Shorty's Classic Cars: Land Rover Defender

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There will never be another car like the Land Rover Defender. 

As an off-road icon, it has stood the test of time. By every measure in motoring, it has well and truly outlived any other vehicle virtually unchanged over its entire life. But modern safety regulations have cemented the Defender's hour glass facing down and the sand has run-out on the British bush basher.

Speaking of sand, that's where the Defender was born when Maurice Wilks, the chief designer at Rover in the late 1940s, drew a sketch of the first Land Rover on the beach at Red Wharf Bay in Newborough, near Anglesey in Wales. He and his brother Spencer, who was the managing director of Rover, had the idea when he needed to replace the old, worn-out Jeep for his farm.

Although in the late 1940's surplus Jeeps from World War II were readily available they were all in pretty bad shape and new Jeeps we not being exported from the US into the UK. So the brothers set out to build a multipurpose all-terrain vehicle and Spencer's old Jeep chassis and componentry was used to build the first prototype. After the first prototypes were tested, production of the original Land Rover Series I began at the famous Lode Lane plant in Solihull England in 1947 ahead of its launch at the Amsterdam Motor Show on 30 April 1948.

The engine was Rover's petrol 1.6-litre four-cylinder with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves that produced just under 40kW. It was married to a four-speed manual gearbox with a two-speed transfer case and a permanent four-wheel drive system. It wasn't until 1950 that the permanent four-wheel drive was replaced with a part-time system and it wasn't until 1957 that a diesel engine was introduced.

The vehicles were extremely basic and tough right from the outset. Aluminium was used for the body because it was easy to tool, and readily available in post-war Britain as was the WWII RAF surplus paint. Land Rover's were also fitted with PTO's (power take offs, a method of taking power from a power source) which was appealing to farmers who could attach farming equipment to the vehicle. All this made the vehicle an instant success that exceeded expectations.

In 1958 the Series II Land Rover was unveiled with more refined styling with a mildly updated Series III arriving in 1971. It wasn't until 1990 when the Land Rover was re-launched and renamed Defender, available then as a short-wheelbase 90, and long-wheelbase 110 and 130 models, and fitted with a new turbo-charged direct injection diesel engine. This engine would provide the vehicle with the extra grunt it always needed and return reasonable fuel economy in comparison to the older engines. 

Fast forward to 2016 and more than 2,000,000 Series I,II,III and Defenders have been sold, with the Australian Army being a previous customer of Land Rover. At the end of 2015, at a Bonhams charity auction in England, the 2,000,000th model manufactured at Land Rover's Solihull plant was sold for around $750,000. The vehicle was built in May 2015 by an all-star cast of brand ambassadors and people from Land Rover's history including adventurer Bear Grylls, British actress Virginia McKenna OBE and Stephen and Nick Wilks, sons of the founders of Land Rover.

In reality not much has changed over the years and unfortunately it's the end of the road for the Defender. Tightening regulations have caught up with this ageing icon making its 68 year old design redundant. To see it off in style Land Rover has built three final Limited Edition Defenders to pay homage to the model's long and distinguished history, the Autobiography, Adventure and Heritage, with the last one rolling off the production line on the 29th January 2016.

The Heritage we're driving here isn't a classic car in the traditional sense as it is brand new. But there is no doubt it will become one, as it gives the nod to the original 1948 model with its Grasmere Green paint, inspired by the original post-WWII RAF surplus paint applied to the first Land Rovers. Other retro features include badges recreating the original Land Rover tags along with  "HUE 166" stickers on the front guards and tags on the seat to commemorate the number plate on the first ever Land Rover.

 As for the way it drives well that's pretty retro too; the steering is heavy and vague and it has a turning circle a Kenworth would be proud of; The ride is harsh and doesn't like corners; the engine is noisy; the clutch is hard and the gearbox doesn't feel any different to one from the 1970s except for an extra two gears. Plus there's not much room in the bloody thing. It's not easy to live with and it makes you work hard for every kilometre behind the wheel. But you know what, that's its appeal and it's a different type of fun that winds back the clock to simpler times.

As a four-wheel drive, it makes a lot more sense when you take it off road, as they always have. The engine is strong down low in the rev range, the low-range gearbox, generous ride height and low overhangs means you'll get further off the beaten path than most modern four-wheel drives.

This Defender might look like an old classic, and in many ways it drives like one, despite having a 2015 compliance plate. But that's the whole point, and in that regard it is genuine modern classic.

Land Rover Defender Heritage

Price: $54,900 (plus on-road and dealer costs)

Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel

Power: 90kW

Torque: 360Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual, all-wheel drive

Fuel use: 10.2L/100km

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