Last Defender rolls off the line

After a tremendous 68 years and two million units in production, the last Land Rover Defender has rolled off the famous Solihull, UK production line.

Jaguar Land Rover invited more than 700 current and former employees involved in ‘Series Land Rover’ (which became the Defender in 1990) production and were given the opportunity to drive several iterations of the model, including the first pre-production Series 1 known as ‘Huey’.

At the other end of the spectrum, the last-off-the-line, a Defender 90 Heritage Soft Top, was also available for a gentle steer. It features hood cleats, a feature of soft-top Series Landies since 1948.

“Today we celebrate what generations of men and women have done since the outline for the Land Rover was originally drawn in the sand,” Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover’s CEO.

“The Series Land Rover, now Defender, is the origin of our legendary capability, a vehicle that makes the world a better place, often in some of the most extreme circumstances.

"There will always be a special place in our hearts for Defender, among all our employees, but this is not the end. We have a glorious past to champion, and a wonderful future to look forward to,” he added.

Charged with the task of bringing a modernised Defender to the world, Group Engineering Director Nick Rogers said: “This is a special day of fond celebration for Jaguar Land Rover.

“We all have personal memories of Defender. It’s a true motoring icon and is much loved around the world. The world has changed dramatically in the last 68 years, but this vehicle has remained a constant – something no other vehicle can claim.

“The last of the current Defender models embraces the vehicle’s simplicity, honesty and charm – it represents its Series Land Rover heritage. Creating the Defender of tomorrow, a dream for any engineer or designer, is the next exciting chapter and we are looking forward to taking on that challenge.”

As Jaguar Land Rover look to the future Defender, it also announced a Heritage Restoration Programme. Excitingly, it will be based on-site in Solihull.

The aim of this program is to source, restore and sell Series Land Rovers, with the first vehicles to go on sale in July 2016. A group of 12 experts, mostly long-serving Defender employees, will head up the program.