Skip advert
Advertisement

A Land Rover Defender pick-up truck with a 419bhp V8! What’s not to love?

Modification specialists Urban Automotive and Heritage Customs have created two visions of a new-age Defender pick-up

The new Land Rover Defender is available in many forms, from a commercial van to the ferocious 626bhp OCTA. However, there’s never been a pick-up version, until now. 

The first-ever new-age Defender pick-up is not an official JLR creation. It comes from the minds at Heritage Customs, who used the extra-large Defender 130 with a 419bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine as the base.

A chunk of the standard car’s roof has been removed to create the truck bed, and a roll hoop has been added, presumably for both added protection and style. There’s a proper bed liner too, and a roof rack for carrying even more stuff, including the spare wheel that would usually be found on the Defender’s tailgate. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

Heritage refers to its Defender pick-up as a “semi-coachbuilt project”. We assume that’s because the truck looks mostly the same as the 4x4 it's based on. However, buyers can choose a bespoke paint colour and wheel designs, custom upholstery, and a variety of accessories designed by the company.

But what’s better than one Defender pick-up? Two of them! As the name suggests, the Heritage Edition model you see here was designed by Heritage Customs, and offers a “refined, elegant, and authentically classic” look.

Meanwhile, the Urban Edition was created by Urban Automotive, which gives the pick-up truck a more modern, more authoritative look courtesy of a murdered-out (all black) colour scheme, extra cladding around the wheelarches, and four lightbars at the top of the windscreen. 

Heritage Customs revealed its Defender pick-up at its base in The Netherlands, and you can now buy a build slot for one. Customers can expect to pay around £60,000 to convert a Defender into a truck like you see here, and the process will take two to three months. 

A production version of the Urban Edition of the Defender pick-up will be revealed at the next Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2026.

Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.

Skip advert
Advertisement
News reporter

As our news reporter, Ellis is responsible for covering everything new and exciting in the motoring world, from quirky quadricycles to luxury MPVs. He was previously the content editor for DrivingElectric and won the Newspress Automotive Journalist Rising Star award in 2022.

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Best 7-seater cars to buy 2025/2026
Best seven-seater cars - header image

Best 7-seater cars to buy 2025/2026

We pick the best seven-seater cars for family life across a wide range of price points
Best cars & vans
18 Nov 2025
New Land Rover Defender Sport: electric Freelander successor has the BMW iX3 in its crosshairs
New baby Land Rover Defender render - watermarked

New Land Rover Defender Sport: electric Freelander successor has the BMW iX3 in its crosshairs

The new Land Rover Defender Sport is set to sit below the existing Defender in the Land Rover range, with our exclusive images previewing how it could…
News
12 Oct 2025
Top 10 best 8-seater cars to buy
Best 8-seater cars - September 20256 header image

Top 10 best 8-seater cars to buy

Here are our picks for the best cars with room to seat up to eight people
Best cars & vans
30 Sep 2025
Land Rover Defender Churchill Edition is a tribute to Britain’s wartime PM
Land Rover Defender Churchill Edition - front

Land Rover Defender Churchill Edition is a tribute to Britain’s wartime PM

Limited-run Classic Defender gets a stonking great 400bhp V8, but nowhere to store your cigars
News
25 Aug 2025

Most Popular

New Jaguar GT ride review: is the controversial luxury EV a proper Jaaaaag?
Jaguar GT 2025 - front tracking

New Jaguar GT ride review: is the controversial luxury EV a proper Jaaaaag?

100mph-plus sprint round test track reveals a comfortable, high-performance GT with plenty of promise and true Jag credentials.
Road tests
17 Dec 2025
Dacia Spring EV updated for 2026, and it’s still got a tiny price tag
Dacia Spring facelift - front

Dacia Spring EV updated for 2026, and it’s still got a tiny price tag

The Dacia Spring has been improved for 2026, but a replacement could come soon
News
16 Dec 2025
All-new Ford Fiesta previewed in this week's special Auto Express
Auto Express 1,912

All-new Ford Fiesta previewed in this week's special Auto Express

In Auto Express magazine this week, we have exclusive images of the new Ford Fiesta and get a first taste of the Jaguar GT
News
17 Dec 2025