Land Rover exhibition celebrates 50 years of the Velar

Land Rover has opened a new visitor attraction at its Solihull manufacturing plant celebrating 50 years of the Range Rover. The Range Rover has been manufactured at the West Midlands factory since 1970, but its history with the Solihull site goes back to 1967 when the first secret prototype was conceived, codenamed Velar.

The name Velar was made up by engineer Mike Dunn from the letters in Rover and Alvis. The new exhibit will take visitors from the Velar’s inception in the mid-1960s, through to the introduction of the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque. 

Roger Crathorne (known as Mr Land Rover) dedicated 50 years’ service to Land Rover and has been heavily involved in the creation of the exhibition. He said, ‘The exhibit tells the incredible story of the Range Rover, from the original Velar prototype through to today’s new model. At the time I began my career in 1967 as a technical assistant on the Velar Team, the intention was never to build a luxury vehicle. Over the 50 years since, the Range Rover has come a long way.'

The opening of the Range Rover exhibition coincides with the opening of Velar manufacturing tours at Solihull. And the exhibition culminates with an unveiling of the new Range Rover Velar, celebrating British design and engineering integrity.