Record price for 2 millionth Land Rover Defender

Last night in London the 2 millionth Land Rover Defender built sold for what is thought to be a record amount for any version of the iconic model: £400,000.

The one-of-a-kind Defender was sold at a prestigious charity auction at Bonhams, with all proceeds to be donated to Land Rover's humanitarian and conservation partners.

This is thought to be the most valuable production Land Rover ever sold at auction and it was bought by a bidder from Qatar.

The vehicle was built in May 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.

The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which will use the donation to help communities in south-east Nepal to improve management of natural disasters; and the Born Free Foundation, which plans to use the funds to support the 'Project Lion Rover' wildlife conservation initiative in Meru National Park, Kenya.

The project provides critical equipment to help protect lions and other wildlife and establishes education and community involvement to tackle issues such as snaring and poaching.

Production of the Land Rover Defender is expected to end in January 2016 with the last ever model also expected to attract plenty of interest.

An all-new replacement is tipped to be launched in 2017 but it will be a far cry from the Landie that has stood the test of time for more than 60 years.

Meanwhile in Australia, a private owner from Sydney was recently advertising a Limited Edition Defender 90 Heritage for $85,000. The retail price for this rare vehicle is less than $60,000. This was one of only a 130 Heritage editions that came to Australia, and it was being offered with just 52 kilometres on the clock. Most of these collectibles were thought to have been snapped up by Land Rover enthusiasts.