The nation's best wheels?
17/08/09 14:37 Filed in: News
Approached by The Nation’s Best to nominate my best
British car of all time (but not the Mini or the E-type which had
already been nominated) I plumped for the original Range
Rover.
This is what I said:
“My vote would be for the original Range Rover. It was the car that literally launched a whole new genre of vehicles that were not only practical for every day use, but could also take to the muddy stuff. Think of the number of SUVs that followed in the Range Rover’s wheeltracks. SUVs have been the real growth sector worldwide in recent years and it all started with that original Range Rover in 1970. All the major manufacturers offer this type of vehicle, with recent converts being Renault, Peugeot and Citroen.
“In typical fashion, however, the UK motor industry at the time completely failed to play to its strengths. Instead of extending the idea of the Range Rover into smaller more affordable models, it sat back and watched the Japanese manufacturers steal that market. It took no less than 27 years to extend the idea to a small SUV with the launch the Freelander in 1997.”
Do you agree? Have your say at The Nation’s Best.
This is what I said:
“My vote would be for the original Range Rover. It was the car that literally launched a whole new genre of vehicles that were not only practical for every day use, but could also take to the muddy stuff. Think of the number of SUVs that followed in the Range Rover’s wheeltracks. SUVs have been the real growth sector worldwide in recent years and it all started with that original Range Rover in 1970. All the major manufacturers offer this type of vehicle, with recent converts being Renault, Peugeot and Citroen.
“In typical fashion, however, the UK motor industry at the time completely failed to play to its strengths. Instead of extending the idea of the Range Rover into smaller more affordable models, it sat back and watched the Japanese manufacturers steal that market. It took no less than 27 years to extend the idea to a small SUV with the launch the Freelander in 1997.”
Do you agree? Have your say at The Nation’s Best.