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Arkonik upgrade gives old Land Rover Defenders a 430hp V8

Land Rover lovers unconvinced by the exterior frills and fripperies of the new-style Defender can now have all the mod cons, and a V8 engine, shoehorned into an old model’s boxy frame.

The service is offered by Arkonik, a Somerset-based company that painstakingly re-engineers veteran vehicles by restoring or replacing almost every component until they’re in better-than-new condition.

It also has an almost endless list of customisation options, from touchscreen infotainment to tweed-lined trim, electric windows and heated seats.

There’s a catch, though. The best of this luxury is rather expensive, and the vehicle we tried would set you back a staggering £180,000. 

That’s partly due to its specification, which includes a 6.2-litre Chevrolet LS3 V8 producing 430bhp – more than six times the power of the 2.5-litre diesel engine found in many of this car’s contemporaries. 

Hacking out some of the particularly pricey extras can bring that down to £110,000, which includes the cost of an Arkonik-sourced donor.

The company is also looking at the prospect of offering a conversion service for existing Defender owners which could, mercifully, bring the price within five figures.

But can a 30-year old Defender really be worth more than a brand new Aston Martin? In purely rational terms, the answer is probably no.

However, it’s the work that goes into restoring and customising these cars, rather than the modern equipment additions, that has apparently made them so alluring. 

Arkonik Defender spec at tested

  • Engine 6.2-litre V8 petrol
  • Transmission six-speed automatic with manual mode
  • Power 430bhp@5,900rpm
  • Torque 576Nm@4,600rpm
  • Top speed 120mph
  • 0-60mph 6sec (est)
  • Consumption 16mpg
  • Minimum underbody ground clearance, unladen 314mm
  • Axle ground clearance 250mm
  • Maximum wading depth 500mm
  • Kerb weight 2,125kg
  • Payload 925kg (seven-seat CSW)
  • Towing capacity 3,500kg
  • Price (as tested) £180,000
  • Base price from £110,000 (based on Defender 90 200 Tdi, including donor vehicle)
  • Warranty 12 months (vehicle) 24 months (engine and transmission)

The rebuild

“Each car is stripped completely and given a nut and bolt rebuild. It’s an overused term, but they really are better than new,” says Arkonik brand manager, Andy Stacey.

Many are destined for North America, where the vehicles must be at least 25 years old and fitted with their original chassis and engine to comply with import regulations.

However, for UK customers there’s the option of starting from a brand-new chassis.

In either case, the roof, bulkhead, seat boxes and rear tub are replaced with new versions fabricated on-site.

The remaining panels are removed and sanded back to bare metal before they are prepared, primed, baked and inspected. Each one is then refitted by hand to ensure perfect alignment.

“Over the years we’ve identified areas that are weaknesses of the original builds,” says Mr Stacey. “For instance, water ingress is a big issue on the Defender, so we seal off the vents on the new bulkheads and put membranes in the door skins. All our vehicles are pressure tested once they’re assembled.”

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Most are sold with the original Land Rover engines to comply with the US import regulations. These tend to be the 200 Tdi and 300 Tdi diesel engines or the 3.5-litre Rover V8 (all subject to a complete rebuild before installation).

The Chevrolet LS3 is an aftermarket conversion at Arkonik’s US facility in Charleston, South Carolina. This is a popular option in the States, accounting for around 60% of sales, but the company is now offering the LS3 conversion in the UK, too.

On the road

Our test car, a 1984 Land Rover 110 County Station Wagon, belongs to Arkonik’s founder, Andy Hayes. Rebuilt last year, it was originally intended as a tribute to the first car he restored in 2006.

But as the build progressed it evolved into a showcase for the company’s capabilities, complete with a digital dashboard, a touchscreen infotainment system and electrically retractable side steps.

“The initial idea was simply to recreate Andy’s original car, so we were going to stick with the Rover V8, but upgrade it to a 4-litre unit from a Range Rover,” says Mr Stacey.

“We actually had the engine in the workshop ready to fit, but we were getting more enquiries about LS swaps, so we decided to build it as our first right-hand drive LS-powered example.”

The big V8 has a creamy burble at low speeds that could almost be mistaken for the original Rover engine. It’s more than happy to potter around gently, allowing the six-speed automatic gearbox to shuffle its ratios discreetly in the background.

Put your foot down, though, and it turns into a very different animal, with a fantastically raucous soundtrack and a level of performance that’s totally at odds with this car’s relatively standard appearance.

Arkonik estimates the 0 to 60mph time at around six seconds. If anything, that feels a tad conservative.

Fortunately, the company has worked its magic on the chassis as well. Firmer suspension, an upgraded steering damper, poly bushes all-round and a slight reduction in ride height help to significantly tighten up the handling.

Even at low speeds, the extra precision is immediately apparent, as is the calmer ride. Aside from the fractionally lower ride height – offset by the new 18-inch wheels, in this instance – the off-road performance should remain unchanged.

For all these improvements, though, it still feels like driving a classic Land Rover. Arkonik uses the original steering box (along with the almost comically large steering wheel) which means that the boat-like turning circle remains.

Likewise, the upgraded brakes – 330mm Tarox discs all-round, gripped by six-piston calipers – provide plentiful stopping power, but the pedal still needs a good shove. Overall, it feels like a good balance between modernisation and authenticity.

Interior upgrade

The same applies to the interior. Every Arkonik build gets a custom wiring loom and complete re-trim, including new seat coverings, carpets and headlining. The leather and tweed upholstery feel suitably expensive and look in keeping with the traditional design.

Even the touchscreen infotainment system blends in well with the original centre console, although it can be a little fiddly to operate. Other refinements include LED headlights, a reversing camera and a heated front screen.

Of course, you’d get all of these features and far more if you had the financial firepower to spend £180,000 on a mainstream luxury car.

It certainly won’t be for everyone, but if you’re looking for the ultimate classic Land Rover experience, this might just be it.

Back to its roots

Based in the heart of Somerset, Arkonik is a rural business with a truly international reach. It employs more than 70 people locally and exports up to 100 vehicles a year.

The company’s roots stretch back to 2006, when founder Andy Hayes was laid up for two months following a motorcycle accident. His wife bought him a 1984 Land Rover Defender 110 County Station Wagon to restore once he left hospital.

When the time came to sell the car, Andy was struck by the level of interest that it generated, so he set up what is now Arkonik (originally called Land Rovers UK) in a small industrial unit in Midsomer Norton. The business grew rapidly and moved to its present home near Mells in 2010.

Over the years, the company’s work has evolved from mild restorations into nut and bolt rebuilds, with a comprehensive tailoring service that allows customers to build their dream Defender.

Initially, most of the cars were sold in the UK, but following the global financial crisis of 2011, Mr Hayes and his colleagues began to focus on exports. In particular, North America proved to be a key market, and it’s here that a majority of Arkonik’s projects now end up, with left-hand drive donors sourced from Europe.

The brand returned to the UK market in 2020 with the unveiling of its first Chevvy V8-powered version at this year’s Autosport Show.

Article Credit: Chris Pickering
Photo Credits: James Cheadle
Full Article: https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/4x4s/arkonik-upgrade-gives-old-land-rover-defenders-a-430hp-v8

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Renders Reveal All-New Land Rover Defender Mods By Startech

Startech is no stranger to modifying various Land Rover products, such as the Velar or the Discovery to name a few. The tuner also came out with mods for the original Defender, so it was only a matter of time before they got their hands on the all-new model.

Even though they don’t have an official car to unveil, Startech released these computer generated renders depicting a sportier-looking Defender with a wide-body kit for improved road presence.

Aside from the larger fenders, other new exterior bits include the custom radiator grille, front fascia vertical elements, air intakes for the hood, roof element and a rear roof spoiler.

The end result is a Defender with a considerably more aggressive stance, especially if you also opt for the 23-inch Monostar E wheels, which are the largest ones available through Startech. You can also get 20-inch as well as 22-inch custom wheels, with colors ranging from silver to black and of course, dual-tone black/silver.

As for the interior, no images were provided, but there will be an available set of aluminum pedal pads, as well as a custom aluminum footrest featuring the Startech logo.

Now, if what you see here still isn’t good enough for you, then allow us to remind you what Lumma Design can do for the new Defender, courtesy of its CLR LD mod. That one even features a bespoke hood with a large power dome, as well as flared front and rear wheel arches that increase overall width by roughly 1.57 inches (40 mm).

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Article Credit: Sergiu Tudose
Full Article: https://www.carscoops.com/2020/11/renders-reveal-all-new-land-rover-defender-mods-by-startech/

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Menacing All-Black Land Rover Defender Has Matching Hybrid Forged Vossen Wheels

The all-new Land Rover Defender, the modern L663 series, arrived last year following a rather lengthy hiatus between its production start and the final build of the original. It was probably Land Rover’s way of making sure fans were being trialed and tested in terms of patience. Now that it’s finally out and about, personalization is the way to go forward if one aims to stand out in a crowd.

A British model that was renowned for its ruggedness above everything else, the Land Rover Defender is now ready to explore uncharted territory. That’s because the all-new reincarnation is adhering to the standard SUV principles rather than being an uncompromising off-roader that doesn’t even know what “creature comfort” means.

And we have seen quite a few examples of the Defender getting a decidedly premium treatment – which is also the case with this all-black unit prepared by Vossen Wheels alongside a Miami, Florida, dealership, and the Warren Henry Auto Group in a menacing all-black configuration.

It was all just for the sake of showcasing Vossen’s HF-2 series of “hybrid forged” alloy wheels. And when we say everything is black, we literally mean that. The Defender’s body sports a menacing matte black wrap, the windows have the matching tint, and the HF-2 wheels sport a pristine black finish. Even all the Defender badges have been swapped for black ones, so we can certainly commend the attention to details.

While seeing this dark take on the Land Rover Defender could easily make our imagination run rampant with Star Wars’ Darth Vader associations, the company doesn’t seem to have such ominous intentions. Instead, it’s touting the Defender as the perfect luxury adventurer – somehow, they found a flooded portion of a road, implying that its inherent off-road capabilities (complete with chunky tires) might one day save the owner even in the middle of a city…

As far as pricing is concerned, the HF-2 series kicks off at $549 and can be had in two standard colors (Brushed Gloss Black, Tinted Matte Gunmetal) and an additional variety of no less than nine custom finishes.

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Article Credit: Aurel Niculescu
Full Article: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/menacing-all-black-land-rover-defender-has-matching-hybrid-forged-vossen-wheels-151150.html#

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Land Rover’s reborn Defender is no off-road pretender

Bronco who? The 2021 Land Rover Defender leads the pack of off-road-ready SUVs

While the original Land Rover arrived after the Second World War in 1948, it was still very much a product of wartime thinking and ingenuity — do more with less. When it landed, the Landy was very much a bare-bones ride, but one with extraordinary off-road abilities.

Not all was good, however, as the original had 50 horsepower, a suspension that was the epitome of crude, and an interior not much better than that found in a horse-drawn buggy. Fast forward to today, and you have the latest Defender packing a classy facade and all the electronic trickery demanded of a multi-faceted SUV.

We recently covered its minimalist yet still luxurious interior, its on-road attributes, the versatile nature of the design, and the ability to add two seats to the standard five-seat configuration — if you really wanted to. This leaves me with the oily bits, and what the Defender can do off-road.

It starts with a 2.0L turbo-four with 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. For many potential punters, this engine will be ample — it brings an 8.1-second run from rest  to 100 km/h. The better choice, however, is the 3.0L turbocharged inline-six that works with a mild-hybrid belt alternator/starter setup and a 48-volt lithium-ion battery. So far, nothing too radically different given the current trend towards electrification.

The twist is the engine also works with an electric supercharger. It’s designed to do away with the turbo lag most blown engines display in the early part of the powerband. In this case, when a heavy right foot and the gas pedal collide, the electric supercharger spins up to 65,000 rpm in half a second — rev the engine and you can actually hear the chargers high-pitched whine under the engine’s guttural tones. When blowing full gale, it feeds the need for boost until the turbocharger comes online and builds through the mid-range. The upshot is 395 hp, 406 lb-ft of torque, and a run from zero to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds.

It fires this lot through an eight-speed automatic transmission that works with an advanced all-wheel-drive system and Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system. Most will likely leave it in Auto mode, as it has the ability to configure things without driver input. Along with numerous other drive modes comes Custom, allowing for a more experienced off-roader to tailor the engine, transmission, steering, and traction control in three stages, so there really is a drive mode for almost everything.

The permanent all-wheel-drive system controls the torque distribution on an as-needed basis and features a two-speed transfer case — when low-range is selected, the torque multiplication gives it the grunt to pull the skin off a rice pudding without breaking a sweat. On truly challenging surfaces, the torque transfer is balanced between the axles to maximize traction; adding the optional Electronic Active Differential brings real-time torque vectoring, controlling the flow of power between the left- and right-rear wheels.

All of this makes the Defender an extremely good plodder. Head off-road and it just keeps plodding along almost without regard for the severity of the terrain — the Defender 110 has an off-road ground clearance of 291 millimetres, along with 38-degree approach, 29-degree breakover, and 40-degree departure angles. It also has the ability to climb a 45-degree incline and wade through 900 millimetres of water. New to the Defender is a mode optimized for wading; as well as setting up the drivetrain, it ensures sensitive bits don’t get water-logged.

The true test came in the form of an off-road jaunt that saw the Defender climb, clamber over, and otherwise make light work of the muck along a gnarly drive route. Yes, the wheels slip and slide as they scramble up steep grades and across muddy ruts, but everything is very much in control. It was more of the same through moguls and a side-slope that tilted the Defender to an unnerving degree. These obstacles proved to be little more than minor hindrances to forward progress.

One big off-road plus is Defender’s camera system. Edging up to a precipitous drop while looking at nothing but an up-close view of the hood always leads to an unnerving pucker-factor, but the camera allows you to see “through” the hood and at the terrain — knowing what’s there, even though it’s hidden by the body, certainly inspires confidence. It can also shows 3D exterior views of the Defender that can be rotated. It’s all heady stuff, but the lone nits proved to be the brake pedal — a little too grabby for my liking — and a shifter that needs a push-button to switch between drive and reverse, and vise-versa.

Yes, I did wonder who might actually use this off-road craziness, but anyone shopping the Defender needs to know its abilities are real and not just marketing hype. Think of it as not having to blow off every car on the road just because you’re behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan Turbo S.

Normally, this sort of off-road ability comes at the expense of on-road civility — think Jeep Wrangler. That’s simply not the case with the Defender. First, the lightweight aluminum monocoque framework gives the long-travel air suspension and adaptive dampers a solid base of operations. Second, said suspension has the ability to raise the ride height when off-road or lower the body by 40 millimeters to ease ingress and egress. Beyond this, the computer-controlled suspenders monitor wheel and body movements hundreds of times a second, meaning the setup is doing the right thing at the right time.

The resulting on-road ride gives the Defender the sort of compliance and quietness that would not be out of place in a Range Rover. On the flip side, body roll is limited to a handful of degrees, even when pretty serious liberties are taken. Throw in a connected steering feel and a series of corners actually becomes something to look forward to — unlike the original, which left the driver with white knuckles.

The original Defender was so off-road focused, it was a drudge to drive on-road. While the latest model has lost none of Land Rover’s heritage, nostalgia, and famed off-road ability, it has gained excellent on-road driving dynamics thanks to the judicious use of 21st-century tech. Bronco-schmonco, the Defender is the king of the off-road SUV castle.

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Article Credit: Graeme Fletcher
Full Article: https://driving.ca/land-rover/reviews/first-drive/2021-land-rover-defender-off-road-test

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Land Rover To Introduce “Baby” Defender Model

Why not capitalize on a cool nameplate?

The new 2021 Land Rover Defender is a long-awaited return of an iconic vehicle. The Defender’s launch was anything but smooth due to the global pandemic, but the new SUV is now arriving at dealerships, while Land Rover is making a major recovery. Now that the Defender is back, it seems hard to believe that Land Rover won’t take advantage of the model’s name recognition to build a second variant.

Much like the new Ford Bronco, which arrived alongside a more affordable and mainstream Bronco Sport model, Land Rover won’t be content to offer just one Defender model. In a report about upcoming Jaguar and Land Rover products, WhatCar reports that a smaller, “baby” Defender model will arrive in 2022.

This is not the first time we’ve heard a rumor about the expansion of the Defender lineup. The Defender could grow to become its own sub-brand within Land Rover, much like the Range Rover lineup. This expansion would begin with a more compact model with less space, less equipment, and a smaller engine. That engine would likely be a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder (the same one in the new Evoque plug-in hybrid), sending power to the front wheels. All-wheel-drive versions would also be available as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid models.

The report claims this new model will receive a new name that Land Rover hasn’t used before. If we had to guess, Land Rover would follow up on the Range Rover Sport and Discovery Sport naming scheme, calling this new model the Defender Sport.

Before the Defender Sport arrives, Land Rover will reveal an all-new Range Rover next year with a brand-new platform. The Range Rover will offer multiple engines and plug-in hybrid options, possibly even an electric version. Later in 2021, the smaller Range Rover Sport will arrive, followed by the rumored all-electric Road Rover in 2022.

Article Credit: Jared Rosenholtz
Photo Credits: Land Rover
Full Article: https://carbuzz.com/news/land-rover-to-introduce-baby-defender-model