A one-of-a-kind Land Rover ‘Defender 2,000,000’ was sold for £400,000 at prestigious charity auction at Bonhams. Following spirited bidding, the gavel finally fell to a bidder on the telephone, achieving the excellent six-figure sum for two wonderful charitable causes. All proceeds from auction were donated in their entirety to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Born Free Foundation.
The unique vehicle, the two-millionth of the iconic Series Land Rover and Defender models manufactured at Land Rover’s Solihull plant since 1948, was sold to a bidder from Qatar. The vehicle was built in May 2015 by an all-star cast of brand ambassadors and people from Land Rover’s history including Bear Grylls, Virginia McKenna OBE and Stephen and Nick Wilks, sons of the founders of Land Rover.
“Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to turn a milestone Land Rover into a true collector’s car. With the expert help of my SVO team and a handful of willing Land Rover ambassadors, we created something unique and very special. Tonight’s sale will go down as part of our history. Of course, defender has a future and will live on in its own right. But the original Series Land Rovers and Defenders will also continue to thrive through our Jaguar Land Rover Heritage division,” said John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Operations, who oversaw the build of the car.
The vehicle, built as part of a year of celebrations for the much loved 4×4 which will cease manufacturing in Solihull in January 2016, boasts a host of distinctive and bespoke finishing features including an engraved map of Red Wharf Bay – where the design for the original Land Rover was first drawn in the sand, and a unique ‘no 2,000,000’ badge. Inside, the leather seats also feature the ‘Red Wharf Bay’ graphic and ‘no 2,000,000’ logos have been stitched on the headrests. A bespoke aluminium plaque, signed by everyone who helped to assemble the vehicle is fitted to the driver’s seat. Special S90 HUE registration plates provide a fitting tribute to the first ever pre-production Land Rover, registration ‘HUE 166’.
