2495cc turbo-diesel; the V8 was made
available in 1985.
The Defender
A name synonymous with Land Rover, the
Defender was launched in 1990 boasting
a 2495cc turbo diesel injection engine.
An increase to 111bhp was introduced in
1994, followed by a five cylinder 122bhp
offering in 1998. 2007 saw the five cylinder
engine replaced with a four cylinder turbo
diesel and six-speed gearbox. The interior
was also refined to modern standards.
In the twilight years of the Defender a 2.2
diesel engine replaced the 2.4 litre and
in 2013 Land Rover celebrated their 65th
year. Sadly, all good things must come to
an end and in 2016 workers at the Solihull
factory waved off the final Defender
produced with a tear in their eye and a
song in their hearts.
The Defender lives on
Although the Defender may never be
produced again it will never be forgotten.
With over 2 Million of the vehicles
manufactured over a 68 year period
there are still plenty on the
road. And thanks to their
ruggedness, reliability and
soul there will be for many
years to come.
Rover Discovery, Freelander and Range
Rover models including the Range Rover
sport. For such rugged vehicles which are
exposed to different types of environment
a hardy and reliable water pump is called
for, so the design and manufacturing
needs to be of the very highest quality. We
still supply replacement units for all these
models, and will continue to do so while
there is a demand. “
The replacement for the Defender is
rumoured to be entering production in
2019 and certainly has some very big and
muddy shoes to fill.
About Mark Water Pumps Ltd
Mark Water Pumps Limited
(MWPL) supplied Land
Rover with the OE water
pump for the Defender for
a 16 year period from 1990
to 2006. Working closely
with Land Rover the pumps
were designed, tested and
manufactured all in-house
at MWPL’s Colwyn Bay
based facility to Ford quality
standards. The pump was
designed as a dual pump
assembly feeding not only
the engines cooling system
but also the vehicles power
steering. Mark Water Pumps
Limited also provided in-
house product validation
and warranty analysis for the
customer; a great help where
resources are concerned for a
vehicle manufacturer.
Mark Water Pumps Limited is an
automotive parts manufacturing
company based in Wales that specialises
in producing automotive water pumps for
both OE customers and the Aftermarket
supply chain.
An extensive product range is available
for the aftermarket, in addition to direct
product supply for many large automotive
companies, such as Volvo, Aston Martin &
JLR.
The company designs, manufacture and
tests water pumps and cooling pumps
for OE, OES & aftermarket applications.
In-house design, high-pressure aluminium
die casting, engineering, manufacturing,
assembly and testing, plus a large stock
facility are all located on one site.
For further information:
Mark Automotive Testing Centre
Tel: +44 (0)1492 544201
Web: www.mwpl.eu
Email: [email protected]
David Lewis, plant manager
of Mark Water Pumps
Limited shares his thoughts:
“Working with Land Rover
is a great pleasure and a
real challenge. Over
the years we have
supplied water
“...we manufacture and supply automotive
pumps to Land
water pumps and engine ancillaries to various
Rover for not
OE vehicle manufacturers, as well as a large
only the
Defender,
part of the OES dealer market and the general
but also
aftermarket. So, the end of Defender production
the Land
got us thinking - exactly how many years of
defender production can we still support? It turns
out, quite a bit...”