Land Rover has toyed with special, limited-edition runs of what is now the Classic Defender since the truck was called just Defender and was yet to leave the market. The 2016 Defender Heritage Edition celebrated the final year of old Defender production. We thought the 400-horsepower 2018 Defender Works V8 was just “one more special edition before the new [Defender].” Then came the 2021 Classic Defender Works V8 Trophy. And a 2022 Classic Defender Works V8 Trophy. And a 2023 Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition. That’s five so far, here’s the sixth: The Land Rover Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke, called “the next chapter in the Classic Defender Story.” It’s not keyed off previous Land Rover lore like the Camel Trophy or a partnership like the one with Islay and whiskey.
And unlike those others, Land Rover didn’t mention a limited run. This makes us suspect Land Rover’s now in the restomod business without restraint, the subtitle of the Classic Defender’s next chapter being: Instead of paying the aftermarket six figures for your ye olde England fashion accessory, pay us six figures since we designed and built the damn things and still do. The twist here is that the base vehicles are anywhere from just eight to 12 years old.
Land Rover Classic, the enterprise that handcrafted the previous specials, does its work again here. It finds a donor vehicle from 2012 to 2016, giving Land Rover a pool of roughly 80,000 units to pull from, if the production guesstimate at LR Workshop is accurate. Naturally, donors are torn down and rebuilt from the chassis up. Up front, the frame rails cradle the familiar 5.0-liter V8 making 410 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic transmission. That will get the old girl from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds, a new suspension with Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs, and an anti-roll bar should keep everything composed while doing so.
A choice of grilles in Heritage, Standard, or Adventure layout will make the correct impression. Buyers are shown the color options from Land Rover’s Heritage, Contemporary, Premium, and SV Metallic menus, as well as given the option of color-matching. Because Defenders get embarrassed if they leave the house without looking like they’re between expeditions, the accessories catalog includes an exterior cage, a winch, ladder, lights and light bars, roof rack, side steps, and a camper conversion for the longer trims. Standard wheel choices are the only simple decision, either a set of 16-inch steel Wolf rims or some 18-inch Sawtooth alloys, either one hiding Alcon brakes. The interior’s laid up in leather, modernized with a 3.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system and sport seats or Recaros.
Prices before tax and all the extras start at £190,000 ($250,378 U.S.) for the four-seat 90, £199,000 ($262,237 U.S.) for the five-seat 110, and £204,000 ($268,826 U.S.) for the seven-seat 110. If you’re not looking for an LS engine in your Defender redux, these prices are in line with the U.S. design shops we typically cover. Can’t buy them for the U.S., though, because LR took the Defender off our market in 1997, and the donor examples aren’t 25 years old. Guests at the Goodwood Revival running September 6-8 will see the first demo units debut on the Duke of Richmond’s lawn.