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Fade to black: Land Rover reveals ‘Black Pack’ Defender before its 2015 demise

The Land Rover Defender is the king of SUVs, being used by everyone from the military to safari explorers – and for good reason. Few models have survived the test of time of the like Defender, especially with so little improvement. Frankly it doesn’t need it.

As rugged as it is, the Defender must come to an end, as it will soon fail to meet regulations across much of Europe, as it has in the U.S. since the late ’90s. Keen to give the Defender a proud sendoff, Land Rover has released two special editions of the legendary truck called the “Black Pack” and “Silver Pack”, which will debut at next month’s 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

Both packs do not include any tweaks to the engine, nor offer anything crazy luxurious. Instead, both include a contrasting roof, grille and surround, headlamp surrounds, and the defender bonnet script in their respective color.

The Black Pack also includes black wheel arches. Obviously, the trucks are painted in the appropriate pack color. The two editions also allow for sawtooth and heavy-duty-styled wheels that are painted black or silver.

It is unfortunate that the Defender is not sold in the States, and the release of these special editions is just making me envious of the other side of the Atlantic.

But with the current model going out with no return in sight, this Yankee hopes the new Defender, which is rumored to be produced on a Range Rover platform, will be reintroduced to the U.S. in 2015.

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