With its last model coming off the production line today has anyone any thoughts of the model that started it all off although it wasn't labelled 'defender' until the 90's.

Do you mean the 90 &110 or back further? I had a LR90, pre-Defender.

Yes it started as a series 1 then series 2 then series 3 then the 90 + 110 around 1984 I think that same model has little changed since but I think they started to call it defender in the 90s to distinguish it from the discovery and freelander .

I drove a Series 3 109 Safari quite a bit for off-road training. That was nice and for me, the longer wheelbases were always better drives, if not better off road, than the short wheel versions. The 2 ¼ petrol engine, when fettled and running sweetly, is a gem in my view. Just right for pottering and no diesel clatter.

I have been in a S2a briefly but the A-frame roof line was too low for me to consider driving one! There are similarities across the years/ranges but they are very different beasts…..the wider axles on 90/110s made a difference as did the slightly longer lengths, for example.

Due to size issues, the only time I could get into an 80/86" (now referred to as Series 1) is if I was bundled into the back!

Had quite a lot of fun in Army S3 Ambulances too. In fact, for me, the 109 S3 2 ¼ petrol is still my favourite and the mature successor of the original concept whilst to me at least, the coil sprung versions should have been better engineered and modernised* properly by the time they were called Defenders.

*modernised- wider body, flat floor inside cab, no seat boxes, soundproofing, chassis & bulkhead anti-rot, proper door seals etc etc