I REALLY ENJOYED your article on the Land Rover Classic Trophy in Octane 245 and hope it won’t be the last off-road outing for these Works V8 Defenders. Sadly, a lot seem to end up under a cover in a collection.
I have never liked to see things in captivity, particularly something as useful as a Defender, so I decided I had to release at least one Works V8 back into the wild. I missed out on the 70th edition when it was announced, but in February 2021 the fifth car built had found its way back to JLR Classic after a leisurely two-year stint as the estate runabout at Goodwood. All that was about to change, and it was soon on its way to me in New Zealand.
The 450km drive home to Hawkes Bay after picking it up in Auckland was a revelation. The V8 and eight-speed auto gave it an effortlessness the old diesels never had, but how would it go offroad?
