Land Rover Defender History

The vehicle now known as the Defender began in 1983 as the Land Rover One Ten (a 110-inch wheelbase), joined in 1984 by the shorter Ninety. It replaced the leaf-sprung Series with coil-spring suspension and permanent four-wheel drive, modernising the utility Land Rover while keeping its body-on-frame, aluminium-panelled toughness.

It was officially renamed 'Defender' in late 1990 (for the 1991 model year), because Land Rover had introduced the Discovery in 1989 and the original model now needed a name to distinguish it. Sold as the Defender 90, 110, and long 130, in soft-top, hard-top, station-wagon, and pickup forms, it became a beloved — if increasingly antiquated — off-road legend before classic production ended on 29 January 2016, unable to meet modern crash and emissions rules.

After a four-year gap, an all-new Defender (chassis code L663) was revealed in 2019 and reached customers for the 2020 model year. Built on an aluminium monocoque rather than a traditional ladder frame, and offered in 90, 110, and 130 body lengths, it reinvented the nameplate as a refined, electronically capable modern SUV while nodding to the original's silhouette.