According to a factory worker quoted in the Birmingham Post, production of the Land Rover Defender will be extended through February 2016 (and possibly into April) in a response to heightened demand for the outgoing icon. Last year, 17,781 examples were sold in total – but the company has already sold 11,511 in the first half of 2015, an increase of almost 30%. The official line from Whitley is that the company “does not expect production to continue past the end of January 2016” but, with its crucial replacement yet to break cover, and the company admitting that the date of the wind-down has not yet been decided, it would be foolish to think the Defender was incapable of demonstrating its survival skills one final time.

Photos: Land Rover