Land Rover Defender number 2 million rolls off the Solihull line
Landmark two-millionth Land Rover Defender, Series I, II and III model is set to be auctioned, with an all-new Defender due in 2018
It's a milestone for Land Rover, as the two-millionth Series and Defender model has rolled off the line. It marks 67 years of production at the Solihull plant in the West Midlands, which will stop making the 4x4 for good at the end of 2015.
The landmark ‘Defender 2,000,000’ is a one-of-a-kind model that’s been assembled by an all-star cast including survival expert Bear Grylls, and commemorated with plaques denoting the model number and people involved.
The car will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, before being sold at an exclusive Bonhams charity auction on 16 December, just before Defender production ends for good.
The auction will raise funds for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Born Free Foundation. Dr. Ralph Speith, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, said the sale is “a suitable way to celebrate the role the Defender has played in supporting humanitarian aid for decades”.
He goes on to summarize the Series 1, 2, 3 and later Defender as the transport of choice for explorers, charity organisations, farmers and even royalty. Throughout a 67 year history it has helped pioneers to reach the unreachable. What started life as an agricultural workhorse has transcended the automotive world to become a worldwide design icon.
Rumours of Land Rover’s successor to the Defender have been circulating for years, but design boss Gerry McGovern has previously claims that a whole family of all-new Defender models will be created, with the first arriving in 2018.
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