Birthplace of Ineos Grenadier gets World Origin Site plaque
Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe returned to his favourite pub - The Grenadier - in swanky Belgravia, London, as it was honoured with a World Origin Site status.
It was while enjoying a pint at this pub that Ratcliffe came up with the idea for a new 4X4, sketching it on a £5 note and pinning it to the ceiling. The businessman founded Ineos Automotive in 2016, a subsidiary of the Ineos multinational chemicals company, of which he is chairman, and originally wanted to build a modern replacement for his Land Rover Defender.
After approaching and being declined by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in 2016 when offering to buy its tooling after the closure of its production facility in Solihull, it would be another four years before a prototype version of the Grenadier finally arrived. This was followed by the production version in 2022, and it has since spawned various iterations, including the Grenadier Quartermaster and Trialmaster X, and 36,000 vehicles have now been delivered around the world to more than 50 global markets across North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and Australia.
The pub is now owned by Ineos, having been acquired in 2022 by Ratcliffe, and now sports the first World Origin Site green plaque for an automotive brand.
Other plaques have been dished out to sites including the club where The Beatles first performed, the birthplace of the Supermarine Spitfire and the location of the world’s first purpose built motor racing circuit at Brooklands.
The Grenadier name, which the pub chose in honour of the Grenadier Guards’ actions in the Battle of Waterloo, has also been used for the brand’s cycling team, although this was recently changed.
Lynn Calder - CEO, INEOS Automotive, said: “The Grenadier is a unique, purpose-built vehicle with an equally unique story behind it. What started as an idea among 4X4 enthusiasts in their favourite London pub has become a global phenomenon for those who seek adventure and the road less travelled. This recognition of its origins is a fitting celebration of the incredible story behind this brand.”
words: Mike Booth
pictures: INEOS Automotive