Car nameplates are recycled on a regular basis. You can’t buy a new third-generation C-Class anymore, but you can drive home from your local Mercedes-Benz dealership in a vastly improved fourth-generation modelthat benefits from the latest advances in automotive technology. For three decades, The Land Rover Defender has managed to eschew this evolutionary pattern, so…

“There it is!” I exclaimed to my wife, spotting the Power Wagon from more than a block away as it approached. Indeed this big red truck, which reminds me of a toy from my childhood come to life, is a bit conspicuous in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles.