Jaguar Land Rover Classic is the heritage branch of JLR and are responsible for looking after their vast fleet of Heritage vehicles from rare editions to recent prototypes and all in between. More recently, they have been producing the last 6 Continuation D-Type Jaguars and amazing they do look; however, it is the green oval side of the business that we will focus on today.

Above – One of the very first Series 1 Land Rovers to undergo the Reborn program.

The vehicles would be stripped, inspected and as many of the original parts would be used albeit restored. When this was not possible, new parts made to the original specification would be used. Having access to all the original drawings and data gave the team an advantage over other restoration companies as they were the only ones who could truly claim original factory specification. These proved popular with collectors and a few years later Classic announced they were undertaking the same process but for early 2-door Range Rovers.

Above – An example of the Range Rover rebuilds done by Classic works.

In 2018, Land Rovers 70^th anniversary was upon us and the Classic team had a couple of ways to help celebrate this fact. Firstly, was a very special rebuild. Pre-Production Land Rover no 7 (L07) was one of the three Land Rovers on the exhibition stand at Amsterdam when the Land Rover was introduced to the world on 30^th April 1948. It was used until the 1960’s when it was then stored in a barn in Wales. Around twenty years later it was bought as a restoration project and brought back to Solihull, well a house 3 miles away.

Above – L07 is now on display at the Coventry classic works

The second part was similar to the original Reborn premise. Land Rover selected 150 late model Defenders (2012 to 2016) and bought them back. They would then be completely stripped, fitted with the JLR 5 litre V8 engine producing 405 PS and 515 Nm of Torque and mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The two speed transfer box remained which feed the immense power through a torque-biasing centre different to the 4 pinion heavy duty differentials front and rear in each axle. Up to 90% of the power could be sent to either the front or the rear axle as the situation demanded. The suspension was enhanced with larger springs, dampers and anti-roll bars and the brakes upgraded with larger discs and 4 pot calipers. Performance was brisk, with (For the Defender 90 at least) a 0 to 60 time of 5.6 Seconds and a limited top speed of 106 mph.  Starting at £150,000 you could select either a 90 or 110 wheelbase.

Above – Original Works V8 spotted at the 75th Celebration Weekend with the Series 1 club.

 The interior of the vehicle was tastefully trimmed with Windsor Leather which adorned not only the seats (made by Recaro), but the dashboard, door panels and roof lining. Exterior wise the Defender looked the part. A wider stance, all terrain tyres and all new 18” Sawtooth alloy wheels gave the Land Rover a certain road presence, and the contrast gill and wheel arches finished in black complimented the wide array of exterior colours available (including satin finishes). Defender badges would adorn the bonnet and, on the wings, a special Works V8 badge was placed

Above – Although it doesn’t feature the V8 of the Works Trophy’s, this HCPU was used as a support vehicle on the launch event and features many of the modifications available to all Defender owners from Land Rover Classic.

It was a hit, and very quickly all 150 examples were snapped up by eager buyers. So, what next? Well, the Camel Trophy was a strong part of Land Rovers heritage so why not expand on this? In February 2021 the Land Rover Defender Works V8 Trophy was announced. With similar underpinnings to the Works V8, the Trophy was a different flavour. Each would be finished in a unique Eastnor yellow paint, similar in look to the original Camel Trophy sand colour and the bling alloy wheels were replaced by colour matched 16” steel items. Large decals on the front doors stated Land Rover Trophy, and down the wings were a list of sponsors such as Elliot Brown, Fat Face and Musso. Like the Works V8 the Trophy was available as either a 90 or 110 wheelbase. The yellow paint was contrasted by black which was used on bonnet and rear door, as well as grill and wheel arches.  Being more off road focused, the Trophy came with a number of additional features. Up front came a winch and a-bar and wrapped around those 16” steel wheel were full on mud terrain tyres. Protection came from underbody plating and a multi-point external roll cage fitted with 4 off spotlights. Finishing off the explorer look was a raised air intake and roof rack.

Above – Cleary inspired by the Camel Trophy Land Rovers the Trophy looked amazing and sounded even better.

But just owning the vehicle wasn’t enough. All the lucky 25 new owners were invited to take part in their own 3-day adventure at Eastnor Castle. This would be where the vehicles would be handed over and the owners would get behind the wheel for the very first time. After attaching personalised names and country stickers to the Land Rover, they would then undertake a series of tasks designed to challenge both driver and vehicle alike.

With the words, why change a winning formula soundly ringing in their ears, in July 2022 Land Rover Classic introduced the Trophy II. Again, limited to just 25 examples across the 90 and 110 wheelbases, it was announced that double cabs would be converted too. These would be limited to only 5 examples, however. Whilst similar in specification and equipment to the original Trophy, the Trophy II had a unique exterior and had replaced the steel wheels with 18” Black Sawtooth alloys.  At first glance, you would be forgiven to think it was just an artic camouflage, but on closer inspection you would see it was much more. Hidden within the design were 23 different locations that have all been part of Land Rovers rich heritage. Also included were silhouettes of the Series and Defender Land Rovers as well. As with the original Trophy, the new owners were invited to a 3-day adventure where they could get a know their vehicles in a competitive environment.

Above – The Trophy II looked street cool with its urban / artic inspired wrap.

Inspiration for the next V8 special came from within Land Rovers history, in the shape of Spencer Wilks own 1965 Series 2a and the Island of Islay, where legend has it the name Land Rover was first used when describing a Rover car which had been lifted to cope with the terrain. Each Islay would feature a grey body work, similar to that of the original Series 2a. Steel wheels would give the Land Rover a traditional exterior look and the interior was lined with leather and tweed. A nice touch for the Islay was the central chubby box with came with a removable wooden tray. Hand made from an old oak whisky barrel, from a local Islay distillery and also featuring Walnut it was a unique feature and highly desirable. Oh, did I mention the “639” limited edition Whiskey that was produced and presented to each owner? Just 30 Islay editions were made (17 off 90 Station Wagons and 13 off 110 Station Wagons), and each featured a copy of Spencer’s registration plate “GXC639C” on the front wings.

Above – If you look closely you can see the replica number plate on the front wing of this Islay edition.

More recently, Land Rover works has introduced Bespoke builds. Instead of offering factory limited editions, buyers can now specify their own V8 Defender to suit their needs. Not so long ago I was able to visit the workshops in Coventry, and what an amazing place it is. After the initial excitement of the show room, I entered the hub of the operation and was taken back by how many V8 Defenders were being built. There is no production line as such, each vehicle is hand built by craftsman. Starting with a brand-new chassis, the huge power train and transmission are fitted. The beefy suspension and huge brakes are clearly visible when the Land Rover is still in its rolling chassis stage. The body is fitted, I saw 90’s and 110’s, station wagons and soft tops, and then the Defender goes to trim. The staff I talked too were so enthusiastic about working there and you could see the passion for the brand in their eyes. One young female apprentice told us she was so excited about being able to look at the original files and specifications.

Above – Initially this Defender looked ordinary against some of the more exotic vehicles, but the Works V8 badge on the wing and the grill under the headlights tell a different story. The interior was clearly a test bed so it is my belief that this is the prototype V8 Works Defender.

Round the back is where the heritage collection is located. Double height racks are filled with a bewildering array of Land Rovers and Jaguars, and I literally spent hours looks at what was on show. In my opinion this is the place where the most desirable Land Rovers come (back) to life, not Solihull. If my numbers ever come up, I know the first place I would go for my next Land Rover.