Land Rover Defender: the British classic that refuses to die

The Land Rover Defender shows no sign of disappearing, says Graham Scott on iNews. Despite halting production two years ago, Jaguar Land Rover has since announced that it plans to launch a next-generation model in a few years' time. In the meantime, dedicated Defender fans can turn to Yorkshire-based Twisted, a company that bought up 240 vehicles before production ceased, and now customises them.

The Defender gets "turned into all manner of specials, twisted out of its original utilitarian roots so far, it's practically a new species", says Scott. The 110 T40, for instance, has "had some serious work done". On the road you can tell instantly as you can "actually have a conversation, thanks to a lot of very effective sound-deadening". The suspension package allows you to tackle B-roads without the fear you're going to topple over, but it is when the Twisted gets on the "off-road stuff" that it shows its colours with a "real sleeves-rolled-up air".

With the Classic range, exterior tweaks are minimal, and would be "invisible to the uninitiated": Twisted has spent most of the time on stuff you can't see, but that you can really feel while driving, says Spencer Hart on T3. This doesn't exactly turn it into a Range Rover Sport, but it does make it much more pleasant to drive on the road.

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For those concerned about appearing unfaithful to the original, there's no need to worry. Twisted pays "homage to the legend... while improving its overall function", says Hart. Indeed, the Classic remains "true to the concept of the original", agrees Jeremy Taylor in The Daily Telegraph. It has merely been reworked to show off even more of its talent. This is a Defender that's "actually fun to drive on-road".

Custom builds range from £75,000 to £200,000. See TwistedAutomotive.com/current-stock, or telephone 01845-574990.