Head to any South African 4×4 gathering and you’ll find a range of opinions about the Land Rover Defender. It has its critics and its proponents, but folks on both sides will probably agree that the new Classic Defender V8 Soft Top is one good-looking piece of off-road hardware.
The design harks back to the 20th’century (feel old yet?) when rugged ‘Rovers ranged the African savannah. You know the stereotype — Pith helmets, impressive facial hair, monocles, those now-vintage Porro prism binoculars. Picture that with modern conveniences and a 5.0-litre V8 engine.
Defender of the realm
Using the same chassis as the 1990s Defender NAS 90, the V8 Soft Top version uses a 405hp/515Nm 5.0‑litre petrol V8 engine to power its mostly open off-road ride. An eight-speed automatic gearbox handles everything from low-range to jolting along like Ace Ventura.
The tricky bit about owning one of these is that they’re not… entirely… new. The frames are sourced from so-called “donor vehicle[s]” which are rebuilt — by hand — from the ground up. This means that the Classic Defender V8 Soft Top is also highly customisable, because the British engineers making it were going to strip it down entirely anyway. According to the company, this results in “a unique vehicle, produced to OEM standards with longevity, luxury and capability in mind.”
The bonnet and hood are custom-made for the new edition Defender throwback, while customisation options exist for the grille, door handles, and bonnet script. A range of interior, exterior, and canvas hood colour options exist, plus the choice of 16in (Wolf) or 18in (Sawtooth) rims. These… probably depend on your budget.
The interior is pleasingly retro, doubtless with modern connection points thrown in. What you won’t find are touchscreens and menus — at least, not obtrusively. Land Rover will probably give it to you if they’re asked nicely but that’ll depend on the size of your wallet.
Why? Because the Classic Defender V8 Soft Top starts at a staggering R4.9 million (£195,000) before you start requesting James Bond’s headline missile launchers and a glove compartment minibar.
