Land Rover is continuing to explore how to approaching the next generation Defender, as evidenced by this updated version of its DC100 Concept that was initially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The latest version features new 20-inch wheels shod with Cooper all-terrain tires and a new Heritage Blue paint scheme with a Candy Weiss roof.
Land Rover Chief Designer Gerry McGovern, who unveiled the new DC100 Concept to the Los Angeles Auto Show crowd, stressed that while the company is serious around construction a new Defender, this particular concept may not be representative of the future production version. “The reality is that we’re serious around putting this vehicle into production – not necessarily this design, but a Defender into production,” he tells us. “It’s one of several design studies under consideration at the moment.”
It’s apparent that McGovern’s design team at Land Rover has struggled wrestling with rendering a modern day Defender that doesn’t abandon the model’s loyal followers. “Should it be evolutionary or should it be revolutionary? How much of the design cues based on the original functionality are relevant in a modern context? For us we feel it’s important to recognize our past but not be harnessed by it. The retro trap is one we have to be very careful of. If you’re too retrospective it can be a kiss of death.”
We were entirely surprised when we arrived in Frankfurt a couple of months ago to find Land Rover there with not one, but two distinct versions of the DC100 concept: one hardtop and one open-air model. But when the LA Auto Show opens later this month, Land Rover is set to unveil a third version.
We don’t know how the LA show car will differ from the two we’ve already seen, or what body-style it will carry. But together with the assertion attributed to the company’s brand director that the next-generation Defender should appeal to “Californian surfer dude”, it is a strong indication that the production DC100 will be offered in North America.
That’s not who Land Rover will primarily target with the new model, however: the company aims to use the DC100 to get back in touch with its roots, marketing it to relief organizations and wilderness expeditions in the Third World.
Even among the most capable of off-roaders, some are luxurious and some are decidedly spartan. One look at the bare-bones interior of a Land Rover Defender and you’ll know exactly where it stands. But some will inevitably want their Defender decked out with entirely the comforts they’d expect of its big brother, the Range Rover, and for them, there’s Vilner.
The Bulgarian customizer (named, for some reason, after a Lithuanian city) has superbly redone the interiors on everything from the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ to the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Infiniti FX37. And for its latest trick, it has tricked out the most spartan of Land Rovers.
Whether you think it’s overkill or just what the doctor ordered, you’ve got to admit the results are pretty stunning to behold. We’ll let them speak for themselves in the high-resolution image gallery, and invite you inside to see for yourself.
