Land Rover Collectors-edition Defender celebrates 75 years of history

Land Rover celebrates 75 years of the Defender with collectable 90 and 110 starting at £85,995

Doesn’t time fl y? Remember when the ‘new’ Defender came out? And here we are celebrating a 75th Limited Edition already. Gazes into whisky glass, frowning slightly and feeling slight befuddled. Perhaps the second dram was an error. What year is this again? What did you say, the Year of the Tiger? How is that helpful?

Yet here we are. And, more to the point, here is the Defender 75th Limited Edition. Is this a new model? Well, no not really, so what’s the point, I ask somewhat querulously. Ah, Land Rover says this is ‘a highly collectible Defender’. Ah, right, see what they’re doing now. Taps nose.

So what has Land Rover done, apart from cover everything that isn’t moving or soft in Grasmere Green paint? Jolly fi ne it looks too, it must be said. Ah, the company can kit me out with a matching watch ‘featuring two straps’ (eh?) plus backpack and clothing, all with 75 graphics and detailing. Somehow I sense members will look down their nose if I arrive at White’s so attired. (Don’t look up my club, it doesn’t even have a website.)

But everyone at White’s (and everyone there is someone) has or has had a Land Rover, so perhaps they might fi nd it amusing. But if I start talking about ‘Resist Ebony’ I might get blackballed. However, that’s the colour of the seating inside so what can I do?

Some of the fellow members were probably members back in 1948 when the fi rst Land Rover appeared – certainly a few of the members don’t seem to have moved since then. Back then of course any talk of electric power focused on the rather inadequate battery. Yet here we are, in the Century of the Fruitbat, looking at the P400e Electric Hybrid or the D300 mild hybrid.

Whichever you go for, it’s all in the best HSE high-spec taste, with an absolute steamer trunk full of stuff that is now standard, including head-up display, 3D surround camera, confi gurable terrain response and lots of other kit that would be of considerable help at White’s when you want to navigate to the Gents at the end of a long evening.

The memsahib would be absolutely tickled too to enjoy the folding fabric roof or the sliding panoramic roof, below which we could sit in some comfort whatever the weather, thanks to the heated electric memory seats, heated steering wheel and three-zone climate control. Don’t get those at White’s either, damn those wingbacks.

Oh and Land Rover has also thrown in all kinds of options such as the towing pack, Secure Tracker Pro, headlamp power wash and oodles more.

Now, we don’t want to get all trade and start talking about costs because that would be vulgar, but should you be searching for an amusing runaround to add to the stable then prices start at an astonishingly reasonable £85,995 for the 90 version and £89,995 for the 110, although obviously you’d want to add more since nobody wants a ‘starting’ price Land Rover do they?

Anyway, for that sort of money you could only get a decent dinner at Rowley’s and a night at the club, so why not? Here’s to the next 75, what ho. Cheers!