Land Rover Drew A Giant Defender In The Snow Atop French Alps

Over 70 years ago, an engineer quite literally drew a line in the sand. That’s how the original Land Rover was first designed. And in the seven decades since, the models that have followed have traversed every manner of terrain on earth. So to celebrate its achievements, Land Rover drew a much bigger one – this time on top of a mountain some 9,000 feet above sea level.

The publicity stunt brought “snow artist” Simon Beck up to the top of the French Alps. (In a Defender, naturally.) There he walked 20,894 steps in the deep pile over a distance of over 10 miles (16.5 kilometers) to recreate the iconic shape, stretching over 250 meters (820 feet) in the snow, high above the clouds.

“Making my snow art requires endurance, accuracy and strength – all attributes shared with the Defender,” said Beck. “Its iconic shape is so simple and recognised across the world; this must be the most recognisable piece of art I’ve ever made.”

It’s similar to the feat Land Rover performed over three years ago at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey, Wales. That time it took up over a kilometer (3,280 feet) of beachfront. And it was drawn at the same location where Rover engineer Maurice Wilks drew the original.

This time, we gather, the form previews the shape of the forthcoming next-generation Defender. The new model will be the latest in a string of off-roaders that stretches back to the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show where the original Land Rover was first unveiled.

In revealing the inherently impermanent work of art, the manufacturer announced World Land Rover Day. The event will take place on April 30, seventy years to the day from the original’s debut in the Netherlands. It’ll be webcast for those who can’t make it. And though we can’t confirm it just yet, we get the distinct feeling that Land Rover might unveil the new Defender then and there.

https://youtu.be/iKDGuPeKtwA