Land Rover enthusiast launches £100,000 crowdfunding campaign to buy two millionth Defender
Will donate the car to a British heritage museum
CAMPAIGNS to save something for the nation usually apply to priceless works of art, but a car fan is trying to do just that for a Land Rover Defender.
View Land Rover Defenders for sale on driving.co.uk
Brian Reynolds, an engineer from Derby, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £100,000 in order to buy the two millionth Defender to roll off the Solihul production line.
The Defender 2,000,000 is a one-of-a-kind vehicle that was assembled over 10 days earlier this year by 33 Land Rover brand ambassadors and enthusiasts including adventurer Bear Grylls and British entrepreneur Theo Paphitis.
Reynolds believes the vehicle, which is due to be auctioned this Wednesday, December 16, should stay in this country rather than be bought by a foreign collector.
“I want to see this special vehicle be saved for the nation, as an iconic piece of our design and engineering heritage,” he said. “I’ve owned and driven Land Rovers for all my adult life. As an enthusiast I feel that this vehicle should stay in this country and be available for current and future generations to experience”.
Reynolds based his £100,000 target on the price of a top-spec Defender Autobiography, which are now sold out. “The minimum dealer price would be over £60k,” and the Defender 2,000,000 would be worth significantly more.
If successful in his bid, Reynolds intends to gift the car to a British heritage museum. In the event that he purchases the car for less than £100,000, Reynolds will donate the surplus to the Born Free Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners that will also be donated the entire proceeds from the Bonhams Auction.
People can read more about this project and pledge a donation towards the £100,000 target at crowdfunder.co.uk/2000000-defender-s90hue. No money will be taken from supporters unless the project reaches the £100,000 target and the crowdfunding bid wins the auction.
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