Sunday, May 31, 2015

Land Rover Defender Rugby Trophy Truck Looks Like the Popemobile, Could Be Driven to Hell and Back


For the 2015 Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour—no, not the Cup itself—the Webb Ellis trophy awarded to the tournament’s winner will be taken on a 100-day tour of the U.K. and Scotland. Given that self-driving rugby trophies are still in development, the Webb Ellis cup will chaperoned throughout the British Isles via the ultra-bad-ass-looking Land Rover Defender you see here. Designed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations team, the trophy-deliverance machine boasts a glassed-in display case, as well as a bunch of other cool, albeit pointless, add-ons.


We’ll start with Special Vehicle Operation’s modifications that actually pertain to the transport of the Webb Ellis trophy. Starting with a Defender 110 wagon, the team fitted what is more or less a trophy cabinet to the SUV’s rear, complete with anti-glare security glass, climate controls, special lighting, and a 40-inch TV that will portray historic rugby moments. Seeing as how this Land Rover will play rugby ambassador during the tour, the interior has been fitted with special Windsor leather seats with gold stitching and contrasting blue piping; the headrests wear embroidered Rugby World Cup logos.


 And now for the not-so-trophy-tastic stuff: The specially outfitted Defender has an “expedition” roof rack, a front winch, aluminum sump skid plate, side steps, and a snorkel intake. Uh, the trophy is merely touring England and Ireland, not the Sahara, right? No matter, the off-road gear looks rad, and the Defender’s 2.2-liter diesel and six-speed manual combo has us positively drooling. Perhaps even more interesting than Land Rover’s pseudo-Popemobile rolling trophy case is the way the SUV made its debut: It was floated 25 miles down the Thames River in a 26-foot-tall inflatable rugby ball. Because rugby!




News Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/land-rover-defender-rugby-trophy-truck-looks-like-the-popemobile-could-be-driven-to-hell-and-back/

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