Land Rover has just announced the opening of its Reborn Tour, where visitors can observe the earliest Land Rovers undergoing the restoration process. The Series Ones are being rebuilt by Land Rover’s Classic Workshop. A select few expert technicians are employed there to carry out careful, historical accurate restorations that bring the Series One vehicles back to their original states, or as close to that as possible.
The Land Rover “Celebration” exhibit that was created last year in conjunction with the Defender assembly line “Celebration” Tour has been relocated near the Classic Workshop. According to Land Rover, this will offer visitors an “insight into 1940s production and the many fascinating stories of the 1948 Series 1 to present day Defender.”
Guests also have the option to combine the Reborn Tour with a half day off road driving experience behind the wheel of a late model Defender. Visitors to the Solihull Land Rover experience can drive on the “proving grounds” portion, where they learn the technical and practical aspects of driving over steep and uneven terrain. They can also run the “jungle track,” which is essentially, well, a jungle. When I was there in January the water on most of the jungle trails was up to the top of the tires on the 2015 Full Size Range Rover we drove.
Tours start at £29 for a 90 minute Reborn Tour only, or £150 for a combined tour and drive lasting 3 hours. Visitors taking the 3 hour version also get a dedicated group tour guide, access to privileged areas, the off-road drive, and an extra round of refreshments. In my experience the tours book quickly and there are quite a few dates already blacked out.
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