LAND ROVER ‘DEFENDER 2,000,000’ SELLS FOR £400,000 AT CHARITY AUCTION
The one-of-a-kind Land Rover ‘Defender 2,000,000’ sold for £400,000 at a prestigious charity auction at Bonhams in London, UK.
All proceeds from the sale will be donated to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), who will use the donation towards its work in Nepal, and the Born Free Foundation, who will use the funds raised to support the ‘Project Lion Rover’ conservation initiative in Meru National Park, Kenya.
Attendee Joanna Lumley, Founder Patron of international wildlife charity, the Born Free Foundation, expressed the importance of donations in the work they do worldwide to save lives, stop suffering and protect species in the wild.
"To raise such a substantial amount with the sale of one vehicle is phenomenal. Without the support of the public and partnerships such as these, we would not be able to effectively make a positive change to the world as we know it." - Joanna Lumley, Founder Patron of the Born Free Foundation
Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of The British Red Cross said “We are extremely grateful to Land Rover for so generously donating half the proceeds of the sale of this one-off vehicle towards our work in Nepal. The Red Cross has used Defenders in humanitarian work and relief efforts in the UK and around the world since the early 1950s and have benefited from Land Rover’s support on many occasions through vehicle donations and loans. Today Land Rover supports us through a global partnership that aims to touch the lives of vulnerable people in 24 countries around the world. This vitally important project in Nepal – the 18th supported by Land Rover - will improve the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people and communities."
The ‘Defender 2,000,000’ is the two-millionth of the iconic Series Land Rover and Defender models to be manufactured at Land Rover’s Solihull plant, and was assembled earlier in 2015 by an all-star cast of brand ambassadors and people from Land Rover’s history including Bear Grylls, Virginia McKenna OBE and Stephen and Nick Wilks, sons of the founders of Land Rover. Built as part of a year of celebrations for the much loved 4x4, it boasts a host of distinctive and bespoke finishing features including an engraved map of Red Wharf Bay - where the design for the original Land Rover was first drawn in the sand - and a unique 'no 2,000,000' badge. A bespoke aluminium plaque, signed by everyone who helped to assemble the vehicle is fitted to the driver's seat.