Land Rover 88 "Military Desert"
Rover chief engineer Maurice Wilks was inspired by his army-surplus Willys-Overland Jeep to create a workhorse vehicle for military and agricultural use. Prototypes were up and running by late 1947, and production of the Series I began at Solihull in summer 1948. The Land Rover price started from just 450. Supply to the British forces started in 1949, the Land Rover replacing the Austin Champ, and later, the rust-prone Austin Gipsy. Deliveries to organisations such as the Red Cross soon followed. The 100,000th Land Rover was made in autumn 1954 and by 1958, production ran to around 200,000.
