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  • Land Rover

  • The Story of the Car That Conquered the World
  • By: Ben Fogle
  • Narrated by: Rupert Farley
  • Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (90 ratings)
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Land Rover cover art

Land Rover

By: Ben Fogle
Narrated by: Rupert Farley
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Summary

As quintessentially British as a plate of fish and chips or a British bulldog, the boxy, utilitarian Land Rover Defender has become an iconic part of what it is to be British. It is said that for more than half the world's population, the first car they ever saw was a Land Rover Defender.

It mirrors many of our national traits - stiff upper-lipped and slightly eccentric. The car has remained relatively unchanged for nearly seven decades and has spawned an industry that includes dozens of publications, car shows, clubs, associations and even model car collectors who dedicate their lives to the Land Rover.

To understand this national love affair, Ben has travelled the length of the British Isles in an old series one Land Rover, spending time with Defender enthusiast Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the Royal Marines and the Dartmoor search-and-rescue teams.

His journey continues via the Bristol dockyard from where thousands of Defenders are dispatched around the world and onto the Western Isles of Scotland and Islay, the island used as a testing ground by Spencer Wilks in 1947 to put several of the early series Land Rover prototypes through their paces.

After 67 years and 2 million vehicles, the Land Rover Defender has ceased production, and this book is a fitting tribute to this most British institution, which has stood as a beacon of durability and Britishness across the world. Every Land Rover has its own unique story to tell.

This is the story of the world's favourite car.

©2016 Ben Fogle (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

Praise for Ben Fogle:
"Funny, entertaining and really rather inspiring, too." ( Daily Mail)
"A great escapade told with refreshing frankness." ( Independent on Sunday)
"Passionate and well-researched." ( Tatler)
"A must-read for anyone with an interest in the history of man's relationship to dogs, regardless of breed, and Fogle's typical adventure-style storytelling keeps the narrative light and entertaining." ( Independent)

What listeners say about Land Rover

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Overall very good

Very good book although a bit disjointed in bits. As a freelander and evoque owner for about 6 years I read / listened but wouldn't have done otherwise I guess that's why I gave such a highish ranking. I picked up things like the Khan model etc. Overall I'd recommend for landrover / Range Rover owners but don't think many, apart from anoraks, would be that interested.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great for all Land Rover lovers

A very personal look at the beloved Land Rover in all its series and types.
I thought it was a great read/listen.
Not sure if it was me or the book but some parts seem to be repeated but this might just be my phone but will be listening again soon.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

MADE ME BUY MY DEFENDER

ON LISTENING TO THIS STORY BY BEN FOGLE I SOLD MY BELOVED PORSCHE AND NOW HAVE A 1999 DEFENDER 110, NO CREATURE COMFORTS BUT A GRIN AS BIG AS A RAINBOW! I LOVE IT NOISY WET, COLD BUT INDISTRUTABLE. I NO LONGER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHERE I PARK IT TO AVOID IT BEING SCRATCHED IT DOMINATES THE PARKING SPACE AS A KING OF KINGS!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Our inheritance

Never before has a nation owed so much to a vehicle the Land Rover

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book.

I don't own a Land Rover but the history of the Land Rover is a fascinating story and a great listen.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great story; wrong author

A vehicle as iconic as Land Rover with a rich back story, a long history and colourful characters is a recipe for a great book. Well, that depends on the author.

When I purchased the book, I didn’t see it was written by Ben Fogle and if I had it probably wouldn’t have made much difference. I don’t know much about him. He seems nice if perhaps a bit posh and dim. This may be unfair but the book definitely reinforces the impression.

Focussing FAR too much on the author, his privileged upbringing, his posh friends and his house in central London. Equally it focussed far too little on the actual history of Land Rover. The nail in the coffin, (or perhaps that should be the high tensile bolt in the bumper), is the fact that the telling of the story is unremarkable and terribly cliched.

I don’t particularly care about his frequent in PC comparisons between land rovers and unattractive girlfriends or how wives stop him/his friends purchasing land rovers but they are tedious and cliched and a microcosm of the failure of the book.

The Land Rover, we are told, is classless, individual and honest. This book is none of those things. Posh, hackneyed and disingenuous. If it was titled ‘Ben Fogle: a love affair with the Land Rover’, then I wouldn’t have a problem but this is advertised as a history of the vehicle itself.

A good story teller should never get in the way of the story. Perhaps they should have taught that at his prep school.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

very repetitive

I'm actually surprised this is his work. the way he says the same things over again with no acknowledgement to having previously mentioned it. also a terrible timeline jumping all over the the place, quite poor really and a shame. still enjoyable though

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Serious land rovers only

It’s interesting but only die hard Land Rover fans will want to listen to this. It was just back ground noise for the most part for me and I love cars

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A fascinating subject made boring

The author confesses he is not a motoring enthusiast - this is apparent throughout the book. If he was, he might have drawn on a deeper appreciation for the design and comparative merits vs other cars. If he was a historian or anthropologist he might be able to explain why the model took off and took route in the national consciousness.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ben Fogle blowing smoke up his own arse for HOURS.

Couldn't finish it. Ben Fogle brags about not telling his wife about buying cars and brags about his career. Terrible.

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