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Carsales Staff1 Aug 2015
NEWS

Land Rover Defender SIXTY8

German tuner Brabus takes classic Defender to a new destination: luxury

Ever wanted the capability of the Land Rover Defender with the lavishness of a Range Rover? German car-tuning specialist Brabus certainly thinks there are customers for such a concept, and thus the Startech SIXTY8 is born.

Named for the Defender's 68-year production, the shiny new creation is an "exclusive limited special model" designed to farewell the rugged Brit, which is due to be retired in January 2016.

The exterior has been tizzied up with a grey metallic coat of paint contrasting with a black roof, while 18-inch alloy wheels (relatively small for Brabus) fitted with BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres and an aluminium underride guard ensure it retains its off-road competence.

Other exterior changes include a redesigned front end with laser-engraved SIXTY8 logo, and it's festooned with "state-of-the-art lighting technology" says Brabus, with every exterior light – even the headlights – now LEDs.

But the upgrades that will get people through the door are found inside the SIXTY8, with tan light brown and black contrasting leather upholstery now covering almost every surface of the once-humble Defender.

The blinged-out mudslinger's cabin was "crafted with utmost precision and stunning workmanship" according to Brabus, with the leather seats featuring diamond quilting with black seams. Even the dash is covered in cowhide, while the headlining and sun visors are draped in Alcantara.

A top-shelf Alpine audio system is included and the touchscreen sat-nav system also doubles as the reversing camera screen.

Remarkably, the powertrain has been left unmolested, the ageing 2.2-litre turbo-diesel pumping out 90kW and 360Nm of torque, giving it a very un-Brabus-like top whack of 145km/h. It takes 15.8 seconds to go from 0-100km/h.

The regular three-door Defender starts at around $43,000 in Australia, but the Startech SIXTY8 is pegged at around $102,000, or €67,990 for the five-seater model.

And no surprises for guessing how many of these will be built... Yep, 68 of 'em.

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Written byCarsales Staff
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