[RahulNagaraj]

Land Rover's Bespoke Division has announced the revival of its Defender Classic.



The model went out of production in 2016, however, due to its large global fan base, the carmaker has decided to build the model on a made-to-order basis. The model is essentially a resto-mod based on existing Classic Defender donor vehicles built between 2011 and 2016. The new Defender Classic will be offered in both 90 and 110 variants. All SUVs undergoing the revival process will be 'remastered' by Land Rover Classic engineers.



The new iteration though does come with modern features and chassis enhancements, along with plenty of personalisation options. This includes a wide range of colour options from Land Rover's Heritage, Contemporary, Premium and SV Metallic palettes. Buyers can even use the bespoke match-to-sample service. Apart from this, the SUV can also be optioned with a contrasting roof colour, different exterior accents, a choice of different grille designs and modern LED headlamps.



The Land Rover Defender Classic will come equipped with either 16-inch 'Wolf' or 18-inch 'Sawtooth' alloy wheels. Other features on offer include side steps, a roof rack, an expedition cage, roof-mounted lights, a ladder and a winch.



Inside, the Defender Classic will get a completely overhauled look, compared to the older models. The new SUVs will come with leather upholstery and optional Recaro seats. The cabin will look similar to the original model, with a redesigned gear selector and gloss black inserts all across.

Powering the Land Rover Defender Classic is a 5.0-litre AJ V8 engine producing 400 BHP. It is paired with a ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission unit sending power to all four wheels. The SUV also comes with Eibach coil springs, uprated anti-roll bars, Bilstein dampers and performance-oriented disc brakes.

The Defender Classic from Land Rover's Bespoke Division will cost between 190,000 GBP to 204,000 GBP.

Source: Autocar UK

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[Vikram Arya]

There are definitely Classic Defender aficionados albeit in decreasing numbers. As for the opportunity to sell the Classic Defender, well that ship sailed a long time ago. The stratospheric price coupled with the fact that the body shell will not be new but will come from “Donor Defenders” manufactured between 2012 & 2016 makes this offering increasingly less appetizing.

With the advent of the Defender “inspired” INEOS Grenadier that can be bought anywhere from US$75,000 to US$86,000 and fresh spanking new at that, I have my serious doubts if this initiative by JLR that’s so late in the day will have many takers other than die-hard Defender purists. I have seen the INEOS Grenadier in the flesh and although I’m not in the market for one, INEOS’s offering is far more compelling and makes much more sense, but then I’ve not been bitten by the nostalgic bug. JLR will be able to sell a few just like those supercars and that number will be in the hundreds (well, I’m sure the intent is not to sell in large numbers anyway).

[14000rpm]

This is JLR trying to bite a piece of the Resto-mod cake which is significantly profitable.
Resto-mod Defenders are not new. There have been several companies like Himalaya, Twisted, Overfinch, Khan etc. that are not cheap either and they are still in business. There is a niche amongst the super rich that will still consider this Bespoke version over the Grenadier .