The Land Rover Defender Is Immortal, and the $300K V8 Islay Edition Testifies to It

As you might expect, it is ready to make new roads, just like its predecessors. What's very unexpected is the supercar-level price tag of $287K or more.

The "new old" contradiction is just skin-deep because the Islay Edition makes use of donor parts from 2012-2016 Defenders ("restored, reengineered, and upgraded") for the powertrain and transmission. Make no mistake, these tribute Land Rovers are no joke, with the 5.0-liter gasoline-burning V8s putting out 400 hp for the eight-speed automatics.

In pure overlanding fashion, three locking diffs (one for each axle and one in between) keep the homage-paying Defender Islay Edition at the same rock-climbing prowess as its ancestors. However, only 30 units will be assembled (there aren't that many donors left) – which partly explains the prohibitive price.

Seventeen of those come in the 90-inch (2.29 meters) short wheelbase, while the other 13 are the 110 (One-Ten, please, non-Land Rover people) seven-seater variant (2.79 meters). All are station wagons, as the maker calls them – so there are no pick-up/utility trucks here.

The differentiator between this particular (very) limited-production series and the regular Land Rover Defender Classic Works V8 is in the tribute it pays to the inceptor of the Land Rover concept. Back in 1947 – before the automobile was even mass-produced – one of the company's founders was testing a prototype Series IIa somewhere in the islands of Scotland.

The man was Spencer Wilks, Managing Director of the Rover Car Company, and the place was the Isle of Islay. Wilks was the owner of the estate on which the Rover was dancing over the rugged terrain. One of the employees – Ian Duncan, the gamekeeper – noted the "land rover" behavior of the Mid Gray-liveried car. The name stuck to this day and gained legendary status.

The color is important because all 30 continuators in the Islay Edition are Heritage Grey, with a Limestone roof and heavy-duty steel wheels. The grille is a nod to the first Land-Rover (with a hyphen). It bears the traditional logos and badging from 75 years ago. The Islay Edition also sports a side graphic reading 'GXC 639C' – the original registration of the test mule from 1947.

However, modernity isn't rejected – the Defender Works V8 relies on the power of LED to shed light on treacherous paths. And, of course, the engine, gearbox, transfer case, differentials, suspensions, or brakes – together with other essentials – have very little in common with the first Land Rover.

The Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition uses the last-generation Defender chassis and body to which the naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter powerhouse V8 is fitted. The 400 hp (405 PS) and 380 lb-ft (Nm) are more than enough to back the go-anywhere ambitions of this historical recreation. The ZF automatic transmission offers eight speeds, and the two-speed transfer case puts the fun in off-roading.

Surprisingly, the boxy, flat-surfaced, anti-aerodynamically profiled Land Rover Defender Classic Works V8 Islay Edition (catchy name, I know) is good for a 5.6-second sprint from a standstill to 60 mph (97 kph). It's not what the car was designed for, but it gives a pretty clear picture of the drivetrain's abilities. The top speed is – near as makes no difference – 106 mph (171 kph).

13-inch brake discs on the front and 12-inch on the rear stop this Works V8 in its tracks, thanks to four-piston calipers on each of the 16-inch wheels. The Defender Suspension Upgrade Kit – with enhanced comfort and dynamics from revised coil springs and dampers, is another touch of "today" added to the otherwise tech-lackluster automobile.

Land Rover Windsor Ebony leather wraps the Premium Defender seats, side trim, doors, roof lining, and dashboard. The center console hosts the Classic Infotainment System (with satellite navigation, digital audio broadcasting radio, and Bluetooth). In sharp contrast to the digital age gadgets, the pistol grip shifter harkens back to the analog times of motoring.

Right next to the floor-mounted stick sits a plaque detailing how the Land Rover was coined. Contrary to Defender's traditional fashion, the footwells are carpeted "for an added touch of luxury."

The tweed found on certain interior sections is supplied by the Islay Woollen Mill, with blue for the sea and the sky of Islay. The purple shade resembles the island's indigenous heather blossom, and the delicate yellow references the swampy grassy Scottish landscape.

And, in strong Highland tradition, whisky barrel oak is used for the central stowage removable tray. The wood is sourced from the island's famous Kilchoman Distillery. Spencer Wilks' granddaughter founded the alcohol-making company – hence the connection between the scotch factory and the Land Rover homage-paying special edition.

Furthermore, every owner of the Works V8 Islay Edition will also receive a bottle of Scottish bravery from the aforementioned strong spirits still. I can't but wonder whether the rare vintage beverage has anything to do with the price of the Defender Islay Edition. The 90 starts at £230,000 (287,000 American whiskey dollars), while the long wheelbase burns a £245,000 ($306,000) crater in the buyer's bank accounts.