With the end of classic Land Rover Defender production arriving by January 2016—after more than two million of the go-anywhere icons had been built since 1948—there was a timely and drastic uptake in demand for Solihull’s definitive take on the off-roader. The end had long been nigh for the Defender, as its ageing platform struggled to keep pace with modern safety and emission standards. Shortly after the eventual announcement of the end of production arrived in 2013, demand for the last Defenders reached a fever pitch. Land Rover’s own final Heritage special editions helped fan the flames, with an end-of-an-era ethos trickling down. Land Rover’s Classic department hoped to satisfy demand with its own rebuilt resto-mods, but it wouldn’t have the market all to itself…

Satisfying the same customer demand was famed Yorkshire Land Rover reimaginers, Twisted. Having been in the Defender transformation game since 2000, company founder Charles Fawcett deeply understood the significance of the decision to replace the Defender. Allegedly putting in an order for 240 brand-new Land Rovers in 2015, he secured a healthy stock of delivery-mileage Defenders, upon which his firm could pour its considerable talent for customising. Offering customers a totally customisable take on the classic Land Rover, Twisted builds have significantly overlapped next-generation Defender production.

As of 2012, it began offering GM-sourced LS3 V-8 powered Defenders, and it’s that powerplant—shared with contemporary Corvettes—that powers this Land Rover. The interior plaque states this Twisted creation is number 000654, while an accompanying British Motor Industry Heritage Trust build sheet proclaims this Defender started life as a Keswick Green 110—powered by a humble 2.2-litre diesel engine—on 28 April 2015. The engine was swapped out for the great V-8 and little else remains, so systematic is the Twisted transformation. The cabin soundproofing process alone is claimed to take up to 90 hours (300 for the whole build), perfectly illustrating a level of attention to creature comfort that was a long way from a priority when this most utilitarian of vehicles was first produced.

With a level of performance, ride comfort and interior appointments that put the original Defender to shame, the Twisted take on Land Rover’s finest offers more in almost every measurable way, and yet somehow still stays true to the spirit of the original. With former Twisted customers including ex-Formula 1 driver Max Chilton, its recent expansion into Japan and offering conversions for the Suzuki Jimny, there have been a few twists to the tale, but Twisted’s dedication to the timeless Land Rover Defender seems evergreen.