Land Rover Defender V8 Works 70th Anniversary (2014)

The Land Rover Defender can define its roots as early as 1948 with even the Series I finding inspiration from the immensely capable Willys Jeep. For over half a century, the Defender as it would become known in the 1980s offered an affordable, reliable and overwhelmingly capable all-purpose vehicle. With a multitude of variants, the platform was modified and used extensively by a host of services, including an armoured version for use by the police, an ambulance conversion and even a 6x6 variant for the fire brigade.

Built for a continuous run of 67 years, production ceased in January 2016 after more than 2 million Land Rover Series & Defender models had been built. For much of its lifespan, the Defender was offered with quite humble powerplants, although a V8 was offered until 1998 with just 184bhp. Due to its popularity, several aftermarket options were available to those seeking more power from the likes of Bowler, Twisted and J.E. Engineering.

To highlight the end of the original Land Rover Defender production run and the brands 70th anniversary, Land Rover produced 150 examples of the V8 Works. With the introduction in recent years of the Land Rover Classic program, the manufacturer has been committed to the restoration of their models, re-engineering and offering upgrades for existing models.