Here at Classic Overland, we eat, drink and breathe custom vehicles, and add a personal touch. Yes, we bring classic Land Rover Defenders back to life while still staying true to their authentic, signature build. We love bringing life to custom vehicles that will take your breath away.
And they are beautiful, alright. So much so that we named our Signature Builds after the most impactful creatures found in the true wild – South Africa. Which also happens to be the motherland where Classic Overland was born.
Enters the Lilac Edition
The Lilac Edition was inspired by the Lilac Breasted Roller bird, an iconic and breath-taking South African bird. A heavy-billed beauty with a lilac breast and throat, as well as baby blue belly and luminous blue wings. A sight for sore eyes.
But what you really remember when you spot this flash of royal blue wings in the savannah is its distinctive courtship flight. It tumbles from the heavens, rocking and rolling while calling out harshly. It’s also fearless in many ways and often ventures straight into the path of humans, unlike most birds.
Our Lilac Edition Defender is a real beauty too. And along with many of the bird’s attributes – can she rumble and make a noise. And isn’t that the Land Rover Defender’s courtship flight? It can prick up the ears of any 4×4 enthusiast from a mile away. In the same breath, she’s a timeless, distinctive classic that delivers a high-performance show every time.
Over the years, we’ve provided our customers with quality restoration work that makes any one of our custom vehicles not only ‘brand new’, but original. Although many of our projects remain close to our hearts, The Lilac Edition is one of the special ones.
Taking You Through Our Workshop Process
When it comes to Land Rover Defender restorations, it becomes quite apparent that most of these companies in the custom vehicle industry have lost their way. At Classic Overland, we are acutely aware of the genesis of the Defender. Therefore, nothing we do diverts from the heritage and essence of the traditional 4×4 build.
Every one of our builds starts from a clean, strengthened chassis. Restorations include a new suspension, improved wiring design, and fully re-machined parts. In this way, we modify classic Defenders while allowing them to stay true to their distinctive roots.
The Lilac Edition’s bold color was made possible through state of the art paint work, allowing the Defender to stand out from the crowd. Just one look at the restored Defender will tell you that the handwork is that of a team of artistic perfectionists.
Custom Vehicles Staying True to Their Roots
Staying true to the Defender’s heritage is what sets us apart from other restoration and custom vehicle companies. If you’re not holding on to the traditional structure of the iconic Defender, then – really – what’s the point? You might as well build a whole new 4×4 from scratch.
So, instead what we do, is to maximize the value and investment for our clients by rebuilding from the Defender’s original stately framework.
And to further honor the heritage, we also drew inspiration from the Range Rover 50. The SUV celebrates its 50th birthday this year, and Land Rover will release 1970 special-edition models to celebrate what many call the ‘original luxury SUV’.
The classic design of the Range Rover 50 inspired the body of The Lilac Edition, creating a nostalgic look and feel. And the color, also inspired by the 50th Anniversary model, speaks for itself in an eye-catching Grasmere Green.
Let’s Talk Specs!
This custom vehicle is a Defender 110 Station Wagon with right-hand drive and a repowered Land Rover V8 3.5 L Petrol engine. Features of the exterior include a standard Land Rover bumper with silver LED runners and a Puma bonnet.
Fitted with Wolf 16 tires, any owner of this custom vehicle can consider themselves ‘ready for battle’.
Sliding inside, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped straight into Africa. Its beige interior resembles that of African sand, and to top it all off, the seats are dressed in pure African leather to complete the mood.
The dashboard, windows and roof are all standard Land Rover configurations. These elements are true to the original framework of a classic Defender and honor its signature build.
But, hey, Don’t Take our Word for it…
We built this custom vehicle for our client, Steve Davis, a classic car enthusiast who was looking for “something different”.
In the end, the Classic Overland team delivered what he describes as an “authentic, beautiful looking vehicle.” Steve further states that what he loves most about his new Defender is the combination of traditional elements of a Land Rover blended with modern conveniences.
He said that he experienced excellent service with the Classic Overland team, a process which he describes as “completely transparent and results that exceeded expectations.” He is proud to be driving a vehicle that honors the heritage and origin of the classic Defender.
Not to toot our own horn, but we’re real proud to see it out there adventuring too.
How to get Your Hands on The Lilac Edition
The Lilac Edition is a result of collaborating with our client to deliver a signature Defender that speaks to his personality. We focus on maintaining the original framework and then modernizing certain elements through the restoration process.
If you want to add The Lilac Edition to your classic collection, contact us today, and we’ll talk about how we can build your dream Defender. Or if you are a real grease monkey looking to get your hands dirty and do your own restoration work, we can help you create something real special too.
Contact us today and let’s start imagining your perfect custom vehicle. If you can dream it, we can build it. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!