50 of the best
We attend the biggest ever gathering of 50th Anniversary Defenders which was held at Jaguar Land Rover’s Classic Works facility in Coventry
LRM heads to The Classic Works facility in Coventry for the biggest-ever gathering of 50th Anniversary V8 Defenders
IF YOU ever need proof that Jaguar Land Rover are serious about their heritage then book a tour of their multimillion pound Classic Works facility in Coventry.
LRM were honoured to be invited to the first-ever Land Rover club meet to be held at the impressive 14,000 sq m stateof-the-art facility, and we were not alone. There were three clubs in attendance on the day: the Defender 50th Owners Club, the Series II Club and the Range Rover Register.
For most this was their first visit to the facility and word on the street is that this will become a regular occurrence for Land Rover clubs. According to Tony O’keeffe of Classic Works, the reason for the gathering is pretty straightforward: “The idea is to bring clubs together so that they can experience the incredible facilities that we have here.”
While there are many impressive Range Rovers and Series IIS to look at it is the 50th Anniversary Defenders that take centre stage on the day. When these beautiful Atlantis Blue Defender 90s were being built 20 years ago, you probably would’ve been lucky if you had 20 of them together at any given time. Remember they only built 385 of them for the UK market. So to see 50 of them together in one place is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
While a large percentage of the fifty 50th Anniversary Defenders on display are relatively standard, some have been given a full makeover. One has been converted into a soft-top while another has been painted grey! There are a few with the bonnets popped open and closer inspection reveals that they have been given a 5.0-litre engine conversion by Overfinch. Those in the know tell me that this was rather popular back then. Funny how the wheel has turned full circle because today everyone wants their Land Rover to look as standard as possible.
There is some serious polishing going on in the car park as members of the 50th Anniversary Defender Club have realised the importance of the day. Chances are pretty good that they’ll never be part of a gathering this big again. Further proof of the importance of the get-together is the fact that Simon Whitaker, who is currently rebuilding his 50th that he has owned for many years, paid around £700 to transport it here from his home in Yorkshire. Even though it was not in a state to be driven, it still had to be here.
And he is not alone. Thomas Turley from Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, has also travelled a fair old distance to be here. “My family are beef farmers. Our 50th was a working vehicle but I recently restored it and now it is retired from farm duties,” he tells me.
Also in attendance is Greg King whose 50th Anniversary Defender V8 was recently featured in LRM. It is probably the lowest-mileage example in the UK. “On the drive here this morning it ticked over the 7000 mile mark. To see all these other 50 th V 8 she remakes it worth it, though. All the club members will remember this day for there st of their lives ,” he says.
After admiring each others’ rides there is an opportunity to take a passenger ride in one of the £150,000 Works V8 Defenders which were built to celebrate Land Rover’s 70th anniversary this year. Everyone is smiling when they climb out of the powerful Defender.
This is followed by a guided tour of the Classic Works facility. Phones have to be left outside but facility staff are on hand to answer any questions that club members might have. While strolling through the workshop I spot Susan Tonks, who is the project manager tasked with restoration and conservation of the recently-found apre-production Land Rover R 07. I ask her about the importance of today. “It is good that the clubs can see what we are doing and why we are doing it,” she replies.
Just after midday my good friend Paul Wells fires up his 50th Defender and I hop in for the drive back to Bedford. It has been a club gathering like no other where attendees gained exclusive access to an impressive facility. Will your club be the next one to crack the nod for the Classic Works breakfast run?