Mrunal Manmay Dash

Automobile enthusiasts have been known to go to weird lengths to satisfy their urge. In the process, there are some people, who have created a niche for themselves too by collecting a certain type or brand of vehicles.

And when that automobile bug inside you promises to open up an avenue through which you can become really rich, you just could not wish anything more.

Charles Fawcett, the owner of a British automobile company, Twisted that modifies and custom builds old Land Rover Defenders has just stumbled upon such a prospect of becoming really rich.

Dealing with Defenders, Fawcett knew the popularity of the vehicle. As per reports, he purchased over 200 Land Rover Defenders a few years back.

As it turned out, it was not a bad investment at all.

Fawcett bought a heap of the cars just before they went out of production back in 2015 and now people are willing to fork out up to £220,000 (Rs 2.2 Cr) to own one.

As per a report in The Sun, the vehicles with Fawcett have fewer than 30 miles on the odo and there are just two Defenders available in each of the eight colours up for grabs. All are based on the original XS spec, which was the highest Land Rover Defender spec at the time.

They were all registered in 2016 - after production ceased - identifying them among the last off the line and, arguably, more collectable, the report said.

Meanwhile, do you know which city in India still has some of these off-roading gems plying on the roads?

The north-eastern hill station of Darjeeling has a special relationship with Land Rover Defenders.

As per a report in Car & Bike, the first Land Rover made its debut on Indian soil in 1958. It was brought in by the British tea planters of West Bengal to transport tea across the hazardous mountain roads. And ever since its launch, Land Rovers have held a special place in the heart of the state, especially Darjeeling.

Darjeeling soon became the home for 300 Land Rovers, as locals relied heavily on these versatile machines. Of the 300, around 40 are still active, even after 70 years. Though some have gone through an engine rebuild/conversion, many others have been re-registered, refurbished, and worked upon to make them fit for the road.

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