What's the news?
"She's gone, she's gone. Oh, why. Oh, why. I better learn how to face it. She's gone, she's gone
Oh, why. Oh, why. I'd pay the devil to replace her. She's gone, she's gone Oh, why. What went wrong?"
Sorry, but I just thought a little Hall & Oates would adequately represent my feelings on this news story. I know that proper journalists aren't supposed to impose their own feelings and opinions on news, but this is a special one...
The Land Rover Defender has ceased production as of the morning of Friday, 29th January. While the Defender has only been an official nameplate since 1990, it was really just a re-badged 90 or 110, introduced in 1983 as a replacement for the venerable Series III. The Series III of course could trace its lineage right back to the ur-Land Rover, the 1948 Series 1 - a stop-gap farmers' tool devised by Rover Cars boss Maurice Wilkes, who sketched the simple outline of a four-wheel-drive car (to be built from cheap wartime surplus aluminium) on the sands of a Welsh beach.
Since then, the Defender and the Series models that preceded it, have gone on to become icon, legend and even friend. Few people's lives have not been touched by a 'proper' square-shaped Land Rover at some point, and as the world rushes to buy soft-soap SUVs, it and its distant cousins the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Land Cruiser are the last reminders of what a proper 4x4 should be.
Emissions and impact regulations have killed the Defender though, and some say not a moment too soon. Its antiquated cabin, terrible driving position, awful noise levels and oddly small interior (for a car of its overall size) have repeatedly marked it down through the years. Charm, however, was its rescuer - that and its still-undimmed abilities in the rough stuff. Modern utility rivals such as the Mitsubishi L200 or Volkswagen Amarok might show the Defender up in dynamic terms, but even they struggle to match it in the off-roading stakes.
The final Defender to roll down the Soilhull production line (incongruously just yards from the ultra-modern production lines for the current Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Jaguar XE and the forthcoming F-Pace) was a Grasmere Green 92-inch wheelbase, fitted with a canvas tilt roof. Rather pleasingly, it's registered H166 HUE, an echo of the numberplate of HUE 166, the first production Series 1, alongside which it will now sit in Land Rover's historic collection. Both cars share one common component - a small aluminium cleat for the canvas top, an automotive part which has remained in production for the full 68 years of the Defender's life.
Dr Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, said: "Today we celebrate what generations of men and women have done since the outline for the Land Rover was originally drawn in the sand. The Series Land Rover, now Defender, is the origin of our legendary capability, a vehicle that makes the world a better place, often in some of the most extreme circumstances. There will always be a special place in our hearts for Defender, among all our employees, but this is not the end. We have a glorious past to champion, and a wonderful future to look forward to."
Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director at Jaguar Land Rover, added: "This is a special day of fond celebration for Jaguar Land Rover. We all have personal memories of Defender. It's a true motoring icon and is much loved around the world. The world has changed dramatically in the last 68 years, but this vehicle has remained a constant - something no other vehicle can claim. The last of the current Defender models embraces the vehicle's simplicity, honesty and charm - it represents its Series Land Rover heritage. Creating the Defender of tomorrow, a dream for any engineer or designer, is the next exciting chapter and we are looking forward to taking on that challenge."
The last Defender was seen off by an honour guard of 700 Land Rover employees, all of whom worked on the car over the years, and a phalanx of classic, weird and wonderful Defender and Series models of old.
The good news is that this isn't really the end. Although European sales have been brought to a legislative halt, the current Defender will live on in some form in overseas markets, most likely India.
The Defender story is not over in Europe either. Land Rover says that it's currently working on a new model, which will be true to the original's hard-working, utilitarian roots. Dr Speth said that: "this is not the end of the Defender, merely a pause." It's true though that we have heard Land Rover say that an all-new Defender is on the way for many years, more than a decade in fact, now.
The Defender isn't quite finished with Solihull yet either. Land Rover's Heritage Restoration programme will see the Series Land Rover and Defender's name continue at Solihull. A team of twelve experts, ten of whom will transfer over from the existing production line, will lead the project, which will initially begin with the restoration and sale of early Series Land Rovers. The team has 172 years of combined experience working on Defender or Land Rover production. One employee who will transfer onto the programme, Tony Martin, has worked at Solihull all of his life, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather; in effect, he will be restoring some of the vehicles his grandfather helped to build.
Tim Hannig Jaguar Land Rover Heritage Director said: "Land Rover Heritage will be offering cars, services, parts and experiences for all owners and fans around the world. Our new restoration service and the sale of expertly restored Series I vehicles is just the start of making sure that classic Land Rovers are not only part of our past but part of our future."
Whatever your opinions of the Defender's shortcomings, and they are manifest, there's no question that it has earned its place in motoring's Pantheon. A silhouette as instantly recognisable as a Porsche 911's, a longevity rivalled only by the Mini and the Volkswagen Beetle and a legacy which sees every suburban mum and dad craving a tall hatchback which bears just a faint whiff of the Defender's original ruggedness.
We'll miss it.
"And pretty bodies help dissolve the memories. They can never be what she was to me..."