2021 Land Rover Defender 110 5.0-Litre V8 Bond Edition - One of Ten, 800 Miles

By the late 1990s, Land Rover had begun to realise that most Range Rovers rarely saw turf and fuel efficiency was at the forefront of the suburban driver’s mind, so development of a more refined diesel engine for the Range Rover and Discovery began in earnest. Ironically, during this time, the V8 Defender had begun to appeal to the 'lifestyle' end of the market and a number of limited edition cars were developed and marketed by the company. An icon for over 68 years, production of the Land Rover as we knew it ceased in January 2016, with more than 2,000,000 having been built since the original Series I arrived in 1948

The headline-grabbing launch of the 'new' Defender on 10th September 2019 was an incredible gamble for Land Rover, and it paid off. Traditionalists grumbled at the price and design, yet this new car is perhaps second only to the Range Rover as one of the few recognisable new models in today’s SUV market, saturated by bland boxes of varying 4x4 capabilities. This new Defender might have been engineered for the toughest of terrains, yet the vastly improved rear loading space was more likely, now more than ever, to be filled with designer shopping bags rather than sheepdogs. Perhaps the first car conceived that largely ignored the nostalgic demands of its core market, and to hedge their bets Jaguar Land Rover turned to another British institution for some assistance.

Only James Bond can save the world and turn the fortunes of a British car maker around, starting as he did with the Aston Martin DB5 and later with Lotus, and when not in either he was usually sat in the back of a Rolls-Royce. Best of British indeed, but why were Land Rovers so rarely seen on screen? It wasn’t until Roger Moore drove a convertible Range Rover in 1983’s Octopussy that '007' got behind the wheel of Solihull’s best. Four years later, Timothy Dalton landed on the back of a stolen army Land Rover in an action scene that gave plenty of screen time.

By 2006 and with Ford owning Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar, the screen debut of Daniel Craig's James Bond featured cars from all three brands., yet it wasn’t until the high octane chase scene through a Turkish market in a 'farmer-spec' Defender 110 in 2012's Skyfall that Land Rover fans were finally satisfied. However, for the following film, Spectre, Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations department threw everything they could to aggressively winterise the 'baddies' black Defenders, examples of which we have proudly sold since.

When filming began for Craig’s final outing in No Time to Die in 2019, a spectacular and, for a Bond film, very muddy, chase sequence was scheduled for Norway featuring a trio of all-new Defenders with their 518bhp supercharged 5-litre petrol V8s. However, due to demands for multiple cars and the fact that car production had only just begun, they weren’t quite ready. Shot later, with Aviemore in Scotland impersonating Norway, we were treated to the magnificent introduction of three airborne 110 Defenders finished menacingly in black. Whilst we naturally cheered for Bond, the Defenders' speed and endurance were to be the best advert for the new car.

Launched in September 2021, the Defender V8 Bond Edition was created by Land Rover’s SV Bespoke to celebrate the car’s role in the 25th James Bond film with a limited worldwide run of just 300, strictly allocated, they could be ordered as either a 90 or 110. They were finished in all-black with 22" black alloy wheels paired with a rear 'Defender 007' badge and blue brake calipers. The infotainment system was fitted with a custom start-up screen to commemorate Land Rover's long lasting relations with the bond franchise and the interior featured 'Defender 007' treadplates and all-black seating. The car also sports exterior 007 graphic puddle lights. We understand that just 15 examples were delivered to selected UK-dealerships, after customers were carefully selected to place an order. This very special car was one of the ten examples supplied as a 110 to the UK, the other five being the 90.

Joining our vendor’s extensive James Bond-inspired car Collection, it was registered as N007 TTD to commemorate the film’s initials. Enhanced further with the addition of subtle logos, the car has travelled just 800 miles and, after being ceramic coated, has been on display at a main dealer showroom.

Photography credit Nathan Rigby.