Land Rover Defender 75 Ed

FIRST DRIVE British SUV marks 75th birthday of its iconic ancestor with special edition

- Sean Carson

BACK in 1948, at the Amsterdam Motor Show of all places, Land Rover revealed its iconic Series 1. Those Series cars would later morph into the Defender, staying true to the original model's ethos. Wind the clock forward 75 years and the Defender is still with us today - albeit as a slightly different proposition - but to mark the special occasion the brand has added this Defender 75th Limited Edition to the line-up.

It's certainly distinctive, given that Land Rover's traditional Grasmere Green paintwork is the only colour on offer - the same hue as the 2015 Defender limited edition model - with the new car also available with 20-inch wheels finished in the same colour. It's a lot of green.

There are some small '75 Years' badges on the side-hinged tailgate and the ends of the dashboard, underpinned by the Land Rover's trademark cross-car beam, which gives the Defender its strength and rigidity. It's great for off-roading, which this shorter wheelbase 90 model will devour easily.

There's a choice of powertrains if you opt for the longer 110 model, which can be had with five, six or seven seats. Land Rover's D300 and P400e plug-in hybrid are both on offer, but in this 90 version of the Defender, only the former is available.