Defender

A historic and nostalgic look at the role of the Land Rover in the emergency services over the last 70 years. Land Rover products have been used by the emergency services almost from the moment the first model left the factory in 1948. The agility and size of these vehicles made them an immediate hit with fire services, where they initially became popular as factory fire tenders. Police forces were also attracted by the cross-country ability and versatility of Land Rovers, especially outside Britain, and, when long-wheelbase models provided extra space, they also became favorites for ambulance conversions. Some emergency-service conversions required very little adaptation and were carried out in the workshops of the end-users. Others – such as six-wheel Range Rover fire tenders – required major alterations from the factory-standard vehicle. Meanwhile, specialist companies developed dedicated ambulance and fire […]

After 70 years of all-terrain adventures and global expeditions, Land Rover has once again taken the Defender to new heights for the anniversary. Stretching over 250 meters, the spectacular Defender outline was imprinted on the side of a mountain in the French Alps. The one-off snow art was created to announce World Land Rover Day on 30 April, exactly 70 years since the original Land Rover was first shown to the world at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show. The unique image is a tribute to the moment when the engineering director of Rover, Maurice Wilks, first sketched the shape for the original Land Rover in the sand of Red Wharf Bay and proposed the idea to his brother Spencer, Rover’s managing director. The forward-thinking design was eventually christened the ‘Land Rover’; the outline of which we now recognize as the […]

Land Rover today announces a limited-edition high-performance version of the iconic Defender, with up to 150 V8-powered examples re-engineered to celebrate the Land Rover marque’s 70thanniversary in 2018. The Defender Works V8 pays homage to the early high-powered engines in both the Series III Stage 1 V8 from 1979 and subsequent Defenders including the 50th Anniversary Edition, which are highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors today. Defender Works V8 is the most powerful and fastest version that Land Rover has ever created. The 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 powertrain produces 405PS and 515 Nm of torque (the standard Defender delivered 122PS and 360 Nm). The Defender Works V8 will accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.6sec*, while top speed is increased to 106mph.

According to an article in Australia’s Motoring Magazine, the design of the new Land Rover Defender, still yet to be unveiled, will be aimed for the future, technologically advanced, and probably polarizing to old-school Land Rover Defender fans. Speaking to the Australian press at a roundtable discussion at the Los Angeles motor show today, McGovern declared that the all-new replacement for the 69-year old original would become the “backbone of the Land Rover brand”.

Land Rover has announced the launch of the new Land Rover Experience Center Heritage Program, a celebration of the history and legacy of the iconic Defender. The program will allow consumers to drive the Defender off-road at Land Rover Experience Centers across the U.S. As one of the world’s most recognizable four-wheel drive vehicles and a brand icon since its introduction, the enduring capability of the Defender lives on through the Defender Driving Experience. From September 2017, Land Rover enthusiasts will be able to experience the vehicle’s off-road abilities first-hand at Experience Centers in California, Vermont, and North Carolina.

As Land Rover begins the countdown towards its 70th-anniversary celebrations on 30 April 2018, the perfect gift for Defender lovers across the globe has been announced. Icon is the definitive official book celebrating Series and Defender models. It hits the shelves in July. Just over 69 years ago, on April 30, 1948, a legend was born as the first Land Rover was revealed to the world at the Amsterdam Motor Show. Over the next seven decades the rugged 4×4 visited all corners of the world as it wrote its name into automotive folklore.

Kahn Design have been commissioned to design an exciting one-off bespoke version of the Land Rover Defender at The London Motor Show 2017 on 4-7 May. The exclusive car will be designed and built in-house by Kahn and will be on display in Battersea Park throughout the weekend. Kahn Design aims to pay the ultimate tribute to a truly iconic vehicle.

Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover finally has something of substance to say about the long-awaited Defender replacement. “It’s sensational.” The new Defender’s development has so far taken place in almost complete secrecy. There has been so little information coming from Solihull that many wondered if the company had anything substantial in the works. Now, Speth has finally come forward and thrown out a few morsels of information.

Land Rover celebrated 68 years of history today as the last of the current Defenders was produced at its famous Solihull production facility. To mark the occasion Land Rover invited more than 700 current and former Solihull employees involved in the production of Series Land Rover and Defender vehicles to see and drive some of the most important vehicles from its history, including the first pre-production ‘Huey’ Series I as well as the last vehicle off the production line, a Defender 90 Heritage Soft Top. At the same time, Land Rover announced a new Heritage Restoration Programme, which will be based on the site of the existing Solihull production line. A team of experts, including some long serving Defender employees, will oversee the restoration of a number of Series Land Rovers sourced from across the globe. The first vehicles will […]

A one-of-a-kind Land Rover Defender sold for a record £400,000 at a prestigious charity auction at Bonhams tonight, from which all proceeds are being donated to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners. This is the thought to be the most valuable production Land Rover ever to be sold at auction. The unique vehicle, the two-millionth of the iconic Series Land Rover and Defender models manufactured at Land Rover’s Solihull plant since 1948, was sold to a bidder from Qatar. The vehicle was built in May 2015 by an all-star cast of brand ambassadors and people from Land Rover’s history including Bear Grylls, Virginia McKenna OBE and Stephen and Nick Wilks, sons of the founders of Land Rover. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners: the International Federation of Red Cross and Red […]

Londoners were delighted when they spotted a one-of-a-kind Land Rover Defender ‘taxi’ driving through the streets of the capital. The Defender, one of the world’s best loved 4x4s, was starring in a commemorative film to celebrate the global automotive icon and to promote the forthcoming charity auction of the Defender 2,000,000 being held at Bonhams New Bond Street headquarters on 16 December. The film, released today, also stars a number of other more unusual, specially modified vehicles including a Series II Land Rover ice cream van, a specially tailored Paul Smith Defender and the first ever Series Land Rover show car, displayed at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948, all taking in London’s famous landmarks as they tell the story of the Defender’s rich history.

A two-day Series Land Rover and Defender heritage exhibition will be on display at Bonhams London from 15-16 December ahead of the prestigious charity auction of the Defender 2,000,000. The exhibition will celebrate 67 years of UK production and chart the Defender’s journey to becoming a global automotive icon. Prospective bidders and the general public are invited to preview the Defender 2,000,000 throughout the specially curated exhibition, which celebrates almost seven decades of Land Rover production at the Solihull manufacturing facility in the UK. With a ‘hall of fame’ depicting the Land Rover playing a supporting role to Hollywood heroes such as Steve McQueen and Daniel Craig in his role as James Bond 007 and Sir Winston Churchill and British nobility including Her Majesty The Queen, the exhibition will illustrate the journey of an icon that has travelled the world, […]

The Defender Challenge 2015 reached its climax at The Scottish Hill Rallies Club’s ‘Borders’ rally at Forrest Estate, Castle Douglas, Scotland this weekend. 11 teams lined up on Saturday morning anxiously awaiting the start of the final fixture of the 2015 season. The Borders rally is reputed as the toughest round of the challenge due to the mix of extreme conditions and the skill and determination required to conquer it. Combining the speed of stage rallies, roughness of hill rallies, extreme conditions of a Scottish winter and set over two days, the challenge is one of endurance as much as skill, and to top it off, one of the most gruelling of the 13 stages is set at night. It is a mammoth battle of man against nature and the weapon of choice, the humble Land Rover Defender.

After the summer break, Defender Challenge by Bowler returns this weekend for its fourth round as nine teams battle it out at the Trackrod Rally, part of the annual Rally Yorkshire event. Based at Pickering Showground, the course takes in 53 miles of rally stages that twist through the spectacular Yorkshire countryside over two days and opening with the daunting prospect of challenging night stages. The FIA-approved Land Rover Defender 90 Hard Tops are modified by Bowler Motorsport specifically for rally competitions. Engines are tuned to 170bhp and 450Nm of torque and the suspension system features uprated dampers and roll bars. Lighter wheels, a full roll-cage and rally safety features complete the specification. This weekend, a number of Land Rover employees and apprentices join the Bowler technical teams to support the rally. In addition to their ‘day jobs’, enthusiasts from […]

Land Rover has created a special collector’s Defender pedal car concept, previewing a full production pedal car model that will go on sale in Spring 2016. With production of current Defender now in its final phase, the unique pedal car concept represents a fitting tribute to the one of the world’s most iconic vehicles; the Series Land Rover and Defender has been produced in Solihull, UK, since 1948. The exclusive Defender pedal car is hand built in the UK and styled to commemorate the legacy of the first-ever pre-production Land Rover affectionately know as ‘Huey’ given its original numberplate of ‘HUE 166’. The concept model is constructed using a rolled–edge aluminium frame complete with individual chassis number and personalised numberplate. It is hand finished in the same Loire Blue found on the full-scale Defender colour palette. The show car is […]

In contrast to the appalling weather in the run up to last year’s Simply Land Rover event, this weekend’s clear blue skies and warm sunshine encouraged Land Rover owners to make the journey to Beaulieu for this year’s Simply Land Rover on Sunday 9th August, to display their vehicles in the grounds of the National Motor Museum. Now in its third year the event saw a large increase in participating vehicles, up over one hundred on 2014 numbers at 270. It made for an impressive display of Land Rovers ranging from the classic Series I, II and III, to the rugged County and Defender, iconic Range Rover and capable Discovery. All Land Rover models and derivatives could be seen, from a battle-scarred workhorse to a pristine show-winner.

Land Rovers of all ages and varieties will be heading to Beaulieu on Sunday 9th August, for Simply Land Rover. Now in its third year this event, taking place in the grounds of the National Motor Museum, puts on an impressive display that is sure to appeal to fans of Britain’s best-loved off-roader. From the classic Series I, II and III, to the rugged County and Defender, iconic Range Rover and capable Discovery, all Land Rover models and derivatives are welcome to take part.  No matter if your pride-and-joy is a battle-scarred workhorse, a pristine show-winner or anything in between, Simply Land Rover is the show for you. Land Rover owners can drive into the Beaulieu parkland to join the display, meet like-minded enthusiasts, admire the array of vehicles and enjoy all of the features of one of the south’s […]

Classic Car Auctions (CCA) will be offering the ‘ultimate’ Land Rover Defender in its auction at CarFest South on August 29th. When the 90 and 110 Land Rover models were launched in 1983 they revolutionised the model in terms of both road handling and off-road ability and paved the way for what would become known as the Defender. Most desirable of the range was the V8 County Station Wagon, featuring 12 seats and the same 3.5 litre engine and gearbox as fitted to the Range Rover.  It also had improved interior trim plus the distinctive body stripes. This unique and bespoke example, estimated at between £19,500 and £21,000, was first registered on 1stJanuary 1984 making it one of the earliest built. It features the rare and desirable sliding windows, flush door handles and the ultra-rare seat-box mounted high and low […]