Land Rover has revealed its plans to end production of the iconic Defender, with the last example scheduled to roll off the assembly line at Land Rover’s Solihull plant in the UK in December. However, an all-new family of Defender models is said to debut in 2016.

Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography Defender special editions announced

To mark the final year of the long-serving model, three unique Defender special editions have been introduced, to “celebrate a different element of the vehicle’s versatile character.”

The first being the exclusive Defender Autobiography Edition, which the company says “promises more performance, luxury and comfort than ever before.” Its comprehensive equipment list includes unique duo-tone paintwork, full Windsor leather upholstery and a power upgrade from 90 kW and 360 Nm to 110 kW and 400 Nm. Production for this special edition model will be limited to 80 units, and will be produced exclusively as a 90 Station Wagon version.

The Heritage Edition is said to be inspired by early Land Rover models and mixes nostalgic design cues with modern elements such as the distinctive Grasmere Green paintjob contrasted by a white roof. The model, which will be limited to 400 units, can additionally be distinguished by a heritage grille and HUE 166 graphics, recalling the registration plate of the first pre-production Land Rover known as “Huey”.

Lastly, the Defender Adventure Edition is dubbed as a model for those who “who relish the great outdoors and embrace the Defender’s ‘go anywhere, do anything’ attitude.” It comes fully equipped with extra underbody protection and rides on Goodyear MT/R tyres. It also features unique decals and a leather trimmed cabin. Production will be limited to 600 units.

Largest sand drawing ever

“We wanted to mark the end of Defender production at Solihull with a special edition but coming up with a single identity was impossible, so we developed three very different interpretations of the Defender to reflect its strength and breadth of character,” Land Rover vehicle line director Nick Rogers said in a statement. “Whether our customers want to celebrate Land Rover’s unrivalled off-road heritage, demand the ultimate in terms of design and performance or have a genuine thirst for adventure, there will be a limited edition Defender that will be fit for purpose.”

To mark the launch of the three Defender special editions and the start of the current Defender’s final year in production, Land Rover created the largest (one-kilometre) sand drawing of the vehicle at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey, U.K. The unique image is a tribute to the moment in 1947 when the engineering director of Rover at the time, Maurice Wilks, first sketched the shape for the original Land Rover in the sand of Red Wharf Bay and proposed the idea to his brother Spencer, Rover’s managing director.