- Land Rover brings back the classic Defender V8 with the help of Works Bespoke.
- The iconic off-roader is modernized with plenty of personalization options.
- Pricing starts from £190,000 ($251,345) before taxes for the Defender 90.
The original Land Rover Defender went out of production in 2016, but it retains a large following all over the world. Answering to the demand for custom builds, Land Rover brought its back once more through its Works Bespoke division, with modernized features, chassis upgrades, and countless personalization options.
The Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke is available in 90 and 110 bodystyles. All of the commissions will be based on donor vehicles produced between 2012 and 2016, and will be “remastered by hand in the UK” by Land Rover Classic engineers. Besides the restoration, the Defenders will be re-engineered and upgraded in “hundreds of hours of painstaking work”.
The exterior can be specified in any desired color, taken from the Heritage, Contemporary, Premium, and SV Metallic palettes, or using the bespoke match-to-sample service. The roof can be painted in a contrasting shade, with the exterior accents finished in silver or black. Land Rover offers different options for the grille (Heritage, Standard, or Adventure designs), which is flanked by modern LED headlights.
The special Defenders ride on 16-inch Wolf wheels or 18-inch Sawtooth alloys. The exterior can also be retrofitted with side steps, a roof rack, an expedition cage, a ladder, roof-mounted LEDs, and a winch. Other options include the Adventure Pack with a roof-mounted tent, and the more extensive Ply Guys Camper Conversion which turns the Defender into a proper camper.
The interior has been re-upholstered with leather, available in five monotone and eight duotone finishes. Customers can choose between the Premium seating or the more supportive Recaro seats. The center console retains the classic looks, with a new 3.5-inch touchscreen display adding bluetooth, navigation, and DAB Radio functionality. Land Rover has also redesigned the gear selector, and added gloss black inserts.
As with earlier Defender builds by Works Bespoke – including the Islay Edition and Trophy series – the new commissions will be fitted with the naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine producing 400 hp (298 kW / 405 PS) and 515 Nm (380 lb-ft) of torque. The mill is exclusively mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox by ZF, sending power to all four wheels.
The suspension has been upgraded with revised Eibach coil spring rates, anti‑roll bars, and Bilstein dampers, improving ride comfort. Finally, the Defender benefits from performance‑focused four‑piston Alcon brakes with larger discs on both axles.
The Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke is significantly more expensive than any variant of the new Defender. More specifically, the four-seater Defender 90 starts from £190,000 ($251,345), the five-seater Defender 110 from £199,000 ($263,090), and the seven-seater Defender 110 from £204,000 ($269,700), and that’s before tax or any options.
Interested parties can check out the remastered off-roader from up close at the 2024 Goodwood Revival on September 6-8.
