Cosmic looks for Land Rover Defender V8 restomod

Got a spare €50,000 lying around? For that sort of dosh – about $A80,000 – you too could have a one-off, head-turning creation based on a short-wheelbase 1985 Land Rover Defender V8.

The vehicle, dubbed the Moon Dust Vintage V8, is the work of Dutch firm Heritage Customs, a company that is the joint brainchild of designer Niels van Roij and marketing specialist Jan-Pieter Kroezen.

Rebuilt by hand, the Moon Dust Vintage V8 is named for its matt-finish metallic paint, which does indeed resemble how we imagine moon dust might look.

Other features include custom steel wheels, milled aluminium air vents, grille and headlight bezels, plus “solid flamed oak” flooring in the rear and interior trimmed in black leather and quilted Alcantara.

Although the short-wheelbase Landie has had no end of care and attention lavished on it, the restoration process hasn’t been to the point of completely sanitising the off-roader of its past.

“This latest, bold yet sympathetic Heritage Customs Vintage restomod commission features a satin Moon Dust paint finish,” said company co-owner Niels van Roij.

“It changes colour subtly, depending on the amount of light that hits the body. The body deliberately still proudly wears some of its battle scars, instead of being over-restored – an ode to the previous life of this car.

“The owner of this ’85 Defender V8 was keen to co-design a stylish and understated Vintage model with us. At Heritage Customs we call this ‘carchitecture’. Together we opted to paint our Heritage Customs milled aluminium side and bonnet vents as well as the bespoke front bumper black, matching the roof and wheels.

“Non-automotive black leather and quilted Alcantara, also colour-matched to the roof and wheels, was applied to trim the seats, dashboard as well as rear benches. The floor of the rear compartment was equipped with solid wood.

“The owner was keen to not make this floor out of teak, as in his view the rugged Flamed Oak Wood complements the character of this confident Vintage better.”

Although it’s dubbed a Defender, the traditional Land Rover was marketed in Australia during the 1980s as the Land Rover County, with the Defender name only introduced here in 1993.

Heritage Customs will also personalise the new-generation Land Rover Defender with its Heritage Customs Valiance treatment.

There’s a range of forged alloy wheels designed with the old and new Defender in mind, and Heritage Custom’s boast is that it’s the only company in the world focusing its efforts on both the traditional Land Rover and its 21st century successor.

The commissioning process pre-work for the Moon Dust Vintage V8 can be seen at YouTube and, if you’re interested, the company can be contacted on the web at www.heritagecustoms.nl.