THE Land Rover Defender must be unique in the history of motor vehicle production. Since it was first shown at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948 there have been virtually no changes to its DNA, although in the 60 years since it was conceived it has grown into a family of vehicles.

It started life on a farm in Anglesey in Wales in 1947, where Rover's technical director Maurice Wilks was using surplus war vehicles on his farm. He decided to build a basic small four-wheel-drive vehicle for export. Wilks got a cheap warsurplus chassis, built a blockshaped light-weight aluminium body and stuck in a Rover engine and gearbox.

The Land Rover was an instant success. A whole family of vehicles and the exclusive Range Rover line-up followed. From the first Land Rover to the Defender, as the true-to-the-original became known, the simple principle in design has been easy to use, and more importantly, easy to maintain and fix, in the remotest parts with the simplest of tools.

Since the birth of the company (now owned by Ford Motor Co) the Defender has sold 1.6 million units. It is a testament to the basic and practical design that all these years later 75% of the Defender vehicles produced are still in use on roads, fields, mountains and swamps in 130 countries. The durability aspect has not been lost on the military, and 60 armies worldwide have Defenders in their fleets.

Driving one of the '50s and '60s versions of the Defender helps one realise how far motoring has progressed in terms of equipment comfort and noise levels. Basic transport they once may have been, but nowadays they have gained a special status among the well-heeled.

Because there are much more sophisticated models in the Land Rover range, the Defender sells through word of mouth and repeat orders; virtually no marketing is required. Their one flaw in marketing terms (a virtue for the purchaser) is longevity . . .

owners hang on to their Defenders for a long, long time.

And when they come to the secondhand market they are snapped up immediately, helped no doubt by the fact that there are still parts available for those vehicles built way back in 1948.

So what can we expect of the Defender 2007 when it arrives here later in the month? On the road, visually very little has changed as has been the case over the years. The bonnet is new, with a raised mid-section, because there is a new engine, and Land Rover, not Defender, is printed across the front of it. And the air-flaps at the front have been sealed.

But there are big changes in both long- and short-wheel based versions . . . 700 new parts inside and under the bonnet. The new engine is a 2.4 litre common rail diesel which puts out 120bhp (30% more power) and develops 360 Nm of torque (20% more) than the previous motor. The engine is also used in the Ford Transit; in the Defender it is mated to a new six-speed transmission with high and low ratio shift. The towing power is 3,500kgs.

The clutch pedal is now lighter . . . 20% in fact . . . and there is a reduction in the cabin engine noise levels by as much as onethird. There is a single-piece new facia which cuts down on vibration and houses a new air conditiong system that heats 120 higher and cools 70 lower, and more quickly too. The audio system has also been improved and there are easier-to-read dials.

In the back, the folding seats that used to face each other are gone; depending on the body size, there are two or five seats facing forwards. These are safer, more comfortable and more practical.

Behind the wheel, the steering and suspension changes are a big improvement. In saying that, the Defender is way behind the 'tarmac SUV' in terms of comfort, but then this is a vehicle apart.

The commercial hardtop and pick-up versions go on sale this month, a stationwagon by June and the longer version 110 and 130 by mid-summer. Prices will be announced soon, starting about 26,000 for the 90 pick-up.

VITAL STATISTICS Land Rover Defender 90 2.4L diesel, 120bhp 3,649mm 1,790mm 1,968mm 2,360mm 0-100km - 14.7 secs 131 km/h (83mph) Six-speed manual 10L/100km (28mpg) 26,000 pick-up (expected) 266g/km