Land Rovers are a true British icon, renowned around the world for their back-to-basics ruggedness. Thanks to their ladder frame chassis, they're also some of the most easily customized vehicles on the market. That makes them ideal candidates for all sorts of conversions that both improve on their existing capabilities and transform them altogether.
Stock Land Rovers, although dependable, aren't known for their comfort or speed. It's no surprise then that many modified builds set out to fix those issues. What is surprising is just how much it's possible to modify these off-road stalwarts from their original form. From Defenders with muscle car engines to slammed Series IIs, it seems there's not much builders can't do when modifying their Land Rovers.
10 Old-School Dormobile Overlander
Overland builds are designed to pack everything a driver needs for a remote journey into one vehicle. This Land Rover 110 was originally sold stock in 1984 but was later converted by its owner, who refitted the interior and added a lift kit for extra all-terrain capability.
The roof conversion was taken care of by a motor home specialist, turning this Land Rover from car to camper. It's a great build that takes the essence of what makes the 110 great and upgrades it so it's even more versatile.
9 Defender Sixty8 By Startech
German tuners Startech created the Sixty8 special edition to celebrate sixty-eight years of Land Rover production. The model was released when the original Defender was retired in 2015, and features a host of upgrades over the stock model.
A striking two-tone paint job highlights this Defender's rarity, and the interior is fully transformed with diamond-quilted leather seats. The Sixty8 also uses Startech's 3.1 body kit, designed to resemble the Series III Land Rovers built between 1971 and 1984.
8 Bruce Holder's Hot Rod
This is a build that has offended many a Land Rover purist, but owner Bruce Holder doesn't care. The idea for the project came about when the original builder wanted to make a hot rod, but affordable American vintage cars were impossible to find in the UK.
They decided to make a British take on the hot rod, using parts from a Series I Land Rover. The chassis is actually from an old British Rover sedan, along with some of the underpinnings. The body is cobbled together with parts from various Land Rovers of different ages, combining to make this completely unique beast.
7 Overlander By Heritage Driven
American resto-modders Heritage Driven have worked their magic on a Defender to make a car that both looks great and performs great. They take old cars in need of restoration and meticulously rebuild them, leaving no part unchanged.
Where possible, they like to buy new OEM parts, but when that's not practical they rebuild each part individually. Customers can spec their Defender however they like, with many opting to add lift kits and roof racks to increase the Defender's already excellent off-road capabilities.
6 Kahn Project's Vesuvius
British-based tuning house Khan wasted no time in modifying the new 2020 Defender. Built in collaboration with the Chelsea Truck Company, the idea of the Defender Vesuvius is to add a new layer of customization that factory models can't provide.
As such, Khan lets owners modify any part of their Land Rover, with a particular focus on tweaking the interior exactly to their taste. Company boss Afzal Khan suggests owners could take design inspiration from a treasured item of theirs, such as their "favorite cashmere scarf". As weirdly specific as that is, it gives an idea of the lengths the company will go to to make the perfect Defender for discerning clients.
5 Goblin Works Garage's Slammed Rover
Stars of their eponymous TV show, Goblin Works Garage take all sorts of classic cars and bikes and resto-mod them. One of their most controversial builds is this classic Land Rover that's been slammed and chopped to make something both unique and sacrilegious.
The build has infuriated many Land Rover enthusiasts, who've called it "a waste of a lovely Series II" and even said they'd punch the builders for making it. It's certainly one of the most controversial ways to grab attention at a car show.
4 LS3 Defender By ECD Auto Design
Stock Land Rover Defenders have a reputation as being slow and under-powered, with anemic diesels that take forever to get up to highway speeds. Conversion specialists ECD decided to fix that, and plonked a 424-horse Corvette LS3 engine in instead.
That V8 isn't the only upgrade the Florida-based company has carried out. The interior has been reworked with leather trim everywhere, and a Momo steering wheel has been fitted so the driver can keep a handle on all that power. A winch and roof rack add the finishing touches and make this into one awesome sleeper SUV.
3 Bowler Bulldog
Racing specialists Bowler are best known for taking Land Rovers and converting them into all-out rally raid monsters. The Bulldog is their take on the Defender, sporting a custom chassis made in-house and an FIA-approved roll cage.
Power is supplied by either a petrol or diesel V6 taken from a Range Rover Sport. Most customers opt for the 280hp diesel as it drinks much less fuel, an important consideration for rally raid cars who often drive hundreds of miles between stops. It's still fully road-legal, and Autocar reports that on-road handling is surprisingly good too.
2 Chelsea Truck Company's Flying Huntsman 6x6
The Flying Huntsman 6x6 aims squarely for the G63 AMG 6x6, taking a Defender and adding more wheels and lots more power. The 6x6's engine is a GM-sourced V8, producing 430hp.
The Flying Huntsman's design is handled by Khan, but the truck is built by the Chelsea Truck Company, an outfit with a long-standing reputation for taking off-roaders and giving them a luxury twist. True to form, the 6x6 is also fully upgraded inside, with sports seats and heaps of leather everywhere. A three-inch thick roll bar is also fitted in case of any high-speed mishaps.
1 Cuthbertson Tracked Land Rover
Land Rovers are already famed for their go-anywhere capabilities, but this tracked Series II takes it to a whole new level. The car was built way back in 1958, by a Scottish conversion specialist called James Cuthbertson. As expected from a 1950s tracked vehicle, it's not the fastest of machines.
The Cuthbertson tops out at barely 20 mph, with a custom power steering unit meaning it would be uncontrollable if driven any faster. As mad as it looks, the tracked Series II was built for a very practical reason: it could go absolutely anywhere. The British Army ended up buying several examples to use as land mine clearing vehicles as they were much lighter than a tank. Less than 20 vehicles were built and it's not known how many survive today, but this example sold for just £33,000 ($44,706) at auction in 2017.