Land Rover reunites ex-employee with the car she helped build

Land Rover has reunited an old employee with one of the cars she worked on – the 16th ever built.

Dorothy Peters, now aged 87, was offered the opportunity after meeting the car’s current owner at Land Rover’s 70th birthday celebrations in Solihull.

It was triggered when Peters showed a photo of herself posing next to a car to Mike Bishop, an engineer responsible for the Reborn line of Classic Land Rovers. It so happened that the car – number 16 off the production line – was one that Bishop now owned.

Bishop said: “Over the course of Land Rover Fest I was fortunate enough to talk to many enthusiasts and former employees. When I was approached by a very charming lady with some pictures of her time at Solihull, I had no idea we would share a special connection to ‘number 16’.

“Her enthusiasm for the company and this vehicle in particular was wonderful as was her surprise when she discovered I now owned the car! I knew instantly we needed to reunite them.”

To reunite the two in style, Dorothy was treated to a ride around Land Rover’s ‘jungle’ off-road course in Solihull – showing off that while the car is over 70 years old, it’s still capable of some serious mud-plugging.

Peters said: “I couldn’t believe the reaction to my pictures at the Festival in Solihull. I had no idea this one conversation would take me on a journey down memory lane and on the wonderful off-road track at Solihull.

“The opportunity to share this day with my daughter and granddaughters was a wonderful surprise and to see how different the factory is today was very special. It all felt like a dream and I won’t ever forget it.”