A while back, Gerry McGovern said a bunch of stuff about the Land Rover Defender. Specifically:

Gerry McGovern on the Defender

Auto Expo - Delhi, 2014

The current Defender has never sold on its design and has changed very little over the years.

We found this statement beyond ridiculous. Yes, the Defender was never 'designed', at least not in a traditional sense. It was engineered from Series 3 components and a few one-off parts, bolted on top of a modified Range Rover Classic platform. Function over form. The last time an actual car designer can be credited as working on a utility Land Rover was David Bache (introducing the hips on the Series 2) - way back in the early 60's.

Desirable, Style Icon

But the above quote could not be more wrong. The Defender does did sell because of it's design. In fact, over the years the Defender has become appreciated as the style icon it is. It has carved out appreciation from the likes of Paul Smith and other well known style gurus. Why else would a plethora of high-end Defender builders come into existence - the Defender is desirable and customers are willing to spend thousands of pounds to be seen in one. This despite all the inherent imperfections of the vehicle. So, Mr McGovern, the Defender is desirable & unpretentious and oozes style.

After the above comments, I'd like to offer a very brief style guide for Gerry.

This is style:

This, not so much:

Point made.

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