Defender celebration factory tour

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jbenekeorr

jbenekeorr

Active Member
Posts
221
Location
Leicestershire
Hi all,

I was lucky enough to take the Defender celebration factory tour on Monday.

If anyone is thinking of doing it - I emplore you to go! I don't know if there are still spaces to book. As we all know, it won't be around for ever!

Travelled there in my dad's Defender - the journey made all the more authentic with only one windscreen wiper working :D
We were in a group of 8. Cannot think of anything to complain about. You're shuttled between areas in a stretched Defender (apparently £80k a piece and not homologated for road use).

The factory is just as antiquated as you would expect - leaky roof and all! Really interesting to see the production process. Another highlight was the bloke on a forklift in a flat cap with a baked bean and fried egg sandwich on his lap :lol:

If you wear a big coat, you might be able to stuff a few parts in without anyone missing them! We passed a rack full of lovely defender doors ;)

Has anyone else been on this? Love to hear what people thought.
 
Id like to go. It sounds like a really good tour... Tbh I'm suprised there isnt a mass gang from here going in convoy or something would of been good to tag along.
 
If you can spare a few £, it's a great experience. So glad that I've done it.

They're working overtime (quite literally) to build enough Defenders for this last year of production. Everybody realised they suddenly want one!

It's such a labour intensive process - you can see why they're so expensive to buy for how little kit you get.
 
I'd like to check it out. You basically can't go the the cinema for less than £45 these days so I don't think thats bad. Can you post a link to the web site?
 
payydg said:
I'd like to check it out. You basically can't go the the cinema for less than £45 these days so I don't think thats bad. Can you post a link to the web site?
Click to expand...

Just put Land Rover experience into Google and follow the links all the info you need in gonna be booking tonight for myself and dad to go :D
 
A little off subject but anyone done an adventure day with land rover? You know the ones like track days but off roading in landys :) what's it like?
 
going through old ground here but last week i went on the defender tour, as others have said a fantastic afternoon and worth its money, i have been around a fair few steel related factories, in comparison this was not that antiquated! I think anyone who owns a series and its younger siblings who hasn't already been should go to give the old building a nod before they demolish it next year. I am sure a million people have asked the guides the same questions, but we quizzed them about the future defender, we were told that it will be modular so it may still be attractive for modification by the army and utilities etc so it might still be aimed at its old customer base, as we all know it will be made to conform to EU standards and also the America market so with that in mind it will no doubt be bigger. I get the impression that they will do away with the human input as much as possible so they can go off the line much faster (we were astounded at the amount of range rovers in the park bays - all sold). He also said the army has purchased 3000 defenders and moth balled them for the near future so they don't run short, which is interesting. The heritage bit was also good, i learnt many things i didn't know, they tilting landy was good.
 
Was hoping to go the week after next as I'm up that way for the MotoGP Day of champions and weekend at Silverstone. Defender tours aren't carried out on a Friday. Not sure if the other tour (RR etc.) would be so interesting??? Will have to look for something else to do on the Friday otherwise..
 
The RR tour would be very interesting in its own right no doubt, obviously very different as there is far less human input and more robotics. It was interesting seeing them though as the conveyor was full of them continually moving to the different stages. They claim that a RR rolls off the line every 75 seconds - very different to the defender line.
 
Glad to read the good reports, have booked tour for December, one of the last. I know it's a very long shot, but I have a 90 on order which will be a December build so might be able to check they are making a good job of it!!
 
m1dge said:
A little off subject but anyone done an adventure day with land rover? You know the ones like track days but off roading in landys :) what's it like?
Click to expand...

I've been on two but sadly have never had the pleasure of driving.
First one was a 1hr session I bought for my daughters 18th Birthday in a RR sport she enjoyed it so much that she begged me(didn't take much) to book another.
Which i got her as part of her Xmas we did it end of June and was a great day myself and her sister had almost as much fun being in back of the Discovery as she had driving it. Highly reccommend.:)
 
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