THE GREAT EXPEDITIONS: 75 YEARS OF LAND ROVER TRAVERSING THE GLOBE
A LEGACY OF ADVENTURE: TEN EXTRAORDINARY LAND ROVER VEHICLES
At the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Land Rover Classic presented a curated selection of 10 historic Land Rover models from a storied history of global exploration.
Since its inception in 1948, Land Rover has helped intrepid explorers traverse the world’s most challenging terrain. The Great Expeditions exhibit brought together 10 classic vehicles, each with its own authentic story and unique pedigree. From the 1950 Series I piloted by pioneering explorer Barbara Toy, to the first hybrid vehicle to travel the legendary Silk Road in 2014, the collection is a testament to an enduring spirit of adventure.
A LEGACY OF ADVENTURE: TEN EXTRAORDINARY LAND ROVER VEHICLES
At the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Land Rover Classic presented a curated selection of 10 historic Land Rover models from a storied history of global exploration.
Since its inception in 1948, Land Rover has helped intrepid explorers traverse the world’s most challenging terrain. The Great Expeditions exhibit brought together 10 classic vehicles, each with its own authentic story and unique pedigree. From the 1950 Series I piloted by pioneering explorer Barbara Toy, to the first hybrid vehicle to travel the legendary Silk Road in 2014, the collection is a testament to an enduring spirit of adventure.
Video credits to Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance ©
THE VEHICLES OF THE GREAT EXPEDITIONS
1950 LAND ROVER SERIES I 80” (KYH628)
The first Land Rover model owned by Australian playwright, actor and author Barbara Toy, who later became the first to circumnavigate the globe in a Land Rover. Nicknamed Pollyanna, Toy’s Series I was driven solo from Gibraltar to Baghdad in 1951.
1955 LAND ROVER 86” (SNX891)
In 1955 and 1956, six students took six months and six days taking this Land Rover, nicknamed Oxford, from London to Singapore, crossing 17 countries and traveling over 18,000 miles.
1957 LAND ROVER SERIES I 107” (WAC337)
Commissioned by biologist Bristol Foster for a 14-month, 19-country, four-continent journey, this Series I, nicknamed The Grizzly Torque, took Foster and the artist Robert Bateman across some of the most remote and difficult terrain on Earth.
1960 LAND ROVER SERIES II 109” (7925NX)
A courageous team of Cambridge University students spent 15 months navigating the rugged terrain of the Pan-American Highway in this Series II, covering 40,000 miles. The vehicle has been meticulously restored, retaining its original patina.
1971 RANGE ROVER SUFFIX A
One of the very first Range Rover models, this Suffix A was driven the length of the Americas — from Alaska to Cape Horn — including a grueling 99 days across the Darién Gap. On loan from the British Motor Museum Collection.
1989 RANGE ROVER
Selected to showcase the off-road prowess of the Range Rover in 1990, this vehicle traversed the most demanding portion of the Continental Divide across the state of Colorado — 1,100 miles of narrow, rocky trails with steep drop-offs and mountain passes reaching elevations of over 13,000 feet.
1993 NAS DEFENDER 110 #58/500
One of only 500 NAS Defender 110 vehicles imported into the United States in the 1990s, #58 served as technical support for the La Ruta Maya expedition across Central America. Since then, it has participated in numerous expeditions across the country, and continues to hold a special place in the JLR North America collection.
1998 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110
From 1981 to 2000, the Camel Trophy tested the off-road driving, navigation and endurance skills of two-person teams across locations as diverse as Mongolia, Brazil, Siberia and Tanzania. This vehicle served as support for the United States team during the 1998 Camel Trophy, held in Tierra del Fuego.
2003 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II
Selected to showcase the durability of the Certified Pre-Owned Discovery lineup in the LONGITUDE Expedition, this vehicle was taken on a journey that spanned 31 countries and 41,000 miles. In 2004, as the team drove through India, they met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who offered his blessing and inscribed the hood of the vehicle with the words “May the land of snows prevail.”
2014 RANGE ROVER DHEV
The Silk Trail Expedition was the first to bring hybrid vehicles to the legendary Silk Road, and this Range Rover Diesel Hybrid prototype completed the 53-day, 13-country journey in one of the automaker’s most ambitious engineering trials.