Land Rover Defender
The Land Rover Defender is a series of British off-road cars and pickup trucks. They have four-wheel drive, and were developed in the 1980s from the Land Rover series which was launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in April 1948. Following the 1989 introduction of the Land Rover Discovery, "Land Rover" became the name of a broader marque, no longer the name of a specific model; thus, in 1990, Land Rover renamed them Defender 90, Defender 110 and Defender 130 respectively.
The vehicle, a British equivalent of the Second World War derived Jeep, gained a worldwide reputation for ruggedness and versatility. With a steel ladder chassis and an aluminium alloy bodywork, the Land Rover originally used detuned versions of Rover engines.
Though the Defender was not a new generation design, it incorporated significant changes compared to the Land Rover series, such as adopting coil springs front and rear. Coil springs offered both better ride quality and improved axle articulation. The addition of a centre differential to the transfer case gave the Defender permanent four-wheel-drive capability. Both changes were derived from the original Range Rover, and the interiors were also modernised. Whilst the engines were carried over from the Series III, a new series of modern and more powerful engines was progressively introduced.
Even when ignoring the series Land Rovers and perhaps ongoing licence products, the 90/110 and Defender models' 33-year production run were ranked as the sixteenth longest single-generation car in history in 2020.
In 2020, Jaguar Land Rover introduced an all new generation of Land Rover Defender Land Rover Defender switching from body on chassis to integrated bodywork and from live, rigid axles to all around independent suspension.
History
After a continuous run of 67 years production finally ended on 29 January 2016, after a total of just over two million Land Rover Series and Defender models had been built. The two millionth unit was assembled with the help of a special team in May 2015, and charitably auctioned for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies later that year. The last Land Rover Defender, rolled off the production line, with the number plate H166 HUE, a reference to the first ever pre-production Land Rover, registration 'HUE 166'. This was the 2,016,933rd Defender to be produced.A special edition Defender Works V8, with, was announced in January 2018. Until 2020, the Defender was last sold in North America in 1997 due to low sales and modifications required to comply with updated safety standards.
An all-new 2020 Land Rover Defender made its global debut in September 2019 and was initially offered with two wheelbase options. This new model, which shares no components or technology with its predecessor, has an aluminium monocoque body.
Name and badge distinctions
The coil-sprung Land Rover was introduced in 1983 as "Land Rover One Ten", and in 1984 the "Land Rover Ninety" was added – the numbers representing the respective wheelbases in inches The number was spelled in full in advertising and in handbooks and manuals, and the vehicles also carried badges above the radiator grille which read "Land Rover 90" or "Land Rover 110", with the number rendered numerically. The Ninety and One Ten replaced the earlier Land Rover Series, and at the time of launch, the only other Land Rover model in production was the Range Rover.In 1989, a third model was brought out by Land Rover to be produced in parallel with the other two: the Land Rover Discovery. To avoid possible confusion, the 1991 model year Ninety and the One Ten were renamed the "Defender 90" and "Defender 110". These carried front badges that said "Defender", with a badge on the rear of the vehicle saying "Defender 90" or "Defender 110". The L316 model, from 2007 to 2016, still featured the space above the radiator for the badge but was blank. Instead it had "Land Rover" spelled across the leading edge of the bonnet in raised individual letters, in keeping with the Discovery and Freelander. At the rear was a new style of '"Defender" badge with an underlining "swoosh". On these last models there are no badges defining the wheelbase model of the vehicle.
The wheelbase Land Rover One Two Seven, available from 1985, was always marketed with the name rendered numerically. Following the adoption of the Defender name, it became the "Defender 130", although the wheelbase remained unchanged.
The North American Specification Defender 110 sold for the 1993 model year carried a badge above the radiator grille which read "Defender", whereas the NAS Defender 90 sold for the 1994 to 1997 model years had "Land Rover" spelled across the top of the radiator grille in individual letter decals. NAS Defenders also carried a cast plaque on the rear tub in the original style of the Series estate cars with "Defender 110" or "Defender 90" below the Land Rover lozenge and the vehicle's unique limited edition production run number.
Land Rover Ninety and One Ten
Production of the model now known as the Defender began in 1983 as the Land Rover One Ten, a name which reflected the 110-inch length of the wheelbase. The Land Rover Ninety, with wheelbase, and Land Rover 127, with wheelbase, soon followed. All measurements were metric, but communicated in the closest imperial terms familiar to the predecessor Series 3 88” and 109” models.Superficially, there is little to distinguish the post-1983 vehicles from the Series III Land Rover. A full-length bonnet, revised grille, plus the fitting of wheel arch extensions to cover wider-track axles are the most noticeable changes. Initially the conservative engineering department insisted that the One Ten was also available with a part-time 4WD system familiar to derivatives produced since 1949. However, the part-time system failed to sell and was quickly dropped from the options list by 1984. While the engines and other body panels carried over from the Series III, mechanically the Ninety and One Ten were modernised, including:
- Coil springs, offering a more compliant ride and improved axle articulation
- A permanent four-wheel-drive system derived from the Range Rover, featuring a two-speed transfer gearbox with a lockable centre differential
- A modernised interior
- A taller one-piece windscreen
- Uprated engines: One diesel and two petrol
L315 model
In recognition of a number of changes the Defender is designated as L315 Land Rover from model year 1987 to 2006. This period saw Land Rover market the utility Land Rover as a private recreational vehicle. While the basic pick-up, 4x4 and van versions were still working vehicles, the County 4x4s were sold as multi-purpose family vehicles, featuring improved interior trim and more comfortable seats. This change was reflected in Land Rover starting what had long been common practice in the car industry: detail changes and improvements to the County model from year to year in order to attract new buyers and to encourage existing owners to trade in for a new vehicle. These changes included different exterior styling graphics and colour options, and the introduction of new options such as radio-cassette players, air-conditioning, Rostyle wheels, headlamp wash and wipe systems, as well as accessories such as surfboard carriers and bike racks.The One Two Seven
From 1983, Land Rover introduced a third wheelbase to its utility line-up, a wheelbase vehicle designed to accommodate larger, heavier loads than the One Ten. Called the "Land Rover One Two Seven", it was designed specifically with use by utility companies in mind, as well as military usage. In its standard form, it is a four-door six-seater consisting of the front half of a One Ten 4x4, and the rear of a One Ten high-capacity pick up. Logic was that this allowed a workcrew and their equipment to be carried in one vehicle at the same time. The One Two Seven could carry up to a payload, compared to the payload of the One Ten and the of the Ninety.Land Rover One Two Sevens were built on a special production line, and all started life as One Ten 4x4 chassis. These were then cut in two and the of extra chassis length welded on before the two original halves were reunited. These models did not receive their own dedicated badging like the other two models: instead they used the same metal grille badges as used on the Series III 109 V8 models, that simply said "Land-Rover". Although the standard body-style was popular, the One Two Seven was a common basis for conversion to specialist uses, such as mobile workshops, ambulances, fire engines and flatbed transports. In South Africa, the Land Rover assembly plant offered a One Two Seven 4x4 with seating for 15. Land Rover also offered the One Two Seven as a bare chassis, with just front bodywork and bulkhead, for easy conversion.
Initially held back by the low power of the Land Rover engines, the One Two Seven benefited from the improvements to the line-up, and by 1990 was only available with the two highest power engines, the 3.5-litre V8 petrol, and the 2.5-litre turbo diesel.
Engine development
The original One Ten of 1983 was available with the same engine line-up as the Series III vehicles it replaced, namely petrol and diesel engines, and a V8 petrol unit. In 1981, the 2.25 L engines were upgraded from three- to five-crankshaft bearings in preparation for the planned increases in capacity and power. The five bearing version was known as the 2.3-litre to differentiate it despite having the same displacement.The 2.5-litre version of the diesel engine, displacing and producing, was introduced in both the One Ten and the newly arrived Ninety. This was a long-stroke version of the venerable 2.25-litre unit, fitted with updated fuel injection equipment and a revised cylinder head for quieter, smoother and more efficient running. A timing belt also replaced the older engine's chain. Despite these improvements the engine was underpowered and unrefined in comparison with the competition.
In 1985 the petrol units were upgraded. An enlarged four-cylinder engine was introduced. This engine shared the same block and cooling system as the diesel unit. Unlike the diesel engine, this new 2.5-litre petrol engine retained the chain-driven camshaft of its 2.25-litre predecessor. At the same time, the V8 was also made available in the Ninety: the first time a production short-wheelbase Land Rover had been given V8 power. The V8 on both models was now mated to an all-new five-speed LT85 manual gearbox.
The year 1986 saw improvements in engines to match the more advanced offerings by Japanese competitors. The "Diesel Turbo" engine was introduced in September, a lightly turbocharged version of the existing 2.5-litre diesel, with several changes to suit the higher power output, including a re-designed crankshaft, teflon-coated pistons and nimonic steel exhaust valves to cope with the higher internal temperatures. Similarly, an eight-bladed cooling fan was fitted, together with an oil cooler. The changes for the turbo diesel were kept as slight as possible, in the aim of making the car saleable in Land Rover's traditional export markets across the globe.
The 2.5 diesel, 2.5 petrol and Turbo Diesel engines all shared the same block castings and other components such as valve-gear and cooling system parts, allowing them to be built on the same production line. The Turbo Diesel produced, a 13% increase over the naturally aspirated unit, and a 31.5% increase in torque to at 1,800 rpm. Externally, turbo diesel vehicles differed from other models only by having an air intake grille in the left-hand wing to supply cool air to the turbo. Early turbo-diesel engines gained a reputation for poor reliability, with major failures to the bottom-end and cracked pistons. A revised block and improved big end bearings were introduced in 1988, and a re-designed breather system in 1989. These largely solved the engine's problems, but it remained prone to failure if maintenance was neglected.
At the same time that the Turbo Diesel was introduced, the V8 engine was upgraded. Power was increased to, and SU carburettors replaced the Zenith models used on earlier V8s.