Land Rover revives the V8 Defender
Limited edition model will be quickest factory Defender ever thanks to 405hp naturally-aspirated V8
So today, as part of its 70th anniversary, we get 150 examples of the Defender Works V8 - a re-engineered homage to the original, Rover-powered concept from 1979. "Re-engineered" is obviously the key phrase here: Land Rover hasn't contravened its own end-of-production rule by building them from scratch post-2016, but instead went to the trouble of reaquiring the cars based on a strict late-model criteria (i.e. registered after 2012, with less than 20k on the clock). Post transformation, they will technically become a Land Rover Classic product - and then be re-registered to reflect the changes made underneath. Gaydon expects the majority to end up on private plates.
We'd venture that this is better suited to the Defender than its extremely spirited forced induction sibling, although it still delivers 380lb ft of torque (at 5,000rpm) - and does it via the same eight-speed ZF transmission that you'll find elsewhere in Land Rover's current lineup. As you can see from the pictures, incorporating the joystick-style gear lever has required a certain lack of sympathy, but the two-speed transfer box remains, as do the heavy-duty differentials front and back. Inevitably the Works car (in 90 wheelbase format) will hit 60mph quicker than any production Defender before it at 5.6 seconds, and top speed has modestly increased to 106mph.
The glossy spec is appropriate because the Defender Works V8, in its shorter 90 format (the 110 is available, too, although the split is unconfirmed), will start at £150,000. Expect that to be no barrier whatsoever to the model's customer base - but if it's a little too rich for your blood, Land Rover Classics is about to offer some 'inspired by' aftermarket packages, including power upgrades for the existing diesel engines and the fast-road suspension kit. Further confirmation that Gaydon is not quite done with the Defender just yet.
(Update: original story edited to clarify that Land Rover didn't hold back chassis numbers while the Defender was still being manufacturered.)
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