The icon.

As much a part of British car culture as the Mini, the Jaguar E-Type or the Ford Escort - perhaps even more so.

Though officially only known as a Defender from 1990, as a rebadge of the previous 90 and 110 models, it was instantly familiar given the evolutionary relationship with the Series Land Rovers that preceded them.

To the layman, the different versions have almost become interchangeable, not least because each represents the utilitarian, unpretentious, rugged off-roader that made Land Rover famous.
Despite, or perhaps because of, being recognisably related (with the same charm and character) to the very first Land Rover of 1948, the Defender retained a steadfastly loyal customer base.

Perhaps the most significant development, however, was nothing to do with a change in the vehicle’s appearance or specification - it was the gradual adoption amongst trendy metropolitan elites as their carriage of choice, taking the Land Rover legend from the country into the city.

T...