Defend without End: Land Rover Creating 70th-Anniversary Defender with V-8 Power!

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It has been seven decades since the Land Rover Defender first went on sale, which is a major milestone and one that the company couldn’t help highlighting with a special 70th Anniversary Edition—despite the fact that the Defender went out of production some two years ago.

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The 70th Anniversary Defenders are being sold by Land Rover Classic, a branch that already offers buyers pristine factory-restored Series 1 models. The 150 re-engineered 90- and 110-series Defenders, by contrast, will be the hottest-performing version in the iconic off-roader’s long history.

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The vehicles are being fitted with a 5.0-liter engine, making them the first V-8–powered Defenders since 1998, when a 3.9-liter V-8 offered 190 horsepower. The naturally aspirated 5.0-liter unit used here puts out considerably more: 399 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Working through an eight-speed automatic transmission, that’s sufficient to send the Defender 90 from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, says Land Rover. Top speed is 106 mph.

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A stiffened suspension, upgraded brakes, and special 18-inch wheels round out the mechanical changes. Inside, there are high-backed Recaro seats, Land Rover Classic’s own infotainment system, and acres of Windsor leather. Prices start at just over the equivalent of $200,000 in the U.K.

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Given that the Defender’s replacement has been delayed repeatedly, here’s hoping that a new version arrives before Land Rover has the opportunity to do a special edition marking the 80th anniversary of the original.

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