If we’re talking about wellies, then we’re talking about Hunters. If we’re talking about music players, we’re talking about iPods, but if we’re talking about off-roaders, then there’s only one machine that springs to mind; the Land Rover Defender.
This age-old recipe of form and function has been a mainstay of country life longer than most pensioners can remember – and for very good reason.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and 2015 has been announced as the final foray for the bug-eyed brute after 67 years at the crease. Dry your eyes however, because every masterpiece leaves behind a legacy. A legacy that won’t die without a fight, and you wouldn’t expect anything less from a Defender.
Be it the back garden or a battlefield, there are very few landscapes ill suited to the Defender. Some have even been known to grace the kerbs of Kensington and Chelsea. The love affair started back in 1948 when the British army was looking for a British equivalent to the USA’s Willies Jeep. Scraping together what they could after the war, Land Rover conjured up the Defender from Aluminium and leftover army surplus paint used on Spitfires. The result? A do-it-all, hard as nails off-roader that was just as happy ploughing fields as it was cruising on Britain’s new-fangled motorways.
Right, class dismissed, that’s enough of the history lesson; what about the car we see today? From its humble beginnings the Defender has changed very little aesthetically. While it still proudly sports a boxy business-like shape on the outer, the interior is a different ball game all together. On today’s Defenders you can expect to find leather interior, Bluetooth, heated seats and an Alpine audio system – a far cry from the days of bench front seating and open-hatch air vents.
At its heart, nests a meaty 2.2 litre diesel engine producing 360Nm of torque. Sure, it won’t give the average BMW much to think about at the traffic light grand prix, but when you’re half way up a mountainside in the Alps, you wouldn’t wish for anything else.
The Defender doesn’t just spend all its days mucking out the horses however; it’s also no stranger to the red carpet. Not content with staring in the latest Bond film, Skyfall; the Defender was also used as the film rig as it was the only vehicle capable of keeping up with 007 in the chase scenes – speaks volumes for its capability, doesn’t it.
On top of that, the Defender was the toughest woman in virtual reality’s car of choice – carting around Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series.
From farmer to film star, the chances are you’ve got some connection with a Defender. It’s one of the few machines that offer performance without sacrificing protection, and considering it’s up there in Her Royal Highness’ favourite Top Trump cards – then that’s more than enough for us. The Land Rover Defender’s not just a vehicle; it’s an institution.
By Rory FH Smith
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