LAND ROVER CLASSIC Introduces the CLASSIC DEFENDER WORKS V8 ISLAY EDITION

THE CLASSIC DEFENDER WORKS V8 ISLAY EDITION IS THE FIRST LAND ROVER CLASSIC HERITAGE WORKS V8 SPECIAL EDITION, INSPIRED BY SPENCER WILKS’ 1965 PERSONAL CAR

The new Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition, presented by Land Rover Classic in a special livery, is the first limited edition Works V8 inspired by tradition.

• The Islay Edition is inspired by a specific example, the 1965 Land Rover Series IIa of Spencer Wilks, managing director of the Rover Car Company and one of the founders of Land Rover, and on the other hand everything that is the charm of the Scottish island of Islay.

• When the Land Rover was designed, Wilks carried out trials on his Laggan estate, located on the island of Islay in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. This is where the name Land Rover came from.

• This exclusive edition is inspired by Spencer Wilks’ 1965 Series IIa, featuring the Heritage Gray body color, a Limestone colored roof and matching steel wheels.

• The custom interior enhances its leather with unique touches of Islay Woolen Mill tweed, chosen specifically for the Defender Islay Edition.

• A specially designed central compartment features a removable tray whose wood is a blend of walnut and oak from whiskey barrels from the award-winning Kilchoman Distillery in Islay.

• The Defender Islay Edition will be available with Station Wagon bodies, in 90 and 110 versions, with only 30 units produced.

• For more information: www.landrover.com/classic, or +44 (0) 2476 566 600.

Land Rover Classic has lifted the veil on the special edition Defender inspired by the heritage of the Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition. This inspiration celebrates both the remarkable personality of Spencer Wilks, Managing Director of the Rover Car Company and one of the founders of Land Rover, and the Isle of Islay, Scotland, where the Land Rover name saw the light of day. day, two pillars of the Defender’s heritage.

The Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition is inspired by a Land Rover Series IIa owned and used by Spencer Wilks – now in the Land Rover Classic collection – and the Hebridean island where he holidayed.

Wilks’ estate on Islay, Laggan, was used to test early prototypes. In 1947, while driving his modified Rover across the rugged landscape, the estate’s gamekeeper remarked that it must be a “Land Rover”, and the name stuck.

Based on the same technical specifications as the Classic Defender Works V8, the Islay Edition is powered by a 405 horsepower 5.0-liter V8 gasoline engine mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Each is fully restored, redesigned and upgraded, using donor vehicles produced between 2012 and 2016. Each carefully designed and hand-assembled vehicle represents a unique proposition for discerning customers seeking a collectible, completely redesigned classic Defender, and emanating directly from the manufacturer.

The Works V8 Islay Edition will be limited to 30 examples, all Station Wagons, 17 on a 90 short wheelbase version and 13 in the 110 seven-seater version.

In 2023, we celebrate 75 years of Land Rover. Spencer Wilks and the Isle of Islay are an important part of our history. The Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition is the right way for us to celebrate this historic anniversary. It refers to a special vehicle in our collection, the superb Series IIa which belonged to Spencer Wilks, and draws its inspiration from typical Islay products. Authenticity, modern engineering and the careful execution of our skilled engineers and technicians make this limited edition Classic Defender a truly special vehicle for the discerning customer seeking the ultimate spirit of Land Rover heritage.

Paul Barritt

Director, Land Rover Classic

A timeless silhouette

The Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition is finished in Heritage Gray – inspired by the medium gray paint of Wilks’ authentic car – with a contrasting roof and sturdy steel wheels finished in Limestone. The arches also receive a Heritage Gray finish for an even more refined exterior appearance.

Land Rover’s traditional logos and badges are painted in body color and there is a classic-style grille, taken from the recently released Defender Heritage Limited Edition, while the rear wheel mud flaps are also embossed with the brand’s iconic logo.

Specific to the Works V8 Islay Edition, a side design bears the inscription “GXC 639 C” – the Wilks Series IIa registration – which completes the subtle link between this latest themed version of the Classic Defender and the vehicle which ‘has inspired.

As with previous editions of the Defender Works V8, the Islay Edition features modern upgrades, including LED headlights for improved visibility. Less visible, other technical improvements extend to comprehensive updates, including superior suspension and brake systems, designed for improved performance and dynamism on the road.

An authentic interior

It is in the cabin of the Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition that the vehicle’s connection to the Isle of Islay and the origins of Land Rover (including the genesis of the Land Rover name), finds its full expression, with carefully considered touches and incredible attention to detail.

Luxurious Land Rover Windsor Ebony leather covers the Defender’s premium seats, as well as the side trim, door trim, headliner and dashboard. A splash of color to match the bodywork surrounds the center console and the infotainment system, the latter integrating modern features such as satellite navigation, DAB radio and Bluetooth into an original dashboard. This same body color, Heritage Gray, surrounds the trigger lever that controls the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.

Next to this lever, an engraved plaque tells how the name Land Rover came to be, when Ian Duncan, the gamekeeper of the Laggan estate on Islay, is said to have told Wilks – who was testing the modified Rover that would become the Series I – that he was driving the new Rover ‘Land’. Another addition, the traditional Land Rover logo is engraved on the steering wheel and headrests. In addition, all floor mats are carpeted. An extra touch of luxury, very exceptional for a Classic Defender.

Allusions to the Isle of Islay can be read in many thoughtful details found throughout the cabin. The seat shoulders, map pockets in the doors, the central armrest cover and the detail hidden behind the sun visor are all finished in a specially chosen tactile tweed, produced by Islay wool, which establishes a unique link with the place and recalls the place the island holds in the history of the Defender.

The tweed pattern highlights a tone that echoes the local landscape. Land Rover Classic has chosen colors that represent the region, blue for the sea and sky of Islay, purple in reference to the local heather, as well as a subtle yellow chosen to evoke the bog landscape. This special fabric also appears on a unique pocket in the central compartment, storage for small items like a smartphone.

The central storage space has a specific detail that reinforces the link with the Island of Islay. Its removable tray, with leather tabs, is made from the same oak as the whiskey barrels from the local, award-winning Kilchoman Distillery.

Each of these trays features a 110mm disc, an exact replica of the bottom of a whiskey barrel. It is made from a piece of wood marked with authentic stenciled lettering, making each vehicle unique. The disc constitutes the top, a veneer of American walnut wood complementing the oak of the barrel, beautiful dovetail assemblies demonstrating the delicacy of finish. The frame displays the distillery and mill in the same stenciled font, just like a real whiskey barrel – and it includes the official Land Rover 75th anniversary logo. The base of each cup holder is also made from this whiskey barrel wood.

Kilchoman is related through family to Spencer Wilks, whose great-granddaughter Kathy Wilks founded the distillery with her husband, Anthony, in 2005. Here is an authentic connection between the heritage of the original vehicle, the beautiful namesake island and the unique features of the Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition. Additionally, a limited edition vintage of whiskey ‘639’ is being produced in honor of the Defender Islay, and each owner will receive a bottle to complete the collectible aspect of their Defender.

Oak detailing extends to the rear loadspace floor and its beautiful, durable finish meets the same exacting standards of quality and engineering as those implemented on the most recently produced Range Rovers. In the center of the dashboard, the clock also has the same wood grain as the other elements.

Technical characteristics

The Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition uses the same technical basis as the Classic Defender Works V8. Each vehicle is a painstakingly restored and rebuilt classic Defender that has been carefully chosen by Land Rover Classic specialists.

On donor vehicles, produced between 2012 and 2016, Land Rover Classic installs a modern naturally aspirated V8 with a displacement of 5.0 liters with its eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Developing 405 horsepower and 515 Nm of torque, it delivers its performance effortlessly.

The Islay Edition – like the Works V8 – accelerates from 0 to 96 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in 5.6 seconds, while its top speed is 171 km/h. Each example, specially selected and recast, receives the Defender suspension upgrade kit, that is to say a suspension specifically designed to improve comfort and dynamism on the road, with springs and shock absorbers calibrated amended. Also included is an on-road performance upgrade kit: it includes upgraded Works V8 brake rotors, pads and calipers for increased stopping power.

The Defender Islay Edition starts at £230,000 for the 90, £245,000 for the 110.