Final Land Rover Defender Rolls Off English Assembly Line

It’s the end of an era for this classic off-roader.

Chris Wilson

Feb 1, 2016

The last Land Rover Defender—that fetishized 4X4 owned by actors, rock stars and royalty alike—rolled off an English assembly line Friday.

Over its storied 68-year history, the boxy British off-roader sold two million vehicles and counted Paul McCartney, Steve McQueen, Sean Connery, Bill Murray, Ralph Lauren, Queen Elizabeth II and Fidel Castro among its famous fans.

The #Defender has travelled far and wide, creating iconic #DefenderJourneys across the world. Come back tomorrow to find out how you can be part of the story. #offroad #4×4 #SeriesLandRover

A photo posted by Land Rover (@landrover) on Jan 28, 2016 at 7:27am PST

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A crowd of workers at the Jaguar Land Rover plant near Birmingham, England cheered as the last one rolled off the line with its lights flashing and horn blaring.

Join us as we celebrate the last 68 years of #Defender. Visit landrover.com/defenderjourneys to submit your most memorable #DefenderJourneys and moments to our interactive map and become part of the story. #Icon #Automotive #SeriesLandRover

A photo posted by Land Rover (@landrover) on Jan 29, 2016 at 9:28am PST

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Jaguar Land Rover did not say why the Defender—which hasn’t been available in the U.S. since 1997— is being discontinued, but it has been speculated that the model could no longer keep up with rigorous emission and safety regulations.

It also took nearly 56 hours to produce the mostly hand-built Defender, making it far more time-consuming than other vehicles.

While you reach for that Kleenex to shed a few final tears, enjoy this video of last year’s Defender Heritage Edition in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORPh0_YatLk