Three down, two to go. Back when the Defender Convertible project was announced - or Heritage Customs Valiance, to give the car its full title - a production run of just five cars was confirmed. A couple have already been completed, so now it’s time for number three: a Grasmere Green V8.
Don’t forget, too, that the current Defender doesn’t need to make do with a lesser tune of the 5.0-litre, as was once the case. Buy a Defender 90 with a V8 - as this car once was - and you get 525hp. This is going to make for one heck of a convertible experience, exhausts bellowing and passengers likely screaming as the Valiance thunders its way down the road. Any concerns about the look or the structure seem rather less important once a supercharged eight-cylinder engine is involved. Heritage Customs is promising ‘unparalleled open-top excitement’.
There’s more to this build than just the canvas top, too. Interestingly, the donor Defender was repainted in Grasmere Green - it wasn’t like this originally. There are also Magic Metal accents (as seen on the Copperhead commission) as well as the new 20-inch white wheels. The soft top is handcrafted; the Heritage Edition Convertible is described as exuding a ‘friendly and distinctive retrospective allure’ by its maker. Certainly not going to see another in the dozens of Defenders dotted around every city centre.
There’s more tan on the inside (what else to go with the green?), the driving environment retrimmed and dotted with Heritage Customs details. If anything it’s a shame that the focus is on the roof, because the leather inside really does look lovely. At least everyone will get a good look once the hood is folded away.
Niels van Roij, a co-owner of Heritage Customs and one of its designers, said of this Land Rover: "Like the previous two Valiance Convertible conversions, this third car is a limited edition coachbuilt car, commissioned exclusively for our discerning customer, ensuring a one-of-a-kind driving experience. Equipped with bespoke Heritage Customs forged white Rock Dust alloy wheels, Grasmere Green paint on the body but also bumpers and fender flares, and unique exterior and interior details, this V8-powered Valiance Convertible embodies the pinnacle of automotive craftsmanship by Heritage Customs."
As is the nature of these things, a finished price hasn’t been released. A brand-new 90 V8 is £100,000 to start with, before thinking about any handcrafting. That’s the price of exclusivity. Those with a more modest budget but a similar taste might, as always, be tempted by the classifieds - how about a recently refurbished orange classic?
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