New video from Land Rover celebrates the Defender’s heritage ahead of the 2,000,000th example going on sale next week
A new video from Land Rover has been released which celebrates the 67-year history of the Defender, and the sale of the 2,000,000th example next week.
The video, which features Land Rover historian Roger Crathorne driving through London in a Defender that’s been made up to look like a black cab, is intended to show off the model’s heritage.
It features several special and one-off Land Rovers that have been created in the past, including one styled by fashion designer Paul Smith, a rare Series II ice-cream van, and even the first-ever Series Land Rover show car.
The film also includes several references to the Defender and its home factory, such as the "Wilks Bros" bakery, named after the brothers who came up with the original concept, and "The Huey" pub, a reference to the HUE 166 registration of the very first Series I Land Rover.
The 2,000,000th Land Rover Defender, which Land Rover is calling Defender 2,000,000, was assembled with help from a number of notable luminaries, including actress Virginia McKenna, who founded the Born Free Foundation, which has relied on Land Rovers for its work in Africa for several decades.
The car features a number of unique detail touches, such as a map of Red Wharf Bay, where the original concept was first sketched out into the sand, engraved into the front wing, and “No. 2,000,000” logos stitched into the headrests.
All proceeds from its sale will be donated to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Born Free Foundation.
The auction will take place at Bonhams’ New Bond Street headquarters on the evening of December 16, with the Defender itself on display there as part of a specially curated exhibition on December 15-16.
-Daily Telegraph