10/22/14
The Defender's Swan Song
Autoblog is reporting that Land Rover is planning a special send-off for its long-serving Defender. Introduced in 1983, the off-road utility vehicle was based on the original Land Rover Series launched in 1948. And for the last three decades, the no-frills four-wheel-drive model has remained virtually unchanged. But it was recently announced that the last of the models will roll off production lines next year.
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It's slated to be retired next year in favor of an all-new model, but before it does, [Jaguar Land Rover] apparently plans to send it off with a muscled-up performance model. Don't take that to mean that the Defender will be stripped off its off-road capabilities ... Land Rover is looking to the Dakar rally and the old Camel Trophy for inspiration.”
FYI
The Defender was initially called the Land Rover Ninety and then Land Rover One Ten.