Land Rover Classic Defender V8 Review: A Love Letter To An Icon, With A Tear-Jerking Price

We’re in an era where you’re seemingly never more than three clicks away on the internet from reading about some kind of new restomod. It seems pretty much anyone with funds for a warehouse and some stamping tools is having a crack at turning beloved classics (and some less so) into modernised vehicles for better or worse, and usually commanding some extortionate fee in the process.

It’s a wonder, really, that very few OEMs have decided to dip their toes into the market. In many instances, it’s probably a case of not wanting to detract from existing products, possibly a slight fear of putting out a ‘new’ old car if something goes horribly wrong or most likely, there’s just not enough of a return on investment.

If any of those are accurate, it’s clearly something JLR isn’t bothered by. Rather than letting sheds in Oxfordshire take that business, it's trying its own hand at restomodding.

Truthfully, they have for a while. JLR’s Classic Works division has been producing continuations and modernised versions of classic models since 2016, and naturally, Defenders have been a part of that. That started in 2018 with a small production run of Works V8 Defenders, a heavy re-engineering of the 4x4 with a £150,000 asking price at the time.

That seemed a mad price then and still a little bit now, but then you look at what the likes of Twisted are doing, and there’s clearly a market for modernised Defenders with comfortable six-figure price tags. JLR knows that as well as any of us, as shown by producing 25 ‘Trophy’ examples in 2022. This time, it’s now gone for a bigger slice of the pie.

Meet this, the Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke to give you its full name. For the sake of not tiring my fingers out typing it, I’ll keep it to Works V8 from here on.

So, what makes this any different from before? Unlike those previous production runs, which had mostly set specs and a numbered production run, this one is built on a case-by-case basis. If you can imagine it, Land Rover will build it.

Provided of course that imagination involves a Defender 90 or 110 built between 2012-2016, and involves a V8.

Under the skin, each is an already-registered Defender (in order to keep the VIN) stripped back to its chassis. It’s then modified to accommodate a 5.0-litre, 399bhp V8 and a new ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox as seen in modern JLR stuff, before being rebuilt from the ground up with modernised components.

New springs and roll bars come from Eibach to remove some of the inherent wobbliness of the Defender, dampers from Bilstein to improve ride comfort and a set of massive Alcon brakes to make sure it stops within a reasonable distance for a car on the market in 2024.

From there, it’s pretty much the customer’s choice. Want something to look like an old-school farm cart, match your on-order Defender Octa or a blacked-out monstrosity? Whatever your heart desires. 

That doesn’t just go for the exterior, either. Classic Works offers a selection of pre-set materials and colours for the upholstery but will make pretty much anything you want if you ask. Oh, and you can even have Recaro bucket seats – take that, Ineos.

If you want my advice, go for something along the lines of the absolutely delightful 110 as driven and shown in the pictures here. Even if only for the spot lamps.

It still retains the usual Defender-ness inside though, in case you were worried (or were hoping) for something more up-to-date. There is a touchscreen, but it’s so small it’s basically useless, and an out-of-place gear selector as seen in the new Defender, but otherwise the functional stuff remains untouched.

That does mean the V8 Works has all the foibles of the original. There’s still no real room to adjust the driving position, the side mirrors are adjustable in the sense of ‘use your hands to physically move them’ and there’s some kind of mechanism in the rear row that requires you to rotate a handle to roll the windows down? Bonkers…

In reality, that’s all likely part of the charm for would-be owners. They’ll also be delighted to know that, despite the mechanical changes, it still drives like a Defender.

Sure, it’s probably the most comfortable and stable one ever built but there’s still the inherent feeling that any hard cornering will see the roof suddenly facing the road and absolutely zero sense that the steering wheel is connected to the front axle. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to take it off-road – but expect it to still be pretty handy at that.

That new engine and gearbox combination is a wonderful addition though. It’s not fast, nor would you really want it to be, but power is plentiful and delivered smoothly – all whilst delivering an utterly unhinged and glorious soundtrack. PPF? What PPF? Although I do have to shake my head at a 4000rpm soft limiter if you’re revving it while stationary.

Is it archaic, outdated and a bit rough by modern standards? Yes. Does that matter? Not really. This is a plaything for the rich, and as something to just simply enjoy and put a smile on your face and those around you, the V8 Works absolutely ticks the box.

You do have to be rich though. I’ve been saving the killer blow for the last because, while I want to utterly love the V8 Works, it’s subjectively hard to give this a five-star seal of approval knowing how much you need to pay. This one as specced is £257,070. Yes, a quarter of a million. Expect something in that ballpark no matter how you option it.

That will buy you pretty much anything the aftermarket is offering for a similar experience, or several untouched, original Defenders.

You really, really have to want the JLR Classic Works connection to spend this kind of money or have enough of it to not care. If that’s you, though, you have my applause.