Courtesy JLR
Calamigos Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu set a suitably rugged however inviting stage for the newest Destination Defender: an outside gathering of over 3,000 loyal ‘Landy’ homeowners and fans who spent the weekend earlier than Thanksgiving immersed in the Defender way of life. Expert-led talks, demos, and outside actions, together with expertise drives in the new high-performance HALO mannequin OCTA, all featured. The weekend additionally marked the fourth annual Defender Service Awards, honoring the model’s legacy of heroism and 6 non-profit and charitable organizations from throughout the U.S. and Canada for his or her companies.
The first Destination Defender occasion occurred in New York’s Hudson Valley in 2022, however Malibu marked its West Coast debut with Vice President of Communications Jaguar Land Rover, Stuart Schorr, confirming an unprecedented turnout at Calamigos cemented Destination Defender as a biannual occasion on the calendar, with an east coast model deliberate to happen subsequent spring, and a return to California slated for late October.
The Defender Lifestyle
Billed as a “weekend adventure and lifestyle festival celebrating the Defender Community” with the choice to conventional tent camp or glamp beneath the stars (or nab one of the rooms and suites inside Calamigos Ranch), the celebration included skateboarding and BMX demos, yoga lessons, dwell music and DJ units, plus a Spartan impediment course.
Destination Defender Malibu
Five-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding Shawn White and large wave surfer Greg Long have been in attendance and held talks in the Defender Forum the place moderated panels additionally coated matters like Defender heritage and off-roading with rivals from groups Defender supported throughout this 12 months’s Rebelle Rally, the first ladies’s off-road navigation rally raid in the United States: first-year rookies the Rebelling Rovers, and three-year veterans the Full Sail Dream Team, chatting about their adventures, trials and takeaways from the competitors. Mixology workshops, pizza-making lessons, and High West Whiskey tastings rounded out the cultural choices.
And for these window procuring their subsequent automobile, the Defender Family of fashions was on show alongside the new Defender 110 Sedona Edition whose putting Red Color Pack takes inspiration from the rugged landscapes and terrain of the famed desert city with a new elective hood decal depicting the topography of the mountains there. Upgraded parts on the restricted version launch (out there for one 12 months solely) embody 22-inch Gloss Black alloy wheels paired with a body-colored spare wheel cowl and elective exterior side-mounted gear provider.
The Vehicles of HM Queen Elizabeth II
A spotlight show at Destination Defender was a choice of 5 automobiles from the private fleet of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Curated by Land Rover Chief Historian Mike Bishop (aka ‘Mr. Land Rover’) in partnership with the British Motor Museum and the Jaguar Land Rover group, they have been chosen from a set of 10 historic Land Rover Defender and Range Rover fashions that graced the present area at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and New York’s Rockefeller Center earlier than making their solution to California.
Bishop shared the preliminary thought for a touring assortment, the first of its type ever proven in the US, to have a good time the Queen’s legacy and honor the seventieth anniversary of her coronation. ‘Being royal automobiles, they’re exceptionally particular but in addition inform this unbelievable story that illustrates the longstanding relationship the royal household loved with Land Rover and highlights their breadth use from milestone celebrations to driving round Balmoral,’ he stated throughout a sit down with a small group of media on Saturday afternoon.
Among these chosen for the occasion at Calamigos Ranch was a 1954 Land Rover Series I State Review automobile that accompanied Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on a six-month tour of the Commonwealth and a 1990 State Review Range Rover automobile chosen by the Queen for her 1994 Christmas card, the place she and the Duke of Edinburgh have been pictured attending the fiftieth Anniversary of D-Day Landings.
Land Rover Chief Historian Mike Bishop talks to attendees
Defender OCTA Drive Experience
New high-performance HALO mannequin OCTA
Speaking of a excellent automobile that may go anyplace and do something, a timed ride-along in the OCTA was a Destination Defender weekend spotlight. Our driver, who had beforehand spent over a decade as a check engineer with Land Rover, was eager to inform the story of the automotive from a driver-engineer perspective as he picked his manner round a sequence of trails above the ranch turning it into our private off-road playground for an hour.
He defined how the MHEV 4.4l twin-turbo ‘turns very effectively,’ and its intelligent suspension setup (a New 6D Dynamics system) had eliminated the necessity for roll bars. They’ve additionally achieved a good job calibrating the throttle. It would not react to get traction, so there is no momentum wanted to rise up the hill, he stated, accelerating from zero to goodness is aware of what up a slender path to the summit a fellow journalist advised us was the place they used to movie the TV sequence M*A*S*H. ‘It’s so detuned on the low finish you’ll be able to actually finesse it in excessive vary,’ he added at one other level throughout the drive. While Dynamic mode is to your on-road driving days to offer enhanced dealing with and calibration for many situations, OCTA Mode delivers tons of energy on unfastened surfaces, searching for wheel spin and altering calibration to cease them sooner (ABS is a detriment at high-speed off-road). In Comfort Mode, he demonstrated the way it used horsepower to climb hills with none run-up.
All spectacular stuff, however what may the fortunate few new OCTA homeowners seem like with lower than 0.1% of Range Rover homeowners going off-road? According to our check driver, the automotive is so succesful that most individuals who purchase it won’t be capable to use it correctly. I assume making it a prime candidate for an Owner’s Day at one of Land Rover’s Experience Centers.
The 2024 Defender Service Awards
2024 Defender Service Awards Presented by CHASE
Defender automobiles have been used for humanitarian causes round the world for a long time – this 12 months, the model celebrated its seventieth anniversary partnering with the British Red Cross but in addition despatched automobiles to assist aid efforts in Asheveille, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene – and a spotlight of the weekend was the announcement ceremony for the 2024 Defender Service Awards throughout a celebration dinner on Saturday night time.
The Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary in Alberta obtained the Animal, Wildlife and Marine Welfare Award (Disney), whereas the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge obtained the Defender Service Awards Honoree Award. The Station Foundation in Bozeman obtained the Veteran and Civil Servant Outreach Award (Hearts & Science), and Pine River Institute in Toronto the Outdoor Accessibility and Education Award (OUTSIDE Inc.) The Community Service Award (ei3) went to Nathaniel’s Hope in Orlando, whereas the Search, Rescue and Emergency Support Services Award (PELICAN) went to Linville-Central Rescue Squad, Inc. in Newland, North Carolina. In addition to $25,000 from CHASE, Defender gave every group finalist a personalized Defender 130 to additional help their missions and communities whereas CHASE additionally donated $5,000 to every of the six second-place finalists. landroverusa.com.
Defender 110 Sedona Edition
