Land Rover 75th-Anniversary Defender Is Freshly Minted

• Next year will mark 75 years since the first Land Rover, the Series I, was shown to the public at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show.
  
• The commemorative Defender, known as the 75th Limited Edition, will be available in two- and four-door configurations but will only come with the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine.
• Standard features include a folding fabric roof and an 11.4-inch touchscreen, but the signature feature is the Grasmere Green paint exclusive to this model.

Launched to a motoring public used to post–World War II austerity, the original Land Rover blended the ride quality of a tractor with the creature comforts of a tin garden shed. It was a sort of Wellington boot on wheels, capable of everything from farm labor to pan-global exploration. Every single early Land Rover exudes a deep sense of British pluck. And probably a minor oil slick.

To celebrate the lasting charm of the original effort, Jaguar Land Rover has launched a commemorative edition of the current Defender. A modern Land Rover is an entirely different beast than its agricultural ancestor, like a high-rise apartment at London’s opulent One Hyde Park compared to a thatched shepherd’s cottage. Nevertheless, the new Defender is still charming in its way, and here’s a special one.

The 75^thLimited Edition will be available in either 90 or 110 trims, Land Rover’s terms for the short-wheelbase two-door and the longer four-door version. Regardless of the door count, every one will be powered by the P400 class 3.0-liter inline-six. A turbocharged and supercharged hybrid, this engine is good for 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard, as is—of course—on-demand four-wheel drive.

The standard interior features on the Defender 75^th Limited Edition are a blend of luxury and off-road intent. There’s a retractable folding fabric roof to let in the great outdoors, and the center console is trimmed in material designed to take abuse. At the same time, the 75^th gets heated seats and steering wheel, a head-up display, an upgraded stereo, and an 11.4-inch touchscreen to handle infotainment duties.

The real story is the paint, dubbed Grasmere Green. We last saw this shade on the Heritage Edition Defenders, and it’s a direct link to the early Land Rovers. The sort of semi-institutional color you might see in a 1950s British hospital, it’s quite a bit lighter and less metallic than greens found elsewhere in the automotive landscape.

Heritage Edition Land Rover Defenders.

For the 75^thLimited Edition, the green extends to painted wheels and interior accents as well. It’s still a Wellie on wheels. But a really very nice one. Pricing is expected to be announced shortly.