Land Rover Defender Classic V8 review: more Clarkson’s Farm than Countryfile

Verdict

Providing a definitive verdict on the Defender Classic V8 is almost impossible because it’s either a zero or a five-star car, depending on who the potential user is. Marrying such a charismatic engine to the rather tractor-like Defender might appear unnecessary, but it does go a long way towards making an already charming vehicle even more so. Be that as it may, the Classic V8 is fundamentally a rather primitive-feeling 4x4 that’s a chore to drive and incredibly expensive to buy and run, making it a no-go for the majority of buyers. That said, all of those aspects won’t be a problem for – and could also be the rationale for – wealthier enthusiasts who want to take the plunge.

You've probably heard the term ‘anorak’ to describe the type of person who’d get more than a little irate if you accidentally confuse your British Rail Class 802s with your Azuma Class 800s. Along those same lines (pun not intended), the world’s ‘wax jackets’ got their feathers rather ruffled when Land Rover reinvented the long-running Defender back in 2019 after the future of the old ladder-framed model was in jeopardy due to encroaching safety and emissions regulations.

More than five years on and the new Defender has instead taken on the role of a Chelsea tractor, rather than one you might find traversing muddy fields. With this in mind, many have tried to eke out the lives of their old models, leading to a variety of different restomods being available, aimed at bringing the Defender into the 21st century whilst maintaining its rugged charm.

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But what if you wanted something a little more official? If so, and aimed squarely at the type of farmer likely to be affected the most by the recent agricultural inheritance tax changes, the team at Land Rover Classic Works have just the thing for you: the £228,000 Land Rover Defender Classic V8.

No that’s not a typo; yes, JLR’s Defender restomod costs roughly the same as the average house in Coventry, near where it’s made. However, quarter of a million pounds gets you a lot more than your run-of-the-mill restoration project with a shiny ‘Classic Works’ badge to show off to your mates; the Classic V8 takes things back to the drawing board, while also maintaining almost all of the fundamental elements that give the classic Defender its identity.

First and foremost, let’s clear up exactly what this thing is. So, part with a copious amount of cash and JLR will source you a used Defender 90 or 110 from between 2012 and 2016. Why only this rather specific time period? Apparently these examples are the only ones fitted with both ABS and DSC, which may be handy given what’s lurking under the bonnet.

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The Classic V8 may not be the first Defender to be powered by a V8 – over the years, several iterations of the 3.5-litre Rover V8 were offered, while there’s now the option of the V8 525 and OCTA variants – but it could arguably be the most ludicrous.

Ever ordered something tiny from Amazon, only for it to arrive in the world’s largest cardboard box? Well, Jeff Bezos’ firm could learn a valuable lesson in effective packaging from the team at Classic Works, because the latter has managed to squeeze (and we really do mean ‘squeeze’ if you take time to appreciate the awkward angle at which the engine is mounted) the 5.0-litre V8 from the Jaguar F-Type R under the bonnet. This produces near-as-makes-no-difference 500bhp and catapults the Defender from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds (5.9 seconds for the smaller 90 model).

Thankfully, the folks at Land Rover Classic didn’t just give the rather antiquated Defender an overpowered 21st-century powertrain and call it quits; head of engineering at JLR Classic, David Foster, told Auto Express that the transformation process “really is back to basics. We take a look at every component and try to understand whether it can cope with the power increase.”

With this in mind, JLR’s restomod includes a revised driveline with a more robust four-wheel drive system, Bilstein off-road shock absorbers and disc brakes all-round with four-piston Alcon calipers. The team at JLR Classic even go as far as replacing the car’s entire chassis – although this will be stamped with the car’s original VIN number.

Interestingly, restarting production of an entire chassis wasn't the trickiest hurdle to overcome. “Believe it or not, the biggest challenge was a seatbelt bolt,” laughed Foster. “It’s such a unique size and thread, so you can’t just go and buy it – it was something that was engineered back in period.”

Handily, the team in Coventry have over 1.2 million records on site with their own personal archivist. “We’ll then take a look at [it] and evaluate all the standards and requirements on it,” Foster explained. “We’ve added new elements to it, such as the corrosion protection we’ve learned over the last 70 years of Land Rover.”

Restarting production of several items has other benefits, too; Classic tells us that it can now fulfill requests from Defender owners that were, until now, unable to source official parts. “The beauty of what we’re doing is that we’ve added another 200 parts back into [Defender] stores, and that number is growing and growing,” says Foster.

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Another contemporary addition is the optional Recaro front bucket seats which, while certainly attractive and figure-hugging, are a bit of a juxtaposition for what is otherwise visually a subtle reimagining of the Defender.

This does, however, bring up the topic of customisation, of which prospective Classic V8 buyers largely have free reign. Defender purists might wince at the idea of diamond-cut alloys, but you can choose either black or white steel wheels – not to mention a plethora of modern and heritage colours, grille designs and countless interior upholstery combinations.

Push the button to open the door – the handle itself is milled out of a single piece of aluminium and feels more like an item of jewellery rather than a functional necessity – clamber inside and despite the veil of leather coating almost every surface, classic Defender drivers will instantly feel at home because very little has been tampered with.

Perhaps the most notable change is that the stereo has been replaced by a new unit which, despite its retro styling, boasts modern conveniences like a touchscreen, DAB radio, sat-nav and Bluetooth. Sadly, unlike Porsche’s rival PCCM system, which is offered for classic models, JLR’s se-tup doesn’t get Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – a disappointing omission, in our view.

Insert the key (yes, this quarter-of-a-million-pound bespoke Land Rover doesn’t have a keyless start/stop system) and the Classic V8 thunders into life. Other than the offset pedal box, the first thing you notice is the Defender’s recirculating ball steering system, which has replaced the old roller set-up. This isn’t much consolation, though, because getting out of a parking space or turning a tight corner can be compared to opening or closing a submarine door, requiring several turns of the rather giant wheel to get the car to shift direction. In fact, it’s so unresponsive that we discovered you can jiggle the wheel almost 30 degrees in either direction while on the move without provoking any reaction from the front axle.

That said, and despite the severe lack of refinement – the stiff suspension set-up means any imperfection in the road sends reverberations through the cabin – the Classic V8 is pretty easy to drive once you get going, with the standard-fit ZF gearbox slushing through the gears and saving you from pulling a tendon by replacing the Defender’s old beanpole-like manual shifter. There’s decent progression in the brakes, too, which provide more than sufficient stopping power – a good thing given the oodles of power available under your right foot.

This element is undoubtedly the Classic V8’s main attraction because flooring the throttle feels like cueing up an orchestra hidden in the back seats. The V8 Defender restomod gathers speed at an alarming pace for something with the structural rigidity of a garden shed, all accompanied by a glorious symphony of V8 rasp, made ever-more audible thanks to the distinct lack of sound deadening.

Unlike in the Jaguar F-Type R from which the powertrain hails, the Classic V8’s unit isn’t fitted with a supercharger – although that’s no issue because any more power in a vehicle like this would feel almost reckless. With a huge amount of body sway whenever you throw the Classic Defender into a corner, you’ll quickly recognise that this is a point-and-squirt machine and little else – but a rather intoxicating one at that.

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Defender Classic V8 vs Defender V8 P525

The Classic V8 isn’t the only eight-cylinder Defender that Land Rover offers; the same 5.0-litre unit used in the restomod is also available in the new Defender in the form of the uncreatively named ‘V8’ model.

This gets several upgrades over the standard new Defender – something that some may argue is already a vast upgrade of the old-school Defender – such as tuned suspension, beefier brakes and the addition of a rather exciting-sounding ‘Dynamic’ drive mode.

Yet despite the huge 22-inch wheels, quad exhausts, tinted windows and satin-grey paintwork, the Defender V8 feels more yeoman than yobbo; unlike in other applications, this rendition of the JLR V8 feels somewhat restrained, with no childish crackles or pops from the exhaust, and layers of suede and leather on the interior muting most of the noise.

It’s frightfully fast, though; unlike the Classic V8, the new model is supercharged, with the enormous power on offer (518bhp to be exact) causing the car to squat and lift up at the front whenever you put your foot down. The Defender V8 is no super-SUV like, say, the Lamborghini Urus, but the subtle upgrades do mean it handles a lot better than you might expect, almost bordering on being ‘engaging’.

Consider the fact that the Defender V8 costs half the price of the Classic V8, throw in a plusher interior, far superior tech and, perhaps most importantly, a crumple zone that isn’t your own spine, and choosing the newer option appears a no-brainer on paper. Yet despite wearing the Defender nameplate, the new V8 model can’t come close to the analogue charm of the Classic which is, we suspect, going to be the latter’s biggest selling factor.

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