Modern Classic: Land Rover Defender
The first Land Rover (left) and the last one make an appearance together in 2016. Photo: Land Rover
We recently featured the all new Land Rover Defender in Automuse that due in New Zealand this year. But how about its predecessor, the original Defender, which had an incredible 67 year run from its launch at the Amsterdam motor show in 1948 to the last model produced on 29 January 2016.
I will admit there is a 2016 Defender 110 sitting high on my TradeMe watchlist at the moment. I can’t exactly tell you why, as when I read every review about it, the general view is “be careful what you wish for”. However, from the vast number of articles and road reports I have digested on the Defender, it seems it can get under one’s skin. You want it because it looks like it could survive a nuclear holocaust.
However, looks can be deceiving as it struggles in crash standards and this is what ultimately led it to being taken off the European market, with the Landie being unable to meet pedestrian standards. The US had acted in 1997 to force it off the roads.
The Land Rover went from 1948 to virtually 1983, without major updates, and then began to be referred to as the Land Rover 110” (long wheelbase) or the Land Rover 90” (short wheel base). Although wind up windows weren’t fitted until 1984!
One of the last Defender’s built in 2016 hits the road. Photo: Land Rover
It was in1984 that you saw the addition of the even longer “127” model which was a combination of the 110 with a rear from a pick-up, to give the best of all worlds. In 1990 it became properly known as the Land Rover Defender and the 127 became the 130.
The 1990’s saw the Defender climb more upmarket, now the Land Rover Discovery was on the scene and the Range Rover was becoming more luxurious. The last iteration of the original Land Rover was updated in 2012 and was fitted with a 2.2-litre diesel engine and a six-speed manual gearbox.
A good number made their way to New Zealand, before production finished in 2016, and are tightly held by their die-hard owners. A good friend has never even picked his up from the dealer, back in 2016, and it remains in totally as-new condition. Some friends in Wanaka, which by the way has perhaps the greatest concentration of Defenders in New Zealand, said their Defender keeps them alert, with its wayward steering on narrow icy roads and slow progress over steep mountains.
This array of Land Rover Defenders shows the design hasn’t changed much since its launch in 1948. Photo: Land Rover
Another friend in Muriwai, when I told him I had the Defender on my watchlist said “a Cruiser (Toyota) is a much better vehicle 90 per cent of the time” and “Landies are lighter in mud and on muddy tracks and are economical putting around paddocks, but Cruisers are better for everything else including maintenance”.
TradeMe throws up a reasonable number of examples in New Zealand, although most are older examples. Good, low mileage examples after 2012 are in short supply, especially NZ-new ones which are already appreciating to $80,000 plus and there is a 2015 model pushing $100k. There are a number of UK imports but the speedometers will be in miles.
The last Land Rover Defender Series III was built in 20126. Photo: Land Rover
Perhaps the short supply won’t matter to the market because there aren’t a lot of people who have the stomach to own one. That said, many enthusiasts who may never have driven one, seem to like the look of them. For now, I’ll continue to toss and turn on whether owning one is a good idea. They probably won’t lose value if looked after but regular motorway driving demands ear plugs with the noisy engine and with comically bad handling at any speed, there is nothing else like the Landie!
Do you own a Land Rover Defender? Tell us about your experience and how you learned to live with it and its high points. Owned one before and never again? Tell us what made you to do a runner.
