File this one as a great idea brought to life.
Outdoor outfitter Orvis and British heritage brand Barbour have commissioned a special 1995 Land Rover Defender 90 fully clad in Barbour fabric as a promotional vehicle for their new Land Rover Defender Collection.
“Barbour has always been associated with the ‘British Country Lifestyle’ and this vehicle invokes memories of country life and being in the outdoors,” says the brand’s US General Manager Tom Hooven.
This Rover was definitely built for adventuring around the countryside: Completed through East Coast Defender, the vehicle is powered by a rebuilt Rover V-8 connected to a 5-speed manual transmission. It’s wrapped in a glorious Coniston Green paint with matching 16-inch, Wolf Steel wheels sitting on BF Goodrich all-terrain tires.
The SUV, codenamed “Project Barbour,” has been on a tour of East Coast Orvis stores and has two more stops before heading to additional stores in the Midwest.
Fans of the Defender will get a chance to see an interior fully designed by Barbour. The front seats and rear benches are made from saddle leather with the brand’s tartan inserts as a nice complement. The doors also feature tartan with Barbour zip closures. The Rover is a fantastic tribute to the off-roading vehicles of yesteryear with the addition of modern automotive conveniences.
And if you’re curious where Project Barbour will go after its touring wraps up, it could go straight into your garage. The SUV is part of Orvis and Barbour’s co-branded “Great Defender Adventure Sweepstakes.” One lucky enthusiast will take home this rugged SUV and all it requires is an entry on Orvis’ website.
The Defender is essentially new, with its only test at a launch event in New York before touring began.
Remaining East Coast Dates:
- Nov. 3 at Greenville, South Carolina– Orvis Retail Store
- Nov. 4 at Atlanta, Georgia– Orvis Retail Store
Midwest Dates TBA Spring 2018
Images courtesy of East Coast Defender Automotive and Deremer Studios LLC.
