End of the line for Defender

The last Defender, number 2,016,933 since Series/Defender production began in 1948, was greeted by 700 current and former Land Rover staff at a special ceremony that included drives of the milestone car, as well as two dozen other important vehicles in the company's collection, around the Solihull plant.

"The Series Land Rover, now Defender, is the origin of our legendary capability," said Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover.

"There will always be a special place in our hearts for Defender, among all our employees, but this is not the end. We have a glorious past to champion, and a wonderful future to look forward to."

The last Defender, a Heritage Edition soft top, will become part of the Jaguar Land Rover Collection, while the Defender's assembly line space at Solihull will now be devoted to a new Land Rover Heritage Restoration programme.

This service, led by a small team of experienced staff, will source and restore classic Series and Defender Land Rovers for re-sale, with the first examples expected to be available as early as July.

While this is the end of the Series/Defender production, Land Rover said this isn't the end of the Defender nameplate, with a new Defender currently under development.