Even car legends do not live for ever. One of the world’s most robust and recognisable cars, the British-built Land Rover Defender, is on the way out after 70 years of mud-plugging.

Production has been extended until the beginning of next year, but that is little comfort to the enthusiasts.

The Land Rover is not being killed off because its sturdy, upright looks have gone out of fashion. Quite the opposite. Posh, special editions of the off-roader have been snapped up by eager customers amid plenty of orders for the regular car.

It is technology that has caught up with the Defender, said the firm’s German spokesperson Mayk Wienkoetter. The chunky car cannot meet CO2 emissions or pedestrian-safety standards. At the Solihull factory near Birmingham, it will be the end of an era.

The Land Rover Defender has had an amazing 68-year run. Not bad for a stop-gap project designed to bring in some cash after the end of World War II.

Maurice Wilks, brother of the then Rover chief, Spencer Wilks, wanted to tap export markets, secure raw-material supplies and earn some foreign currency.

“That’s why he looked around for a concept which would sell worldwide,” said Land Rover employee Roger Crathorne, who is regarded as a walking compendium on the iconic model. Inspired by the rugged Willys Jeep, Wilks designed a no-frills vehicle ideal for agricultural use.

“It was a Rover for farmers which could go anywhere and do anything, in other words a Land Rover,” said Crathorne.

The concept took off and the car, which made its debut as the ‘Series 1', quickly turned out to be an export star. After only two years the Land Rover was being sold in 70 countries. Today, customers can buy it from dealers in 160 nations.

The trusty car appeals to farmers and bush doctors but also to military men and monarchs. The Defender became the quintissential off-roader - only the Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes-Benz G Class and Toyota Land-Cruiser could compete on the same level.

Sales were held back to a degree by assembly methods which are as antiquated as the car itself, explained production director Greg Nibblet.

He described the Defender as a jigsaw puzzle comprising exactly 8,953 pieces, put together in 4,190 steps. The Land Rover is still largely hand-built, unlike its sibling, the luxurious Range Rover.

“They’ve got 326 robots working on the assembly line while we have six,” said Nibblet.

The technology behind the Land Rover is so simple that the car can be repaired at any jungle workshop. “You do not need much more than a hammer, a screwdriver and a little manual dexterity,” said Nick Fitt, Land Rover’s service chief in Malaysia.

‘Old Land Rovers end up in Cameron Highlands’

He should know. Fitt’s area of responsibility covers the Cameron Highlands where thousands of elderly Land Rovers are kept running by roadside mechanics. “Old Land Rovers from Asia always tend to end up somewhere in the Cameron Highlands,” said Fitt.

Some Land Rover models are already collector’s items, although an estimated 75 percent of the 2 million built down the years are still in use, said Mike Fisher, an Australian enthusiast who collects them.

Fisher’s Christmas and New Year holidays will be tinged by the sadness of knowing it is time to say goodbye to the little dinosaur.

Demand has risen as the end of Defender production draws close and pristine Series 1 models in normal trim are already changing hands for around 50,000 euros (US$55,000). More recent models are still to be had for less money.

The Land Rover is arguably the world’s most basic car with four notchy gears, slender pedals and a thin steering wheel.

The seats are hard and only the high-end models had windows that wind up by hand, let alone powered versions.

Performance is adequate for rough country but not for modern highways. The current 122-horsepower version with a 2.2-litre diesel engine does have leather seats and air-conditioning but customers do not buy it to enjoy creature comforts.

It is hard for fans to accept that the Defender has fought its last battle against the elements.

Rumours continue that it may still be revived.

- dpa