The very last Land Rover Defender is rolling off the Solihull, England, assembly line as you read this. Long billed as “the best 4x4xfar,” the Defender is headed to the history books after an illustrious 33-year long career because it no longer complies with stringent safety and emissions regulations in Europe, its main market. Company executives have previously hinted that production could be shifted elsewhere — notably to India — but they’ve been silent for the past few months. At any rate, you’ll no longer be able to buy a new Defender in Europe.
The Defender has essentially sold itself over the past few decades, Land Rover has rarely needed to spam magazines, billboards, and your favorite TV show with ads. One of the few Defender ads ever created famously shows the off-roader climbing up a dam. We’ve pulled it out of the company’s archives and uploaded it for your viewing pleasure.
Top Gear re-created this ad – it proved ( not surprisingly – is the world of advertising after all ) that a few liberties were taken to make it work – however it was a clever ad none the less.