LR Defender production to end this week - article for interest

[ilesmark]

Hope this is in the right part of the forum. Sad news, but known about for some time.

The last Defender: Is Land Rover's off-road heyday over? - BBC News

Wish I'd known about the Solihull factory tours - I might even have gone on one.*

Mark

[RogerM]

I'd suspect that all the tooling will go to India and LR will reappear as a Tata in a few months/years, much like the Mercedes T1 vans did with Force Motors and superseded MAN trucks, etc etc. India has plenty of experience with relocating European factories - Royal Enfield, Austin Ambassadors, etc.

[ilesmark]

Originally Posted by RogerM

I'd suspect that all the tooling will go to India and LR will reappear as a Tata in a few months/years, much like the Mercedes T1 vans did with Force Motors and superseded MAN trucks, etc etc. India has plenty of experience with relocating European factories - Royal Enfield, Austin Ambassadors, etc.

Indeed and, given the high by-hand element of the Defender's assembly, it would lend itself quite well to being built in India. Hindustan Motors stopped building the Ambassador only recently as it happens, so maybe Tata should have a chat with them about their redundant Calcutta factory!

I believe Defenders are also built in Turkey by Otosan, so I wonder what will happen with those.

[Churchill]

[TodoTerreno]

Glad I got mine before the hype began
*

Actually not built in Solihull, but built from a S2a-CKD Kit from Solihull at the Metalurgica de Santa Ana, Spain.

*Collecting some fire wood at the Col de la Lombarde.

[ilesmark]

Land Rover Defender Solihull production line ends - BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35436754

I know it's the crash regs as well as well as the emissions ones that are a problem, but one would have thought they could have solved the emissions issue merely by using a different engine.

Wonder where the UK military will get its 4x4s from in the future.

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by ilesmark

Wonder where the UK military will get its 4x4s from in the future.

https://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23243.aspx

[ilesmark]

Originally Posted by Walkabout

https://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23243.aspx

Hmm, think the Jackal is for a different role to the Landrover https://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23235.aspx

I wasn't specifically talking about the Snatch 2 or RWMIK Landrovers, but about the more general purpose ones (Wolf?)

[ilesmark]

Land Rover Defender Solihull production line ends - BBC News

Christ, even Marilyn Monroe had one (wrongly labelled a 'Defender') - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35437718

[Gipper]

A sad day indeed, Ive owned and driven nearly every model of Series/Defender ever made - apart from the Centaur half track.

However as the last one drove off the production line I couldn't help noticing the huge uneven door gap on the drivers door - maybe its time.

[ilesmark]

Originally Posted by Gipper

I couldn't help noticing the huge uneven door gap on the drivers door - maybe its time.

Christ, yes - unless he hadn't shut the door properly.

Centaur - you'd have done well to own one of those, when only 6 were ever made. But it doesn't sound like you were missing out on much apart from a 'Land Rover Full House'

[Gipper]

Originally Posted by ilesmark

Christ, yes - unless he hadn't shut the door properly.

Centaur - you'd have done well to own one of those, when only 6 were ever made. But it doesn't sound like you were missing out on much apart from a 'Land Rover Full House'

Agreed, it sounded like a bit of a dog, I had much more fun with Scorpion CVR(T) - the bonus was they came with a 76mm gun

[moggy 1968]

Originally Posted by ilesmark

Hmm, think the Jackal is for a different role to the Landrover https://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23235.aspx

I wasn't specifically talking about the Snatch 2 or RWMIK Landrovers, but about the more general purpose ones (Wolf?)

There were a number of players in the frame when landrover got the contract with the Wolf WMK. They only got it for political reasons.

The G wagen was in the frame, as were Ford because they satisfied the MODs wish for a multiple capacity, multi weight common base