Land Rover reveals Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke

Land Rover has revealed a ‘restomod’ Defender, which it is billing as the “next chapter in the Classic Defender story”.

The Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke is a fully restored and personalised Defender produced by the firm’s new commissioning service, Land Rover Classic Works Bespoke.

It allows Defender enthusiasts to specify a fully-restored Defender V8, with a broad choice of materials, interior and exterior colour combinations, finishes, accessories and upgrades to choose from.

Each vehicle costs from £190,000 – plus VAT.

Available in both Defender 90 and 110 guise, the Land Rover Classic Defender V8 can be configured using a clever new digital configurator tool. Those who want to go even further will get personalised support from the Classic Works specialist teams.

All donor cars are Defenders produced between 2012-2016. They are sourced by the firm’s specialist buyers, and are then fully restored from the ground up through "hundreds of hours of painstaking work".

Each is powered by a Land Rover 405PS 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. The 0-60mph time is a frankly scary-sounding 5.6 seconds.

So what makes the Classic Defender V8 so special? For starters, customers can choose literally any colour, either from the firm’s Heritage, Contemporary, Premium or SV Metallic paint finishes – or a bespoke option through the ‘match-to-sample’ service.

Then there’s a choice of Heritage, Standard or Adventure grille, plus bonnet logos, door handles and fixing in either silver or black.

Every Works Bespoke model is also fitted with modern LED headlights, paired with either the Heritage Lighting Pack or Crystal Lighting Pack.

Inside, it’s trimmed to a level of luxury classic Defender owners could only dream of. Leather covers the seats, side trim, doors, roof lining and dashboard – and customers have a choice of five monotone or eight duotone options.

They can also upgrade to premium seating or hip-hugging Recaro seats.

In a modern touch, the gloss black centre console features the Land Rover Classic Infotainment System, with touchscreen sat nav, DAB radio and Bluetooth. There are multitude of other bespoke options too – even including a Ply Guys Camper Conversion, that turns the rear space into "bespoke living quarters."

The first Land Rover Defender V8 was introduced in 1979, with the Series III boasting a 3.5-litre Rover V8 producing just 90bhp.

The next versions, introduced in 1983, boasted a more acceptable 113PS, upgraded to 135PS in 1987.

The 1998 50th Anniversary Defender 90s featured a 4.0-litre V8 from the second-generation Range Rover, which produced 190PS, while the 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated 2018 Defender Works V8 brought the lineage fully up to date.

The new Land Rover Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke follows earlier Land Rover Classic creations including the Islay, Trophy and Trophy II. And has a price tag far in excess of them all…