There’s another gem that needs adding to the list of ‘single sentence horror stories’: “A tuner has revealed a modified version of the new Land Rover Defender 90”. Chilling stuff.
Except, Neils van Roij – the designer behind a lovely two-door Rangie, a sub-zero Rolls Shooting Brake, and a bellissimo Ferrari bread van – is no bard of the macabre. His latest, via Heritage Customs, has been breathlessly described as a “more heroic version of the Defender”.
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It’s been named the ‘Valiance Convertible’, built to each customer’s exacting requirements and a car that undergoes a thorough conversion process. There’s a three-stage workflow that involves an initial digital sketch mapping out the desired specifications, followed by the difficult bit of completely disassembling the donor car, cutting, and then reinforcing everything.
To this skinned and chopped Defender comes the new roof and its corresponding mechanism, followed by a full repaint and reupholster, and then a ‘testing and test mileage’ sign-off. This first car pairs perhaps one of the finest color combinations possible for such a car: green outside, tan (ish) inside, and steel wheels.
No great horror story at all, though the price might scare some: Heritage Customs said the conversion itself – not including the donor car of course – will cost upwards of €85k (about P5.2 million at current exchange rates).
Note: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
