Land Rover Defender - Just celebrate a bit

What a spectacle that was near the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. Around 500 Defender fans came to Wülfrath Land Rover Experience Center to say goodbye to the Land Rover Defender with "gasoline talks", grilled food and some obstacle runs. Hard to believe, so much good mood - it didn't look like goodbye. Well, the last Defenders are still dewy, and they will certainly do well until the group has created a (hopefully) worthy replacement.

But if Land Rover is already organizing a big event for the Defender, then you have to take the opportunity to also deal with the historical generations. It is always said that the Defender or its predecessors have been almost unchanged under construction since 1948, but of course that's not entirely true.

In the field, no one can fool the Defender so quickly
In the field, no one can fool the Defender so quickly

The first exit starts with a Series I - the model name used to be simply Land Rover - and it proves quite impressively that the off-road vehicle icon has changed quite a bit up to the present day. It starts with the entrance: Doors without proper handles (you reach through a hole and unlocked with an internal opener) get you in the mood for an almost seventy-year-old car. So hang in there and take a look at the poor scales for the speedometer and the fuel level, which are embedded in the tinny "dashboard". A skinny steering wheel and the stubborn gear lever let the classic car feelings mature to perfection. Anyone who now suspects that the original 4 × 4 is phlegmatic and is therefore a spoil for fun has been wrong. The robust-sounding two-liter petrol engine with four cylinders has barely 53 hp, but the sometimes crashing four-speed gearbox with unsynchronized first gear is so short that it accelerates forward when the accelerator is commanded. At least up to about 85 km / h, after which the venerable Brit runs out of steam. You have to brake all the more if you want the oldie to come to a standstill in time.

Around 500 Defender fans came to the Land Rover Experience Center in Wülfrath
Around 500 Defender fans came to the Land Rover Experience Center in Wülfrath

Let's rejuvenate the mobile pedestal by around 15 years and get into a second series. Now with 2,3 liter petrol and around 70 hp. One cannot say it exactly with the British models - there are differently compressed engines, and the "British Horsepower" deviate a little from our DIN performance specifications. Sponge over it, we prefer to enjoy the wonderfully unsteady straight running. Driving a car in the sixties still meant real work, and that was the case for off-road vehicles anyway: the less technology in the form of unnecessary helpers, the more indestructible the load. The copy provided here is in good condition and has apparently been restored. There is no scuffed badge with the recorded gear directions, so even inexperienced drivers can see where to switch. But be careful! Precision in the gear lever guidance is not the matter of old English four-wheel drive vehicles.

However, that was not much better in the early eighties. The third series, this time with a long wheelbase, starts to move more slowly with the same 2,3-liter four-cylinder, and the gear stick does not always want the way the driver did. Anyone who is interested in one of the many original Land Rovers delivered (there were also in-line six-cylinder and V8 engines) can find it for just under 10.000 euros. On request, the manufacturer also restores and offers the rustic vehicle in a condition that is likely to surpass the constitution of contemporary new vehicles. But then it will be almost six digits.

Finally, a test drive with a late model is essential. It is a so-called Heritage Edition HUE166 in Grasmere Green. The grille is reminiscent of the historical models, while the seat covers with the HUE166 labels are supposed to give an idea of ​​what it looked like in the 1947 pre-series. Driving works quite well on the road with the latest versions of this original automobile rock. Under the still angular bonnet is a powerful, 2,2-liter diesel (90 kW / 122 hp) and works in action with a pleasantly smooth six-speed gearbox. In contrast to the historic off-roaders, the 2016 model year naturally also has power steering. Driving straight ahead remains a difficult matter.

No question, after almost 70 years of construction, the Defender has become a true cult object
No question, after almost 70 years of construction, the Defender has become a true cult object

Speaking of off-road: No one can fool the Defender so quickly, not even the most modern high-tech all-terrain vehicle. Hill Descent Control? If you do not need it - just try the reduction and engage first gear, then the veteran rolls down slopes of the 110% category with stoic composure. However, if you should drive into difficult terrain, you are advised to find out beforehand when and what you need a lockable differential for. Such things as modern Land Rover vehicles have on board - keyword Terrain Response - would be quite foreign in a Defender. So there is no such thing.

No question, after almost 70 years of construction, the Defender has become a true cult object. Whether a modern car can do it again is more than questionable. But if you have read this text, the question will probably not be answered anyway during your lifetime.

The Defender has also proven itself in the Camel Trophy
The Defender has also proven itself in the Camel Trophy
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