While we’re patiently for the all-new Defender to lose the camo, Land Rover has found a way to breathe new life into older versions of the reputable off-roader.
Tailored to Defender 90 and Defender 110 vehicles built between 1994 and 2016, these upgrades cover a wide array of areas and kick off from just £432 ($525) at home in the U.K for one 18-inch Sawtooth wheel. Want all four plus a spare wheel? That’ll be £2,160 ($2,625).
If you happen to have an old-school Defender equipped with the 2.2-liter diesel engine built from the 2012 model year onwards, the most significant upgrade offered by Land Rover Classic squeezes an extra 39 horsepower for a grand total of 160 hp while torque is rated at a generous 463 Newton-meters (341 pound-feet).
Doing so will lift the top speed to 106 mph (170 kph), which is more than you’ll ever need in a vehicle like this. To make it worth your while, the British marque will also throw in a set of “performance-rated” tires as part of the £16,995 ($20,670) Defender Classic Works Upgrade Kit pack.
With great power comes great responsibility to stop in an efficient manner, therefore a braking kit has been developed for the legendary SUV with inspiration taken from the Defender Works V8 (pictured at the bottom).
In addition, the suspension package also takes after the souped-up version of the workhorse, but bear in mind it’s compatible only with vehicles built from the 2007 model year. The suspension and handling packages come with Defender Works V8-spec brake discs, pads, and calipers matched to those aforementioned 18-inch wheels, while the dampers, coil spring rates, links, bushes, and anti-roll bars are all optimized.
You can have the handling and suspension upgrades and the 18-inch wheels + tires separately or fork out the money for the Defender Classic Works Upgrade Kit we mentioned earlier which includes everything.
Bundled with the upgrade package is a unique badge located on the front fenders to let everyone know you’re not driving a stock Defender. In addition, customers will receive an owner’s certificate and will get a tour of Land Rover’s Classic Works facility in the U.K. or the one in Essen, Germany where these upgrades are implemented.
The biggest challenge, says Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern, was for the car to be relevant to this world – “it needed to be design literate and capable,” he tells me at a preview before today’s reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The answer was to optimize the proportions but keep it simple – not add too many embellishes. There is, therefore, deliberate emphasis on creating robust proportions with the height, the interplay of lines, the sense of verticality. The lights are simple geometric forms at the front and rear; the wheel arches are squared off. Inside follows a similar rational theme, a rugged modular architecture embracing the spirit of adventure for a car that truly is a fine evolution of the Defender.
The Defender needs to be identified by its silhouette alone, which requires an emphasis on maintaining very clear proportions. Everything has to have a purpose: the high sills, short overhangs and externally mounted rear wheel supports the car’s off-road capability. McGovern explains: “The clean body side contrasts dramatically against the sheer verticality of its front and particularly its rear to create a reassuringly purposeful stance. The overall impression is of an elemental design, yet this clean reductive approach is underpinned by the sophisticated surfacing of the highest quality.”
For full pricing, check out the press release area below
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