Words: Andrew Sluys
Published 12 December 2025
Despite ceasing production of the “old shape” Defender in 2017, Land Rover has continued to make money off enthusiasts with its classic programme.
As a sort of in-house restomod system, Land Rover refreshes older Defender with modern parts, and big engines, and sells them at hefty prices.
Land Rover Classic’s latest initiative takes inspiration from the high-flying Defender Octa, where it borrows colours from the modern palette.
Based on Defenders first built between 2012 to 2016, the programme focuses on the 90 or 110 station wagons, and the 90 soft tops.
Colours once reserved for the Octa such as Petra Copper, Faroe Green, Sargasso Blue, and Narvik Black are now available for the classic Defenders.
According to Land Rover Classic, painting these SUVs isn’t a small task, with each vehicle spending at least 300 hours in the paint shop to reach their final point.
Aside from paint, customers can also opt for new wheels, measuring either 16 or 18 inches, and there’s now an option for a carbon fibre accented bonnet.
On the inside, the Defender gets a pair of Recaro seats, and a new infotainment display in the centre of the dash.
Despite sharing shades with the Octa, the BMW-sourced twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 hasn’t carried over into these machines.
Instead, they get JLR’s iconic 5.0-litre supercharged V8 with almost 300kW on tap. Though this isn’t as powerful as the BMW engine, 5.0-litre arguably offers better theatrics and sound.
As for what one of these machines will cost you? For context, a new Defender Octa starts from $314,000 in New Zealand, and this will be a fair bit more.
In the UK, prices start from £190,000 before taxes or on-road costs. This translates to around $440,000 before any conversions are taken into account.
