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Iconic Land Rover Defender reaches 2,000,000 milestone

24 June, 2015

Poised alongside other historic motors like the Mini Cooper and the Ford Mustang, Land Rover’s immortal Defender will be hitting a unique milestone in 2015 — the 2,000,000th variant of the plucky paddock basher is planned to roll off the production line later this year.

After debuting more than 60 years ago in 1953, the Defender has stood the test of time and continues to be regarded as one of the most potent and indestructible off-roaders in history, and, perhaps more poignantly, one of the most unshakable symbols for British automotive engineering.

With production of the popular platform scheduled to cease by the end of the year, Land Rover have made a great effort to give the Defender a memorable final hurrah — recruiting a comprehensive list of personalities and brand ambassadors to take part in the production of ‘Defender 2,000,000’; including adventurer Bear Grylls, entrepreneur Theo Paphitis, and a number of competitors from the Invictus Games — a sporting event for servicemen and servicewomen returning from war zones with disabilities.

Check out Land Rover’s video tribute to both the Defender, and those taking part in the build, below.

Lunch with … Rodger Anderson

22 November, 2024

At first, I wondered if I’d driven up the wrong driveway. The car in the garage was an early Mustang resplendent in royal blue with two broad gold stripes, which was not what I was expecting. I knew that Rodger Anderson, who made his name in Minis and a BMW 2002, was a Porsche man these days — the other end of the spectrum from American muscle. I had no idea of his affection for Detroit iron. It didn’t take long to discover just how passionate this former Saloon Car Champion is about cars, as long as they’re interesting.

Back from the brink – 1968 MGB GT

15 November, 2024

Auckland classic car enthusiast Kerry Bowman soon realised he had a massive job on his hands in restoring his classic 1968 MGB GT. When Kerry and his MGB first appeared in New Zealand Classic Car in March 2021, in “Behind The Garage Door”, the stripped-out shell had revealed some nasty surprises. Once the true extent of the hidden damage was discovered, the work would normally have been handed over to a professional fabricator. However, with the assistance of experts such as MG specialist restorer, Paul Walbran, Kerry has completed an impressive restoration and saved this car from the scrapheap.