New Land Rover Defender looks dapper as a truck

The latest Land Rover Defender generation has much going for it, but it lacks an essential feature of its predecessor – the pickup truck body style. Niels van Roij and his company, Heritage Customs, have spent more than a year developing a viable aftermarket alternative – and here it is.

The original idea was to produce the truck on the short Defender 90 chassis (see video). However, the vehicle revealed this week rides on the polar opposite of that chassis, the long-wheelbase Defender 130 X Dynamic SE. The SUV loses its third seat row and most of the rear body panels in the conversion, but gets a spacious and practical cargo bed complete with a branded tailgate. The cabin still has room for five passengers, and the engine stays stock.

Buying a Defender like this one starts from €142,562, but Heritage Customs points out that the average price with the common options selected comes closer to €155,000. That’s about twice as expensive as the regular Defender 130 X Dynamic SE.