Camouflaged Land Rover Defender Appears at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Crowds at the Goodwood Festival of Speed were wowed earlier this year, as a new camouflaged prototype a Land Rover Defender made its way up the iconic Hillclimb. The vehicle, which is in the final stages of its global engineering development programme, turned ample heads with its juxtaposition of iconic Defender silhouette and eye-catching monochromatic camouflage paint job.
Field testing
The newest iteration of the classic 4X4 was put through its paces across the weekend in the First Glance category having just returned from an impressive round of field testing. The new Defender’s off-road capabilities had just been tested in surprising surroundings. The vehicle had just returned from field testing in Kenya with wildlife conservation charity Tusk. The brand’s work there was intended to highlight the decline in lion populations in Africa as part of Tusk’s Year of the Lion initiative.
“BEST 4X4XFAR” High praise for the new Land Rover Defender
Land Rover’s Chief engineer and well-respected industry icon Mike Cross is the person responsible for the new touches to the Defender and there was a clear sense of paying homage to tradition without being afraid to embrace innovation. Said Cross;
“The new Defender will redefine breadth of capability for the 21st Century, combining unrivalled off-road ability with assured and engaging on-road dynamics. I am really excited to be putting it to the test on the Hill”
But Cross wasn’t the only one putting the new Defender through its paces. Famed Land Rover enthusiast, the Duke of Richmond also had nothing but praise for the Defender’s latest incarnation as we drove it up the hill;
“Few vehicles in the world can claim to be an icon, but that’s the only way to describe the Land Rover Defender. It’s extremely close to my heart and a vehicle that I’ve had a close connection with over the decades, so to be able to open this year’s Festival of Speed by driving it up the Hill was a real privilege”
So, what’s new?
So, how does this new iteration of the Land Rover Defender stack up against the familiar classic? What’s new in terms of design and spec?
The Land Rover Defender is best known for its iconic, boxy silhouette and rugged utilitarian countenance. In an era where many 4x4s have begun to adopt an apologetic sleekness, the new Defender doubles down on the things that make the original an icon.
Interior and exterior design are both rugged and utilitarian, incorporating new technologies to supplement the Defender’s iconography rather than supplant it. Beneath the bonnet you’ll find a new incarnation of Jaguar Land Rover's new 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine with electric supercharger and 48-volt hybrid system
Unlike its predecessor, however, the new generation of Defender has a unibody construction versus a body-on-frame setup and the traditional solid axles will be replaced with a fully independent suspension system for superior off-road handling.
Learn more at Sinclair Land Rover
At Sinclair Land Rover, we’re as passionate about the new Defender as you are. If you’d like to discuss this new spin on an iconic classic further, or indeed discuss any of our sensational Land Rover vehicles, Click Here to arrange a test drive.
