In 2015, Twisted Automotive snatched up 240 of the final Land Rover Defenders to leave the factory before production ceased outright in 2015. As the automotive world eagerly anticipates Jaguar Land Rover's forthcoming reboot of the classic line, Twisted has been slowly but steadily reworking their Defenders into modern pieces of rugged luxury. Now, the UK-based brand has revealed special plans for the final 80 examples they've still got on hand.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of Land Rover's own reveal of a limited run of Works V8 Defenders set to celebrate the model's 70th anniversary. But the two brands aren't competing—every single Works V8 example sold out before they were even announced to the public.
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Twisted's approach to their custom Landies covers every aspect of the vehicle's performance and amenities. Little details like matte and glossy grilles and billet aluminum trim are complemented with more noticeable changes that include running boards, towing hitches, custom wheels and brakes, and of course, serious power upgrades thanks to a Corvette-sourced LS3 V8 engine tuned to between 430 and 480 horsepower.
With price tags that creep into the $300,000 range, Twisted's products are not for the faint of heart (or wallet) and the final 80 Land Rovers they will release are slated for even more distinctive designs with even higher prices. The company's future offerings will be split into three categories: Make History, Remake History, and Rework. Make History covers 36 of the 80 remaining Rovers, which will be available for sale only to existing Twisted owners. These will feature even higher-spec options than previous Twisteds.
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Remake History examples, meanwhile, will be a limited-edition collection of 44 Defenders, with a goal of creating a "high-specification...collection that pays homage to the history of the original Land Rover." For those readers with their calculators out, wondering why there aren't any of the 80 left for the Rework category, the final branch will be tasked with a new project from Twisted. Namely, as they run out of brand-new Defenders, they are now willing to take on restoration and revitalization projects for clients who already own their own used Defenders.
Twisted's founder, Charles Fawcett, told Driving "We really do see our role as defending the Defender; we’ve built this business around the vehicle, so it falls on us to protect and celebrate it. This will be our third major release of our iconic stock. We’ve been slowly re-engineering and ensuring that the vehicles are the best that they can possibly be and will soon be ready to share them with the world.”
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