John Craddock Ltd Magazine (General News)
Last Friday, at 9:15am, the very last Land Rover Defender rolled off the production line in Solihull marking the end of an era for a truly iconic vehicle. Since 1948, over two million Defenders have been produced and exported all over the world used by everyone from royalty to the military. Over 700 people witnessed the event, including current and former employees as well as special guests, who were also treated with a parade of classic Land Rovers including “Huey”, the original Series 1 vehicle. Jaguar Land Rover have said it plans to replace the Defender in due course and that it will “still have the Land Rover DNA”, but it remains to be seen whether they can truly recapture the charm and charisma of the original vehicle.
Remembering The Land Rover Defender
In recent years, it has seemed inevitable that Land Rover Defender production would eventually cease, largely due to the fact the vehicle could not comply with the ever more stringent European emissions regulations and modern safety standards. Some workers at the West Midlands production plant also decided to retire on the same day as Defender production ended, including staff who had worked with the vehicle for over four decades. However, despite the end of Defenders, the Solihull plant will continue to produce Range Rover and Discovery models as well as various Jaguars.
The Defender has captured the imagination of enthusiasts all over the world for 68 years now with famous owners including the likes of Paul McCartney, Sir Winston Churchill and even The Queen herself. When the first one was produced in 1948, it cost only £450 and was powered by a four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine producing 50bhp. Since then, the model went from strength to strength, evolving into a multi purpose vehicle “for the farmer, the countryman and general industrial use”.
The model was officially rechristened as the Defender in 1990 after it was used extensively by British forces in Iraq, Afghanistan as well as Northern Ireland and is widely considered to be the precursor to the luxury 4×4 vehicles that can be seen on roads today. However, the utilitarian vehicle will always be fondly remembered by enthusiasts for being the epitome of toughness, ruggedness, strength and ultimately reliability with an astounding 70% of Defenders produced still on the road today.
Defender Parts at John Craddock
It was an original 1948 Series 1 Land Rover, purchased for £50, that inspired John to set up the business after being charmed by the simplicity, reliability and ability to cover any terrain in four wheel drive. Years later, we are now the largest independent retailer of Land Rover parts and accessories in the world.
As each Defender comprises of over 7000 individual components, the demand for parts and accessories continues to remain high even after seven decades of production which is why we provide the widest range of products available in the UK. We have thousands of Defender parts to choose from at John Craddock and will always continue to support our customers with products for Land Rovers old and new.
You can browse our Defender parts and accessories here or get in touch with us directly for more information.
