The rich history of the Land Rover Defender

The Defender is back in the Land Rover family this year and the public reaction to it has been incredible. It's easy to understand why, because its design is breathtaking.

What's twice as interesting is that it was inspired by the model's rich history. In fact, the Defender is the soul of the Land Rover company.

Let's take a little look back and find out.

1948

It was in the aftermath of the Second World War that things began for the Land Rover Defender. Note that at that time, the name Defender was not yet in use; it was not until the 1980s that the name Defender was used.

To retrace the first steps of the model, we have to go back to the mid-40s, at the end of the hostilities of the Second World War. At that time, the Rover company found itself with a large empty factory, at Solihull, near Birmingham, England. Due to the rationalization of steel, Rover could not resume car production. So, it decided to introduce a light 4x4 vehicle for agricultural use, simply named Land Rover. This model, which was to be there temporarily, quickly became the bread and butter of the company.

So much so that over the next few years, many variants (different bodies and wheelbase) were introduced. However, since the style was secondary to the utilitarian character of the model, the aesthetic changes will be few.

Thus, the first model will remain in the catalogue without significant modifications for 10 years. Production of the 250,000th model (1959) was then approaching.

Series II and Series III

In 1958 and 1971, the Land Rover Series II and Series III were introduced respectively. Aesthetic changes were minor while the spirit of the original product design was retained. The main difference with the Series III will be the relocation of the headlights at the front ends whereas they were more central, in the grid, from the beginning. The big moment for the model comes in 1970 when Rover introduces a V8 engine. The 4x4 will then experience international fame.

1983

In 1983, the name Defender was adopted, and the model underwent a serious rejuvenation. Its styling remained inspired by the original vehicle, however. And just like today, the company had first introduced the 110 model, and then the 90 version later on.

This generation of Land Rover Defender was marketed until 2016. In total, more than two million units have been delivered worldwide since the late 1940s.

And with the current version, the glorious history of the Land Rover Defender continues. The goal of three million units sold seems very realistic.