The heart of a brutal American sports car lies beneath the famous bonnet of this classic Land Rover Defender 110. It’s no backyard job, but part of a nut and bolt transformation by Connecticut-based Land Rover obsessives Blackbridge. The power plant concerned is a General Motors V8, as fitted to the Chevrolet Corvette and in this guise producing a barely believable 650 bhp, a whole 600 bhp more than the 50 bhp available to the original Land Rover when introduced in 1948. You’ll be able to give a few farmers quite the scare.
Wait until they put down the hay bale and take a look around your new ride. Blackbridge say that every Defender 110 they release is “re-engineered, not restored”, so while this classic Defender 110 looks the part of the original machine that transformed what a domestic off-roader could do, very little bar the outer panels remain of the donor vehicle. Interior fabric choice on this remade Defender 110 is classy plaid, upholstering two captain’s chairs up front and two behind. If comfort was never a Defender 110 strong point, it very much is here. There are even cup holders.
Attention to detail on this American take on a classic Land Rover Defender 110 Mark II is everywhere. You’ll steer your Blackbridge classic Defender 110 with a wood-rimmed steering wheel, more usually found on Italian thoroughbred sports cars. Original Defender 110 dashboard has been remade and reimagined. Leather with a doeskin finish tops the dash. Instruments are labelled “Blackridge” just to underline the point that this is effectively a new car. Side steps fold down with the help of electric power. But of course.
Four inward-facing jump seats in that same plaid fabric occupy the rear load bay, under the traditional fabric roof, removable to view the giraffes better on your next safari. These custom vehicles are unlikely to see much off-road work, but they’re of course Land Rovers so your bespoke Defender 110 is ready, if you are. Fold up the jump seats and you could easily be joined by a sheep or three, ready to enjoy the high-end sound system.
Like this bespoke American take on the British classic? Blackbridge Motors are more than happy to build one to your custom specifications. You’ll need at least £200,000, but then automotive art doesn’t come cheap. Particularly when you’ll be able to drive it anywhere in any conditions with the confidence that you have all the power of a Corvette to get you out of trouble. Or quite possibly into a speeding fine. We’ll leave you to handle that.
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