The Land Rover Defender is a British four wheel drive off-road utility vehicle.
The product of continued development of the original Land Rover Series I launched in 1948, it uses the basic yet robust underpinnings of a ladder frame chassis and aluminium body and is available in a huge variety of body types from the manufacturer, plus many more specialist versions such as fire engines.
While perhaps best associated with expeditions, Defenders are also used variously in agriculture, industry and the military. In recent years the model has been increasingly utilised as a private car.
Name and badge distinctions
The Defender name was not adopted until 1990 as a measure to distinguish the utility Land Rover model from the Discovery and Range Rover. Between 1983 and 1990 the coil-sprung utility Land Rovers were officially known as the Land Rover Ninety or One Ten , with the number spelled out in full in advertising and in handbooks and manuals. These vehicles also carried badges above the radiator grille which read Land Rover 90 or Land Rover 110 , with the number rendered numerically. From late 1989, following the introduction of the Discovery , the front badge simply said 90 or 110 . From 1991, when the Defender name was adopted the vehicles became the Defender 90 or the Defender 110 . These carry front badges that say Defender , with a badge on the rear of the vehicle saying Defender 90 or Defender 110 . The current model, from 2007, still has the space above the radiator for the badge, but is simply blank. These have Land Rover spelt out across the leading edge of the bonnet in raised individual letters. At the rear is a new Defender badge with a underlining 'swoosh'. On these current models there are no badges defining the wheelbase model of the vehicle.
The 127-inch (3,226 mm) wheelbase Land Rover 127 available from 1985 was always marketed with the name rendered numerically. Following the adoption of the Defender name, it became the Defender 130 , although the wheelbase remained unchanged.
In the United States and Canada, North American Specification (NAS) Defenders sold between 1989 and 1997 said only 'Land Rover' with no '90' or '110' numeric designation.
Capabilities
Main article: Land Rover AbilitiesThe Defender is an exceptionally capable vehicle, in keeping with Land Rover tradition.
Hand assembly
Something of an anachronism in the 2000s, the Defender has no unibody structure and is still largely hand assembled. All its major body panels and sub-assemblies simply bolt together. Thus not only can a Defender be literally broken down to its chassis with simple hand tools, there are no irreplaceable stress points. While appreciated in the field and by enthusiasts, this method of manufacture has become increasingly expensive relative to unibody and modular construction.
Land Rover Ninety & One Ten
Production of the model now known as the Defender began in 1983 as the Land Rover One Ten, a simple name which reflected the 110 inch (2.794 m) length of the wheelbase. The Land Rover Ninety, with 93 inch (2.362 m) wheelbase, and Land Rover 127, with 127 inch (3.226 m) wheelbase, soon followed.
Outwardly, there is little to distinguish the post-1983 vehicles from the Series III Land Rover. A full-length bonnet, revised grille, plus the fitting of wheel arch extensions to cover wider-track axles are the most noticeable changes. While the engine and other body panels carried over from the Series III, mechanically the Ninety and One Ten showed significant modernisation, including:
- Coil springs, offering a more comfortable ride and improved axle articulation
- A permanent four-wheel drive system borrowed from the Range Rover, featuring a two-speed transfer gearbox with a lockable centre differential
- A modernised interior
- A taller one-piece windscreen
In addition, a new series of progressively more powerful and more modern engines were designed for future use.
The One Ten was launched in 1983, and the Ninety followed in 1984. From 1984, wind-up windows were fitted (Series models and very early One Tens had sliding panels), and a 2.5 litre, 68 hp (51 kW) diesel engine was introduced. This was based on the earlier 2.3 litre engine, but had a more modern fuel-injection system as well as increased capacity. A low compression version of the 3.5 litre V8 Range Rover engine was available in conjunction with a 5 speed transmission which transformed performance.
This period saw Land Rover market the utility Land Rover as a private recreational vehicle. Whilst the basic pick-up, Station Wagon and van versions were still working vehicles, the County Station Wagons were sold as multi-purpose family vehicles, featuring improved interior trim and more comfortable seats. This change was reflected in Land Rover starting what had long been common practice in the car industry - detail changes and improvements to the County model from year to year in order to attract new buyers and to encourage existing owners to trade in for a new vehicle. These changes included different exterior styling graphics and colour options, and a steady trickle of new "lifestyle" accessories that would have been unthinkable on a Land Rover a few years ago, such as radio/cassette players, styled wheel options, headlamp wash/wipe systems and new accessories such as surfboard carriers and bike racks. The switch from leaf spring to coil spring suspension was crucial to the new models' success. It offered improved off-road ability and load capacity for traditional commercial users, whilst the improved handling and ride comfort now made the Land Rover attractive to the general public.
The 127 and 130
From 1983 Land Rover introduced a third wheelbase to its utility line-up, a 127-inch (3,226 mm) twin-axle vehicle designed to accommodate larger, heavier loads than the One Ten. Naturally called the Land Rover 127, it was designed specifically with use by utility and electrical companies in mind, as well as military usage. In its standard form it is a five-door six-seater consisting of the front half of a One Ten Station Wagon, and the rear of a One Ten High-Capacity Pick Up (HCPU). The logic was that this allowed a workcrew and their equipment to be carried in one vehicle at the same time. The 127 could carry up to 1.4 tons payload, compared to the 1.03 tons payload of the One Ten and the 0.6 tons of the Ninety.
127s were built on a special production line, and all started life as One Ten Station Wagon chassis (the model was initially marketed as the One Ten Crew Cab, before the more logical 127 name was adopted). These were then cut in two and the 17 inches (432 mm) of extra chassis length welded on before the two original halves were reunited. 127s did not receive their own dedicated badging like the other two models, instead they used the same metal grille badges as used on the Series III 109 V8 models, that simply said Land-Rover.
Although the standard body-style was popular, the 127 was a popular basis for conversion to specialist uses, such as mobile workshops, ambulances, fire engines or even flatbed transports. In South Africa, the Land Rover assembly plant there offered a 127 Station Wagon with seating for 15. Land Rover also offered the 127 as a bare chassis, with just front bodywork and bulkhead, for easy conversion.
Initially held back by the low power of the Land Rover engines (other than the thirsty V8 petrol engine), the 127 benefited from the improvements to the line-up, and by 1990 was only available with the two highest power engines, the 134 hp (100 kW) 3.5 litre V8 petrol, and the 85 hp (63 kW) 2.5 litre Diesel Turbo.
Engine development
The original One Ten of 1983 was available with the same engine line-up as the Series III vehicles it replaced, namely 2.25 litre petrol and diesel engines, and a 3.5 litre V8 petrol unit (although a small number of 3.2 litre V8 were produced). The intention had always been to provide more powerful engines as soon as the new vehicles had found their feet and the Series III had ceased production. Indeed, in 1981 the 2.25 litre engines had been upgraded from 3- to 5-crankshaft bearings in preparation for the planned increases in capacity and power.
The 2.5 litre version of the diesel engine, producing 68 hp (51 kW), was introduced in both the One Ten and the newly-arrived Ninety. This was a long-stroke version of the venerable 2.25 litre unit (the new version displaced 2495 cc), fitted with updated fuel injection equipment and a revised cylinder head for quieter, smoother and more efficient running. A timing belt also replaced the older engine's chain.
In 1985 the petrol units were upgraded. An enlarged 4-cylinder engine was introduced. This 83 hp (62 kW) engine shared the same block and cooling system (as well as other ancillary components) as the diesel unit. Unlike the diesel engine, this new 2.5 litre petrol engine retained the chain-driven camshaft of its 2.25 litre predecessor. At the same time, the 114 hp (85 kW) V8 was also made available in the Ninety- the first time a production short-wheelbase Land Rover had
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