ABOVE: This particular Classic Defender Works V8 edition was made to celebrate the Land Rover marque’s 70th anniversary in 2018.

I was recently invited to Scotland, by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), to test their latest and greatest halo model, the 2025 twin-turbo V8 Range Rover SV, and though I will be writing up that story separately, I also wanted to draw attention to the fact that I had the good fortune of testing something much, much rarer – and dare I use that most cliched of phrases – more iconic: the Classic Defender Works V8. Now, I know what you’re thinking: didn’t Land Rover kill off its original Defender back in 2016, after an honourable 68-year production run? Yes, it did. The last Defender rolled off the Solihull production line in a grand ceremony, surrounded by 700 former and current employees. But, more recently, Land Rover decided the old Defender can also be a new Defender, so to speak. You see, there were already a plethora of companies updating original Defenders (like Overfinch, Twisted, Himalaya, Arkonik and Ares) and JLR clearly looked at that situation and (in all probability) said, “Why let those damned tuners have all the fun, let’s do it ourselves, and we can make a hefty profit while we’re at it!” And that’s how Land Rover ended up in the restomod business.

Spoiler alert: these modified Classic Defender Works V8s are superb. Each is made to order and a completely bespoke product, which is presumably why they cost upwards of 250,000 USD. But what you get for your money is a “vintage” Defender that has been stripped down to its raw components and then rebuilt better, faster, and stronger. Now, the reason I used inverted commas is because you can’t just hand over the keys to a 1948 Series 1 rust-bucket and expect JLR to do their magic, although I’m pretty sure they’ll do a sterling restoration job if that’s what you’re after. For a souped-up restomod V8 however, Land Rover needs a last edition model, which was produced between 2012 and 2016, and they’ll also need it to have less than 30,000 kilometres on the clock. Don’t stress though, they can find a worthy donor vehicle for you if you don’t already have one. Then they’ll upgrade it by changing pretty much everything (except the bodywork).

There are LED headlights now, the cabin is better insulated, there’s soft leather everywhere and there are even splashes of carbon fibre here and there. You can spec Recaro seats if you like. And, under the bonnet, you’ll find a Jaguar 5.0-litre V8 delivering 400bhp and 380lb ft of torque – I throttled a 70th anniversary edition example a few times on my Scottish joy ride and it’s a sensational feeling to have what should be an old tractor suddenly burst into life with such a ferocious force. Indeed, you can’t help but chuckle when you’re behind the wheel of one of these beauties. Just imagine, being able to hit 100 km/h in less than 6 seconds in a Defender and change gears smoothly. That’s because there’s an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox now, capable of shifting in 200 milliseconds. Power is fed through a dual-speed transfer box which can deploy up to 90 per cent of the available torque to either the front or rear axle, as required. Thankfully, the suspension, brakes and anti-roll bars have all been seriously upgraded to give the Works V8 the means to handle such an upgrade in performance.

ABOVE: Even though Recaro seats are not what you’d normally imagine in a Classic Defender, they look and feel great, especially after the upgrade of luxurious leather, which can now be found everywhere from the seats and side trim to the doors, roof lining and dashboard.

Honestly, I think the Classic Defender Works V8 is probably the coolest car anyone with deep pockets can buy at the moment. And that’s ultimately the point: it’s a fantastic toy for those who have the means. It’s not just a collectible, it’s a powerful, beautiful sounding, timelessly boxy SUV, custom-built to suit your taste and lifestyle. In short, it’s a brilliant idea, a fabulous product and Land Rover deserves some serious kudos for having the courage to give their customers precisely what they want.

ABOVE: Although customers can tailor make their Defender exactly as they want, a few editions have been released by Land Rover to show what’s possible, including the Islay, top right (pronounced eye-la), the (Eastnor Yellow) Trophy and (Fuji white) Trophy II variants, bottom left.