Solihull production of the Land Rover Defender is due to end in December 2015, so the British manufacturer has revealed three limited edition Defenders to celebrate its roots that go back 67 years.
For those wanting the most expensive Defender Land Rover’s ever produced, an exclusive Autobiography Edition will be sold as only a 90 Station Wagon and limited to 80 models. It’ll set you back a Range Rover-rivalling £61,845, but comes with duo-tone paintwork, leather seats and power boosted to 150hp – up from 122hp in the standard 2.2-litre turbodiesel model.
Alternatively, if you’re on a budget, a nostalgic Heritage Edition will be sold finished in Grasmere Green with a contrasting white roof. 400 examples will be available, each carrying HUE 166 graphics (reminiscent of Huey, the first ever Land Rover) and a unique grille. Prices for the Heritage will start at £27,800 when it goes on sale in August.
For those who don’t think the Defender is off-road enough, an Adventure Edition will also be sold with extra underbody protection and Goodyear mud-terrain tyres. A total of 600 Adventure Editions will be offered in the UK, at a price of £43,495.
What next for the Land Rover Defender?
It would seem this is a final wind-down for production of the Defender as we know it at Land Rover’s Solihull plant, but what does the future hold?
For a start, the manufacturer’s hinted that it could continue to build the Defender elsewhere in the world.
A statement said: “Land Rover is also investigating the possibility of maintaining production of the current Defender at an overseas production facility, after the close of UK manufacturing. Any continuation would see low volume production maintained for sale outside the EU.”
A replacement for the Defender is expected in 2016, with Land Rover describing the new limited edition models as “the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the Defender story.”
