Nine years have passed since the old Land Rover defend said goodbye, replaced in 2019 by the new generation, revolutionary in style and mechanics. A relay that abandoned the stringers chassis to approach SUV comfort, without abandoning off -road DNA. A kind of revolution that marked a ‘before and after’ in the history of the British manufacturer.
A ‘before’ that now returns with the Classic defend V8 soft top, not a classic restomod but a renewal of the SUV with canvas roof, under direct supervision of Land Rover. A return to the past full of charm and improved in many ways. Here’s how.
Sin ‘oldies’
First you need a donor car, that is, the car from which to create the new/old defend V8 soft top. From there, in Solihull, headquarters of the historic Land Rover factory, specialized engineers only receive units produced between 2012 and 2016. Then the work begins.
Photo: Land Rover
The canvas hood has authentic closures and straps, to which new anchor points have been added for a better grip.
First, the custom canvas hood has authentic fixings and belts, to which new anchor points have been added. It is available in four colors: Black, Sand, Dark Khaki and Navy. The frame cover. Old style with more attention to detail.
-Next, customization: 49 different paint finishes for the body. If these are not enough, you can go through the Works department to create unique colors. And then you can customize the grill, the door handles, the 16 or 18 -inch alloy wheels and the color of the leather that covers the interior or choose accessories such as a special winery to store wine bottles. The limit is the imagination. And the wallet.
Photo: Land Rover
The interior is exquisitely analog and coated with leather
Strictly thermal
Following the tradition, the Land Rover Defender V8 Soft Top Classic does not become electric, maintaining the 5.0 V8 of 405 hp and 515 nm of torque under the hood, coupled to the automatic automatic ZF transmission of eight speeds and the always present total traction.
Rejuvenation is not only aesthetic, but also mechanical, and includes improvements in suspension and brakes. There are recalibrated helical docks, Eibach stabilizer bars, Bilstein shock absorbers and four -pistons Alcon brakes with 335 mm and 300 mm rear discs.
A thorough job with a cost definitely not suitable for all audiences: the Land Rover defend V8 Soft Top Classic has, in fact, a starting price of 195,000 pounds (about 229,000 euros to the current exchange).
