Grapefruit are a cross, probably, of pomelo and a sweet orange - as you say, not all that long ago. While some grapefruit varieties are quite pithy, pomelos (that I've seen) are very pithy - hence the 'this can only have been even more expensive a protective layer in earlier versions of this plant'.

The question still stands - why is this adaptation useful, given it's probably expensive. (That assumption of mine may be entirely wrong.)

Early species would have been shorter, and all species in the history of this would have fruited long before the individual trees reached 10 metres (I'm guessing even in ideal conditions that implies 10+ years growth). Most would-be consumers of the fruit would be able to reach fruit within the first metre or so (if unable to climb or fly) and anywhere in the tree otherwise.