BEST OF BRITISH: Land Rover Defender Works V8 2019 Review

"Drive the Land Rover Defender," they said. "It'll be fun," they said.

Sounds like a jolly idea, I thought. It fits perfectly with our Best of British feature series. Why not?

Nek minute I'm bombing down impossibly narrow country roads at warp speed in a near-300kW V8-powered off-roader, with centuries-old stone walls and verdant shrubbery flashing past as a mottled grey on green blur.

As the 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated V8 revs fervently past 4400rpm – sucking in ever more oxygen to blend with precise amounts of high-octane petroleum inside each of its eight-cylinders – my mind wanders momentarily from the stone walls just millimetres away from the brawny Defender's squared flanks.

"How cool would it be if the next Land Rover Defender gets a hybrid V8…,” I asked myself. “It'd dominate everything off-road. It better not look like the new Disco. What was McGovern thinking? Either way I reckon it'd be a lot more stable than…" BRAKE! BRAKE! BRAKE! Ducklings on the road!

Mercifully this tuned-up, tricked-out V8 Land Rover has pretty potent (and heavily upgraded) stoppers complete with Alcon callipers that reign in its, errr, volatility with stoic professionalism.

Driving one of these archaic bruisers requires nerves of steel, which I'll get to in a moment, and is best-described as equal parts terrifying and life-affirming. In all, just 150 Land Rover Defender Works V8s will be built, at a price of around £150,000 a pop, or around $A280,000.

The entire batch sold out in just three days as 700 customers dived on the chance to get one of the last – and most powerful – Land Rover Defenders before an all-new generation rocks in.

Indeed, this beautifully bonkers box-on-wheels is a suitably fitting swansong for an iconic vehicle that can trace its roots back to 1948.

After collecting an order, whether for the bigger five-door or shorter three-door Defender, the team at Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works sets about pulling the vehicle to pieces.

The big 5.0-litre V8 is installed, hooked up to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, before new Bilstein suspension, upgraded brakes and 18-inch alloy wheels with 265/65 all-terrain tyres are fitted.

The conversion takes eight weeks in total and watching the tyre-shredding V8 Defender take shape in the JLR Classic Works factory is rather special.

Eight colours are offered, with black coloured roof, front grille and wheel-arches adding a little contrast, while aluminium door-handles, a special fuel filler cap and LED headlights are added.

Step inside and it's abundantly clear this vehicle has been breathed on rather heavily by a go-fast outfit, the Recaro sports seats and Windsor leather upholstery providing a fulsome blend of support and luxury.

My favourite interior feature is the beautifully integrated retro infotainment system. It looks like a classic head unit but actually features a tiny touch-screen complete with satellite-navigation.

The Land Rover Defender Works V8 drives a little differently to your average Defender.

Powered by a stump-pulling nat-atmo bent eight that generates 297kW and 515Nm, it propels the slab-sided British bulldog towards the horizon with frightening intensity.

Land Rover claims the 4WD will accelerate to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds. After a couple of terrifying full-throttle launches, the V8 barking and baying like a hound with blood-lust, I don't doubt those figures for a moment.

But it's the way in which the boxy brute charges forward, snapping through gears with aggression – and the acoustics and drama involved – that make it an experience like few others.

Indeed, at full throttle there's a distinct feeling that the Defender was never intended to perform at these levels. It sounds like a weapon, it launches like a rocket but to be honest probably has a wee bit too much power.

Yet that's part of the charm. It's almost impossible to go for a drive without one or two white-knuckle moments, such is the vehicle's wild abandon. That said, it can be a comfortable cruiser when pedaled along at a mild clip.

In terms of handling dynamics, it would a kindness to say the Defender V8 steers like a boat.

Riding on solid axles at both ends and designed for off-roading not corner carving, it lacks the poise of a vehicle with independent suspension. It tips into corners with the ponderousness of 10-month-old infant learning to walk. Even with the fitment of firmer springs and shockers, it pays to be circumspect in corners.

There's significant body roll, the steering is wooly and the turning circle shocking. But somehow driving it makes you feel unstoppable. Despite its foibles, it's a heroic machine and will go down as the one of the most memorable cars I've ever driven, along with the likes of the Mitsubishi Evo VI TME, Lamborghini Aventador S and Ford Focus RS.

Although the 170km/h V8 Defender sold out in three days, costs bag-fulls of money and is pretty much exclusively limited to the UK, we have it under good authority that there may indeed be one headed to Australia.

If you ever see one on the road, respect it – and its loony pilot – like the angry rhinoceros it is and don’t get too close!

* No fluffy ducklings were injured in the making of this content.

How much does the 2019 Land Rover Defender Works V8 cost?
Price: $280,000 (£150,000) (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 297kW/515Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 18.1L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 350g/km (estimated)
Safety rating: N/A