Jaguar Land Rover South Africa has opened bidding for Kingsley Holgate’s last Defender, with all proceeds of the auction going to humanitarian efforts championed by the Kingsley Holgate Foundation.
The Defender, nicknamed Ndhlovokazi (“the great she-elephant”) will be auctioned online at www.lastdefender.co.za, and will be open to all South Africans. Bidding will start at R449 000.
The auction will run until midday on 12 April 2017. During this time, the Defender will be on display at the Jaguar Land Rover Sandton dealership, on Rivonia Road in Sandton.
First driven by Holgate in 2015, the Defender transported the explorer across six countries and 9 000 km on its maiden expedition. To reach a remote location in the Republic of Congo, Kingsley and his team faced countless challenges, with some of these encounters leaving their mark on the Defender.
“This Defender has a history like no other. She does not have dings and scratches; she has character and provenance,” said Lisa Mallett, marketing director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa.
“The Heart of Africa Defender is a tribute to both Land Rover’s capability and Kingsley’s incredible journeys all over the continent. The customer who acquires her will have one of the most special examples of this iconic a Land Rover icon.”
In 2016, Ndhlovukazi took Kingsley through Africa on a 66-day trek to reach Lake Chew Bahir. This remote salt ocean, situated in the arid Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia, is where Kingsley set out to record the lifestyles and customs of ancient African tribes that are at risk of disappearing.
Naturally, the Defender boasts a number of accessories, all of which remain fitted to the vehicle, including reinforced skid plates, nudge bars, a snorkel intake, mud-terrain tyres, off-road shock absorbers and a lockable aluminium storage box.
“Over the years, Land Rover has kindly provided me with many Defenders to explore and document the beauty and diversity of Mama Afrika, but I think my memories of Ndhlovukazi will be some of the fondest,” said Holgate.
“It’s fantastic to know her spirit will live on in the hands of a dedicated Land Rover enthusiast. Thanks to Land Rover’s generosity, that person will also be directly responsible for improving the lives of many, many more fellow Africans.”
