Not the end of an era, the Land Rover Defender has had its life extended into 2016, and then, maybe again.

Production of Land Rover’s legendary Defender is set to continue beyond the December 2015 cut-off originally planned by the Midland car-maker due to increased demand for the long-serving 4x4 vehicle.

In January Land Rover announced a year of celebration to mark the final year of Defender production at its Solihull plant but high demand during the model’s final year has now seen production extended into 2016.

Land Rover has remained tight-lipped on when Defender production will draw to a close, other than to say it has not yet announced a precise date, but a Land Rover insider revealed it will be at least until February 2016, with the possibility it could be longer than that.

“It is going to be extended until at least the end of February,” said the Land Rover employee who works at the Lode Lane factory.

“We have had a glut of orders and are going on until then.

“Although I’ve been told that February is the definite cut-off date someone else has said it could possibly go on until April.”

The worker added that although there was increased demand the car-maker had not added an additional Defender shift.

While other areas of the Solihull factory have 24-hour manufacturing to cope with demand for Land Rover and now Jaguar vehicles built there, Defender production is still carried out by around 450 workers on a single day shift.

“The shift is still running normally and as always it is only days as well,” they said

In March the Post revealed Defender production was being ramped up by almost 50 per cent to cope with increased demand during the model’s farewell year.

Ordinarily, each shift might produce 84 Defenders but output had been increased to 125 to cope with a spike in demand as people avail of the last chance to own the latest version of the vehicle which first set the Land Rover ball rolling.

Last year 17,781 Defenders were produced at the car-maker’s Solihull plant but that figure is likely to be dwarfed by this year’s output.

Time has been called on the Defender due to tough European Union emissions regulations and in addition the car’s ‘old-fashioned’ design means it cannot conform to increasingly rigorous modern safety standards.

Land Rover has indicated it could still produce the vehicle elsewhere in the world for markets where the rules are less stringent but it will no longer be built at the firm’s home in Lode Lane.

In January the firm said it was investigating the possibility of maintaining production at an overseas production facility, after UK manufacturing draws to a close.

The current Defender is a direct descendent of the original Land Rover, which was launched in 1948 at the Amsterdam Motor Show. More than two million Land Rovers and Defenders have been sold since and there are currently 308 model derivatives.

Later named the Series I – when its replacement the Series II was brought out in the late 50s – it was dreamed up by the Rover Company as part of a drive to get British car manufacturing moving again in the wake of the Second World War.

It was the brainchild of Maurice Wilks, Rover’s chief engineer, who famously sketched his original design in the sand on an Anglesey beach for his brother Spencer, who was managing director of the Rover Company.

The idea was based on the US Army’s Willys Jeep, a multi-purpose vehicle used by the Allies during the war.

Over the years the Defender and its predecessors have had many famous fans.

They include the Queen, Winston Churchill, Argentinean president Juan Peron, the Shah of Persia, Marilyn Monroe and Steve McQueen.

Land Rover launched three special edition Defender models in January to mark the vehicle’s final year.

The Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography Editions are all powered by Land Rover’s 2.2-litre diesel engine.

The Autobiography Edition promises more performance, luxury and comfort, thanks to an extensive equipment list and a power upgrade.

The Heritage Edition is inspired by early Land Rover models and has distinctive Grasmere Green paintwork and a contrasting white roof. It features a heritage grille and HUE 166 graphics, recalling the registration plate of the first ever pre-production Land Rover nicknamed ‘Huey’.

The Adventure Edition is aimed at Land Rover customers who embrace the Defender’s ‘go anywhere’ attitude. It comes with additional underbody protection and special Goodyear MT/R tyres to boost all-terrain capability.

Prices range from £27,800 to £61,845.

Land Rover has yet to unveil a replacement for the Defender though the firm has confirmed it is working on one.

With Grateful thanks to Enda Mullen for allowing his report to reproduced on The Motoring World Blog - The original report can be located >>HERE<<

Biggest Land Rover drawing in the world and three special editions mark the end of an era.

• World’s most iconic vehicle drawn on huge 1km scale on the same beach used to sketch the original design 68 years ago: http://youtu.be/vjZa9LCIgMo 
• Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography Limited Edition Defenders announced
• Solihull production of current Defender due to end in December 2015

Land Rover has gone back to the place where it all began to start a year-long celebration of the iconic Defender. A unique 1km sand drawing at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey, UK, marks the launch of three exclusive limited edition models and the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the Defender story.

As UK production of the current Defender enters its final phase, Land Rover will use 2015 to celebrate its global automotive icon.

Land Rover Vehicle Line Director Nick Rogers explains the significance of recreating one of the world’s most iconic vehicles: “Passion and enthusiasm surround everything we do with Defender, and that will never change. With a history stretching back 68 years, this is a Land Rover that has thrived for decades on its unquestionable capability and iconic shape. I now have the honour of being one of the many enthusiasts at Land Rover committed to creating a fitting successor to the legendary Defender.”

To mark the announcement Land Rover has created the largest sand drawing ever produced in the UK. A Defender outline measuring a staggering 1km across was drawn on the beach at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey using a fleet of six Land Rovers. The unique image is a tribute to the moment in 1947 when the engineering director of Rover, Maurice Wilks, first sketched the shape for the original Land Rover in the sand of Red Wharf Bay and proposed the idea to his brother Spencer, Rover’s managing director.

“My father met his brother on the beach at Red Wharf Bay and made a drawing in the sand of how he thought the Land Rover could be made,” said Stephen Wilks, son of Maurice. “That was the start of it all, the conception of Land Rover.”

The Wilks family owned land on the Welsh island and Maurice wanted a versatile vehicle that could double as a light tractor and off-roader. His forward-thinking design was christened the ‘Land Rover’, the outline of which we now recognise as the Defender.

Creating the giant piece of temporary artwork at Red Wharf Bay required a fleet of six Land Rovers, each towing an agricultural 12-foot harrow to draw the unmistakable outline of the Defender in the sand. The vehicles chosen for the race against the Anglesey tides chart the evolution of the Defender from its introduction in 1948 to the present day.

A Land Rover Series I, II and III were joined on the beach by a Ninety from the Eighties, a Defender 90 Hard Top and a Defender 110 Station Wagon. The immaculate Series II once belonged to the Wilks family and in memory of the moment originally enacted by their fathers, cousins Stephen and Nick Wilks, the sons of Maurice and Spencer Wilks respectively, were on hand to take part. They helped to draw the continuous 4.52km line – the length of 1,118 Defender 90 Station Wagons – into the sand with just minutes to spare before it was erased by the incoming tide.

The event witnessed the debut of the Defender Celebration Series; three exciting new limited edition models which each celebrate a different element of Defender’s unique history. The Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography Editions are all powered by Land Rover’s proven 2.2-litre diesel engine and are available to order now.

Land Rover is also investigating the possibility of maintaining production of the current Defender at an overseas production facility, after the close of UK manufacturing. Any continuation would see low volume production maintained for sale outside the EU.

Limited Edition Defenders

The three hotly anticipated limited edition Defender models celebrate a different element of the vehicle’s versatile character.

“We wanted to mark the end of Defender production at Solihull with a special edition but coming up with a single identity was impossible, so we developed three very different interpretations of the Defender to reflect its strength and breadth of character,” said Nick Rogers. “Whether our customers want to celebrate Land Rover’s unrivalled off-road heritage, demand the ultimate in terms of design and performance or have a genuine thirst for adventure, there will be a limited edition Defender that will be fit for purpose.”

The exclusive Autobiography Edition promises more performance, luxury and comfort than ever before thanks to its comprehensive equipment list, unique duo-tone paintwork, full Windsor leather upholstery and a power upgrade from 122PS to 150PS. Exclusivity comes as standard as only 80 Defender Autobiography Editions will be available in the UK. It will be produced exclusively as a 90 Station Wagon and priced from £61,845.

The Heritage Edition is inspired by early Land Rover models and mixes nostalgic design cues with modern creature comforts. It will be identified by distinctive Grasmere Green paintwork and a contrasting white roof. A heritage grille and HUE 166 graphics, recalling the registration plate of the first ever pre-production Land Rover nicknamed ‘Huey’, also identify the Heritage model. It hits showrooms from August with production limited to 400 in the UK. Prices will start from  £27,800.

The exciting new Adventure Edition is aimed at Land Rover customers who relish the great outdoors and embrace the Defender’s ‘go anywhere, do anything’ attitude. It comes fitted with additional underbody protection and Goodyear MT/R tyres to boost the Defender’s already class-leading all-terrain capability. Unique decals and a leather-trimmed cabin ensure the Adventure Edition stands out from the Defender crowd. A total of 600 Adventure Editions are available in the UK priced at £43,495 for all versions.

Click here to see the limited edition models revealed as Land Rover creates the biggest sand drawing ever made in the UK: http://youtu.be/vjZa9LCIgMo