Land Rover has designed a rhinoceros
Land Rover has unveiled its latest model. And it’s a 1.2m-long chrome rhinoceros. Just when you thought all of the SUV/crossover niches had been filled…
It’s not an obtuse take on a Land Rover-badged rival to a Nissan Juke, rather the company’s contribution to the Tusk Rhino Trail, which runs for the next month in London.
Like any modern Land Rover, it’s been overseen by company design boss Gerry McGovern, one of 21 artists and designers asked to apply the contents of their brain to one of these identically shaped and sized rhinos, which you can walk around London spotting, like a real life, physical Pokemon Go. Presuming that’s a reference that’s not horrendously outdated.
The Land Rover rhino is predominantly chrome – applied via a special paint spray. Over to Gerry: “Because of the highly reflective nature of chrome it would be seen from a long distance, consequently creating awareness of the plight of this animal in Africa.
“The red painted horn signifies the absurdity of this beautiful animal being hunted for such a small part of its overall being.”
Indeed, the red horn is also a nod to the idea that rhino horns could be injected with a coloured dye in an attempt to stop poachers hunting them down for white ivory.
Want to see it? This one’s slap-bang in Trafalgar Square, making it very easy to find. Want to own it? All 21 rhinos are being auctioned by Christie’s in October, the money – of course – going to a rhino charity.
