Land Rover Defender by Vilner: The Landie gets a touch of posh

The Land Rover Defender by Vilner

Anyone who has ever driven a Land Rover Defender will know that home comforts are not exactly at the top of LR’s list of priorities; spartan necessity probably best describes the interior fittings. But not after Bulgarian tuner Vilner has been to play it doesn’t.

Vilner has had a commission from a Russian with a few bob burning a hole in his pocket who wanted a Land Rover Defender that was more than just a utilitarian workhorse. So they’ve rather gone to town.

Just about the entire interior of the Landie has been removed. Vilner then set to and made the interior whisper quiet (no easy feat on a Defender) with the application of huge quantities of sound and heat proofing.

In comes a new interior with new seats and a new centre console all covered in several hundred dead cows. The dead cows also extend to parts of the roof (inside only – this isn’t a completely barking makeover) and the dashboard.

Infotainment takes the guise of a pair of LCD screens (including a 15″ one for rear passengers) and 600 watts of sound, with ambient lighting and decorative LEDs adding to the kitsch.

The outside of the Defender gets away a bit lighter, with a set of big fat wheels, black checker plate and a modern, ‘Pedestrian-Safe’ bull bar for added butchness.

The Vilner Land Rover may not be exactly to our tastes, but it does show there is a market for a Land Rover Defender at the top end, and preferably with more power. A Land Rover Defender equivalent of the G55, with a high level of Range Rover trim, some discreet body tweaks and the 5.0 litre supercharged lump.

Now that we would buy.

(16 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)

By Cars UK