Land Rover Wolf: The Plucky, Battle-Hardened Classic Defender

If you're unfamiliar, this is the Land Rover Wolf. It's special chimera of the theoretical British Second World War Jeep they only wish they had. That's why the very first Land Rover prototypes had the chassis and underpinnings of a Willys Jeep, after all.

The Wolf was just as much a purpose-built military 4x4 as a Jeep or a Humvee. Commonwealth soldiers have been going to war in Land Rovers since the '50s in fact. But when you look at the facts closely, a Land Rover and a Humvee serve a very different purpose in their service to NATO nations and elsewhere.

Before the Wolf hit operation status back in 1998, Commonwealth forces and many others were very happy with their bespoke military Land Rovers based on the 90 and 110 editions of the Defender, dating back to 1985. These digits represent the length of the vehicle in imperial measurements, in this case.

These special military Defenders became icons of post-Cold War NATO operations, right alongside the Hummer. But Land Rover couldn't guarantee the long-term viability of the fleet without significant reinforcements. The result of this quandary was the upgraded Land Rover 90XD and 110XD in 1994.

Under the hood of this revamped Defender was the Land Rover 300 series turbo diesel engine. Known for having worse fuel consumption than the previous 200 series, these were known for premature timing belt failure. Land Rover was so embarrassed by the debacle, they issued a repair kit to the engine in use in both the military and the civilian sector.

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense tested, reject, and then tested Land Rover's newest military 4x4. The finished product was a vehicle that was leaps and bounds more refined than the outdated Land Rovers that it was replacing. It was a welcome reprieve for crusty old the Land Rovers leftover from the Thatcher era most soldiers were used to.

The British Army designated these new 90 and 110 layout Defenders with the Wolf moniker in 1998. It's a name that would stick until the present day. The Wolf served alongside coalition forces during the War on Terror starting in 2001.

Despite the abject failure the War in Afghanistan may have become, British soldiers seemed to all be in agreement. The Wolf was beloved by British forces just as much as the Americans loved their Humvees. Together, the two became icons of their time periods. Vehicles that are forever associated with the wars in which they fought.

That said, it's important to know a fundamental truth about the Wolf. Despite serving side by side with the American Humvee, the Land Rover serves a very different role on a battlefield. Allow us to explain.

You see, the Humvee's mission was pretty straightforward as far as military objectives are concerned. To use brute armor and Detroit Diesel torque to transport soldiers or weapons platforms wherever they need to go. Being able to shrug off an IED without much fuss is just the cherry on top.

You can do such things when the Humvee's armor is thicker than some Second World War light tanks. Keep in mind, we're talking about the full-fledged land-mine resistant MRAP variant, not the unarmored base camp princess that the officers on-site drive around in.

But this wasn't the case for Land Rover and its Wolf. The Wolf did not normally sport absurdly thick armor, or provisions for mounting weapons with enough ordinance for an entire Cold War tank battalion, as Humvees could. The Wolf's mission was more human than that, and more people-oriented as well.

You see, the British strategic game plan going into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was not to impose domination over its citizens. At least on paper, of course. Instead, its compact and city-friendly form factor lent itself better to the mission of winning hearts and minds.

The stern, but handsome Land Rover does a far better job at keeping locals in urban operational zones at ease than the brutish and positively horrifying-looking Humvee. Of course, armored and armed variants of the Defender did exist. But these were bespoke projects, separate from that of the Wolf.

The United Kingdom is not the only beneficiary of the Land Rover Wolf. The armed forces of Lebanon, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Uruguay all use the Wolf in their fleets. The Italians use them in their national police force, the Carabinieri.

It may not be armed, but the Wolf's iconic Defender front fascia fights its battles dependably and sensibly. The plucky brains to match the Humvees braun. Besides, good luck at making the brand new defender anygood in a war zone. Lest you get the leather seats dirty.

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