Land Rover Defender makes a final appearance to celebrate marque's 70th anniversary

The iconic, mud-plugging, terrain-conquering Land Rover Defender has come back to life as a limited series Works V8 model to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Land Rover. Limited to just 150 units, the Works V8 Defender pays homage to the 1979 Series III Stage 1 V8. 

The original Defender ceased to exist in 2016. This collector edition Defender is therefore brought back together by Jaguar Land Rover Classic, the arm of JLR that specialises in reworking and restoring classic cars. The Works V8 becomes the most powerful and fastest Defender ever created. Under the hood is a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 producing 400bhp and 515Nm. The phoenix-car can accelerate to 100kmph in 5.6 seconds and onto a top speed of 170kmph.

The re-engineered Defender comes fitted with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with sports mode. The brakes are upgraded along with the handling kit (springs, dampers and anti-roll bars), plus exclusive 18-inch diamond-turned Sawtooth alloy wheels wrapped in 265/65 section all-terrain tyres. There are eight standard body colours in two satin finishes contrasting with a Santorini black roof, wheel arches and front grille. The iconic off-roader is finished with machined aluminium door handles, fuel filler cap and Defender bonnet lettering. The headlamps are upgraded to bi-LED units to keep things more modern. 

The cabin is loaded with full Windsor Leather interior trim covers on the dashboard, door panels, headlining and Recaro sports seats. The SUV also comes fitted with Land Rover Classic’s own Classic Infotainment System. The Works V8 Defender can be had in two wheelbase – 90 and 110. 

The prices start at £150,000 (approx. Rs 1.32 crores) for the 90 variant in the UK. It will be available to purchase directly from the Land Rover Classic. A select number of upgrades inspired by the Defender Works V8 will also be available to purchase soon from Land Rover Classic, including power upgrades for the TDCi diesel engine, high-performance suspension and braking kits.