In September 2011, Land Rover debuted the DC100 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, a design study on what the next Defender might look like. The feedback from Land Rover enthusiasts was swift and harsh – they did not like it, not at all. Thirteen years later, the DC100 is on display at the British Motor Museum as part of a “Summer of Design” exhibit, and deserves a second look.
DC100 was the first foray into redoing Defender for Gerry McGovern, JLR Chief Creative Officer and, at that time, Land Rover Design Director. It was the beginning of a four-year project to replace Defender, which would be extended as it became increasingly clear that getting the vehicle right in the marketplace would be a matter of commercial life and death.
The DC100 debuted in two guises: a two-door Defender 90-style SUV, and a squat speedster-style convertible called "DC100 Sport." The front clip was swept far back, a massive contrast from the existing Defender’s bolt-upright front end. Chunky mirrors, upright door handles, and pod-style taillights rounded out the design, with a spare tire strapped into a cradle on the tailgate. Defender’s classic rear quarter light glass panels were replicated as curved, honeycomb-patterned corner glass pieces. The vehicles were planned to go into production in 2015, on the tails of the expected end of classic Defender manufacturing.
The next year, two more versions debuted at the Geneva and New York auto shows: a red two-door wagon and an expedition-equipped version. But there was nothing that could be done. The DC100 had not gone over well, had resulted in bad press for JLR, and was just a bridge too far.
Eight years later, Frankfurt rolled around again, and Land Rover debuted the new Defender after years of speculation, renderings, and drama that all began with the DC100. As the new Defender was unwrapped, a lot of the DC100 DNA had made the journey to 2019.
The half-circular headlights, with marker lights in the corner referencing the old Defender’s turn signals? The bumped-out and squared-off waistline, carrying over the widebody aesthetic from the Series II? The roofline, with the strengthening ribs in it like a Series station wagon? The upright rear end? The side-mounted vent? The wide B pillar? All of it carried over, upscaled a bit, and made into a real vehicle ready to hit the world’s roads.
The changes were there. The front end of the Defender is far more blunt and upright than the sleek DC100 was. The fanciful door handles, honeycomb pattern windows, and perky pod taillights were gone. But if you look at the DC100 in retrospect, it’s clear that for all the criticism, the result of the new Defender was a variation on that theme, not a throwing away of the entire blueprint.
The criticism would still be valid. The DC100 convertible had a bit too much of a Barbie toy vibe to it, but then again, we never saw a convertible Defender anyway. The concept was bulked up, put on regular wheels, and sold to a largely-enthusiastic fandom. At the end of the day, we saw the future of Defender almost a decade before the wraps came off a second time in Frankfurt in 2019.
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