ago.”