Pretoria: Land Rover Classic, the official home of Classic Defender restoration and customisation, is now able to create a Classic Defender V8 to match any colour and trim combination of the latest Defender OCTA – the extreme performance hero of the unstoppable Defender 4×4 family.
Available in 90 / 110 Station Wagon or 90 Soft Top body styles, Defender OCTA inspiration adds five new exterior colours for Classic Defender V8 customisation: OCTA-exclusive Petra Copper, Faroe Green and Sargasso Blue, plus Narvik Black from the tough luxury 4×4 rock star OCTA Black and Patagonia White. Borasco Grey, Carpathian Grey and Charente Grey are already offered on Classic Defender V8.
Each Classic Defender V8 spends around 300 hours in the paint shop, from meticulous preparation to colour matching and final polish. All colours are available in a gloss finish, or a specially developed satin finish to match the sheen of Defender OCTA’s optional Matte Protective Film.
Also for the first time on Classic Defender, new interior choices matching Defender OCTA include lightweight Ultrafabrics™ PU in Khaki Green, Light Cloud and Lunar, alongside Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather. To match Defender OCTA Black, Ebony leather is available too. Clients can choose hand-trimmed heated Recaro sports seats, and work with Land Rover Classic’s design team to faithfully replicate the colour placement on the steering wheel, transmission levers, dashboard, headlining and door trims.
Additional options developed exclusively for the Classic Defender V8 include a gloss black radiator grille mimicking Defender OCTA’s, which maximises the open area for optimum cooling, and Chopped Carbon Fibre bonnet script.
Dominic Elms, Director, Land Rover Classic, said: “Defender OCTA is the most dynamically accomplished and toughest Defender ever made, while the Classic Defender V8 remains hugely characterful and sought after. Ever since Defender OCTA’s launch in 2024 we’ve seen an appetite from our clients wanting to commission a matching Classic Defender V8, which has inspired our Works Bespoke team to work with innovative paint and material technologies to create the ultimate Defender pairing.”
You don’t have to own a Defender OCTA to commission a matching Classic Defender V8. With Land Rover Classic’s Works Bespoke programme, the original manufacturer’s specialist team creates individual vehicles to order. Each one is based on a donor vehicle from 2012-2016, fully restored, re-engineered and upgraded with 298kW 5.0-litre V8 power.
All Classic Defender V8s have an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with sport mode, ensuring epic performance and smooth responses. The driving experience is further enhanced thanks to the specially developed suspension system with custom springs, dampers and anti-roll bars; a revised steering system and uprated brakes with 335mm/300mm discs front/rear and four-piston calipers.
Options include infotainment upgrades, a crystal lighting pack and a choice of five wheel styles in 11 different finishes, including 16-inch and 18-inch versions, as well as adventure-ready accessories and unique personalisation.
Classic Defender V8 pricing starts from £190,000 plus applicable local taxes. Each comes with a one-year, unlimited mileage warranty.
Wrangler Jim
Lebo Gunguluza started his entrepreneurial journey with R60 and a lot of nerve. He managed to secure a bursary, which enabled him to study a BCom degree at the University of Natal. To earn money while he studied he became an agent for Edgars on campus, then went on to work in sales for the SABC. He launched his first business and made his first million by 27 but squandered it and had to work his way back to financial wealth. He launched Corporate Fusion, and at 33 his business was turning over R14 million, but he left it to others to run while he travelled the world, and he soon found himself in R4 million worth of debt. Several years later after paying off his debt, he launched GEM (Gunguluza Enterprises & Media) Group of Companies, which has become a multimillion rand business in it\’s first two-and-a-half years. He went on to become one of the \”dragons\’ on the South African edition of Dragons\’ Den, as well as one of the \”sharks\’ on M-Net\’s Shark Tank.