Tuesday 19th August 2014

Land Rover Defender 90: PH Fleet

The Mini has gone back; time to introduce its PopBangColoured replacement!

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The Mini Clubvan served its purpose admirably at PH. It provided fuss-free transport for many across the office (albeit two at a time) and worked rather well as a mobile advert too. But did you ever get the impression it was a little, well, subtle? Yeah, us too.

So it's with great excitement that we can introduce a Twisted Land Rover Defender to the PH Fleet. Like the Mini it has two seats, luggage space behind those and a diesel engine. Oh, and some excellent PH graphics too (thanks to Ian Cook of PopBangColour and Motormode for those). Elsewhere it's just a little different...

Having only completed a few urban miles in the Defender my impressions are fairly limited. Vivid certainly, but hardly in depth. Fortunately our Business Development Executive Sam enjoyed/endured a journey back from Twisted's Thirsk HQ and is most familiar with the car. You can read his thoughts below, along with the full spec for the car. [Matt]

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Sam writes: After being picked up from Thirsk station I was dropped off at Twisted's head office with our big shiny grey PH Mini replacement outside. Twisted Automotive owner Charlie Fawcett spent an hour going over the vehicle and taking me on a spirited spin across the Yorkshire countryside. Charlie talked through the addition of adaptive suspension technology and its ability to corner flat with power. Perhaps something to try with a little more confidence!

Superb from PopBangColour and Motormode!

Charlie demonstrated the diff lock (a little complicated for 4x4 newbie but I'm sure the rest of the team will put it through its paces) and the handbrake, which isn't a handbrake but instead a rear transmission lock. It's only to be lifted three clicks to prevent cable stretch, as one Twisted owner discovered to their loss...

Having never driven a Defender before it was all very new as I got behind the wheel. The sidesteps and rollcage are a welcome addition as the T40's raised suspension requires a slightly ungainly 'jump-up and twist' entrance. Its driving style took me back to a Transit van I drove in another life due to the seat height, engine and long gear lever. The gear shift requires really careful pedal balancing to prevent a 'clunk' which is all the more noticeable as it feels like you're sat virtually on top of the gearbox.

The driving experience is distinctly raw, which is not an accident. This T40 model is the entry level toy, certainly not the refined daily driver that can be found that can be found from Twisted's higher end offerings. The van hasn't been treated to the sort of work that Charlie would normally undertake, the likes of fixing original factory holes in the bodywork and adding extra soundproofing. Despite Charlie's warning, the first time one of those chunky BF Goodrich tyres threw up a rock was quite a shock; I think my head is still resonating from the impact!

Off-road tyres will be tested as soon as possible

The only additional soundproofing measures at present are extra thick rubber door seals. The doors need a big slam to close, which can be rather inconvenient on the M1 when you notice the shut line appears rather large even for a Defender... The stereo is far from an audiophile's dream and lack of sat-nav had me driving for 20 miles in the wrong direction from Thirsk. All part of the fun, right?

With an uprated exhaust and remap the T40 can easily reach 'safe' motorway speeds and still feels like its still got a bit to give, which is quite unexpected. I'm now also familiar with 'Defender Elbow', only remedied by opening the window. Around town its size, especially the width, takes some getting used to. I was too meek when confronted with a Rolls-Royce Phantom recently, it won't happen again!

First outing for the T40 was to take it down to our vehicle wrappers Motormode in Kent. Ian at PopBangColour had put his artistic spin on the Twisted logo earlier in the week and it looked fantastic when combined with our smiley (as seen on the Mini) in the CAD rendering. Motormode had the whole vehicle done in a morning; top work guys! Its services are highly recommended and only giving them two days notice to design and print the whole job it seems no project is too big. You may have seen them recently working with the Top Gear team hiding Clarkson's keys under an orange felt wrap on a Mk2 Golf.

A great British icon. On a Defender

Having covered 500 miles so far I already have a soft spot for the T40. I love its honest, raw design augmented by the Twisted style which transports it from a farmer's runabout to a head-turning statement vehicle. Pulling up outside my house in a road with two 'standard' Defenders already sat outside had the opposite neighbour taking a pictures straight away. The Landie has already been called 'The Crusher' by my fiance and after a drive down from London to the South Coast has already agreed to add it to our joint Lotto wish list.

There are big plans for this truck, with Charlie promising extra product over the coming months including soundproofing, more leather and extra Twisted add ons... a V8 transplant might be interesting too!

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FACT SHEET
Car: Twisted Land Rover Defender 90
Run by: Everyone!
On fleet since: August 2014
Mileage: 1,579
List price new: £50,265.04 (Price as standard for Land Rover Defender 90 Hard Top XS £27,490. Twisted options as follows: Twisted P6 Performance Upgrade £2,064, Twisted Progressive Suspension £2,544, Twisted by Alcon brake upgrade £3,984, Corris Grey paint to grill, vent and wing mirrors £474, Java Metallic to rear crossmember and mud flap brackets £493.50, raised intake vents and premium side vent £94.80, Twisted oval badges £38.40, gloss black Land Rover bonnet badge £168.60, BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres 265/65 R18 £1,389, Twisted 18-inch White Sport alloys £1,734, crystal headlights with stainless bezels £256.80, LED brake, tail, reverse and fog lights plus indicators £672, Twisted Zinc coated, Java metallic LED front bumper £591, stainless steel A2 exterior fixings £486, front roll hoop in black with light mounts £1,554, tubular rear step and towing bracket £591, Twisted 6mm black coated steering guard £348, black chequer plate top to tubular side rails and stainless fixings £270, Twisted exterior decals and number plates £12.60, privacy glass £474, Recaro leather CS seats and Twisted raised subframe £3,123, 350mm sport steering wheel and shallow Twisted boss £339, centre raised arm rest and grainy leather and silver stitch to cubby box £393, grainy leather and silver stitch to dash tops and grab handle £432, Land Rover oval rear load liner £159.54 and rubber mats £88.80)
Last month at a glance: A Twisted Defender joinsthe PH Fleet, scramble begins for the keys

 

 

[Blackpuddin]

Some creative pricing going on in the Twisted brochure. '60th anniversary rear lights' (eh?) £560, black LR bonnet badge £140, black grille 'upgrade' £488 etc etc. What exactly do you get for your £2615 'performance upgrade'? My mate used to get most of the exhaust system for £18 on his Series 2, not that long ago either. This all seems so at odds with the original point of the Defender.