There was a time when owning a Land Rover meant you were expected to disappear into the jungle for three weeks, wrestle a broken axle in knee-deep mud, and return home looking like you’d lost a fight with nature itself.
That was Camel Trophy, but with big tobacco banned from advertising, quite mysteriously, their interest in sponsoring sporting events seemed to fade as quickly. The cigarettes are gone, as are the yellow shirts and half-full ashtrays, now just a memory. What remains is the idea that adventure should be uncomfortable with dirt in places you’d rather there wasn’t.
Defender has revived that spirit through the modern Defender Trophy, and two Australians have just earned the right to find out exactly how grubby things can get. Louise McNair from Victoria and Glen Wimberley from Queensland emerged victorious from a field of 23 competitors at Glenworth Valley, north of Sydney, securing places in the global finals in Africa later this year.
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ABOVE: Defender Trophy
Now, before you get all het-up a bunch of phone-ringed Gen Z influencers standing beside spotless SUVs while someone films them from a drone, think again. Competitors spent the day up to pussy’s bow in much, scrambling through physical challenges, tackling mechanical tasks and navigating terrain designed to make bits fall off. By the end of it, everyone was filthy which is exactly how a Defender should be.
The modern Defender occupies a rather strange place in the four-wheel drive world. It can wade through rivers, climb mountains and drag itself across terrain that would strand many egos. Yet, many spend much of their lives parked outside posh cafes carrying nothing more adventurous than a whinging lap dog dog and a takeaway oat latte.
The Defender Trophy is Land Rover’s reminder that these aren’t just expensive SUVs, but are four by fours built for pith helmets and machete-level exploring. Defenders have won wars, crossed continents, and helped dig out sand from are sphinxes’ bums by bringing in knackered navvies by the truckload.
With that halcyon era of Savile-Row-safari-suited explorers behind it, this competition draws inspiration from those, and other legendary off-road events that helped make Land Rover a house-hold word. Think of it this way, Americans throw stuff in the Jeep, no matter what car brand it is, but the rest of the world loads up a Land Rover, am I right?
Unlike those adventures (and wars) of decades past, there is now a conservation mission at the heart of the challenge. Yes, it is about the warm and fuzzies, but it is also about awareness.
The finals in Africa are being run alongside conservation partner Tusk. Competitors face tasks based on the wildlife protection work across some of the continent’s most far-flung regions. So, it is not simply a driving competition with retirees staring blankly at paper maps shouting silly words every few seconds, after all, anyone can point a four-wheel drive at a dirt road and hope for the best. The real challenge comes when the track disappears, the weather turns turtle, and something breaks. It usually happens at the worst possible moment, and that’s where competitors like McNair and Wimberley earned their badges. Both spoke about the experience in that wonderfully dry Piastri-Australian fashion. No bloated declarations of self-aggrandising Trump tripe, just gratitude and healthy fire-side fun.
Picture this: One minute you’re standing in a picturesque valley north of Sydney waiting for the daily horse stampede after your obstacle course, the next you’re knee-deep in African expedition preparation. Not bad for a lazy Saturday’s work.
Land Rover is also using the competition to launch the Defender 110 Trophy Edition, a special model that celebrates the expedition theme, and its own history. Available in Deep Sandglow Yellow or Keswick Green, it looks like it should come with a compass, an emergency crate of single malt. The yellow paint is a nod to the classic adventure vehicles that inspired generations of off-road pleasuring. The green celebrates the Defender’s British roots, something that could not be more JLR if it tried. I wonder if it is still JLR this week? One loses track.
Both colours stand out in a world where every second SUV is smeared in one of fifty of the dullest shades of accountant grey. The Trophy Edition gets expedition gear including a roof rack, ladder, side-mounted storage carrier, raised air intake and all-terrain tyres. I love that it really does look ready for an expedition, even if its owner is only planning a trip to Bunnings.
That’s part of the Defender’s appeal. It sells a dream, because we know not everyone who buys one will cross a desert, nor navigate remote African landscapes. Although there isn’t a lot of Sahara in Australia, we have our own scenic cliffs to fall off, don’t we? Sadly, most Landies won’t even get mud on the tyres.
Yet the possibility remains, and for Louise McNair and Glen Wimberley, that possibility is about to get real. Africa awaits, and somewhere in the muck, the ghosts of Camel Trophy competitors are nodding their approval.
More Land Rover Stories
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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