It’s one of the most iconic vehicles of many a motoring generation, but when Land Rover called a halt to production of the famous Defender in early 2016, it was the end of a very long and successful era.
But fans of the all-terrain vehicle can come out of mourning as a Polish company based in Krakow has refused to give up on the traditional Defender marque and is producing ‘new build’ Pickups from their ‘Defender Factory’ project.
“This is not an ordinary post-renovation Defender” - says Piotr Kowal, head of Land Serwis, the company reviving the classic. “Our intention was to build the car from scratch using new, tuned or used parts, but all subjected to comprehensive refurbishment. The result is a car that, with its equipment and capabilities, leaves new factory version models standing. This particular vehicle is the demonstrator of our capabilities. Our ambition is to build new Defenders working together with the client and with a full understanding of their needs, which are sometimes very specific, right from the building of the chassis. Our advantage is that we are also manufacturers of Defender chassis (as one of four companies in the world and the only one outside of Great Britain ). This distinguishes us from other companies in the world repairing Defenders.”
Land Serwis will restore old Defenders or build a new one from scratch using the company’s large store of parts, and the flexibility of Defender design allows for a whole range of individually specced modifications. Based on the 2010 Defender model, it will come with a 2.4 litre V-6 Puma engine.
Land Rover are due to reveal their brand new Defender towards the end of 2019, though it is expected to look markedly different from the original design.