In a world where car companies are using more tech and designing cars to maximize sales, we are ending up with cars that are trying to serve many purposes and thus serve none well. As a driver I too have been part of the problem, always wanting the latest and greatest. What I have learned after owning more cars than I can remember is that when you chase the future you often end up with an overly complicated car that only a computer engineer can fix.
A few years ago I wanted to go back to the simple design of older cars, so I bought one of my all time favorite dream cars…..a 1994 Defender 90 NAS. With virtually no sensors and very little electronics, the D90 is about as analog as you can get before you enter the truly vintage and ancient car era. Unfortunately, Land Rover does not have the best reliability record so keeping the D90 running perfectly nearly 30 years later takes patience and deep pockets. We finally got there but it was a journey…..read about our D90 here.
When Land Rover pulled the Defender out of the US in 1997 and then disconnected the iconic design worldwide in 2016, it marked the end (at least for me) of a purpose build off-roader with a simple and classic design ethos. I guess I was not the only one who felt this way. Sir James Ratcliffe of Ineos was also a Defender fan and clearly appreciated what the Defender stood for because he decided to fill the void Land Rover created by building the Grenadier.
The design philosophy is simple. Ladder chassis, solid axels, coil over suspension, 2 speed transfer case, lockers everywhere, boxy design, and utility over luxury. In essence….build a reliable and highly capable car that can take you all over the world to explore and have adventures. Yes a Wrangler has a similar focus, but where the Wrangler embodies the Red White and Blue, the Grenadier embodies the Union Jack. I look at the Wrangler as a great platform to build an extreme rock crawler, but if you are looking for a true replacement to the Defender it falls short on the “cool” factor. All other modern “off-roaders” like the G-wagon, Bronco, Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, are all highly compromised blends of mall crawlers and trail rigs.
So hats off to you Sir Ratcliffe, you have the means and more importantly the passion to fill the void that others left. The Grenadier could have never been built by a traditional car company and so you did what other couldn’t……you took a simple and forgotten design and brought it back to life. I look forward to owning one of your creations.