RIP Land Rover Defender

[Tiki Tom]

This is sad. Land Rover Defender to end production after seven decades. There are very few vehicles that I would call "iconic", but this is one of them. Who is the dreamer-of-adventure who has never fantasized about driving across the African Savannah (or the Sahara) in an old school Land Rover Defender? Of course, the brand has been watering itself down for years. But still. It's the end of an era. A golden era.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/28/autos/land-rover-defender-production-ends/index.html

 

[Tiki Tom]

 

[Trenchfriend]

Yep, it's over.

 

[Oldsarge]

Dirge sounds in the background. Sniff!

 

[Stearmen]

That's all right, the inspiration for the Land Rover Defender marches on, with no end in sight!

 

[MikeKardec]

Mine's still being born! Reborn! Whatever. One of these days I'll get it permanently out of the shop and back on the road.



It's sad, it leaves the Landcruiser 70 and maybe (do they still make it?) the Nissan Patrol as the only "real" hard core, 3d world off roaders that I know of. Have we become that civilized?

 

[kaiser]

The Lada is still being manufactured. Simple and tough just like the Defender, just does not have the same charm though.

http://www.lada.de/startseite.html

R.I.P Defender !

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

Truly a sad day, my grandfather worked there in the special design section or whatever it was called and apart from a VW Kubelwagen is my ideal car although I have changed to Freelander at the moment.

This is one EU Directive that sucks.

 

[Oldsarge]

The EU kommissariat is entirely too big for its britches. History and tradition have to count for something.

[Bartender note: let's just be careful to steer clear of the political angles, thanks, folks!]

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

Such fun, ahh so many happy times.

I so agree Old Sarge 'twas tha same for that Brazilian VW Camper van too.

 

[MikeKardec]

Well, it's not like there aren't a lot of used ones and since so many parts are interchangeable from year to year. I assume it'll be a long time before they are truly rare. Since we can import them into the US now there may even be more than ever.

It is odd, however, in working on mine (and I had another one ten years ago that I stupidly sold!) I have seen after market parts drying up at an unbelievable rate. That must be foreign manufacturers getting out of the business ahead of the production halt and the fact that few made it to the US. If it was an American made car (or even just a car common in America) there'd be dozens of shops making all sorts of stuff for enthusiasts for the next decade!

The REAL crime is how quickly some of the best suppliers have fled the field.

 

[MikeKardec]

The Lada is still being manufactured. Simple and tough just like the Defender, just does not have the same charm though.

I kind of like the Lada but you're right about the charm. I lived in both Barbados and Australia where Ladas are seen rather often. Neither vehicle is much good at high altitude ... people from other parts of the world used to (before virtually all cars got insanely powerful) criticize the US for it's "big engines" but with a good deal of the country considerably above sea level and quite a bit of it requiring commuting over significant passes, many of the old, under powered, foreign cars had problems. I was back and forth many times between the west coast and the mid west in a 1970s Land Cruiser and it was a REAL slog ... even when the speed limit was 55 mph.

Besides the doesn't like to make power above sea level issue the only thing wrong with the Land Rover Defender was that they just can't turn tightly. My 20' plus Crew Cab F-550 will probably turn inside the LR. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating but if so not by much. Any CJ will put it to shame.

 

[MisterCairo]

Looks like a "replacement", much different from the last model, will be introduced in 2019.

Let's hope it is a utilitarian vehicle, and not simply a stripped down Discovery, fine thought that is. Rough and tumble is still necessary!

 

[Tiki Tom]

BBC take on the subject...

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160129-this-is-the-last-land-rover-defender

It looks like the company is throwing us a bone:

Land Rover took the opportunity to announce a new Heritage Restoration programme, offering factory restoration and maintenance services for the marque's classics models. The programme, smartly, steps right into the line at Solihull, and of its 12 team members, 10 are former members of the Defender production crew, who will be restoring the very vehicles they helped build.​

 

[kaiser]

BBC take on the subject...

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160129-this-is-the-last-land-rover-defender

It looks like the company is throwing us a bone:

Land Rover took the opportunity to announce a new Heritage Restoration programme, offering factory restoration and maintenance services for the marque's classics models. The programme, smartly, steps right into the line at Solihull, and of its 12 team members, 10 are former members of the Defender production crew, who will be restoring the very vehicles they helped build.​

I have Land Rover as a customer so I have regular contact with the Engineers there in Solihull. One of them told me that around 80% of the Defenders ever built are still in service today, a very good record in the automobile world today.

 

[MikeKardec]

I have Land Rover as a customer so I have regular contact with the Engineers there in Solihull. One of them told me that around 80% of the Defenders ever built are still in service today, a very good record in the automobile world today.

I jokingly say, "80% of all the Land Rovers ever built are still on the road ... waiting for a tow." Probably more realistic is that 80% of all the Land Rovers ever built continue to live on as transplanted parts in other Land Rovers. Especially with the Defender, that lego-like modularity is their greatest feature! I love them. On the other hand, no air bags ... and don't even think about a side impact. The Defender seems little better than a motorcycle in that instance.

 

[Trenchfriend]

We should never forget, that the Defender originally seems to be a vehicle made for farming.

 

[Trenchfriend]

And Daktari.

 

[Tiki Tom]

And Daktari.

Daktari. Ah, takes me back to my childhood.

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

I doubt if the AA would attend a call out for this!