The 2,000,000th Land Rover Defender - which was revealed back in August to celebrate the iconic off-roader's last year in production - has been sold at auction for £400,000.
The Defender was sold by Bonhams in London, with all proceeeds going to two of Land Rover's charities: the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Born Free Foundation.
Although bidding initially opened at just £20,000, offers quickly rose past £200,000 before ending at £400,000 exactly. That's nearly 16 times as much as a regular Defender 90 Station Wagon, which costs £25,265. It is understood the 2,000,000th Defender has gone to an overseas bidder.
In the summer, Land Rover invited celebrities and brand ambassadors, including adventurer Bear Grylls and Jaguar Land Rover boss Ralf Speth, to help build the one-off Defender over 10 days at its Solihull plant. Autocar's Steve Cropley also helped to make and fit the bonnet of the car.
Features designed especially for the car include a map of Red Wharf Bay - where the design for the first Land Rover was drawn in the sand - embossed into its seats, and a 'no. 2,000,000' badge at the rear. The car's numberplate, S90 HUE, is a homage to the first pre-production Land Rover, which had the registration HUE 166.
Speaking at the auction, director of JLR's Special Vehicle Operations division John Edwards said that part of his job was to "preserve and celebrate" the spirit of the original Land Rover. He said that over the course of its 67 years in production, the Defender had taken on "some of the most breathtaking and remarkable journeys in history."
Edwards also revealed that Jaguar Land Rover would soon be launching a new suite of services to allow current Defender owners, as well as owners of historic Land Rovers, to restore and modify their cars.
A replacement for the Land Rover Defender is due to arrive in 2018, and could be built at JLR's new factory in Slovakia. Edwards stopped short of confirming a launch date, but said the Defender "will return" in time.
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ahhhhh spellcheck...hear hear
They have made 2 million Defenders since 1991??
Cheltenhamshire wrote: If you
here here....all this bleating on about being in production since 1948 nonsense. The current Defender pretty much shares nothing with its original forebear. Marketing tripe regurgitated by the guppy press.
Cheltenhamshire wrote: If you
here here....all this bleating on about being in production since 1948 nonsense. The current Defender pretty much shares nothing with its original forebear. Marketing tripe regurgitated by the guppy press.
Autocar involvement