by Richard Buckley, Editor, Business Eye

Charles Hurst Land Rover were among the first in the UK to officially unveil the New Land Rover Defender at a special preview event in the Boucher Road showroom.   The event was attended by over 300 customers who were treated to a viewing of an original Land Rover Series 1, purchased at a Charles Hurst Balmoral show stand in 1954, alongside the brand-new Land Rover Defender.


 

Current owner Mervyn Jamison and Granddaughter of the original owner of the Land Rover Series 1, Catherine Charley were in attendance to speak to the audience of their memories of the car, and to share why the classic Defender has a special place in their hearts.

 

The New Defender is to be the most capable Land Rover ever produced and whilst it is respectful to its past, the vehicle is not harnessed by it. With a little more space for your elbow, more room for a taller driver and the most advanced safety systems, this Defender is capable of great things.

 

Durability has always been a corner stone of the Defender, with a remarkably high percentage of the vehicles produced over the 68-year production period still in use. This is a story set to continue from 2020 onwards, and to make sure, Land Rover has tested the new Defender more than any other car in its history. It has been driven more than 1.2 million km in all environments such as the desert, at high altitude and in the Artic and tested at over 50 degrees Celsius and down to minus 40 degrees. In total, the car had to be signed off on 62,000 test criteria prior to its launch.

 

The aluminium chassis is derived from the Range Rover platform, but is 95% new, and offers the most rigid chassis Land Rover have ever designed, over 3 x stiffer than any ladder chassis could ever be.

 

Personalised options have been gathered into packs, tailored to suit every style of adventurer. The packs are designed to give the car different characters, with Urban, for instance, featuring 22in wheels, a front under shield, side tubes and a scrub plate on the rear; Adventure side-mounted gear carriers on the rear and under shield guards; Country wheel arch protectors and other guards for light outdoor work; and Explorer a roof ladder, roof rack and anti-glare bonnet.

 

The next 12 months will see not just the release of a range of engines and accessories for the new Defender but also a commercial model in both wheelbases. To find out more about the Defender, please visit https://www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk/land-rover/ or visit the Boucher Road showroom to speak to a member of the team.

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Sales Executive, Stephen Surgenor, Business Development Manager, Sonia Graham, Sales Executive Catherine Kerr, showroom manager Martin Burns, Head of Business Alan Thompson, Land Rover Sales Manager Paul Herriot and Sales Executive Jack Bond.

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