Land Rover’s Latest Classic Defender V8 Pays Tribute To Winston Churchill

The Land Rover Defender, especially with a V8 engine, is rather a lot like the famed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Both are enduring symbols of Britishness, and both come with a reputation for enjoying a drink. It’s apt, then, that the latest reconditioned V8-powered Defender from JLR’s Classic Division pays tribute to the man who led Britain throughout most of the Second World War (and again for a bit in the ’50s).

Officially called the Classic Defender V8 Churchill Edition, it comes in a spec mirroring that of a Series I Land Rover that was gifted to Churchill at his country estate in Kent in 1954. That car now lives in a museum in Switzerland, where it was visited by experts from JLR Classic so its paintwork could be faithfully recreated for the Churchill Edition.

That paint is Bronze Green, also used for the 16-inch steel wheels. Elsewhere, there’s a simple galvanised steel bumper and retro-look metal mesh grille. You also might be wondering why Landie appears to have forgotten to paint one of the headlight surrounds. It hasn’t – that matt black surround is inspired by the position of the registration plate on Sir Winston’s Series I. That reg, by the way, was UKE 80, hence the decals on the car’s wings.

Inside, there are more accents in Bronze Green while the seats are trimmed in fine Bridge of Weir leather, finished in a similar shade of Bottle Green. One unique feature is the blue-faced clock with a red stripe – it’s inspired by the label on a bottle of Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne.

Otherwise, it’s the same as the countless other Classic Defender V8s the company’s released over the last few years. Starting with a last-of-the-line Defender built between 2012 and 2016, it gets an un-supercharged version of JLR’s snarly 5.0-litre V8 making 399bhp and 380lb ft mated to a ZF eight-speed auto. That sees the 90 version hit 60mph in 5.9 seconds (6.1 for the 110) and top out at 106mph.

Underneath, you get modern Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers, reworked anti-roll bars and recirculating ball steering, and new Alcon brakes. The interior features JLR Classic’s discreet infotainment system, too.

Just 10 Churchill Editions will be made in a choice of three body styles, and guess what – they ain’t cheap. A short-wheelbase 90 Station Wagon starts at £232,500, a Soft Top comes in at £242,500, and a long-wheelbase 110 Station Wagon will run you from £246,000. Still, we can’t imagine many other British PMs will ever get special edition cars dedicated to them – not unless Land Rover comes up with a Liz Truss Edition that only stays on sale for 45 days.