A fitting tribute to the Duke of design
RUGGED but painted a gleaming dark green, this is the Land Rover designed by Prince Philip for his funeral.
The modified Land Rover Defender TD5 130 was unveiled yesterday and is a fitting tribute to his passion for innovation and design.
The duke helped design the vehicle in a project which spanned 16 years and was code named Operation Forth Bridge. It has features to keep the coffin in place and a custom paint job – all requested by the duke.
He started working with Land Rover on the vehicle in 2003, the year he turned 82. The duke, who served in the Second World War and had special associations with all the forces, asked that the original Belize Green bodywork be switched to Dark Bronze Green, a colour used for many military vehicles.
He also designed the rear section where his coffin will rest, making the final adjustments in 2019, the year he turned 98.
The Defender was made at Land Rover’s factory in Solihull and the company has maintained the vehicle since. Thierry Bollore, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief executive said: ‘The duke was a tremendous champion for design, engineering and technology.’