2015 marks the 45^th anniversary of the launch of the evergreen Range Rover. To mark this milestone, Chris Elliott of the Range Rover Register (RRR) organised a gathering of a good number of the pre-production Range Rover VELAR vehicles at the British Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire on June 28^th 2015.

Richard, our 2-Door Range Rover expert, was lucky enough to attend, albeit without our own VELAR, YVB 158H which is nearing completion in our workshops here at Famous Four. Highlights included meeting with many legendary figures instrumental in the history of the Range Rover story such as Geoff Miller. Phil Bashall and Gary Pusey of Dunsfold Land Rover Trust were there, along with around 12 pre-production Range Rover ‘YVB’ ‘AOY’ and ‘NXC’ registered vehicles.

The survival of so many of these incredibly rare vehicles is a testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of their original owners, and the loyalty and fanaticism of subsequent owners, all of whom joined together on Sunday in their tribute to the ‘Classic’ Range Rover car originally conceived by Spen King, Gordon Bashford, Roger Crathorne and others back in the late 1960s, before its launch in Cornwall in June 1970.

Richard got a chance to chat with other VELAR owners and to learn more of the history and current condition of these cars, some of which have been in the same ownership since their release from the Land Rover factory back in the 1970s. Some of the highlights of the day for him were meeting the owner of YVB 160H, the Masai Red vehicle used in Land Rover’s promotional brochures, Dunsfold’s Gary Pusey and his three remarkable pre-production vehicles, talking with Chris Elliott who rescued our own YVB 158H from an almost certain demise back in the 1990s, and following Geoff Miller’s Tuscan Blue Velar YVB 163H out of Gaydon. These vehicles and their owners are an inspiration to everybody who loves the Land Rover brand.