The 2,000,000th Land Rover Defender goes on display before being auctioned off for charity.

• Bespoke Land Rover Defender 2,000,000 on public display for Series Land Rover and Defender heritage exhibition at Bonhams London on 15 and 16 December
• Exhibition to precede prestigious charity auction of the Defender 2,000,000 on 16 December
• All proceeds from the sale to be donated in their entirety to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Born Free Foundation

A two-day Series Land Rover and Defender heritage exhibition will be on display at Bonhams London from 15-16 December ahead of the prestigious charity auction of the Defender 2,000,000. The exhibition will celebrate 67 years of UK production and chart the Defender’s journey to becoming a global automotive icon.

Prospective bidders and the general public are invited to preview the Defender 2,000,000 throughout the specially curated exhibition, which celebrates almost seven decades of Land Rover production at the Solihull manufacturing facility in the UK.

With a ‘hall of fame’ depicting the Land Rover playing a supporting role to Hollywood heroes such as Steve McQueen and Daniel Craig in his role as James Bond 007 and Sir Winston Churchill and British nobility including Her Majesty The Queen, the exhibition will illustrate the journey of an icon that has travelled the world, playing a key role in expeditions and touching the lives of countless millions through Land Rover’s longstanding humanitarian and conservation work with partners such as the British Red Cross and the Born Free Foundation.

Visitors will be encouraged to share their Defender stories and journeys with a wall dedicated to capturing the moment that Land Rover made an impact on their lives. 

Roger Crathorne will be on hand to talk to visitors during the exhibition. Roger is known simply as ‘Mr Land Rover’ to Royalty, VIP customers and global explorers worldwide. With more than 50 years’ service with Land Rover, Roger’s vast knowledge of the company, experience of driving the product in the world’s most inhospitable regions and passion for the brand is invaluable.    

Roger Crathorne comments: “The Series Land Rover and Defender have played a huge role in the lives of people all over the world for almost 70 years and to be able to offer it a fitting send off as it nears the end of production is an honour for me. Through the creation of the exhibition we have really got under the skin of just what has made Defender such a loved vehicle.  We hope that the exhibition really brings to life the richness of the vehicle’s heritage and why it has had such longevity.”

The exhibition will precede a prestigious charity auction where collectors and Defender fans will be given the opportunity to own the Defender 2,000,000, a unique piece of Land Rover history. Reflecting Defender’s heritage, all proceeds will be donated in their entirety to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners – the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Born Free Foundation.

The Defender 2,000,000 is a one-of-a-kind vehicle that was assembled over ten days earlier this year by 33 Land Rover brand ambassadors and enthusiasts including adventurer Bear Grylls and British entrepreneur Theo Paphitis. Representatives from the IFRC and Born Free also made the journey to Solihull to fit their part to the vehicle, including actress and founder of the Born Free Foundation Virginia McKenna OBE.

Interested visitors and bidders can drop into the exhibition at Bonhams on New Bond Street, London free of charge any time from 09:00hrs to 17:00hrs on Tuesday 15 December and from  09:00hrs on Wednesday 16 December with the auction starting at 18:00hrs.