Range Rover marks 45th anniversary with jaw dropping spectacle

To mark the 45th anniversary of its Range Rover family and to highlight 45 years of Range Rover innovation ahead of the Guangzhou Motor Show in China, Land Rover has driven its flagship Range Rover luxury SUV across a bridge made of paper. The freestanding structure in Suzhou, China, spanned five metres without glue or bolts to hold it in place. The hand-built paper bridge took three days to construct in the ancient water city of Suzhou, which is famous for its bridges and nicknamed ‘Venice of the East’. The unique crossing was made of high quality paper supplied by specialist British manufacturer James Cropper PLC. The high-grade paper provided the consistency and visual quality desired by British artist and bridge designer Steve Messam.

The job of driving the Range Rover was entrusted to Land Rover Experience Chief Instructor, Chris Zhou, and the landmark crossing showcased the innovative lightweight body construction and all-terrain capability of Land Rover’s flagship SUV.  

Range Rover represents the pinnacle of the Land Rover line-up and features a host of advanced technologies designed to deliver class-leading capability. The intelligent four-wheel set-up is controlled by Land Rover’s unique Terrain Response 2 system, which adjusts a range of vehicle settings to optimise all-terrain ability without any input from the driver. Range Rover defined the luxury SUV sector when it debuted in 1970 and the latest model was the first SUV in the world to be constructed from lightweight aluminium when it debuted in 2012.

In addition All-Terrain Progress Control (ATPC) allows drivers to concentrate purely on steering the vehicle when negotiating difficult or slippery terrain by maintaining set crawl speed ranging from 1.8km/h to 30km/h without any pedal inputs. The innovative technology can be activated on the move or from a standstill, to help when pulling away on tricky surfaces such as wet grass or deep sand. “China is a hugely important market for Range Rover and the birthplace of paper, so we have picked the perfect place to celebrate 45 years of our luxury SUV family,” said Nick Rogers, Director Group Engineering Jaguar Land Rover. “Driving a vehicle across a paper bridge is a simple and engaging way of demonstrating both the lightweight construction and all-terrain composure of our most prestigious model.” Paper was invented in China around 2 000 years ago and stock from famous British supplier James Cropper PLC – itself celebrating 170 years in business in 2015 – was chosen to highlight Range Rover’s British roots. 

Tosan Aduayi is the founder of Trendy Africa Magazine and has been an Auto columnist since 1994