Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey - With Land Rover Defender production slated to end in December 2015, the company has gone back to where it all began to begin a year-long celebration of the iconic 'Landy'.
In 1947 Maurice Wilks, engineering director of British carmaker Rover, was talking to his brother Spencer, Rover's managing director, on the beach at Red Wharf Bay on the island of Anglesey, where the family owned land, about an idea he'd had for an all-wheel drive vehicle that could double as a light tractor.
Lacking pencil and paper, he sketched the outline of his proposal in the sand - the first drawing of what was to become the prototype Land Rover and later, as the company grew, the Defender.
And so, 68 years later, six Land-Rovers - a 1951 Series I, an immaculate 1965 Series II that once belonged to Spencer Wilks, a 1980 Series III Station Wagon, a 1984 Land Rover Ninety Truck Cab, a 2011 Defender 110 Station Wagon and a 2014 Defender 90 Hard Top - went down to Red Wharf Bay to create the biggest sand drawing ever seen in the UK.
Each pulling a 3.6 metre agricultural harrow, they raced against time to draw a one-kilometre long Defender outline in the sand - a continuous line 4.52km long - with minutes to spare before it was washed away by the incoming tide.
CELEBRATION SERIES
Also on site were the first examples of the Defender Celebration Series, three limited-edition models, each of which will highlight a different element of the Defender's history.
Only 80 of the specially leather-trimmed Autobiography Edition, with 2.2-litre turbodiesel uprated from 90kW to 110kW, special 16" alloys and 180mm LED projector headlights will be made, and they'll only be available in the UK, but the Heritage and Adventure Editions will be available in limited numbers in South Africa.
The Heritage Edition, inspired by the early Land Rover models, is finished in Land Rover's classic pale green with a contrasting white roof, heritage grille and HUE 166 graphics, recalling the registration number plate of the first pre-production Land Rover - nicknamed 'Huey'.
The interior features a perforated leather steering-wheel rim and gear lever, bright aluminium trim on the air vents, door handles and door locks, and green fabric upholstery embellished with the heritage logo and HUE 166 tags. It comes with durable rubber floor mats and a padded storage compartment between the front seats in either 90 or 110 body style.
The Adventure Edition embraces the Defender's 'go anywhere, do anything' attitude, with extra underbody protection and Goodyear MT/R tyres.
Inside, premium seats with perforated leather upholstery are complemented by a leather-trimmed steering wheel, gear knob handbrake lever, instrument passenger fascia, and door and grab handles, set off by bright aluminium trim elements.
A black headliner and special floor mats complete the look, in 90 Hard Top, 90 Station Wagon, 100 Utility Wagon and 110 Station Wagon body styles.