Gallery: This Company Decks Out Classic Land Rovers With Modern Luxuries
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED01West Coast Defender SUV. Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
West Coast Defender finds original specimens, like the Defender 90 here, by scouring the world and hopping planes to inspect each one in person.
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Perlman and his teams in Los Angeles and the UK strip each Defender down to the chassis, then build them back up. They replace rusted bolts with shiny stainless steel ones and rehabilitate body panels.
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED03West Coast Defender SUV. Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
Upon request, West Coast Defender can add luxury elements like power windows and heated seats.
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Each Defender can be fully personalized, down to the contrast stitching on the leather seats.
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Perlman's goal is to supplement the spartan utility of the Defender with modern conveniences like sound systems and GPS.
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED06140303-west-coast-defender-04
You can see the balance between the original aesthetics and modern technology in the analog clock and the integrated rearview camera.
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Here, the team replaced the Defender's original tail lights with LEDs. They're a good example of Perlman and his team's penchant for subtle and functional modifications.
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Every Defender his shop turns out, Perlman says, must still perform as Land Rover designed them, which means they can tackle mud and rocks as easily as fresh pavement.
