Meet the teenage Indian girl who drives a 50 year-old vintage Land Rover
Land Rover brought back the Defender to the market. It was a huge risk for the manufacturer because Defender has been such a legendary name in automotive history. The first Land Rover Defender has launched 70 years ago. The SUVs became famous after the Camel Trophy competition that used to happen annually between 1980 and 2000. The competition proved the ruggedness and the off-road capabilities of Land Rovers and the brand got a lot of fame from it. Not many Series 1 Land Rover have survived since then. However, here is one that is being driven by a young teenager.
The vehicle is being driven by a teenage girl. She says she is very fond of cars and motorcycles. She is also quite famous for being such a Jeep enthusiast in her area. As we can see in the video, the SUV is still functional despite being decades old. It seems to be running in a good condition.
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The host says that the SUV was powered by petrol initially but many people swap the engines for a diesel unit because they are more torquey. Torque is what comes in handy while off-roading. The engine in this Land Rover is taken from a Bolero. The tyre measures 15-inches in size. The vehicle is made up of Aluminium. The host says that the engine delivers 20 kmpl.
New gen Defender
The new Defender had a lot to live up to because the original Defender was one of the best off-roaders in the world. It was a big surprise when Land Rover announced that they will be bringing back the Defender. A lot of things were changed. The biggest thing was that the new Defender is not based on a ladder-frame chassis. So, people were a bit sceptical. However, the new Defender proved everybody wrong by performing extremely well off-road as well as on-road.
The Defender now uses monocoque chassis and air suspension. So, there is a significant improvement in the handling and ride quality of the SUV. The new platform is specifically made for Defender and is called D7X. There are quite a few design elements that are a throwback to the original Defender. There is the circular LED Daytime Running Lamps which look like the original circular headlamp of the old Defender. A similar design is at the rear also where you would see small square lights. This is also taken from the old Defender.
Then there is “Safari Windows”. Land Rover has placed a glass on the corner of the roof. These were also found on the original Defender and were used for looking out of the vehicle on a Safari. Land Rover is also offering the Defender in two body sizes. There is 90 and 110. The 90 is a three-door version while the 110 is the five-door version. The old Defender was also sold in these two body styles. The Defender is also sold in India. The Defender 90 costs Rs. 76.57 lakhs ex-showroom while the 110 is priced at Rs. 83.38 lakhs ex-showroom.