[Hawkeye269]

If you’re a citizen of Planet Team-BHP, chances are you would have had to be living under a rock these past few years to not know that the iconic Land Rover Defender ended production back in early 2016. (see: Land Rover Defender production comes to an end).



Land Rover is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, which is why the company’s Land Rover Classic division, which restores limited edition classic cars made by LR, is re-engineering 150 Defenders and kitting them with a V8 engine (see: Land Rover to build 150 units of 5.0L V8 Defender).

Auto history buffs and LR / Defender enthusiasts would know that in the summer of 1947 – around the time that India was redeeming its tryst with destiny by awakening to life and freedom – Maurice Wilks (then technical chief of Rover) and his brother Spencer were walking on the vast sands of Red Wharf Bay in Wales, discussing the design weaknesses of the war-surplus Willys Jeep they used on their family farm. Maurice sketched a basic design in the damp sand of a new vehicle that he reasoned could do better. It would offer the benefits of a tractor with on-road usability. It would be a Rover for the land. A Land Rover.



Many years later, to mark the final run of production in 2015, LR went back to where it all started and recreated the unmistakable shape at Red Wharf Bay by using six Defenders to drag agricultural harrows in a continuous 4.52km line (the 1km long drawing was washed away by the tide in minutes).

https://youtu.be/vjZa9LCIgMo

Earlier this month, after 70 years of all-terrain adventures and global expeditions, LR took the Defender to new heights. It announced the 70th Anniversary celebrations (scheduled for 30 April 2018, but more on that later) by commissioning a spectacular one-off 250m wide Defender outline drawn in the snow at 2,700m in the French Alps.



Snow artist Simon Beck walked out 20,894 steps in sub-zero temperatures as a snowy tribute to the Wilks brothers’ first sketch of the original LR shape in the sand of Red Wharf Bay.

https://youtu.be/iKDGuPeKtwA

And now, for the main reason behind this post: Land Rover is inviting fans to join the World Land Rover Day celebrations in an online broadcast.

To watch the broadcast and take part in the celebrations, tune into Land Rover’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/landrover on 30 April 2018 at 20:00 BST (1 May 2018 at 00:30 IST) and use the hashtag #LandRover70Years

Who knows - if the motoring Gods are smiling down upon us, maybe LR will use this webcast to give us a first glimpse of the New Defender?!!!

[GTO]

They're celebrating the 70th in India too, with a drive somewhere in West Bengal. Moderator Samurai is going for the same.

[Hawkeye269]

Originally Posted by GTO

They're celebrating the 70th in India too, with a drive somewhere in West Bengal. Moderator Samurai is going for the same.

I wonder why JLR wouldn't publicise this event more widely... it'd be interesting to hear further details from Samurai on what has been planned.

[Hawkeye269]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye269

Who knows - if the motoring Gods are smiling down upon us, maybe LR will use this webcast to give us a first glimpse of the New Defender?!!!

JLR is under increasing pressure to reveal more about the redesigned Defender due to come out next year. During the opening of JLR's new U.S. headquarters last month in Mahwah, N.J., the company peeled the curtain back a little on the iconic off-road vehicle. A slide showing three families of Land Rover vehicles gave the closest indication yet that the next Defender will retain its traditional boxy, rugged looks.



The JLR slide above suggests the next Land Rover Defender won't lose its iconic shape!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye269

I wonder why JLR wouldn't publicise this event more widely... it'd be interesting to hear further details from Samurai on what has been planned.

The report of that drive is now published.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye269

During the opening of JLR's new U.S. headquarters last month in Mahwah, N.J., the company peeled the curtain back a little on the iconic off-road vehicle.

Interesting, since I used to work in the same town, I just checked this address. About 22 years ago, my office was on the same road, in the opposite building, which houses the UPS World Technology head quarters.