In a big ceremony at the Solihull production facility, and in presence of more than 700 current and former employees as well as high-profile guests, Land Rover celebrated the end of production for the current generation Defender. So after 68 years, the old Landie we all know and love arrives at the end of the line.

But do not despair. Land Rover already has a new Defender in the pipiline, and from what we’re hearing it is pretty much the same as the current model, only less sh*t to drive. That is good news for people who have tried to run a Defender as a family car and know how agricultural the thing can feel at times. The new one will undergo a dies to lose weight and gains a better cabin as well as more comfort and convenience features. But the design, crucially, will remain similar to the original.

During the ceremony the last vehicle off the production line, a Defender 90 Heritage Soft Top, met the first first pre-production ‘Huey’ Series I, and they both joined a display of more than 25 unique vehicles from Land Rover’s history. You can now expect to see a ton of tributary models from tuners and aftermarket specialists – cars like The End Edition Kahn Defender we showed you before.

Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director at Jaguar Land Rover, added: “This is a special day of fond celebration for Jaguar Land Rover. We all have personal memories of Defender. It’s a true motoring icon and is much loved around the world. The world has changed dramatically in the last 68 years, but this vehicle has remained a constant – something no other vehicle can claim. The last of the current Defender models embraces the vehicle’s simplicity, honesty and charm – it represents its Series Land Rover heritage. Creating the Defender of tomorrow, a dream for any engineer or designer, is the next exciting chapter and we are looking forward to taking on that challenge.”