A unique Land Rover Defender Works V8 is now on permanent display in the new Designer Street Room at Selfridges’ flagship department store in London, having been inserted through a first-floor window and reassembled on the menswear floor.
Created as a one-off vehicle, the Selfridges Edition is based on the 405PS Defender Works V8 – 70th Edition and features a number of bespoke elements, including Bronze Green paint, a branded hood in trademark Selfridges yellow, retro-style seats with custom stitching, and unique Selfridges badging.
Having been craned into the store’s first floor as a kit of parts, a team of five Land Rover Classic workers constructed the Defender in full view of the shopping public in just over four days. More than 930 hours of expert craftsmanship have gone into creating this unique vehicle, which started life as a 2016 Defender 110 2.2 TDCi Pick Up at Jaguar Land Classic Works in Coventry almost five months ago.
Jaguar Land Rover Classic Director, Tim Hannig, said: “Everything on this car, from the custom cross-stitched leather to the unique Selfridges hood and Works V8 Conversion, has been created at our state-of-the-art Classic Works facility in Coventry. This may be the most quickly-assembled one-off Defender in the world, but it will be on display at Selfridges in London long enough for customers to enjoy.”
Like Land Rover, Selfridges has a rich UK heritage. The famous store was the brainchild of American Harry Gordon Selfridge, who arrived in London in 1906 and opened his first Selfridges store in 1909 at its current site on Oxford Street. This year Land Rover is celebrating its 70th anniversary while Selfridges will celebrate 110 years of trading next year.
Sebastian Manes, Buying and Merchandising Director, Selfridges, said: “In a pioneering moment for both Selfridges and Land Rover, this one-of-a-kind automotive was created especially for the store’s new Men’s Designer Street Room. The Defender will act as a platform for our art and fashion partners and is a key feature within this dynamic space. We are so excited to have worked on this collaboration together, in an ongoing relationship that will celebrate creativity and design in an unexpected way.”
Key facts about the Selfridges Edition Defender:
- Fastest Defender hand-assembled in just over four days
- 405PS V8 petrol – 237% more powerful than original 2.2 TDCi diesel
- 11-metre lift by crane to reach first-floor window
- Hand-built by a team of five Land Rover Classic workers
- 25 bespoke parts
- Will be seen by an estimated two million Selfridges shoppers this year
