From Factory to Facebook

I’VE often thought that the Land Rover marque has more owners’ clubs than any other motor vehicle on the planet, and a recent conversation with Tony Hutchings led to a fascinating discussion about how it all began, the creation of the very first Land Rover clubs, and how things have evolved over the past 60 years and more.

Tony is a bit of a legend in old Land Rover circles. In 1976 he founded the Land Rover Register 1947-1951, which we think was the first model-specific Land Rover club. The Register was initially dedicated to researching the origins and development of the Jeep-based Centre Steer and the pre-production Land Rovers, but quickly embraced the early production 80-inch vehicles up to 1951, later changing its name to Land Rover Register 1948-1953 when it extended its focus to the year when production of the 80 ended.

Much was done in the early years of the register to raise awareness of the pre-production cars and many were identified and saved as a direct result. In 1983, Tony became the fourth chairman of the Association of