Range Rover, Original Chelsea Tractor

No matter how hard anyone tries, Government included, they just can't kill the school run 4x4. Before the Range Rover appeared, the idea that a large and tall rural box built solely for getting across muddy hills and things could be suitable for taking the kids to ballet class was fairly laughable. For many, it's still laughable now, but for very different reasons. The premium SUV has become the ultimate status symbol, second only to a bona fide supercar, and the Range Rover classic is the Godfather of the concept.

To be honest, the original Range Rover's spec sheet doesn't initially smack of the blueprint for a widely successful genre of urban cars. It had only two doors, so getting into the back seats was awkward, it sat on tall springs so that body roll was terrible, it was heavy and it had no power steering. However, it was instantly extolled for its all-conquering abilities both on- and off-road (qualities the cars are still praised for today), and thanks to a 3.5-litre Rover V8 it accelerated with as much gusto as anything else with as much space at the time. Sure enough, a raft of improvements (including lowering the suspension, adding rear doors and power steering, and the introduction of an auto gearbox) ensured that the Range Rover continued to lead where others follow.

Mark Nichol