First Land Rover born again
Limited run of factory-restored 1948 Land Rover Series I to mark Defender's demiseLand Rover might have discontinued its legendary Defender in late January after 68 years of production, but if you're among those Australians who missed out on securing one of the final examples of Britain's most famous off-roader, this could be for you.
The company has staged the 'world debut' of a factory-restored Land Rover Series I – which began production in 1948 and became known as the Defender in 1990 – and says it will produce 25 of the 'Land Rover Classic Reborn' models in a workshop at the Defender's original Solihull factory in England.
Unveiled at the Techno-Classica event at Essen in Germany, the 'Reborn' Landie was refurbished to original 1948 factory specifications using Land Rover Classic Parts.
The born-again Defenders are any old models, however, but the finest and most original examples of the first Land Rover Series I that the company could source globally.
The 25 hand-picked Land Rovers will be restored to individual customer specifications and available in a choice of five period finishes, including light green, bronze green, RAF blue, dove grey and poppy red.
“The launch of the Reborn initiative represents a fantastic opportunity for customers to own a valuable and collectable automotive icon. Reborn showcases Land Rover Classic’s expertise in restoring and maintaining our loyal customers’ prized Land Rovers,” said Tim Hannig, director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic.
“It also demonstrates the business’ commitment to supporting customers with original and genuine parts for Land Rover models that have been out for production for longer than 10 years.”
Of course, the million-dollar question is price and availability outside the UK, which Land Rover is yet to confirm.
As with some of the last Defenders, many buyers are expected to be speculative investors, like the man who advertised the first diesel Defender on Ebay in the UK recently for £200,000 ($4.1m).
Defender resale prices were already heading north in the lead-up to the end of production, as evidenced by a number of low-mileage MY15 and MY16 models advertised on carsales.com.au for more than $70,000 – well over $20,000 more than their new price ($42,990 for the 90, $47,500 for the 110).
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