Land Rover SVO creates one-off Defender to showcase the Rugby World Cup

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Land Rover’s Special Vehicles Operations has created a one-off Land Rover Defender to showcase and transport Rugby’s Webb Ellis Trophy round the UK.

Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations may be busy creating ultra luxury Range Rovers and very quick Jaguars (and very quick Range Rover Sports too), but they’ve found time to create a one-off Land Rover Defender just to showcase and transport the Webb Ellis Trophy – rugby’s world cup – on a 100-day tour round the UK.

The specially created Defender – which looks like a Popemobile for a big gold cup – was revealed this morning in London with a big glass box on the back housing the Webb Ellis Trophy, complete with bespoke lighting and temperature control to keep the trophy on view – and looking its best – throughout its UK tour.

Based on the run-out Defender Autobiography, revealed in January, the Webb Ellis Landie also gets high-security locking to safeguard the trophy, and a 40″ Toshiba flat screen monitor, controlled by an App on a Toshiba laptop, to display appealing footage from the rugby world cup’s history.

As it’s based on the Autobiography Defender, this one-off gets a high-end interior with lots of leather, but also adds more with gold contrast stitching, Rugby world cup blue piping and a World Cup Trophy Tour logo on the front headrests.

On the outside, apart from the big glass box at the back, the Defender also gets a front winch, aluminium sump guard, side and back steps, an expedition rack, 16″ off-road tyres, spotlights and, of course, more Rugby World Cup 2015 graphics.

The Rugby World Cup Tour starts in Ireland on 10 June and finishes on 18 September at the opening ceremony at Twickenham, taking in 300 events during its 100 days.