After nearly 70 years, the last Jaguar Land Rover 4x4 Defender, No. 2,016,933, rolled off the production line on Friday in Solihull.
For 68 years, the Land Rover Defender, which was initially built for farming and agricultural uses, has acquired a reputation for being a reliable and sturdy vehicle. It was also associated with well-known owners, including Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal family, making it a significant part of UK history.
In 1951, then-Princess Elizabeth stood inside an open-top Land Rover Defender during a parade in Hyde Park, presenting the King’s color to the Royal Air Force. The queen has been photographed and filmed driving the car on her estate several times since.
This well-liked offroader likewise became a legendary vehicle for superstars, in the likes of the late actor Steve McQueen, Beatles singer Paul McCartney and Winston Churchill. The vehicle has also been featured in a number of films, including "Edge of Tomorrow" and "Skyfall."
Since the auto was introduced in 1948 in the aftermath of World War II, the Land Rover Defender has notched more than 2 million sales.
The Land Rover’s original Series I carried a price of £450, or $641, when it was first unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948. Last year, the 2 millionth Defender was sold at an auction for a whopping £400,000, or $569,760, price tag. The proceeds from the auction were contributed to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies plus the animal conservation charity Born Free Foundation.
"There will always be a special place in our hearts for Defender, among all our employees, but this is not the end," said Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth. "We have a glorious past to champion, and a wonderful future to look forward to."
Since its establishment, the four-wheel drive car has been manufactured in Solihull by different automakers, ranging from BMW, British Leyland, Ford and its existing owner, Tata (through Jaguar Land Rover).
“Any conventional vehicle would have been replaced many times over in the life span of Defender,” said a Jaguar Land Rover spokeswoman.
She went on to say that the automaker now has the technology, design competence and pioneering engineering capacity to evolve Defender.
Jaguar Land Rover is slated to come up with a new model keeping the Defender name, in the following years. It is important to note, though, that it will ditch the unique features linked to the classic vehicle.
