How Land Rover Won Valentine's Day and Our Hearts Seven Years Ago

Who would’ve thought that a company born from the pure need for off-road exploration and adventure would end up becoming a champion of love? Well, it happened. Not today, not yesterday, not even this year, but all the way back in 2015. You (and everyone else for that matter) may have forgotten. But we didn’t!

The world was simpler back then and easier to understand. We were connected, but there wasn’t any real danger lying around. We managed differently on a daily basis and our worries were nothing to compare with what we’re living globally today. Maybe that’s why Land Rover thought it would be a good idea to use Valentine’s Day as an excuse for doing something incredible.

We’re not talking about building houses for poor couples or eradicating some nasty disease somewhere in the world. Land Rover managed to celebrate love in such an ingenious way that we remembered this stunt briefly in a call on Monday and awed collectively in silence for a couple of seconds. So, here we are: it’s Valentine’s Day, people are reminding themselves why they love each other, they’re going to dinner, watching a movie or taking a spontaneous vacation, and we’re trying to shine a contemporary light on something that briefly happened seven years ago.

Love is amazing

I like to remind myself from time to time the words of Jeremy Clarkson when I think about selling my own 18-year-old car (a blue Skoda Fabia). Bear with me here for a bit, it will make sense. “Cars… To some, they’re just transport. An alternative (…) to walking. But you, you understand! Cars are far more than this. They are our history. They mark the moments by which we define decades. Cars are some of the most intoxicating, most beautiful things ever forged by mankind. They represent the glory of technology, the essence of freedom and have been the weapons in some of our most gripping sporting battles. (…) They hold us up as heroes. (…),” the former Top Gear host said in Forza Motorsport 5.

While I wholeheartedly agree, this makes me wonder if we all think this about our cars. I mostly don’t. But there are moments. There comes a time when you’re one with the machine, even though under the hood you find just a 1.4-liter engine. It is yours. You belong to it. There’s a bond, one which will not be broken easily. That’s why I think Land Rover managed to do something in 2015 that remained under the radar for a long time. It was for us to rediscover that love can renew itself with a little bit of effort and help.

Land Rover published a story about four lads and their first true (car) love – a 1957 Series 1, you guessed it, Land Rover. They took the vehicle on a number of adventures and created memories that can last a lifetime. But time never stops. Adulthood came and, with it, a lot of responsibilities. The now very used real SUV got to see its end of life in a barn with no real use in sight. Repairs were out of the question. Having families now, they decided to sell their Land Rover and move on with their lives.

It's happening!

What they didn’t ever expect to happen was to have the chance to meet again with their former travel companion.

Land Rover secretly bought the car and planned on returning it to its former glory. That they did – and they achieved it exceptionally well. The restoration team even replicated the stickers and brought the vehicle back from the brink. Before giving it back, Land Rover tested it thoroughly. They verified its capabilities and they were intact.

What makes this whole thing even crazier is that the British carmaker didn’t just announce the guys they will receive their car back. They put up a nation-wide ad that showed that same vehicle the boys used for their adventures. As they watch they found out that the wife of one of the blokes has the keys and - wait - it’s the real deal, it’s happening! They’re met with the vehicle and start driving in what can only be described as pure excitement.

The British automaker managed to give the greatest Valentine’s Day gift ever. There’s nothing that comes close to this now. But, who knows what the future holds!