Since the classic Defender was discontinued in January 2016, the value of the iconic trucks has skyrocketed globally. In the United Kingdom, there has been a major issue with trucks being stolen out of driveways and parking lots, usually either for export or for their valuable parts.

Land Rovers are a common sight at the weddings of leading families. At the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a few weeks ago, Range Rovers and Discoverys were used in many support roles throughout the day. So perhaps it’s natural that Game of Thrones cast members Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie – also known as Jon Snow and Ygritte – would use Land Rovers in their wedding ceremony, including an well-worn Defender 90 getaway car.

One of the oldest Land Rover clubs in North America held its 35^th annual Birthday Party rally at the end of June 2018. The Ottawa Valley Land Rovers club has held the event in Ontario since 1984, and this year’s celebration on June 22-24 continued a tradition of a fun event with a friendly, dedicated, cross-border crowd.

With recent developments in autonomous driving technology having gotten close to mastering driving on the road, Land Rover has appropriately decided that it’s time to start exploring the next frontier: self-driving off-road technology. With the launch of the $5 million Cortex project this month, they’re looking into developing technology that suits their off-roading customer base.

Just three-and-a-half years after its launch in 2015, the Discovery Sport has become the fastest-selling Land Rover in history, with over 350,000 vehicles sold globally so far – 126,078 in 2017 alone.

As the automotive industry prepares for larger-scale production of electric cars, Land Rover is preparing to ramp up production of alternative power vehicles at the famous Lode Lane factory in Solihull, England.

After a few years’ hiatus, Vermont Overland (VO) once again held their popular Land Rover-only Vermont Over-Land Rover event over Memorial Day weekend. Although other VO events are open to all marques, this event was designed by VO head Peter Vollers as a tribute to the Land Rover community that has formed a core to the group for many years.

As Land Rover celebrates its 70^th anniversary this year, there are several large enthusiast celebrations happening around the world. One of the best and most extensive, however, happened on May 26^th and 27^th in Bicester, England, with one of the most complete gatherings in history of historically significant Land Rovers.

In June 2008, Land Rover found itself sold to its fourth owner in fourteen years, having been passed around like a hot potato between some of the world’s largest automakers. British Aerospace sold their Rover Group subsidiary to BMW in 1994; BMW broke it up six years later in 2000, selling Land Rover, the most successful brand, to Ford Motor Company. The company spent eight years as part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG) of European luxury brands, along with Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin, until 2008 when Ford broke up PAG to raise funds in the early days of the Detroit automotive industry crisis.

On April 23^rd, Prince William and Katherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, welcomed their third child, Prince Louis, to the world. Now a family of five, the Range Rovers they’ve been driving for the past few years won’t suffice, and so they’ve upsized to a seven-seater Discovery 5.

Twenty-four years ago, the Discovery was launched in North America as the great family adventure vehicle. Besides being one of the few SUVs at the time to seat seven, the Disco was marketed as a vehicle that could take your entire family anywhere and do anything. Since then, Land Rover vehicles have advanced to new technological and luxurious heights, and the Discovery I has fallen off the road and become a bit of a rarity, as older vehicles tend to do over time.

As I still believe in these vehicles as some of the best all-around Land Rovers ever made, I took it upon myself to prove that the original Disco still had the chops for exploring almost a quarter of a century later. The method? That greatest of American concepts, the cross-country road trip.

World Land Rover Day was celebrated on April 30^th, and the 70^th Anniversary celebrations are now in full swing. Land Rover released a video recounting some of the greatest expeditions in their history, with the stories told by those who were there.

Land Rover has a long history with the James Bond franchise, and after his iconic Aston Martins, they may be the next vehicles that come to mind for the use of 007. Now, in a new endeavor, Jaguar Land Rover will celebrate these connections as part of the new 007 Elements interactive experience in Sölden, Austria.

With the launch of the new Defender coming some time in the next few months, the automotive press is soon to be without a story they’ve been thriving on for two decades. Fortunately, Solihull seems to be helping them out, and three interesting stories crossed the transom recently about future developments to show up in the next few years.

Though the new Defender has yet to be unveiled (though it may be sooner than we’d think, if we read between the lines right, it has always been implied that the new truck will be offered in several body styles and wheelbases, just as the old one was. There have been rumors of a pickup truck version, possibly a 2-door, to compete with the rest-of-world Mercedes X-Class and Volkswagen Amarok.

As the Land Rover club events season starts to get in swing, two recent Atlantic British supported events went on to great success.

The Rover Owners Association of Virginia (ROAV) hosted their annual Rovers at Wintergreen (RAW) event at Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen, VA the weekend of April 6-8. RAW is a bit of a unique event; unlike most Land Rover events, there is no real camping element, and the focus instead is at the resort, where ROAV has helped maintain trails for decades. This relationship has led to a huge event that kicks off the spring season in Virginia.

This year, the trails were a bit slippery, but the 150 or so attendees took it in total stride. There were over 80 trucks, the largest RAW ever. In addition to the usual Series trucks and older modern Land Rovers, there were new Range Rover Sports and Discovery Sports on the trails, as well as a rare G4 Challenge Freelander. The bigger it gets the better it gets it seems at Wintergreen.