Landrover Defender – Ending a 20th Century Road History

Just about everyone recognizes the Land Rover name as the epitome of all-terrain vehicles emulated by virtually every known automotive marques. With the exception of the Jeep, no other all-terrain 4X4 utility road vehicle has the same storied history dating back to the post-war 40s as the Land Rover name.



The Land Rover leverages its unique expertise with the new Defender, Discovery and Freelander series that combine modern power and creature comforts with the pedigreed marque that, together with the Jeep, created a new automotive landscape of sport utility vehicles.



The Landrover Defender represents a break in the Series tradition and still comes with the an updated styling that remains unmistakably Land Rover. It still has the same overall boxy body emulated by the SUVs from Mercedes Benz, a sharp-edged windshield and the signature front grill that remained largely unchanged since 1948.



A Brief History



If there's any philosophy behind the Land Rover success, it must be about "Never tinker with a successful product." 1990 was the year that saw the first Defender line with some styling changes on the Land Rover Series as well as its evolved Ninety, One Ten and 127 models from 1983 to 1990 just when the Series III was losing its competitive appeal and ending with the last production in 1985.



Hence you have the similarities between the models of the 80s and the 90s. During the 80s, the Land Rover 90, 119 and 127/130 dominated that all-terrain utility markets with only a few styling changes on the Series III like a single windshield instead of two and more powerful engines like the 3.2 V8 petrol engine and a lower 2.5 liter turbo-charged diesel and coil springs with a more sybaritic interior for a more comfortable ride. Its all-drive gear train now comes from the upscale range Rover line.



Together with the release of the Discovery model a year earlier, Land Rover now eschews a new naming convention that no longer relied on numbers to distinguish models. So you have the Defender, Discovery and Freelander lines. With engines carried over from the 80s models but enhanced with more power, improved turbo-charging, direct fuel injection and intercooling, you have the new Defender line providing better cruising comfort at higher speeds.



Carrying the same tradition as its earlier models, the Defender came with models with at three wheelbase lengths that share the same 90, 110 and 127/130 inches of the 80s with a station wagon in the 110 and 130 wheelbases that have become quite popular until now.



Special Editions



In 1998, Land Rover celebrated its 50th year with a couple of commemorative Defender models - one with a 190 hp 4-liter v8 petrol engine and another with a 40s revival look aptly called the "Heritage".



Probably the best known Landrover Defender special edition was the Tomb Raider created to celebrate its presence in the 2001 movie Lara Croft Tomb Raider. It was made in the 90 and 110 wheelbase platforms using the modern inline 5-cylinder Td5 turbo diesel engines producing 11 hp more than the regular TDi.



In 2008, commemorating its 80th anniversary, the new Defender got branded as the SVX with a soft-top Defender 90 and a Defender 110 station wagon.



If you are looking for Landrover Defender Parts you can visit McDonald Landrover. They are also a good place to look for cheap Land Rover Defender Servicing. They have an excellent range of Reconditioned Engines as well.