South Carolina-based Himalaya produces two types of restored Land Rover Defenders. There are the “Defender by Himalaya” vehicles, which are basic, faithfully restored Land Rover Defenders from the 1980s and 1990s. But the company also produces reimagined Defenders, sort of like what Singer does for Porsche 911s — cars for folks who like the appearance of a vintage Landie, but could do without the dated British quirkiness.
Himalaya’s exquisite new Defender 110 Crew Cab build is the latter sort of Defender. It looks like the classic Defender to the casual observer; beneath the skin, however, it’s the ultimate luxury truck.
Forget the pokey British-sourced diesel engine: the Crew Cab build swaps in a GM-sourced LS3 V8, giving it a rock-solid 525 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. That pairs with a GM six-speed automatic transmission. The Crew Cab also has modern suspension, brakes, fuel and air conditioning systems; the wiring has been reconditioned, as well.
The interior has luxury SUV-level soundproofing, for added comfort. Additional fancy features include an Alpine touchscreen, a Momo leather steering wheel and custom black diamond-stitched leather seats with added room compared with the original units.
If you think this sounds like an expensive item, you would be correct — and that’s even for the restored/modified Land Rover Defender world. The Himalaya Defender Crew Cab build costs $250,000. The engine and transmission come with a two-year/24,000-mile warranty.
While the price is steep, you can justify it…sort of. A new Defender pickup, after all, is extremely unlikely; nwer production-spec Defender 110 pickups are likely to still command a pretty price, and that’s with all those original bits and pieces.
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