Think of this new book from Gestalten as more of a travel monograph than an homage to a famous brand, even if it’s the qualities and cult following of the latter that facilitated these gorgeous spreads of global imagery. Land is a book dedicated to the life-altering perspective offered up by Land Rover Defender ownership.

Subtitled From Workhorse to Cultural Object: The Land Rover as Design Icon, the book is divided into three sections, with the first focusing on those specialist workshops around the world that have decided to make the Defender their focus. As well as full restorations and EV conversions of this classic British workhorse, there are plenty of firms out there that will uprate and upgrade a Land Rover to deal with anything. We’ve covered a fair few on these pages, but Land will introduce you to many more.

It’s followed by a digression into Land Rover’s role as a contemporary cultural object, manipulated and modified by designers and artists. Finally, there’s the Adventure section, a slice of contemporary travel porn that fuses a host of contemporary obsessions, from van life to drone photography, to wellness, off-grid living, personal growth and a general sense of an aesthetically driven life.

Land – From Workhorse to Cultural Object: The Land Rover as Design Icon, €60 / £60, gestalten.com, @gestalten

Thirty years on from the launch of the Land Rover model that dominated the compact SUV market in the late 1990s and early 21st century, Freelander is returning as a standalone brand with the backing of longstanding Jaguar Land Rover joint venture partner Chery.

The top five Chinese carmaker by global sales – already behind the UK smash hit brands Jaecoo and (to a lesser extent) Omoda – isn’t going slow with the project either. Pitching the new marque as a 'British Premium Intelligent All-Terrain Brand' it plans to launch six Freelander models inside five years in left- and right-hand drive configurations and across 90 markets, including the Middle East, European Union and the UK.

The Freelander has a laudable model history, trailblazing a more soft-surfaced exterior style of compact SUV with more passenger car-like interior creature comforts, in contrast to more rugged 4x4s (like the then very boxy and offroad-focused Land Rover Defender).

Launched in 1997, it quickly became Europe’s top-selling 4x4. And while it could still handle the rough stuff it boasted simpler ways to tackle such terrain, as the first vehicle in the world to offer the patented ‘hill descent control’ feature now commonplace across more serious SUV segments and beyond.

After two generations the model was discontinued in 2015, as other models from the JLR group such as the Range Rover Evoque became more popular. But a letter of intent between JLR and Chery in June 2024 announced the revival of the Freelander name – and this time as a brand in its own right.

Crucially for its credibility, a very significant Land Rover and Range Rover designer, Phil Simmons – with a CV including the 2001 Range Rover Mk3, 2017 Velar and 2018 Evoque Mk2 – was behind the new Freelander brand’s design relaunch.

Early in 2026 a teaser image of the Concept 97 vehicle was shown, to reference the Freelander’s original launch year and in late spring the brand officially launched with its first production model – the Freelander 8 – at the large and impressive Museum of the China Sculpture Institute in Wuhu, home of Chery International.

Wallpaper* was on hand to witness both the Concept 97 vehicle colourfully lit up at the Wuhu museum’s entrance and the five-metre-long Freelander 8 inside, the brand’s first showroom-ready car. In a private ante room where press cameras weren’t allowed there was also a full-size model of the next slightly smaller Freelander production car to follow, to show the consistency of design direction.

All three vehicles are more impressive than expected and in keeping with the original Freelander, including details like its ‘castle-style' body, interlocking headlight elements (from the Mk2), triangular rear side windows, dual peak bonnet and high ‘command’ driving position.

To keep things more 2026 than 1997 the Freelander 8 will offer nine switchable terrain modes, dual-chamber air suspension and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8295P chip, able to power up to eight displays at once in an ultra-responsive fashion.

The cabin of the six-seater Freelander 8 wasn’t available to jump inside just yet, but what we could discern through the windows revealed a smart and restrained interior with a large central screen and a full-width surround view driver display at the base of windscreen.

Reclinable ‘zero gravity’ seating will also be part of the kit list, to allow owners to rest better while recharging – as the SUV is set to offer full-electric, plug-in hybrid and range extender power units.

The brand will initially be built in China and exported around the world and likely to be priced well above current Chery export brands Jaecoo, Omoda and Lepas, but also well below Land Rover and Range Rover models, to avoid any clash. Sales are due to start from late 2026.

CheryJaguarLandRover.com, LandRover.co.uk

What does it mean if a design figurehead should leave the company they’ve been associated with for over two decades? Putting aside media speculation that Professor Gerry McCovern, OBE, has left his role as chief creative officer at Jaguar Land Rover, there’s no denying that such actions create a void that’s begging to be filled. With a company as large and complex as JLR, that void takes on astronomical proportions.

So what is McGovern’s legacy and what next for JLR? At 69, McGovern is a senior figure in the world of car design. His career has taken him around the world working for brands like Chrysler, Peugeot, Lincoln-Mercury and Austin Rover (as was). It was here that McGovern first made a mark, leading the team that created the MGF sports car (as well as working on the MG EX-E concept that preceded it), and also the Land Rover Freelander.

After a spell in the US, where he oversaw a series of influential concept cars for Lincoln, including the 2001 MK 9 and 2002 Continental, he returned to the UK and headed up Ford’s short-lived Ingeni creative studio in London. A showcase space within a Rogers Stirk Harbour building in Soho, Ingeni promoted the work of Ford’s Premium Automotive Group (a bundle of brands that included Land Rover, Lincoln, Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin). It lasted barely 18 months before Ford switched tactics and divested its premium portfolio.

In early 2004, McGovern rejoined Land Rover as director of advanced design, ultimately rising up the ranks to join the executive committee of Jaguar Land Rover in 2013, when the companies came together. In 2020, he took on the CCO role with a responsibility for both brands and joined the JLR board the following year.

Now that era may be over. McGovern’s creative stewardship of Range Rover, Land Rover and subsequently Jaguar played to his strengths but ultimately laid bare the fundamental weakness in the figurehead theory of design management. Strongly influenced by modernist design, architecture and art, as well as the autocratic status of automotive design legends like Harley Earl, McGovern could be outspoken and confrontational.

Not one for suffering fools, he shepherded designs from concept to production with a strong sense of self-belief. His approach was reminiscent of modernism at its most dogmatic, not least in his forthright and oft-reiterated commitment to proportion, minimalism and material simplicity.

And it worked, at least for a while, with lauded designs that forged a new and highly profitable path for Range Rover. After nearly two decades of number-one hits, with Range Rover riding high in the luxury brand stratosphere and Defender seemingly proving McGovern’s ineffable ability to give customers what they want, McGovern might have believed himself to be untouchable.

However, the 2020s are proving to be a difficult decade for JLR. For a start, there’s Jaguar. Always the underperforming part of the partnership, Jaguar has for decades suffered from an image problem. The decision to rejig the brand, embrace electrification and haul it upmarket was McGovern’s. On the strength of past achievements, it seemed not impossible that he could pull it off.

The change of course was not without its casualties. Despite his closeness and kinship with the Jaguar brand, Ian Callum retired to set up his own consultancy, where he has indulged a broad passion for industrial design that couldn't be expressed at JLR. Callum's chosen successor, the equally skilled and brand immersed Julian Thomson, didn't last long and now heads up GM’s UK Advanced Design Studio.

With McGovern’s increasingly high-flying figurehead status across all JLR brands, Jaguar just didn't get the space it needed at the time. The unceremonious cancellation of the flagship XJ replacement in 2021, just months away from production, was a half billion-pound write-off that could only have been justified by unerring board-level confidence in the clean sweep Jaguar rebirth proposals.

The pandemic that followed, along with a general paucity of new JLR models and then a ruinously expensive and disruptive cyber attack this summer (with some estimates citing a ‘cost to the economy’ of £1.9bn), have all conspired to blunt JLR’s image as a razor-sharp organisation on the cutting edge of fashion – and not just automotive style.

For many, the first time the lustre started to peel off that shiny reputation was when McGovern stepped forward to reveal the Jaguar Type 00 concept in November 2024. We liked the Type 00 – we even gave it a Wallpaper* Design Award – but appreciation was by no means universal. In suggesting that Jaguar discard an evocative, history-stuffed heritage (along with its coterie of increasingly conservative, history-stuffed customers) in favour of a future-facing image that was beholden to nothing and no one, McGovern caused a substantial stir.

Sure, no publicity is bad publicity, but even the most cocksure of creatives would have felt a puncturing of pride and bruising of ego given the criticism the Type 00 received. All credit to Jaguar and JLR for not changing course – yet – with the actual production car still set for release next year. Perhaps in sticking our neck out and giving the Wallpaper* seal of approval to the Jaguar project, we proved to be part of the problem.

Was the ‘house of brands’ approach McGovern ended up initiating at JLR too blind to the gritty realities of manufacturing, economics, supply, demand and transport infrastructure? Car companies are not fashion houses, however much they aspire to be.

There’s also the issue of credit and attribution. It takes an army of designers of all stripes to take a brief from sketch to clay to concept. It takes an even larger army to translate concept into production reality. McGovern’s approach to design was very much of the hierarchical old-school way of thinking, where a head of design tended to take the lion’s share of the credit.

Never unafraid to talk the talk and walk the walk and always happy to stand in front of the world’s media, McGovern often gave the impression that it was he and he alone that gracefully carried the can for JLR’s triumphs, from Evoque to Velar to Defender.

Although this approach softened in recent years, an auto industry CCO is not the same as the creative director of a fashion brand. Who knows how many talented designers felt thwarted and discouraged by McGovern’s status, salary package, OBE and media profile?

The exterior of the original Land Rover LRX concept, the blueprint for the highly successful Evoque – oft held up as the foundational product of the McGovern era – was designed largely by Julian Thomson. Much of the modern Range Rover exterior design language was overseen by Massimo Frascella, who also shaped the Defender (and is now chief creative officer at Audi). These were never widely disseminated facts.

In the winner-takes-all, sole genius-driven world of modernist design, the nuances and push and pull of creative partnerships were often (deliberately) overlooked. The role of an all-seeing, all-approving top-of-the-tree creative becomes increasingly problematic when attribution is so lop-sided.

Whatever the reason behind the reports of McGovern’s departure, the many achievements he initiated and oversaw might yet be further overshadowed by what happens next with Jaguar. Forums are already filling up with obituaries for the much-loved brand – celebrating its 90th year this month – as naysayers predict a sticky end for the McGovern-driven strategy. But even Range Rover, Land Rover and Defender have been light on innovation lately – the most recent all-new product was 2023’s Range Rover Sport.

When a creative guru starts catching brickbats not bouquets, not even the most spotless track record can survive a crisis. A serious change in strategy might also necessitate a change of personality – as many have noted, the reports of McGovern’s departure come just a week after the arrival of new JLR CEO PB Balaji. Balajii previously held the purse strings for JLR’s parent company Tata Motors, so it could just be that the ambitious but expensive future plans of the McGovern era are being redrawn as we speak. Whoever takes the helm at JLR will have a tricky ship to sail in the next few years.

JLR.com, RangeRover.com, LandRover.co.uk, Jaguar.co.uk

When Maurice Wilks cobbled together the first prototype Land Rover in 1948, with bodywork made from aluminium left over from wartime aircraft production, Jeep running gear and a Rover gearbox, he was aiming for the ultimate utility vehicle. The target market was the British farmer, someone who had genuine need of a go-anywhere, do-anything machine that was easy to maintain and supremely practical.

What would Wilks have made of the current rash of Land-Rover restomods? Apart from the Porsche 911, no other car has been the subject of so many modernist do-overs, from electrified to elevated, stripped back, tuned up and generally given the kind of options list and specification that would have had straitened post-war Britain reeling in shock.

Now there’s another name to add to the list. The Admiral is a one-off short wheelbase Series III from 1976, overhauled by Kent Heritage Works of Tunbridge Wells to mark the start of their new 1 of 1 collection. Over the next few years, KHW will present several more truly bespoke builds based on classics from the extensive Land Rover portfolio.

It’s taken two years to recommission the car, complete with Admiralty Blue paint (originally used for the Royal Navy’s VIP cars in the 1960s) and a full diamond-stitched leather interior. According to Cliff Smith, founder of Kent Heritage Works, The Admiral includes an all-new engine and automatic gearbox, along with improved brakes, suspension and steering. The original handbrake has also been replaced by a contemporary electronic one.

‘We have worked with our in-house team and some of the UK’s best artisan companies in the historic engineering and Land Rover industry,’ Smith says, citing engine suppliers V8 Developments. The new powerplant is a tuned Rover 3.5L V8, staying true to the two company’s shared heritage but adding a whole lot more power and torque.

Interior updates also include new lighting and a touch-screen entertainment system, designed in-house to accommodate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as decidedly non-Series III items like heated seats and windscreen. Audio comes from a custom 320W system by French manufacturer Focal and there’s even a fridge (lifted from a contemporary Range Rover Sport).

In addition to the hand-stitched leather and hand-crafted body panels, The Admiral also uses over forty 3D printed carbon fibre parts, all of which were designed and printed in house.

Next up, the company will reveal two new takes on the original Range Rover, 'Dreadnought' and 'Viscount', which offer even more scope for customisation.

The Admiral, £180,000 + VAT, more information at KentHeritageWorks.uk, @KentHeritageWorks

Look back at the evolution of car construction and styling over the course of a century and the progress is evident. Today’s cars are styled like spaceships compared to the boxy, top-heavy motorised carriages of old. But when it comes to interiors, the evolution has been a little slower. Inspect the cockpit of a 1912 Rolls-Royce and you’ll likely find four or more forward-facing seats, quilted leather, wood trim, milled metalwork, intricate dials, a clock, pedals, a gear lever and a steering wheel. It might be a little low-tech and drafty compared with the modern-day equivalent, but the format remains much the same.

‘Historically, car interiors have been designed as singular, controlled environments, offering occupants a unique, hermetically sealed experience,’ says Luke Miles, founder of brand-experience studio NewTerritory. ‘While exterior design often represents the brand, the interior has been a missed opportunity for delivering more meaningful, multi-sensory experiences.’

Formally head of design for Virgin Atlantic and LG Europe, Miles founded London-based NewTerritory in 2017, which specialises in experience design for transport brands such as Delta Air Lines and Mercedes-Benz AG. The Clerkenwell studio is awash with design literature, intriguing samples and mock-ups of an aircraft cabin and a car’s cockpit. It’s no surprise this buzzy townhouse studio caught the attention of US experience consultancy Geniant, which acquired it in July 2025.

Inside the studio, Miles and his team work across a variety of top-secret transport-related products and solutions for well-known brands, all designed to take interior spaces into the next level, instil that particular brand’s ideals on those travelling and, all being well, give them a positive experience to write home about. Not all that easy when your audience of travellers is either busy, distracted, stressed or all of the above.

‘Historically we’ve done a lot of work in aviation spaces, which are very high-density experiential spaces, with an audience that’s captive for a long time. But with automotive, it’s different – you’re in a sealed environment and have complete control over your climate and what’s going on around you,’ says Miles. ‘Other than just the physicality of the interior, we’re looking at how can you pull in more of the senses to deliver an experience that is meaningful and memorable.’

While the structure and format of car interiors hasn’t changed much in a century, it hasn’t dampened carmakers’ appetite for experimentation. In 2013, Mercedes made in-car fragrance diffusers mainstream when it incorporated its Air-Balance package into the S-Class, which pumped scents such as ‘Nightlife Mood’ or ‘Downtown Mood’ from refillable cartridges into the cabin.

Despite it being a slightly more upmarket take on the air freshener dangling from the rear-view mirror, Mercedes still uses fragrance, alongside sound, climate, lighting and seat massage functions, to ‘boost driver wellbeing’, as part of its comfort programmes in cars like the all-electric EQS. It’s as full-on as it sounds, particularly when accidentally triggered it on a quiet motorway stretch at night.

At Jaguar Land Rover, the Range Rover Sport SV saw the arrival of the ‘Body and Soul Seat’ (BASS) in 2024, which plugs into the entertainment and vibrates the seat to the music – something that was added to the new Defender OCTA also. While both Mercedes’ and JLR’s in-cabin innovations can be passed off as slightly eccentric novelties, there is one aspect of car interior innovation that all carmakers have homed in on: the screen.

‘There's this kind of centre of gravity pull towards the screen, which has led to screen dominance,’ says Miles. ‘There's so much you could do sensorially with that space. It's not about just chasing technology and going for screens because they're there, but about trying to be more quiet, sensitive and empathic with how that vehicle communicates with you. It’s hard to demonstrate a brand through the screen because it becomes this midpoint where you can't really tell one from the other,’ he adds.

In its place, Miles argues light, sound and haptics can all provide information to the driver and passengers in the right way and at the right time, without the need for information being channelled through the screen.

‘The interesting thing is to be able to quieten down the interior and then bring information up as required, rather than have it permanently there.’ When it comes to changing the traditional structure of the cabin, Miles sees autonomy as the biggest enabler. ‘When cars reach level five autonomy, which requires no human intervention, then the cabin space can move from being directional to being more dynamic – you can reorientate the interior in a completely different way.’

Not so long ago, when autonomous cars were expected on the roads by the early 2020s, car manufacturers rushed out with concept cars that showed occupants sleeping, watching films and facing each other in a lounge-like setting. In January 2025, transport design student Arya Kani dreamt up the Mercedes x Belmond Hotel on Wheels: Vision Pullman Express, which envisaged a futuristic fastback that doubled as a mobile hotel suite.

‘There's somehow a tension between traditional automotive language, which has dynamism, direction and speed to it, versus the more domestic setting,’ says Miles. ‘This autonomous technology might give rise to new typologies and vehicle – not just in terms of private shared ownership but with the provision of services,’ he adds, going on to explain how entirely new types of vehicles could reshape the idea of mobile healthcare, food delivery or, as Kani’s concept showcases, hospitality.

‘That could be incredibly valuable in certain locations where you might not have the infrastructure to allow people to move from their homes to a more densely populated city, so you could take those services out to them,’ says Miles.

When it comes to technology a little closer to reality, Miles sees a switchback to more analogue controls, particularly in luxury automotive – not just so people can turn something by knowing where the switch is but, ‘through the tactility of those micro interactions, you can also get a sense of the craftsmanship of that vehicle, which maybe lost digitally’.

With brands such as Ferrari returning to buttons over touch-sensitive controls – as with its new Amalfi sportscar – it’s highly likely we’ll see others following suit.

‘Sometimes reductionism, particularly for those highly crafted, well-engineered pieces, can take it back to that midpoint, and you don't necessarily have those little, well-considered details,’ explains Miles.

Alongside AI becoming more a part of the in-car experience and the move away from seeing screens as a solution to everything, Miles sees a need for carmakers and vehicles to act more as hosts, creating experiences that are specific to them. ‘It makes sense, because there are new entrants and new businesses producing vehicles at speed, but for legacy automakers, I think this is a really rich vein to go after and interrogate.’

For now, don’t expect the interior layout of any new car to change too drastically, at least until the first truly full autonomous cars start rolling out. But with Uber expecting to deliver its first driverless taxis on London’s streets as early as spring 2026, the moment for mass-manufactured autonomous cars might come sooner than we think. In the meantime, be assured that designers like Miles are fighting for change, one switch and sensory moment at a time.

NewTerritory.io, @NewTerritoryDesign

The Land Rover was first revealed in 1948 as a utility vehicle pitched at British farmers in the straitened era of post-war rationing. It was hard to imagine that the stripped down machine would ever become a luxury object of desire. With a body fashioned from war-surplus aluminium and practical considerations like all-wheel drive and power take-off points, the Series 1 Land Rover was rudimentary and rugged. Less is more.

Fast forward three quarters of a century and Land Rover means a very different thing. The original Defender, evolved from that first Series 1, had become a cult object by the time the model finally ended production in 2016. It was replaced by the new Defender, the L663 model, in 2020, anticipated with some trepidation but now firmly ensconced as a suitable successor for a much-changed world.

The success of the new Defender has helped to line JLR’s pockets, but it also hasn’t detracted from the slavish devotion to the original vehicle, in all its guises. Whether it’s as an agricultural workhorse, a tatty but chic city car, an electrified cruiser, an upscale luxury off-roader or a simple hobby car, there are plenty of Land-Rover specialists out there to keep the faith.

These, however, are perhaps the most luxurious of the lot. Helderburg is a specialist Land Rover restorer based in Sharon Springs, upstate New York. Founded in 2019 by former business consultant Paul Potratz, Helderburg began as a hobby. Inspired by his father’s vehicle repair workshop and driven by a love of all things British, from automobiles to classic tailoring, Potratz started out restoring and upgrading classic Land Rovers for himself after sampling a few professionally restored examples and reckoning he could do better.

‘In 2019, I wanted another Classic Defender, but I couldn’t find anyone who could fully capture my vision,’ he is quoted as saying, ‘These iconic vehicles were losing their soul. The [restoration] industry was focused on horsepower and bolting on parts that detracted from the timeless elegance. That’s when I thought, either I’m crazy or I’ve tapped into something that people really want - creativity, individuality, and a sense of legacy in a Defender.’

A few social media posts later and it became apparent that a demand was out there. ‘’Helderburg’ is a name I made up to share my interest and hobbies of photography, travel, and country gentleman style, along with boots, watches, motorcycles and custom classic Land Rovers,’ says Potratz, ‘I also felt this could be a way to meet other like-minded individuals and share these passions.’

Each Helderburg Defender is given a name. In November 2019, Potratz completed the Elizabeth D110 (‘named after Queen Elizabeth since it was finished in Aintree Green, her favourite Land Rover colour’). After this was revealed, online interest rapidly turned into actual requests for cars. ‘I started receiving inquiries throughout the world asking me to build a Defender for them. I initially declined since it was never my intention to build Defenders for others,’ he recalls, ‘the following month I posted that my next Defender was for sale - within half an hour I had received over 20 offers.’

A business was born. ‘All hell broke loose after I complete Enzo D130 in March 2020,’ Potratz continues, explaining how this Defender, a double-cab with pick-up back and raised suspension, quickly went viral on Instagram. ‘Land Rover as a company contacted me and asked for me to show this build at their Destination Defender event, so we did. As a result, Enzo is quite possibly the most photographed Defender in the world. Strangers started following me home to see the car up close,’ he says.

With a very specific focus on Solihull-built left-hand drive Land Rover Defenders made between 1993 and 1997, Helderburg now employs 19, with the majority of the work taking place in a 25,000 square foot workshop in Herefordshire, UK, with finishing undertaken in New York. ‘We are very selective in who we hire - some of our craftsmen used to work for Land Rover in Solihull - and we are not interested in scaling to build more Helderburgs,’ Potratz says, ‘Right now, we are in the midst of developing something quite special for a one of one Helderburg that will be offered for sale by invitation only.’

Each car can take up to 3,000 hours to build. ‘We build a Helderburg the way they used to be built, which is by hand,’ says Potratz, ‘Many of our aluminium body panels are beaten and formed by hand instead of buying parts off the shelf. Original Land Rover engines are re-built by hand with performance parts that have been developed by us and other craftsmen.’

Unlike many other Land Rover specialists who’ll swap in an American V8 or even an all-electric powertrain, Helderburg is committed to diesel. ‘I'm stubborn because I believe a diesel is the ideal engine for a Land Rover Defender,’ says Potratz, ‘my father was a diesel mechanic and it makes me feel closer to him. In any case, a performance tuned Land Rover diesel engine is quite impressive on and off-road, has more longevity, better fuel mileage, keeps craftsmen employed and is more enjoyable to drive.’

Other aspects of the cars are very much non-standard, from the beautifully trimmed leather interiors to the upgraded audio systems. Suppliers are typically small specialists, capable of delivering the quality and precision that Potratz deploys in all spheres of his life. ‘Our philosophy is that in life you can have good, better, best and prestige,’ he explains. ‘We choose to be prestige. We don't build the most nor do we take commissions for a Helderburg from everyone.’

The tradition of giving each car its own name has continued, and each build is a lengthy process that involves a huge amount of collaboration and discussion. ‘The individual has to be someone with similar interests - someone that we would want to go to dinner with,’ says Potratz, who treats the process much like a tailor fitting someone for a suit. Colours, materials, personal preferences, the use case, all are discussed at a steady, unrushed pace.

‘A Helderburg build can take over three years depending on the design we collectively decide on,’ Potratz says. ‘During the build process we get to know the client very well and spend a lot of time with them - it's almost like a marriage.’ Describing each Helderburg as an ‘heirloom’ that clients will probably hand on one day, Potratz and his team ensure that each project will endure the test of time.

Helderburg.com, @Helderburg

Along with Polestar’s striking Concept BST and the UK debut of the Hongqi marque, there were plenty of other major first appearances at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. All of this points to the annual Sussex event becoming more and more important as a place for manufacturers to bring their wares before a geed-up public.

Goodwood is a venue saturated with automotive atmosphere, from the pinnacle of contemporary classic car culture to raucous race machines, with the everyday family transportation of tomorrow somewhere in the middle. We’ve rounded up 11 of the best on show, from ultra-extreme hypercars to next-generation EVs.

2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed highlights

BMW M5

The BMW M5 is one of the legends of the modern sports car world, the top of the 5-Series tree transformed by the company’s M-division into a subtle, practical yet hugely impressive performance machine. Over 40 years, the M5 has become more and more extreme, and the latest iteration dropped at Goodwood last week.

Featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the new M5 is significantly up on power compared to its predecessor, but it’s also carrying a mighty weight penalty, thanks to the addition of enough batteries for a 46-mile EV-only range. Will this twin turbo V8 be the last ICE engine in an M5?

BMW M5, from £111,405, BMW-M.com, @BMWM

MG HS SUV

This is MG’s new HS SUV, an extensively reworked and updated new version of the Chinese manufacturer’s best-selling large electric SUV. Overhauled inside and out, with a notable increase in size the HS now comes with a full sweep of dashboard screens, a 360-degree camera system and wireless charging, as well as plenty of space.

The HS is not quite on the nose in terms of styling, with a hefty, angular grille and a pointy, slightly unbalanced stance. It won't matter, because MG’s USP is low, low cost and the HS is an exceptionally well equipped EV for the price.

MG HS, from £24,995, MG.co.uk, @MGMotorUK

MG Cyber GTS Concept

MG also surprised the show by revealed a coupé version of its new Cyberster Roadster. The new Cyber GTS is a full 2+2, unlike its two-seater soft-topped sibling, yet it retains the dramatic scissor doors that give the Cyberster its distinctive style (quite apart from being the first open-topped EV on the market).

The result is a sports car that promises a bit more practicality, excellent range and genuinely impressive looks. Should the Cyber GTS gets the green light it's expected to come to market in 2025

MG Cyber GTS, concept only for now, MG.co.uk, @MGMotorUK

Red Bull RB17

At the upper, upper end of the market, Goodwood marked the global debut of the long-awaited Red Bull RB17, a track-only hypercar from the current dominant force in Formula One. The RB17 is the brainchild and career apogee of Red Bull’s in-house designer and aerodynamicist Adrian Newey. In addition to helping guide the Austrian team to F1 victory after victory, Newey was also the driving force behind the Aston Martin Valkyrie.

If anything, the latter was hamstrung by the requirement for it to be road legal. There are no such restrictions on the RB17, which also exploits aero tricks and power options that no F1 car is allowed to do. Weighing in under 900kg and powered by a Cosworth-built V10 engine, power output is estimated at around 1,200bhp, all stuck to the track with Newey’s trademark understanding of aerodynamic perfection. Red Bull say they’ll built 50 cars; expect a price of between £5m and £6m.

Red Bull RB17, more information at RedBullRacing.com, @RedBullRacing

Genesis GV60 Magma Concept

Genesis is following in the footsteps of sister brand Hyundai by creating a high-performance badge for its range of EVs. In Genesis’s world, that badge is Magma, and the very first car to bear it will be the GV60, which should appear some time next year.

The Korean company showcased a concept, resplendent in the sub-brand’s Magma orange livery, that gives you an idea of what to expect: bodykit, lowered and widened, with a darker, brooding interior trim. The 'standard' Genesis GV60 is no slouch, like most high-end EVs, so you expect the performance boosts to focus on dynamics and ride rather than outright speed.

Genesis GV60 Magma, more information at Genesis.com, @Genesis_Europe

Alpine A290

Another all-electric sports car, only this time in a rather more modest form. The new Alpine A290 is the uprated, performance-focused variant of the all-new Renault 5 E-tech. The Alpine brand has its origins in tuning and fettling Renaults and the A290 keeps that tradition alive.

With 220bhp on tap, and a vivacious design language that brings to mind the mighty 80s-era Renault 5 Turbo2, the littlest Alpine could be the ultimate compact electric sports car.

Alpine A290, more information at Alpine-Cars.co.uk, @AlpineCars

Land Rover Defender Octa

At the other extreme is the new Land Rover Defender Octa, JLR’s answer to the relentless SUV power wars. No hybrid systems, just a massive 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 – closely related to the BMW M5’s powerplant – and all the usual Defender off-road ability. With 635bhp, the Octa is easily the most powerful Defender the factory has ever made. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and a hefty price as well.

Land Rover Defender Octa, from £143,500, more information at LandRover.co.uk, @LandRover

Honda Prelude Concept

Along with a truck-load of classic racing machines, Honda brought its recent Prelude Concept to Goodwood. This is a modern iteration of a model that found much favour in the UK until it was killed off at the turn of the century. The Prelude nameplate returns to grace a hybrid coupe design that should appear in production form in 2025, demonstrating a revived commitment to practical sports cars in the hybrid and electric age.

Honda Prelude, more information at Honda.co.uk, @HondaUKcars

Yangwang U9

Yangwang is the high-end subsidiary of Chinese brand BYD. In addition to the massive U8 SUV, the company also hopes to start selling its U9 supercar. With low, dramatic mid-engine looks (even though it has an all-electric powertrain), the company hopes the U9 could be a credible alternative to Ferrari and Lamborghini – it’ll benefit from the lack of sales tax added on to imported supercars.

The headline stat is a 0-62 time of under 2.5 seconds and the dramatic bodywork was overseen by Global Director of BYD Design Wolfgang Egger, formerly of Alfa Romeo.

Yangwang C9, more information at YanwangAuto.com

Ford Capri

Ford’s decision to revive the much-loved Capri brand name for its new electric coupé SUV is a controversial one. The Capri (1968-1986) was a strict two-door coupé, an affordable sports car with a slightly lairy, laddish image but which nevertheless engendered huge affection amongst its 1.9 million-strong owner base.

The Capri is now reborn as a high-riding four-door fastback, with not a lot of visual parity with the original. Instead, the design shares a lot of form language and proportion with the Polestar 2, and the platform underneath is shared with Volkswagen’s ID.4. Time will tell if it’ll be as successful as its Sixties forebear.

Ford Capri, from £42,075, more information at Ford.co.uk, @FordUK

INEOS Grenadier Detour

Not content with outdoing the original Land Rover Defender’s rugged charm, Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS car company has now given its core product the luxury treatment. The Grenadier Detour is a special limited edition of the old school off-roader, developed by the company’s in-house customisation service Arcane Works.

Interior finishes include Bridge of Weir leather, wool headliner, and plenty of options to add your own unique stamp on the vehicle.

INEOS Grenadier Detour, more information at INEOSGrenadier.com, @INEOS_Grenadier

The 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from 10-13 July 2025, more information at Goodwood.com, @FoSGoodwood

A Royal Air Force Puma HC2 helicopter provided the raw material for this unique Caterham Seven 360R, making it the ultimate in military chic. Created to support Mission Motorsport and the RAF Benevolent Fund, this 360R also showcases Caterham’s ability to customise and create unique fixtures and fittings for its clients.

The bodywork, trim and switchgear have all been derived from a decommissioned Puma HC2, a French helicopter introduced by the RAF way back in 1971. A couple of dozen Pumas are still in service, based at RAF Benson, but the aircraft is nearing the end of its service life.

The helicopter that gave up its parts to Caterham first flew in 1972. XW232 saw service around the world and its aluminium fuselage was used to make the Caterham’s body panels. The metal was taken from the aircraft’s doors and tail boom, with the external finishes left exactly as they were, while any new metal on the car was painted in stock issue Nato green.

This gives the 360R a thoroughly militaristic attitude, with exposed rivets, markings and graphics along with the famous RAF roundel all present and correct on the patinated door and body panels. The carbon fibre seats are padded in the distinctive quilted soundproofing used in the passenger compartment of the Puma, as are the transmission tunnel and door panels.

The Caterham Seven 360R even has a helicopter-style ignition

The Puma’s switchgear has also been recycled, transformed into a military-grade dashboard that would be the envy of any Land-Rover enthusiast. Finished in satin black, the dashboard has been inset with original switchgear, including the lighting panel and original navigation clock, as well as a three-stage helicopter-style ignition switch (‘for added theatre to start-up’). Underneath the bonnet, a traditional ammunition box has been repurposed as a battery case.

Caterham worked alongside personnel from the RAF base to complete the car (a roll call of those involved is featured on the bonnet), with the intention of bolstering RAF Benson’s STEM skills and links to industry. The 360R comes with a track suspension pack and a 2.0 Ford Duratec 4-cylinder engine; the 180 bhp gives the ultra-light Caterham a huge power-to-weight ratio.

It might not be a conventional swords-into-ploughshares project, but this collaboration offers up new ways of thinking about waste materials and mechanical skills.

Caterham Seven 360R x RAF special edition, bidding for the car will open on 15 August through the Collecting Cars website, CollectingCars.com

Caterham Cars, CaterhamCars.com, @CaterhamCarsLtd

By its very nature, a cult can’t be killed. And so it is with the original Land Rover Defender, a humble production car that survived to see its 70th anniversary. Beloved by everyone from architects, rock stars, fashion designers to long-term Wallpaper* staffers, customised by the likes of Paul Smith, Keith Haring and Studio Job, the Defender is continually finding fresh fans.

Despite being replaced by the new Defender back in 2019, the original car remains at the core of Land Rover’s iconography, as well as inspiring new machines from Ineos’s well-regarded Grenadier and Fusilier to the more esoteric Munro Mk1 and Fering Pioneer.

It's also a vehicle that’s ripe for renovation, with a classless image that allows ultra-high-end offerings to mingle with stripped out, no-nonsense restorations. At the extremes, the Defender offers up a solid platform for endless power upgrades; JLR themselves have obviously taken notice, with the recent announcement of the OCTA, a modern-era Defender outfitted with V8 Twin Turbo power.

We’ve rustled up a number of workshops and specialists who can give the original model a similar boost. After all, if you absolutely must have an overpowered SUV, transforming an original model has mildly less environmental impact than building a new model from scratch. Our guide also takes you from classically minded specialists who like to keep things pure and simple, through to the burgeoning art of electrification – big in the UK, not so much in the US, where the allure of the big V8-engined models is still strong.

The following isn’t a definitive list, but the length and breadth of expertise out there is a strong indication that the cult of the Defender is still alive and well. Should you desire to give a Defender a second life, there are plenty of specialists out there determined not to let this mighty machine ever die out. Here are twenty-two ways to reinvent this evergreen classic, still the perfect platform for upgrades, conversions and all-round general enhancements.

Restoration specialists

Keep it classic: these nut and bolt restoration specialists will bring your Defender back to concours condition, with subtle upgrades under the skin

ECD Automotive Design, USA

ECD works on a wide range of JLR products, as well as classics like the original Ford Mustang and Jaguar E-Type. The Florida-based company has a ‘Classic’ model, which takes the Defender 90 or 110 models (short and long-wheelbase respectively) and overhauls everything to better-than-new condition, right down to the original diesel engine. Upgrades include more luxurious levels of trim and better hi-fi, but there’s also the chance to get a ‘base model’, exactly matching the Defender’s original spec.

ECD Classic from $149,995, ECDAutoDesign.com, @ECDAutoDesign

Himalaya, USA

Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Himalaya build fearsome off-road machines but also lavish and carefully updated old school Land Rovers, like the Series 88 and Series 109 models, the Defender 90 and 110’s predecessors. This unique Series 88 Kai swaps out the original engine for a 6.2-litre GM unit, uprates and updates suspension, wiring and instrumentation, and finishes off the whole ensemble with new leather upholstery and hardwood trim.

Himalaya Series IIa, prices on application, DriveHimalaya.com, @DriveHimalaya

John Brown 4x4, UK

John Brown 4x4 will service, refurbish and restore your classic Land Rover. As one of the UK’s preeminent suppliers of the marque’s early models, it’s also become an expert in upgrading and preserving some of the earliest models. This 109 was a ground-up restoration, finished off with a number of original spec military-grade extras like the radio aerials and tools. The North Yorkshire-based company is also venturing into electrifying early Land Rovers.

John Brown 4x4, JohnBrown4x4.com, @JohnBrown4x4ltd

Legend Motor Company, USA

Based in Salt Lake City, Legend Motor Company offers the ‘Classic Series’, another GM engine transfer into an uprated and restored Defender body. Much has been made of Land Rover’s original decision to make the bodywork out of aluminium. Originally intended as a way to get around steel shortages after WWII, Land Rovers have been associated with the material ever since, benefitting from its lightness and durability. Legend go further, installing a classic body on a brand new chassis, suspension, engine and transmission, together with air-conditioning and a removable Bluetooth stereo system.

Legend Classic Series, from $189,000, LegendMotorCo.com, @LegendMotorCo

Overfinch Heritage, UK

A long-standing unofficial partner, Overfinch Heritage revels in adding levels of luxury finishes and accessories to what was once a true utility vehicle. While sister company - just ‘Overfinch’ - is dedicated to JLR’s contemporary vehicles, the Heritage arm is no less obsessed with bringing details and features to the iconic Defender shape, going above and beyond what the parent company could ever manage.

This 2009 Defender 90 Classic soft top has a decidedly non-standard 6.2-litre GM V8, along with an optional picnic drawer in the hardwood rear deck.

Defender 90 Classic by Overfinch Heritage, €299,990.00 plus tax, OverfinchHeritage.com, @Overfinch.com

Wallis & Son Defenders, UK

Cambridge-based Wallis & Son can trace its origins as engineering specialists back to before the First World War, starting with an aeronautical focus. The modern company is a conventional car repair outfit with a special interest in sensitive and subtle Defender upgrades. If you’re after a more purist approach to the Defender, this is one way to go.

Wallis & Son, WallisandSon.co.uk, @WallisandSon

Bespoke alterations

Foot down. The original Defender was never much of a mover, unless it was a slow crawl over steep rocks. These experts will unleash the car’s capabilities, off-road and on

Arkonik, UK

Based in Somerset, with an outpost in Carolina, Arkonik likes to start from scratch, taking as sound a donor vehicle as it can find and then rebuilding it to the unique specifications of a customer. This Arkonik D110 is an uprated 8-seater 1992 Land Rover finished in unmissable Phoenix Orange, with new bodywork and a choice of original and uprated engines (including the ever-popular GM Chevrolet V8). The company also has a constantly updated stocklist of pre-built vehicles.

Arkonik D110, from $145,000, Arkonik.com, @Arkonik

Bespoke Defenders, UK

This North Yorkshire-based company specialises in transforming Defenders into individualised bespoke creations, swapping out engines, gearboxes, trim, with all manner of optional extras. This Bahama Gold D90 was created for a client who keeps the car in Spain for half the year, and elements like the convertible canvas roof were created especially for its time in the sun.

Bespoke Defenders, BespokeDefenders.co.uk, @BespokeDefendersUK

Blackbridge, USA

Scott Gilbert’s Blackbridge Motors has created this ‘Beach Cruiser’ model from a Defender Mark IV. Describing the vehicles as ‘Defender-inspired’, Blackbridge’s process goes further than most in that the car itself is a complete restmod, rather than a restoration. Under the familiar bodywork – here in chop top convertible mode – the Mark IV follows the standard Blackbridge route of using an all-new chassis and General Motors engine, running gear and four-wheel-drive system. The result? Classic British looks with reliable American muscle.

Blackbridge Motors Defender Mark IV ‘Beach Cruiser’, from $169,750, BlackbridgeMotors.com, @BlackbridgeMotors

Chelsea Truck Company, UK

Project Kahn has garnered a reputation as a maverick outfit, unafraid to go to extremes when re-shaping and re-styling a huge swathe of luxury models. The company’s 4x4 specialist outpost, the Chelsea Truck Company, will not only widen and uprate any kind of classic Defender, but will also add an extra axle.

The result is the Flying Huntsman, a monumental, George Miller-style slice of automotive excess that would cause Land Rover’s original engineers to quake in their boots.

Land Rover Defender 110 XS Utility 6x6, £500,000, ChelseasTruckCompany.com, ProjectKahn.com, @afzalkahn

Heritage Driven, USA

Combining more traditional restorations and overland set-ups with radically overhauled models, New Mexico-based Heritage Driven can take the Defender to new extremes. This bespoke long wheelbase Defender 130 finished in Keswick Green set its owner back nearly $300,000.

Heritage Driven Unlimited Series, price on application, HeritageDriven.com, @HeritageDriven

Manz Motor Company, USA

The Defender 110 Beach Runner is just one of a number of custom offerings from New Hampshire-based Manz Motor Company. The open-topped beach cruiser started life as a 1993 model, before being comprehensively rebuilt and kitted out in black paint and contrasting leather interior. Manz will also indulge those who want to add another pair of wheels to their Land Rover.

Manz Motor Company, ManzMotorCompany.com, @ManzMotorCompany

Monarch Defender, USA

So named for its use of the classic Gulf Oil racing colours, Project Gulf Runner is a recent offering from Iowa outfit Monarch Defender. The company is completely dedicated to Defender restoration, with a wide-ranging stocklist of upmarket one-off builds, including the classically styled Retroflux model and the forthcoming Nomad EV model. Uprated interiors, new engines (or battery packs) are just the start of the available upgrades.

Project Gulf Runner, Monarch Defender, from $239,000, MonarchDefender.com, @MonarchDefender

Transatlantic Trading Company Ltd, USA

Founded in Vermont by a couple of UK expats, TATC brings the glories of the various Defender models to the American market. Offering a range of upgraded models, including swapping out the diesel engine for a V8, TATC’s meticulous overhaul of the classic 110 model can seat up to 12 people and is shown here with a General Motors V8 Conversion.

TATC Defender 110, from $128,000, LandRoverDefenderUSA.com

Twisted Automotive, UK

A legendary name in Land Rover performance, Twisted Automotive also offer their services on the diminutive but competent Suzuki Jimny. Their core offering is still the iconic Defender, however, and decades of experience makes them the go-to choice of serious drivers.

As well as offering conversion kits to gradually uprate and transform your existing Defender, Twister also undertakes bespoke commission from its North Yorkshire base. A sales outpost in Tokyo hints at the global cult following of these high performance offerings.

Twisted Automotive, TwistedAutomotive.com, @Twisted_Automotive

Go electric

Create a buzz. The rock-solid Defender platform has plenty of space for batteries and plenty of customers looking for bespoke zero emission rides. These firms all create electrified classic Defenders for the modern era

Bedeo, UK

UK-based specialists Bedeo supplements its business uprating and electrifying vans for small businesses with a side hustle creating EV ‘icons’. First up is this Reborn Electric Defender, which started life as a regular Land Rover Defender 110 and now has a 75kWh battery and four electric motors to give a range of around 150 miles.

Reborn Electric Defender, enquiries to Bedeo.tech, @Bedeo_Tech

Everatti, UK

Everrati are now a well-known quantity in the niche world of classic electrification. Well known for their all-electric Porsches and the occasional Mercedes, the company is also adept at converting classic Range Rovers and Defenders. This is the Everrati Land Rovers Series IIa, a lovingly restored early model Land Rover that preserves its utilitarian simplicity, needing only a 55kWh battery to exceed the original performance and range. Extras include Bridge of Weir leather interior and teak decking.

Everrati Land Rovers Series IIa, more information at Everrati.com, @EverratiCars

The Landrovers, Netherlands

The Landrovers runs the full gamut of restoration offerings, but it’s the Dutch outfit’s new Electric Defender that has caught our eye. Two models, the Panterra Lion and Panterra Cheetah offer different levels of performance and range, with a completely revised touchscreen instrument set-up and a maximum range of around 375 miles thanks to in-wheel motors.

Panterra Lion, from €522,500, The Landrovers, The-Landrovers.com, @TheLandrovers

Raglan Motors, USA

North Carolina-based Raglan Motors build beautifully finished electrified Land Rovers, integrating tried and tested Tesla batteries into uprated and overhauled bodies to create strong, silent machines. Starting with either the customer’s own car or a specially sourced donor vehicle, the company is committed to keeping the Land Rover’s legendary abilities intact, albeit in zero emission form.

Raglan Motors, Raglan.com, @RaglanMotors

Retro Defenders, UK

British outfit Retro Defenders is branching out into electrification with its Defender 90 conversion. Taking a kit from Electrogenic, the Project Privé EV is a 1997 model Defender with Dolphin Grey paintwork that gives the boxy form a contemporary high-tech look.

Defender 90 Electric by Retro Defenders, price on application, RetroDefenders.co.uk, @Retro_Defenders

Retro Electric, UK

British company Retro Electric has a broad portfolio of classic conversions, ranging from the Volkswagen Beetle and campervan to the Porsche 911 and Fiat 500. Their take on a zero emission Land Rover started life as a 2004 Defender 90, and the car has weathered the addition of an 85 kWh battery pack and a Tesla motor without losing any of its agricultural charm.

Electric Land Rover Defender 90, from £100,000, RetroElectrics.co.uk, @RetroElectrics

Zero Labs, USA

Los Angeles-based Zero Labs offer a host of tempting electric restomods, focusing on classic SUVs like the Toyota FJ 60, Jeep Wagoneer, original Ford Bronco and Chevrolet Blazer.

In amongst all this American and Japanese metal is this electric Land Rover Series II/III 109, an elegant proposal for transforming the classically good-looking 60s and 70s era model into a contemporary cruiser that’s been tastefully upgraded inside and out.

Zero Labs Electric Land Rover Series II/III 109, price on application, ZeroLabs.com, @ZeroLabsAuto

Sitting eye level with the top of the wheel arch of a new Land Rover Defender is a good place to contemplate the wants and needs of urban transport. No one really needs a Defender, however good it is to drive and sit in, but such are the demands of image and lifestyle that JLR’s heritage-inspired machine has become a de facto city cruiser. 

At the other end of the scale are dedicated micro EVs like the ARK Zero, the Citroën Ami and its even more stylish sibling, the forthcoming Fiat Topolino, as well as a whole host of diminutive designs en route from the Far East. However, as the modern automotive landscape attests, microcars don’t really work at micro prices; SUVs are where all the profits are.  

So spare a kind thought for those enthusiasts who support the electric restomod community. This is still a niche within a niche, one that requires deep pockets and the occasional compromise, but the idea of keeping classic cars on the road without any untoward emissions is a noble one. 

Mini eMastered by David Brown Automotive

David Brown Automotive’s new Mini eMastered is a case in point. An electric conversion of the classic-era Issigonis-designed Morris Mini, it builds upon the British company’s experience with ‘remastering’ the conventionally powered original Mini but adds a bespoke electric powertrain on top of the highly desirable and finely finished interior and exterior. 

Each eMastered sold will be as meticulously specified as a Rolls-Royce (bringing to mind the Radford Mini de Ville built to order back in the 1960s for the likes of actor Peter Sellers). The demonstration model looks magnificent in tan leather with cream bodywork, wheels and a tan roof. Uprated equipment includes air conditioning, a satnav, electric windows, a punchy stereo system and finely machined metal switchgear. 

It's a shame to lose the distinctive circular display at the centre of the dashboard, but everything else about the Mini eMastered captures the spirit of the original. At just over 3m long, it’s a full metre shorter than a Smart car and can seat at least two more people. 

Pocket-size scale is the Mini’s most obvious benefit; it is still a superb city car and mixes the zip of electric power with tightly geared steering and excellent all-round visibility. See a gap in the traffic or a parking space that’s been overlooked by the aforementioned Defender, and you’re in there. Spinning up from south London, through the West End, around Hyde Park Corner and back down Park Lane, the eMastered feels in its element.

Although fellow drivers and pedestrians might be physically talking down to you, the eMastered received universal acclaim from all who drew up alongside it; the original Mini carries a bushel of positive cultural cachet and most likely always will. 

This cachet comes with a catch, naturally. With prices starting at around £125,000, this is never going to be a democratic means of transport. You could conceivably buy the top-of-the-line Defender 130 V8 and still have plenty left over for a conscience-salving second-hand Mini Mayfair from the likes of Car and Classic. For those who can indulge, their money will bring more communal joy than any SUV will ever manage.

Mini eMastered by David Brown Automotive starts at £125,000, DavidBrownAutomotive.com

The art of giving classic cars a new electric heart is gathering pace. We’ve previously reported on the work of companies like Everrati, which transforms Land-Rovers, Range Rovers and Porsches, but there’s a whole host of other electric restomods out there, ranging from redone classic Alfas to the humble Mini Moke.

Range Rover Classic EV by Inverted

Inverted is the latest company to take a shot at the iconic Range Rover Classic, the original and most severe version of the long-running luxury SUV. The very first Range Rovers had only two doors and were somewhat stripped down and functional inside; the luxury came later. 

Inverted has not only swapped out the original’s V8 engine for a Tesla 80kWh battery and drive unit (creating the equivalent of 450bhp, three times the V8’s capacity), but the company offers a fully bespoke interior service. There are also optional (but essential) tweaks to chassis and steering to accommodate the new power output (the 0-60mph sprint takes around 5 seconds, just half a second off its modern equivalent, the L460 Range Rover). 

This #001 model shows what can be done with the earliest Range Rover of all but Inverted also offers the conversion kit to four-door and LSE models, with prices starting from around £225,000. Range is around 200 miles, and the car is fast-charge compatible. Furthermore, the retention of the car’s pioneering four-wheel-drive system ensures it retains the pioneering go-anywhere capabilities that put the Range Rover on the map back in 1970.

Inverted has gone all out on the interior, swathing the seats and dashboard in Mocha leather from Scottish company Muirhead, combined with Harris Tweed detailing. Other invisible extras include improved soundproofing, uprated air conditioning, reversing camera, heated seats, charge points and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Inverted expects to build six cars a year, with delivery taking between 12 and 18 months. 

Inverted Range Rover Classic, from £225,000 plus tax, Inverted-EV.com

We’re admirers of admired Everrati’s approach to classic cars. As well as being strictly pragmatic in the face of coming legislation, the British EV converter’s practice is also driven by enthusiasm for design and innovation. In short, Everrati will take a classic and modify it with a brand-new electric powertrain.

The Oxfordshire-based company cut its teeth on evergreen classics like the Porsche 911, along with a one-off continuation model of the Ford GT40 built in collaboration with Superformance LLC. Now it has increased its output with two new electrified models, the original Range Rover and the enduring Land Rover Defender.

Everrati electric drive classics

An Everrati machine is effectively a restoration as well as a tech upgrade. The company has developed its own EV powertrain, which it tailors for every model it adapts, so that the motors and batteries can be seamlessly integrated within the original chassis. The ambition is to maintain the essential character of the original cars, while also giving owners the opportunity to specify any optional extra or finish they desire.

While the original Defender was a somewhat agricultural machine, the addition of electric power shaves off the rough edges without compromising any of its off-road abilities. In addition to the Defender model, launched in 1990 as a development of the Land Rover 90 and 110 models (which in turn were evolutions of the Series III Land Rover, with roots that could be directly traced all the way back to the original 1948 car), Everatti also offers its kit in the Land Rover Series IIA, the 1961 model that encapsulates the functionalist visual style and practicality that have come to define the model.

The next new model in the line-up is a zero-emission version of the Range Rover Classic, the crisply detailed 1970s icon that effectively created the idea of an upmarket 4x4 that was equally at home in town as it was in a muddy field. The Classic, as it’s now known, was the first model in a lineage that is now in its fifth generation. The originals had only two doors and a stripped-down interior, far removed from the luxurious accoutrements of the modern version. In Everrati’s hands, the Classic is given a makeover, inside and out, with new leather upholstery and upgraded instruments, all in keeping with the original 1970s aesthetic.

Everrati isn't the only company looking to give new lease of life to classic designs in this way - Florida-based ECD Automotive Design is also in the electrified Land-Rover market. As electric tech evolves and improves, and more and more people want a luxury car with character and history, you can expect this niche market sector to keep on expanding.

Land Rover Defender from £185,000 + Donor vehicle

Land Rover Series IIA from £159,950 + Donor vehicle 

Range Rover Classic from £230,000 + Donor vehicle

Everrati.com

In the wake of the recently launched 2022 Range Rover, an all-new Range Rover Sport appears to cater to those who seek a bit more dynamic scope to their monumental driving machine.

The original Range Rover Sport arrived all the way back in 2005, forging the way for the ‘Range Rover’ name to become a sub-brand in its own right, leaving Land Rover to produce slightly less sybaritic, more action/family orientated vehicles. Range Rover subsequently expanded still further with the introduction of the 2011 Evoque (now in its second generation) and the 2018 Velar.

The original Range Rover Sport was superseded by a second-generation model in 2013, which saw the introduction of hybrid power and performance versions.

This is generation three. Whereas the flagship Range Rover is pushing ever further upmarket and transforming itself into a real competitor for Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Maybach, the Sport’s targets are somewhat faster moving. For now, ultra-performance SUVs are still big sellers – the Aston Martin DBX, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne, and forthcoming Ferrari Purosangue to name but four.

Crucially, for the most part, these cars rely on traditional engines, not electric powertrains – even hybrid performance SUVs are thin on the ground. The next generation – in the form of the Lotus Eletre and others – is readying itself in the wings.

As a result, the Range Rover Sport is designed to have its cake and eat it. From the outset, there’ll be a plug-in hybrid, a mild hybrid petrol and diesel, as well as a high-performance twin-turbo V8. Come 2024, there’ll be a pure EV as well. Whether this model’s sporting character can be sustained across such a broad range of powertrains remains to be seen.

For now, all we have to go on is the design. In truth, this is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Around three-quarters of a million Sports have been built so far, so the formula isn’t due for a shake-up – just yet. The new car shares the same basic proportions as its predecessors, with a relatively shallow glasshouse and steeply raked windscreen (as opposed to the more upright stance of the larger Range Rover). The most obvious visual difference is a general smoothing out of the lines, with a flush glasshouse and door handles, and slimmer lights and grilles at the front. The rear elevation gets the most dramatic overhaul, with a sleeker, more minimal layout that adheres to the company’s much-vaunted ‘modernist philosophy’ of design.

Inside, the dashboard splices screens and buttons to functional effect, with the full raft of Range Rover’s off-road functions still very much present and correct. It’s regularly pointed out that the more luxurious and lifestyle-orientated the company’s designs get, the less likely they are to be ever taken off-road.

Suffice to say, this reality doesn’t seem to have diminished Range Rover’s desire to make its vehicles truly ‘go-anywhere’, and the Sport continues this tradition. The new ‘Adaptive Off-Road Cruise Control’ system, for example, lets you set your speed over practically any type of terrain on the planet and the car will do the rest (as long as you remember to steer). 

The 2023 Range Rover Sport promises to be all things to everyone, in other words. Most usefully, perhaps, is the real-world range of 460 miles that the plug-in hybrid model delivers.

Sporting luxury is all very well, but the ability to travel far and wide will always be a strong selling point.

INFORMATION

New Range Rover Sport, from £79,125

rangerover.com

Two years after the new Land Rover Defender finally launched, the brand has taken the wraps off the Land Rover Defender Hybrid, the first plug-in electric model in the vehicle’s history. The road to the renewed Defender was unexpectedly bumpy, as we explained in our review of the 2019 model. At the heart of the Defender’s journey to production was the debate as to what this car actually is and who it is for.

Although Land Rover bakes in more off-road ability than almost any other car maker, it is arguably building elegant, upmarket machines for customers who are usually several acres short of being landed gentry. The original Land Rover, launched in 1948, was certainly no aristocratic plaything or symbol of upward mobility. Instead, it was a noble attempt to parley wartime shortages and surpluses (in this case a surfeit of aluminium) into a utilitarian machine that could just as easily pull a plough across a field as it could scramble across urban bombsites.

Up until its demise, due to failing emissions and crash-test legislation for key markets like the US, the original Defender remained a stoic beast of burden, used commercially around the world for everything from firefighting to search and rescue. Towards the end of this long, long life, the model started to acquire some urban cachet, representing the authentic and fashionable connection between functionalism and design purity. And so it remained until the bitter end, leaving a legacy that Land Rover has been strangely reluctant to continue.

In 2011, the company showed the DC100 concept, a chunky, almost parodic take on the chamfered edges and blunt ends of the original. Ultimately, it was deemed too small and not appealing enough to sate the bitter mix of hardcore fans and potential new customers. The market has moved on and today’s utility vehicle owner is markedly more unlikely to use their cars for actual utility; the selling point is the ability.

So instead of a smaller, cheaper Land Rover, the machinations of global economics and evolving consumer demand meant the company had little choice but to take Defender upmarket and aim high.

This was what led to the new Defender, a much, much larger and more authoritative machine than the DC100 ever was, let alone the original. There are some clear aesthetic alliances between the new and the old, but although the new car makes concessions to function (an open oddments tray on the dashboard, the barn door-style tailgate bearing the spare tyre, and a host of racks, rails and storage options available as accessory packs), it is very, very far from being basic.

Some elements, like the roof-mounted glass panels at the rear, are in the spirit of the original but barely share their functionality, the panels in question being so deep they resemble gothic vaults, not rooflights. Stylistically, this car owes more to the LR3 and LR4 generations of the Land Rover Discovery, a cultishy blocky design that ran from 2004 to 2016, and was much missed by enthusiasts when it was swapped out for the third generation L462 Discovery in 2017.

As a plug-in hybrid, the Defender loses none of its capability, whether mud-wrangling or wading. Available in long wheelbase 110 format only, it seats five and can be operated in pure electric mode, with a fast-charging mode allowing you to dodge the fuel pump for as long as possible. It’s reasonably fast and agile, given its size, and far more refined than any car bearing the Defender name has ever been before.

Land Rover has made peace with the idea of losing its status as a maker of go-anywhere cars for anyone. The new Defender is not a humble utility vehicle, but a luxury car that’s been pared back to very comfortable ‘basics’. Throw in the availability of electric drive, and you have a car that ticks all the boxes of the modern buyer.

INFORMATION

Land Rover Defender 110 P400e, from £65,915

landrover.co.uk

Relief was possibly the first emotion felt for many when the new Land Rover Defender was finally launched in autumn 2019. Relief that the new design of the iconic 4x4 that shape that launched the brand back in 1948 had been respected and without resorting to pastiche.  

Making a simple reissue – like many watch brands seem happy to do with some of their classic timepieces – is not an option for car-makers. Stricter modern road safety and air quality legislation plus greater customer expectations surrounding comfort, quality and space preclude it. So the 2019 Defender really did have to be different, while keeping the proportional essence that makes it one of the most recognizable car shapes on the planet.

Land Rover’s designers first showed their thoughts to the public back in 2011 with the DC100 concept but reactions were mixed. Some felt it was not serious enough, too Tonka Toy in its execution perhaps. The project began again in 2013 and while the new version retains the original’s unmistakable silhouette with chamfered edges at the front of the horizontal roofline and bonnet, it also employs a much more vertical front end and bluff-cut rear than the DC100, plus ‘squarer’ wheel arches and a more defined shoulder line. Finally, to make it stand-out from the ever-growing proliferation of rival SUVs, the new Defender sports a square C-pillar, floating above the bodywork rather than attached to it, creating a unique side-view graphic in the process. 

The Defender now comes in a number of different (bigger) sizes. The car’s naming system references the previous model’s wheelbase in inches, but the three-door, six-seat 90 is more than half a metre longer than the old model at 4583mm, while the five-door, five-plus-two seat 110 stretches to more than five metres. A longer-still eight-seat 130 model will complete the line-up later this year along with a plug-in hybrid option to complement the launch models’ petrol and diesel engine versions.

First impressions jumping inside the Defender are very good. The quality is a world away from the previous model with great fit and finish, well-integrated infotainment screens and more. But although it’s undeniably smarter, there’s still great practicality in the logical layout, from the rugged seat fabric and chunky grab handles on each end of the instrument panel to the wipe-clean and grippy load space. The Defender’s on-road manners are also vastly improved, with corner wobbles banished, while off-road the vehicle is still in another league, as ably demonstrated on the miles of off-road track and forest we traversed, including steep inclines and declines, deep-water wading and serious mud and ruts.

It’s not just about the driver either. The rear passenger seats are very comfortable with loads of leg room in the 110 model. And as the aforementioned C-pillar is behind the second row of the 110’s seats it doesn’t block the light unless you’re in the optional and occasional third-row. Even here the ‘alpine’ roof windows on each side provide extra light inward plus a better view of the stars above the Serengeti (or the streetlights in Streatham). The shorter 90 model can be ordered without this body-coloured square if desired and the space can also double-up as a place to affix exterior storage boxes or roof ladders. Indeed, accessories are a big part of Land Rover’s plan for the Defender with one in two customers expected to specify something extra from the options list. 

Although prices start from £38,100 most Defenders will therefore end up costing considerably more. As a result, you probably won’t see these vehicles used by hard-working farmers for some years to come, if at all. The 4x4 game has moved on and the new Defender has more than caught up with its on-road and quality improvements. This is reflected in a higher price of entry, but at least its design integrity (and capability) remains intact.

INFORMATION
Defender, from £38,100
landrover.com/defender

Land Rover makes SUVs for almost every desire. With its roots deep in all-terrain drive — cars for the wild explorer, their portfolio has subsequently expanded to novel genres. Who knew, for instance, that the urban commute could require such an assortment of SUVs, some of which have off-road technology so deeply advanced that it feels wrong limiting them to the school-run and Waitrose carpark.



Which brings us to the latest Discovery Sport. This is a compact version of its much bigger sibling, the Discovery, although it offers a similar 5+2 seating arrangement. Although it's slightly smaller, the Sport offers sophisticated driver assist and smart tech tailored from its more premium Land Rovers siblings. Driven in the Lake District and through the Yorkshire Dales, dipping on and off tarmac, and deep in mud and water, the Discovery Sport proves to be a highly accomplished product.



Land Rover and Range Rover design is entering a short phase of evolution, not revolution. The Sport's exterior design sees a noticeable refinement of the previous model, yet it retains the classic Discovery rising beltline and tapered roof. There are slim LED headlamps at the front and rear, as well as updated grille and bumpers. The model we drove is the higher trim HSE model (there is an option of an S and SE, and a sportier R-Dynamic), with a tasteful ‘Portofino Blue’ colour theme that visually slims the overall volume. It also benefits from an expansive fixed panoramic roof, flooding natural daylight into a cabin swathed in leather. The material story here follows a more conventional pattern, yet Land Rover also offers a more progressive selection of interior trims, including sustainable wool.

The Discovery Sport benefits from the marque’s latest infotainment interface – the twin touchscreen 10-inch Touch Pro Duo. The idea is for technology to be out-of-sight, hidden from view, until you turn the ignition on. The concept works well in promoting a calmer and more serene cabin. To encourage the adventurer in us, Land Rover is also offering the ‘Activity Key’ – a handy wearable waterproof band that allows you to enter the car without a conventional car key.

The Discovery we drive is diesel-powered — the nine-speed automatic 2.0 litre engine is capable of 180bhp, 0 to 60mph in 9.4 seconds and a top speed of 125mph. There is also a choice of a 2.0 litre petrol with 200 or 250bhp. What’s more, Land Rover offers what it terms as ‘mild hybrid’ technology on most of the cars whereby a 48-volt system provide all-electric drive at very low speeds. The company has promised a more ecological plug-in hybrid later in the year, in keeping with its current roadmap to EV power.

Contemporary Land Rovers have become highly technical products. The Discovery Sport comes with something called ‘Smart Settings’, using artificial intelligence algorithms to learn our driving preference and habits over time, then adjusting seating position and steering wheel height before we enter the car. Another new tech, ‘Ground View’, makes the bonnet 'invisible' by projecting camera-sourced imagery onto the upper touchscreen to show the driver a 180-degree view under the front of the vehicle. This comes into use when negotiating difficult parking spaces, navigating kerbs or tackling rough terrain.

Another highlight is the ‘ClearSight Ground View’ digital rear-view mirror (also offered on the Range Rover Evoque). A camera, positioned on the roof, projects a flawless all-surround 360-degree view, which proves exceptionally useful when navigating the Yorkshire Dales National Park with its roaming cattle. Finally, the Sport has a handy ‘Advanced Tow Assist’ function that essentially self-reverses the car when you have a trailer attached to the rear.



The Discovery Sport is more than capable on motorways and country roads. Yet it is at Land Rover Experience Yorkshire where its talents truly shine. The company encourage new customers to come along to these centres, which are dotted around the UK, to experience the potential of their vehicle. Four-wheel drive models come with ‘Terrain Response 2’, which automatically detects the surface being driven on and adjusts the set-up accordingly. The driver can also manually set the system (to Comfort, Sand, Grass-Gravel-Snow and Mud & Ruts) and control hill climbs, descend slops and wade through deep water with ease.



Land Rover has had quite a decade. Under Tata’s ownership and with Gerry McGovern’s astute creative direction, the marque has shaped a comprehensive family of cars firmly anchored on their SUV-ness yet retaining a clear direction for each branch of the family tree – Range Rover, Discovery and Defender. The Range Rover family that includes the Velar and Evoque has become more of a luxury urban drive, while the new Defender (revealed last month) is strictly for the wild. The Discovery, and this latest Discovery Sport, has also a defined mission: to take the family on great adventures, in comfort and with a little support from technology.

INFORMATION

Land Rover Discovery Sport, from £31,575 

landrover.co.uk

A bold new design studio is a must-have for a contemporary car company, a structure that encapsulates the ethos of the brand, the importance of contemporary design, and the all-important bonds that link corporate culture to the end product. In its modern iteration, Jaguar Land Rover continues to place a great deal of stock in the value of design, whether it's the way head designer Gerry McGovern references modernist architecture and furniture across the Range Rover range, or how Jaguar's pioneering all-electric cars are finding new expressions of classic design proportions. Now the company has consolidated the departments that come together to shape tomorrow's transport with an all-new facility, the Advanced Product Creation Centre. 

Designed by Bennetts Associates and located at the company's Gaydon facility – a former World War II airbase – the building houses design studios, engineering departments and the vital production purchasing department all under a single giant roof. Although this new project involved decanting Jaguar's design team from its historic site in Coventry, there's a greater mission at stake, to share the reams of knowledge and information that shape tomorrow's cars and foster a culture of collaboration in the process. 

The building program is all contained beneath a massive timber roof, its span punctuated by vast rooflights that illuminate, amongst other things, an internal street with communal spaces that links the various functions. There's 50,000 m2 of built space here, with the whole complex arranged loosely around the triangular geometry left over from the original RAF runways, although almost all of the grounds have been extensively landscaped, with a new lake that doubles up as part of the complex’s drainage system. The planting, which blends into the distant Warwickshire countryside, is a very visual expression of the building’s sustainable ethos, and by extension the emphasis on sustainable design that is increasingly characterising JLR’s product range.

Bennetts Associates worked alongside Buro Happold on the structural engineering and Grant Associates for the landscaping. The architects have three decades of experience working in the workplace sector, with offices in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Current projects include Facebook’s HQ in London’s Kings Cross. For JLR, they have created a contemporary campus to shape the next generation of mobility.

INFORMATION

bennettsassociates.com

There may have been grumbles from within the Frankfurt motor show about fewer exhibitors than in previous years and protests outside about the automotive sector’s contribution to climate change, but say what you will about the biennial German event, it still has the power to attract major attention and warrants scrutiny.

All the big German brands rolled out significant models, most notably VW’s ID.3 – its first made-to-measure full-electric car and the first of at least six from the same modular platform – that suggests it really does want to put its Dieselgate scandal-blighted past behind it. To signal the symbolic shift VW even unveiled a new, more humble 2D version of its formerly shiny 3D one. Electric power was king everywhere at the show. Even Land Rover’s long-awaited new Defender 4x4 – previously a very chuggy and usually no-nonsense diesel vehicle – now boasts a mild hybrid version plus a plug-in hybrid to follow, alongside its traditional petrol and diesel offerings.

Beyond the established Western marques, Chinese newcomer brands were more numerous than at previous European shows – with both Wey and Byton the most convincing. In particular, the 48-inch wide infotainment screen on Byton’s production-ready M-Byte impressed with its ambition and software, and is unmatched by any other maker in the world right now (the interior screen of Honda’s endearing ‘e’ city car also unveiled in Frankfurt, is the nearest). Both should deliver their cars to customers by mid-2020.

The appetite for such high-tech EVs is out there, demand outstrips supply in many cases, so now the carmakers need to deliver on their promise in sufficient numbers, and be matched by public charging infrastructure. Out of five main halls populated by vehicle manufacturers, here are Wallpaper’s 2019 Frankfurt top six unveils…

Volkswagen ID.3

The positive news from VW’s stand was the reveal of the production-ready ID.3 with most of the charm of its conceptual forebear intact. The product design-inspired and Golf-sized five-seat hatch is the start of an all-electric family which will be produced in the millions and spawn a large saloon, several SUVs, a 21st camper van and possibly a beach buggy and a racing car too. Jump inside the ID.3 and apart from the high-tech screens the design is noticeably simple and pared back. ‘It’s about the democratisation of electric mobility to get the price point down,’ head of design Klaus Bischoff explains, ‘and also at the end of its lifespan it’s then easier to dismantle and recycle.’ UK prices should start from circa £27,000 and begin in mid-2020, with home-charging wallboxes from £300. VW says the ID.3 is as important to its history as the Beetle and the Golf and it might just be proved right – which after years of being in the wrong over emissions cheating – is a good thing.

Land Rover Defender

We’ve had to wait a long time for this most famous vehicle silhouette to be refreshed. Two concepts for a new Defender were shown in 2011 and the basic shape dates back to the very start of the brand in 1948. But looking at all those influences, the production-ready new Defender stays pretty true to what endeared it to so many. Some critics feel the new design doesn’t look rugged enough, but its boxy and functional proportions remain, practical steel wheels are an option and the new model will surely still have the necessary skills to ‘go-anywhere’, albeit costing a little more money than before. The commercial van-back version will starts from £35,000 rising to £40,000 for the six-seat 90 edition and £45,240 for the 110 version with five-, six- or 5+2-seat configuration possibilities.

Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS

The Vision EQS concept limousine was the headline news on the Mercedes stand and is significant as the first design on a new electric platform which will lead to many other luxury EV production models. It’s also crucial to the ambition of Mercedes’ parent company Daimler and also announced in Frankfurt, to become CO2-neutral by 2039. The Vision EQS continues Mercedes’ quiet sophistication in design approach too. ‘Everybody is still putting slashes and creases on the sides of their cars while we do simple and clean designs,’ Gorden Wagener, chief design officer told us. ‘We vary that for all our luxury cars but the EQ models should be the most progressive.’

The large battery pack required for a longer-distance EV is accommodated and visually hidden between a considerably lengthened wheelbase and by using larger wheels, while in side view the car is unified by a silhouette that has become almost a single arc, (or what Mercedes calls a ‘one-bow’ design, as in a rainbow shape). Either way, Wagener promises 80 per cent of the Vision EQS’s design will make it through to the production EQS due circa 2022 and will sell alongside the brand’s next S-Class limousine, not replace it.

Porsche Taycan

Porsche is one step ahead of Mercedes on its luxury electric saloon journey, unveiling its four-seater Taycan production EV ready to buy now and true to the Mission E concept of 2015 that prefaced it. The interior features a modern design with frameless driver display – the bulky cowl on previous models has been dispensed with as Porsche found a way to manage without by adding a sunglasses-like polarisation effect on top of the screen glass to avoid unwanted reflections. And by moving some of the battery packs to the outer edges, rear passengers’ feet effectively sit within a hollowed-out section, thus allowing them to sit lower and the roofline to remain swoopy. The Taycan is not for the masses – what Porsche is? – but a technical tour de force nonetheless and a big psychological leap for the previously combustion-engined stalwarts.

Hyundai 45 Concept

Another brand looking to the past to find inspiration for the future at Frankfurt was Korean brand Hyundai. Its 45 concept paid homage to the number of years since its significant Pony Coupe concept of 1974 designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the independent design legend also behind the first VW Golf, Fiat Panda and DeLorean DMC-12. Behind the nostalgia of its retro lighting effects and angular proportions, the 2019 concept is superbly modern in execution and has a wonderful lounge-like interior enhanced by a louvred sunroof which throws light into the space like natural sunlight can sometimes do through a blind in a domestic living room. No pre-production teaser this, but the 45 indicates Hyundai’s clean design approach underpinned by electric powertrains, is heading in a very tasteful direction.

BMW Vision M Next

Technically, BMW’s Vision M Next supercar was revealed to the world some weeks before Frankfurt but its public debut at the show was the best thing on the BMW stand by far, in the opinion of all the critics and experts we bumped into during motor show week. Hunkered down, angular and well-proportioned, with a convincing new interpretation of the brand’s famous kidney grille, plus a dynamically diagonal two-tone paint job.

INFORMATION

iaa.de

Designing houses for designers can be a thankless task, a fertile ground for clashing egos and creative disagreements. Happily, this radically reworked 1960s bungalow was completed without too many traumas and is now home to Gerry McGovern, design director at Land Rover since 2004 and one of the most colourful figures in the world of automotive design. McGovern has been instrumental in shaping the form of contemporary luxury since the turn of the century, when his work at Ford’s short-lived Ingeni design centre in London helped underpin the stately, clean, perfectly proportioned forms and volumes of what we now unconsciously accept as ‘high-end’.

McGovern’s obsession with modernist simplicity has clearly spilled over into the design of his new house. Although the McGovern house began life as a rather non-descript structure, tucked away in a neat little road in rural Warwickshire, it now resembles something straight off the clifftops of the American West Coast. The approach to the house pitches you straight into the unconventional. Bordered by trim and conventional properties, the revitalised house nestles into a dip, presenting a series of stepped timber-faced facades to the road and rising up to a glassy gym set atop a ranch-style double garage. It’s all very LA, an effect bolstered by the dusty Range Rover out front and glimpses of stark white walls, Vitsoe shelving and midcentury modern furniture through the half-open garage doors.

McGovern’s architect throughout the four-year process was Adrian Baynes. ‘He wanted to be a car designer and I wanted to be an architect,’ McGovern says bluntly. But the two ultimately managed to set aside their professional jealousies (although McGovern points out that a lot of the detail design is his own). ‘We worked together and have added a little bit of unpredictability; it’s not a straightforward glass and render box,’ says McGovern. The garden façade offers the most dramatic view. Set atop a steep slope of beautifully manicured lawn, the house appears as a series of pavilions set upon three levels of terracing, as if several Case Study projects had collided in the lush English countryside. Sometimes the inspiration is clear; the spindly steel trusses that support the gym roof are very Californian, as is the rhythm of the window mullions when viewed from the street.

These influences are not entirely surprising. When he lived in the States, McGovern had houses first in Detroit, and then in California. There, he worked at Ford’s Irvine studio, regularly hosted meetings at LAX Airport’s signature Encounter restaurant, ticked off the state’s many mid-century architectural treasures an even befriended the late Pierre Koenig. His own Californian house was in Monarch Beach, Orange County, so Warwickshire offered up a very different architectural landscape. Undeterred, McGovern spent months scoping out properties close to Land Rover’s HQ in Gaydon, including a 1960s house by acclaimed local modernist Robert Harvey, before eventually settling on this site. A key component of the brief was to showcase McGovern’s expansive collection of contemporary furniture, gathered up from around the world and paired with an impressive array of art, including pieces by Patrick Caulfield, Patrick Heron, Julian Opie, Nino Mustica and Josef Albers. Furniture by Florence Knoll, Mies van der Rohe and Arne Jacobsen, together with a finely patinated George Nelson credenza, are arranged around the space, helping to frame the views through the large glass windows.

The details are especially pleasing, from the ribbon steel balustrades inspired by the polished chrome frame of Mies van der Rohe’s ‘Brno’ chair (designed for the architect’s 1930 Tugendhat House, in the Czech Republic, and now manufactured by Knoll) to the massive front door that swings around on its central pivot. Heavy-duty industrial parquet flooring is used throughout, while McGovern’s collection of George Nelson clocks have each been custom-coloured by Land Rover’s in-house paint shop.

For the past six years, McGovern has overseen the visual language of one of the stalwart brands of British manufacturing. Land Rover is now in rude health under new owners Tata Motors and readying itself for a few years of non-stop new products. When we met, McGovern and his wife were also steeling themselves for the arrival of their first child, making 2010 something of a landmark year for the 54-year-old designer. Tucked away in one corner is a Bloom Fresco high chair, the only design McGovern felt was able to slot into his vision.

Throughout his tenure at Land Rover, McGovern has stressed the importance of a unified, pure design language, explaining how Land Rover’s point of difference is that it was a brand founded on pure function and design. It’s true that the original Series 1 Land Rover car emerged in 1948, at a time of materials rationing, ‘utility’ clothing and furniture and a national culture of make do and mend. Times have changed. The next generation Range Rover, due in 2012, is now signed off and under test, with the new ‘baby’ Range Rover, the Evoque, hitting the market in spring 2011. There’s also the ongoing work to reshape and redirect the iconic Land Rover Defender, a car that can trace its lineage straight back to the 1940s, but which now falls foul of new safety regulations.

The McGovern House and its contents perfectly illustrate how modernist furniture has evolved from functional object to sought-after collectible. Similarly, the automotive austerity that defined the original Land Rover has little relevance in the 21st century, an era when the word ‘utility’ now comes sandwiched between ‘sport’ and ‘vehicle’. With McGovern’s domestic realm displaying such a hard-won simplicity, you can be sure that tomorrow’s Land Rovers will demonstrate similar disdain for anything less than perfect.

As originally featured in the December 2010 issue of Wallpaper* (W*141)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Baynes&Co website

At some point later this year, Land Rover will unveil its long, long-awaited replacement for the original Defender, a car that can trace its origins back to the formation of the company 70 years ago in 1948. The Defender bowed out in 2016, crude, noisy, unrefined and pretty much bottom of its class. Yet for all their acquired inner-city chic and fashionable utilitarianism, it’s easy to forget that the very first off-road vehicles were designed for military and agricultural use – crudity was a virtue, not a problem.

The very first Land Rover was essentially a way for Rover to soak up surplus wartime aluminium while also making a vehicle that was suitable for export at a time of strict sales quotas. This expediency only came about due to Maurice Wilks’ realisation that surplus army Jeeps were just as suitable for ploughed muddy fields as for crossing real battlefields. So began 70 years of evolution, with Land Rovers of myriad shapes and sizes finding their way around the globe.

Others followed and today utility continues to be fetishised, despite the original's current unavailability. ‘Utility' has also given way to a form of rugged luxury, and today numerous companies can convert and transform the icons of utility motoring from the likes of Land Rover, Mercedes, Jeep and Toyota into bespoke conveyances. Their popularity has inspired manufacturers to keep their options open; Mercedes recently re-launched the G-Wagen, Jeep is bringing back the Wrangler and the Toyota Land-Cruiser remains a stubbornly unfashionable, but unbreakable, lump.

But are there any true heirs to the utility crown? We’ve tracked down three new cars that promise off-road brilliance without pretentious price tags or unnecessary luxuries, proving that the spirit of the original Defender will linger on, regardless of the shape and scope of its replacement.

Mobius II

Mobius Motors is building a car for the East African market in Kenya, figuring that local conditions and demand require a local production facility with all the requisite experience to hand, rather than rely on imports. Three years in the development, the company hopes to make several thousand units a year, all down to a functional price. Starting with the most basic ‘Cargo’ trim – about 1.3m Kenyan Shillings (£10k) – all the way up to the ‘Adventure Plus’ model at 1.57m (approximately £12k), the Mobius II is not an expensive car.

‘For context, this will be a new SUV that is comparable to the price of a seven-year old used sedan, which is what most customers buy in the local market,’ says Dr. Markus Schroder, the new company’s commercial director. Schroder adds that ‘the design of the new Mobius II is driven by our core value of Simplify. This is expressed through our focus on the most critical functional needs of local drivers (e.g. ruggedness, durability) and an aesthetic oriented around both beauty and simplicity.’ mobiusmotors.com

Bollinger B1

A similarly straightforward aesthetic underpins the new Bollinger B1, a new truck being built in Hobart, New York. Created by Robert Bollinger, the ace up the B1’s sleeve is an all-electric powertrain, cloaked in an angular body. ‘This is the truck I'd want to buy,’ Bollinger tells us, ‘it's that simple. I was looking for an EV and there was nothing on the market that I could bring myself to buy. I didn't want a big sedan. I didn't want a little hatchback. And I didn't want a hybrid that pretends to be worth it. So the B1 was born in my head and then we set out to make an amazing truck.’

Aimed at hardcore off-roaders, Bollinger believes the B1 hits a very contemporary sweet spot. ‘It has incredible capability, hands-on simplicity and green technology,’ he explains, adding that the primary inspiration was ‘simplicity.’ ‘We put the engineering and the work into what the truck can do, not how many trinkets you can stuff in there,’ he says, ‘For the body, we focused on how to make it all in-house, so that required simple bends in flat sheet metal. No complicated stampings... in the end the truck had to have a look that was singular in thought.’

Bollinger is still a small operation, with just eight people working to turn the well-received prototype into a production vehicle. Regardless of the extent of the final production run, the B1 has already gone down as a bit of a design classic, an impressive update of utility values yet with future friendly underpinnings. Bollinger hasn't ruled out taking his approach to the mass-market. ‘It's one of the production directions we're looking at now,' he says, ‘we're investigating where in the timeline a higher volume vehicle would fit in. But regardless of the volume, we'll always keep our DNA of simplicity, capability, and innovation.' bollingermotors.com

Coming soon

For those in search of swifter gratification, and who aren't in need of an entirely bespoke Bollinger or have access to an East African exporter, there are other options. Ultra-low budget brand Dacia have a new version of their entirely unpretentious Duster, perhaps the most frill-free car on the market. It has the benefit of being available right now (we'll be sampling one soon).

But enthusiasts are also pointing to another new exponent of utility chic, the humble Suzuki Jimny. One of the most diminutive 4x4s on the market, the Jimny has been around since 1970. The car that made Suzuki's name outside Japan, it began life as a cut-down Jeep clone, eventually evolving into a compact SUV before losing its way slightly around about generation three.

The newest Jimny model, the fourth, is due for delivery soon. The company's designers have gone straight back to the source, with a retro-infused exterior, stripped down interior and an all-round ethos of back to basics integrity. The new Land Rover Defender has a mountain to climb if it wants to retain its crown. dacia.co.uk, suzuki.co.uk

There’s a good chance you know more about the new Range Rover Velar than you think. Sometimes, actually sampling a car doesn’t tell you very much more about it than you already knew. Instead, one can turn to the words, pictures and general cultural stew that swirls around it – most especially during the fevered period of the launch event – to get a sense of what it means to its designers and makers and what, in turn, it should mean to us.

The Velar is the fourth model in the Range Rover line up. When we previewed the car, in our April 2017 issue (see W*217), it was obvious how proud the company was of the new design language on display. In the wild, away from the artificial confines of the Land Rover design studio, it remains a handsome beast. Intended to slot in above the popular Evoque (the car that kickstarted the company’s current manufacturing and design renaissance) yet below the Range Rover Sport, it does a good job of trumping the former’s sleek looks and the latter’s muscular elegance. The Velar achieves the rare trick of making its siblings look instantly a few years out of date (which of course they are in design terms), moving the game onwards.

Buy a Velar and you won’t feel anything less than forward-thinking. Elements like the flush door handles, the smooth radii of the bodywork, the vast 23in wheels filling out great architecturally precise wheel arches and an interior awash with studiously well thought out flat screens, all contribute to this positive impression. All this information, however, can be gleaned from the press material and a cursory walk along the rows of shiny new Velars lined up on the tarmac of Norway’s Molde Airport.

You also don’t need to get behind the wheel to know that both on-road and off the Velar delivers impressive refinement. Promising nothing less than class-leading refinement and driving feel, Land-Rover’s engineering team have spent a couple of years tuning this machine to fulfil your preconceptions. It will simply perform as required. We cruised amongst Norway’s soporifically sedate traffic without ever feeling the need to push the performance envelope. Similarly, we were also directed over a short and spiky (artificial) off-road course without requiring an axle-deep yomp along the muddy banks of a fjord for confirmation of its abilities as a 4x4.

Instead, Land Rover was keen to impress upon us the Range Rover Velar’s place in the pantheon of inspirationally creative and cultured objects. It did so by lining up a short awards ceremony alongside the launch, honouring a small group of inspirationally creative and cultured people and the objects and services they had created. It was accompanied by rambling talks on the value of non-specific radical change, innovation and inspiration. Change is everywhere. So learn to embrace it. Or change yourself. Or something.

The Velar is no game-changer. It exudes quiet confidence in a slick, contemporary package. By virtue of its newness it is more appealing than many competitors – even those bearing the same badge – and that rare driver who requires the combination of refinement and raw ability will be especially rewarded. For the rest of us, it reinforces Range-Rover’s image as a supplier of objects of raw desire

INFORMATION

Range Rover Velar, from £44,830. For more information, visit the Land Rover website

The new Range Rover Velar is the fourth model in the Range Rover line-up, intended to slot between the Range Rover Sport and the Evoque. It’s a sizeable machine, deliberately pitched at new buyers who want a sleeker, sportier SUV that combines both designer style and off-road chops. ‘This car is “white space” for us,’ says Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s caustically ebullient chief design officer, as he explains how the Velar taps into the desires of design-savvy customers who still crave a bit of the company’s legendary capability.

McGovern brings a bracing blend of old school off-the-cuff remarks and decidedly new-school thinking in terms of form, materials, technology and luxury. Over the past decade he has transformed the company’s design studio into a crack team of specialists, broadened Land Rover’s model portfolio from four cars to seven, with more to come, and, most remarkably of all, delivered relentless year-on-year sales increases thanks to smart product planning that mines every conceivable niche.

These rocketing sales can be attributed to the SUV’s ongoing popularity; by 2020, analysts expect around over 20 million SUVlike vehicles will be sold around the world each year. The Velar fills a rare gap – not a 4x4 limousine like the flagship Range Rover, nor the dapper family car with a twist represented by the Evoque. Instead, it’s a design pitched straight at the heart, not the head. ‘Let’s face it,’ McGovern admits, ‘people don’t need these luxury vehicles. They desire them.’ It’s McGovern’s job to stoke this desire, hence his pointed comparisons with things like Hermès bags and other emotionally driven brands.

It’s a desirable slice of the market, and Range Rover has got there first. The Velar was developed in strict secrecy over the past four years before breaking cover at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Even more remarkable, the company expects the first customers to take delivery in mid-summer, doing away with the industry’s tedious habit of teasing with a design and then expecting buyers to wait a year before they can acquire it.

McGovern talks of the great coherence between Land Rover’s design and engineering departments. ‘They’re hellbent on delivering our designs,’ he says. ‘We create the concept and engineering delivers that with as little dilution as possible.’ Although the Velar is debuting as a fully realised production vehicle, it still has the slick improbability of a concept car. This is the lowest Range Rover ever made, as well as the most aerodynamic, with flush door handles and smooth, seamless surfacing. The front three-quarters view offers up a curvaceous profile that would have been simply unthinkable to the engineers that dreamt up the first Range Rover back in 1970. Even McGovern admits, ‘We wouldn’t have thought of doing this car ten years ago.’ Those 1970s prototypes, by the way, were badged ‘Velar’, derived from the Latin for ‘covered’. It’s also a fitting name for a modern car that is effectively a rolling sanctuary.

The detailing is impressive, from the massive 22in wheels, smooth flanks and ‘floating’ roof to the strong, continuous beltline, above which sits a cabin-like glasshouse. Every crease and crinkle is ironed out, shut lines evaporated, windows, lights and door handles sunk flush with the bodywork. The shrink-wrapped approach adds a sheen of futurist minimalism, helped by the choice of colours and materials. Burnished copper detailing adds to the premium feel of the bodywork, while the interior is slick and beautifully realised, pairing two generous touchscreens with a digital dashboard, head-up display and a welcome selection of physical knobs – a digital/analogue future is the way forwards. Naturally, the onboard tech includes the full panoply of cameras and off-roading aids, and far-reaching laser headlights.

McGovern says that modernity is emerging in other ways. ‘Some customers want luxury materials but not necessarily leather,’ he says. ‘Wood and leather is quite an old-fashioned approach and we want to change that.’ Amy Frascella, chief designer colour and materials, explains how the design team went further, initiating a collaboration with Kvadrat – an auto industry first – to develop a premium wool material for seat inserts and doors. ‘The customer landscape is shifting – and this is a “curated choice”,’ she says. The specially developed ‘melange weave’ adds to the Velar’s interior options, joining a custom carbon fibre, specially grained, uncoated light wood and a cut-diamond pattern on the dash trim.

Jaguar Land Rover is now Britain’s biggest car-maker, and the Velar shows why. As a direct descendant of the car that transformed SUVs into conveyances for contemporary lifestyles, it does its job admirably. Big cars needn’t be brutish, and the Velar ushers in a new era for Land Rover design.

As originally featured in the April 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*217)

INFORMATION

Range Rover Velar, from £44,830. For more information, visit the website

‘Ready for change’ read a sign on the Mercedes-Benz pavilion. It signifies the marque’s new electric mobility sub-brand, yet unknowingly it also highlights another fundamental shift. From the hundreds of cars on exhibit at Mondial de l’Automobile, many will never be sold, some will cease production after just one cycle. Making cars is costly, creating new models even more so. It’s evident how we consume cars is changing, yet many car companies seem hesitant to truly readdress the workings of the industry.

Exhibiting at motor shows is also quite an investment. The halls of Paris Expo looked suspiciously sparse with the likes of Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Volvo and Ford opting out this year. New reveals happen online weeks ahead so there are few surprises at motor shows, and the public are simply not attending en masse. Much like the industry itself, the conventional show format feels tired.

Yet, the show must go on, and on it did with a trickle of interesting production and concept cars. Jaguar Land Rover revealed the new Defender, an all-important model for the marque to live between the luxurious Range Rover and soon to be updated rugged Defender. Land Rover is the unrivalled SUV expert, and Defender is testimony to this. The design is simple yet clever, with a focus on providing the perfect family car with optimised seats that configure in seemingly infinite ways, to sit seven adult-size occupants comfortably.

‘We’re on a journey of transformation,’ Land Rover’s design director Gerry McGovern explains, ‘and until Defender comes it won’t be clear what the strategy is. Range Rover is about luxury, Discovery versatility, Defender durability, and the new Defender will be the absolute polarisation of Range Rover.’

There were one or two pretty fun concept cars on display too. It is hard not to smile at the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, a gloriously sculpted 6m-long flaming red electric coupé, composed by design boss Gorden Wagener to the theme of 'passion'. Renault’s Trezor concept is also an ode to love – this almost retro low-slung electric GT concept, with slightly more modest proportions than the Maybach, is propelled by the company’s Formula E racing technology.

However, in the wake of the recent diesel scandal, most eyes seemed firmly focused on Volkswagen. The car giant responded by presenting a clever and clean all-electric autonomous small car concept, dubbed ID. It will launch as a compact electric car by 2020, running in parallel to the VW Golf and forming the core of an ambitious plan to sell a million electric cars by 2025.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ case for electrification involves creating a dedicated sub-brand. Much like the BMW i brand that came before it, EQ (electric intelligence) promises a sustainable mobility ecosystem, including both products and services, starting with Generation EQ, unveiled here in Paris.

Elsewhere, it was at the few satellite pop-ups where the exhibitions felt a little more contemporary in their execution. For the launch of the new Discovery, Land Rover scored a Guinness World Record for the largest Lego structure ever built – a life-size Tower Bridge revealed across the water near the company's headquarters. Meanwhile, BMW exhibited a couple of customised i3 and i8s configured by Lapo Elkann and his Garage Italia Customs consultancy, inspired by 19th century pointillists and unveiled at the very other end of town on Avenue George V.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Mondial de l'Automobile website

This year's Salone del Mobile saw a bevy of car brands catch the design bug. Here's our edit of the best.



Setsuna by Toyota: This wooden roadster concept explores the value of a car beyond mere driving. The functioning roadster is conceptualised to explore our relationship with our vehicles, our memories, history and the physical ageing process.



The Setsuna is constructed using 86 handmade wooden panels chosen according to weight, durability and stiffness, and assembled using the traditional Japanese wood joinery method of okuri ari

Car companies are increasingly finding their way to Milan in a bid to absorb the creative spirit of Salone del Mobile; it makes sense to be involved in the wider design world given the car’s ongoing evolution from a vehicle for transport to a multi-functioning product and advanced tech gadget.



This year, Toyota presented an unusual study car as part of Fuorisalone, away from the main trade show in the vibrant Tortona design district. The Setsuna is made of wood, and at first glance it could easily be mistaken for a toy car. Yet this is a fully functioning roadster replete with an engine conceptualised to explore our relationship with our cars, our memories, history and the physical ageing process.



Meanwhile, sister company Lexus took over a former metal factory to exhibit 'Anticipation' with Formafantasma. Here the Italian design studio based its study on the Lexus LF-FC, first seen at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, to create a curious trio of installations that explore the fusion of machine, craft and tradition in the context of this hydrogen powered fuel-cell car.



The Japanese marque also exhibited its Lexus Design Awards, an ambitious annual project to support emerging international talent. Among the 12 finalists chosen from over a thousand entries were some interesting and unusual propositions. They included packaging material made from seaweed, an instinctive children’s toy set, modular clothing and a clock that visualises the present by marking the passing of time.



Also in Tortona, 'Mini Living' explored urban life, with some simple yet intriguing ideas on affordable compact housing for a utopian future. The concept saw four 30 sq m apartments share a residential building to form a micro-neighbourhood where basic assets are shared through a clever wall mechanism of rotating shelves that are pushed out into a communal space.



Elsewhere, 'Cactus Chair' by Italian designer Mario Bellini utilises Airbump, the intelligent protective side shield mounted on the Citroën C4 Cactus, for a lightweight and comfortable seating product.



Land Rover and industrial designer Odo Fioravanti created an installation featuring a surfboard, snowboard and longboard to celebrate the freedom of movement offered by the latest Evoque Convertible SUV, whilst Aston Martin joined forces with Quintessence Yachts to celebrate the imminent launch of its first luxury powerboat, the AM37.



See above for our pick of the most inspiring car-related products in Milan above...

Japanese cedar makes up the exterior, chosen for the refinement of its wood grain and its flexibility; the chassis is made of birch; strong Japanese zelkova constitutes the floor; and the seats are made of smooth Castor-aralia.



The idea is that the material will change colour and texture with time, showing the evolution of the vehicle and thus adding emotional value to the car. The Setsuna has ecological benefits too, since the modular panels can be exchanged when needed, rather than having to replace the whole body.



Meaning ‘moment’ in Japanese, the Setsuna is a romantic study of the car as a living, breathing object that matures, not just visually but spiritually absorbing the aspirations, memories and emotions of its various owners

Lexus x Formafantasma's 'Anticipation': Lexus took over a former metal factory to exhibit a trio of installations by the Italian design duo Formafantasma. Working to the overall theme of ‘anticipation’, the Amsterdam-based studio explores the fusion of machine, craft and tradition. The Lexus LF-FC fuel cell vehicle is the muse here, investigating the possibilities of the lightweight material and sustainable hydrogen energy outside the context of motoring.



For the overall structure, Formafantasma has installed translucent partitions inspired by Japanese shoji – the paper walls and doors are fixed over a lattice frame of wood to allow light to pass through and reveal shadows and shapes in a theatrical way

Visitors enter through a ‘garden’ of multiple wooden gates revealing a series of exhibition areas. The first features a set of metal stools painted, like the LF-FC, using traditional Japanese lacquering techniques that involve layering colours by hand and machine.



In the second room a large metal frame holds 7,200 delicate flowing transparent threads; an homage to early Japanese mechanised textile making, Formafantasma explains. Here a loom-like machine pulls and releases the threads that, once stretched, subtly reveal the three-dimensional outline of the LF-FC vehicle.



In the third and largest space Formafantasma celebrates the advanced hydrogen fuel cell technology in the LF-FC, used here to power a kinetic light installation. The four semi-circular stainless steel sculptures, mounted on a reflective pink platform that hides the power source, move to a choreographed slow dance.



To complete the sense of anticipation, Formafantasma worked closely with Michelin-starred chef Yoji Tokuyoshi, of Milan's Ristorante Tokuyoshi, for a range of surprising tasting experiences (pictured) centred on clear water emitted by the LF-FC hydrogen fuel cell technology as an expression of its sustainable qualities

DADA by Myungsik Jan, for Lexus Design Awards: DADA is inspired by the Korean ceremony doljabi, when on a first birthday a range of objects are placed in front of the child. What they choose is said to reveal their career. This modern rendition uses a range of natural blocks, cylinders and fabrics to pique the child’s curiosity and predict their future path

AM37 by Aston Martin and Quintessence Yachts: The AM37 is a joint project between Aston Martin and Quintessence Yachts, and the car marque’s first venture into nautical design. The name suggests its size; this 37-foot water vessel utilises carbon-fibre in its construction with a clever vacuum infusion technology to build a scalpel-sharp hull that is at the centre of its design.



The marque is promising further advances, such as interactive voice control and activation, a fully HD-integrated touch screen with navigation and multimedia system and remote control functions. The boat is expected to launch later this year

'FreeRide' by Odo Fioravanti, for Land Rover: Industrial designer Odo Fioravanti has worked with Land Rover to create 'FreeRide', an installation featuring a surfboard, snowboard and longboard to celebrate the freedom of movement offered by the latest Evoque Convertible SUV

'Cactus Chair' by Mario Bellini, for Citroën: The 'Cactus Chair' by Italian designer Mario Bellini utilises Airbump, the intelligent protective side shield mounted on the Citroën C4 Cactus, for a lightweight and comfortable seating product.



The supple TPU (thermo-plastic urethane) skin on the Airbump, with its multitude of air capsules, requires no particular maintenance and is designed to protect the car’s bodywork against knocks and scratches. Bellini’s design utilises similar technology to create a lightweight construction that offers the same levels of comfort as a traditional chair

'Shape Shifters' by Angelëne, for Lexus Design Awards: This is a new form of textile cutting for adaptable clothing to promote personalisation and reduce consumption and waste. With an MA in material futures from Central Saint Martins, studio founder Angelene Laura Fenuta looks at how modular principles can help create dynamic garments with embedded silhouette versatility

'Plants-Skin' by Hiroto Yoshizoe, for Lexus Design Awards: This intelligent, moderately permeable flowerpot is made from coloured mortar coated with hydro-chromic ink. When the surface absorbs water the white ink becomes transparent and colour appears, the gradation revealing the level of moisture, so as to indicate when the plant requires feeding

'Mini Living' by Mini, ON and Arup: 'Mini Living' explores new models for urban existence in the form of a modern shared-living concept. This inspired idea sees four 30 sq m apartments on a single floor of a residential building form a micro-neighbourhood with basic assets – kitchen, laundry, utilities – shared through a simple wall concept of folding and rotating shelves that are pushed out into communal spaces.



Here, Mini worked with Yokohama architects ON Design for their expertise in micro-housing and collaborative living, whilst the Berlin office of engineering consultant Arup provided technical support.



'Mini Living' visualises likeminded people residing almost communally without sacrificing privacy in an affordable and rather attractive housing project

'Trace' by Studio Ayaskan, for Lexus Design Awards: The clock visualises the present by marking the passing of time through a liquid that changes colour under ultra-violet rays. Conceptualised by the London-based, Turkish studio Ayaskan, a UV light beam rotates around the face of the clock to mark every second, minute and hour, leaving a trace of colour as time sweeps by, then fading back to transparency

'Agar Plasticity' by AMAM, for Lexus Design Awards: Winner of the Lexus Design Awards, the Japanese studio AMAM worked with Max Lamb as a mentor, to explore sustainable packaging using a gelatinous material made from red marine algae. The flexibility of the material means that it can be used for both cushioning and packaging; it can be ecologically disposed of and won’t harm marine line if it should drift into the sea

INFORMATION

For more information, see our Salone del Mobile live report

Does the world need another 4x4? Do we need another Land Rover? The builders of these stalwart off-roaders seem to think so and the new Discovery Sport is the first shot in the second salvo of new models from the Midlands-based company. The Discovery Sport replaces the old Freelander, a car that could loosely be described as a 'small' SUV. Although it shares a fair amount of design language with its more upmarket Range Rover siblings, the Discovery Sport is intended as a rougher, tougher, more utilitarian piece of kit.

The new car was debuted in the wild hinterlands of western Iceland. Global car launches are usually theatrical affairs, combining fine empty roads, dramatic landscapes and a scattering of sleek hotels and coffee stops. Manufacturers are keen to showcase their new babies at their very best, so every detail is micro-managed and the opportunity for the unexpected is minimised. This isn't the case here. Land Rover's stagehands don't bother lurking in the wings, for the company's global expeditions team are a core part of every launch, tagging along in a fleet of specially modified vehicles drawn from the marque's storied past to ensure that getting stuck in snowdrifts is all part of the fun.

Even these unscheduled stops were rare. The Discovery Sport performed outstandingly, traversing great snowy swathes of the island across roads closed for the season due to the weather. Land Rover still make the world's best off-road cars and the confidence this instils is nothing short of invaluable. The Discovery Sport is intended to live a more outdoorsy life than the Range Rover range, which frequently find itself as elevated luxury transport for the urban elite, despite its river-fording, mountain-scaling skills.

At this juncture you just have to decide what means more; the Land Rover badge, or the Range Rover one. Both cars have a breadth of ability and practicality that belies their size. The Range Rover Sport is larger, thirstier and plusher. But the Land Rover - by dint of that name - gives off a more casual, utilitarian and less precious air. That will matter more to many, especially the country-dwelling customer base that brought the original Range Rover to prominence back in the 70s. It's no less chunkily handsome than its relatives, although there's a slight danger of the bleed between Land Rover and Range Rover becoming ever blurrier. By means of being newer, the interior trim, tech and gadgets are all a generation ahead as well.

The 'Sport' appellation mirrors its opposite number in the Range Rover stable, where prices are twice as high. It also signals the future arrival of a larger standalone Discovery model to replace its current namesake. That said, the new car is still a full seven-seater and offers flexibility enough for most. Other manufacturers might compete - the Audi Q5 or BMW X3 for example - but the Discovery Sport has a sense of solidity and class that transcends traditional brand one-upmanship. For its fans, for whom only a Land Rover will do, the Discovery Sport won't let them down.

Land Rover's latest urban intervention isn't in the shape of a new vehicle. Instead, the company has initiated an artistic collaboration that'll grace the banks of the Thames throughout the week of Frieze London. 'Unstoppable Spirit' is the work of Italian artist Nino Mustica, working hand in hand with Land Rover's unstoppable design director Gerry McGovern, a man with a strong sense of exactly where he wants his brand to go.

Flanking the Royal Festival Hall, in what's become a favoured spot for bold temporary structures, the seven-metre-tall pieces make a major impact. Mustica's paintings and sculptures have evolved over the course of his long career, finding fresh expression through technology and the leap from canvas to physical objects. Based in Milan since the mid 1980s, he was an early adopter of 3D-modelling software, using it as an artistic tool to create dynamic sculptures that were a visual precursor to so much of today's data-driven architecture and design.

Mustica's innovations have found a perfect parallel with the auto industry, and particularly with the strong, sculptural, unashamedly modern design language Land Rover has crafted over the past few years. Of course the new sculptures are also literal platforms to present a new product, and the car in question, the new Land Rover Discovery Sport, is an appropriately tough and dynamic machine to synch with Mustica's fluid forms.

The end result is akin to an explosion in a computer-design lab, with the sleek bodyshell of McGovern's Discovery Sport floating above Mustica's trademark splashes. The hybrid installations celebrate the interplay between surface, shape and light – and also Land Rover's ability to transcend any surface and any condition.

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With a horn protruding from its bonnet and a tongue hanging from its grille, the Land Rover Defender has undergone quite a transformation for its 65th anniversary. Add stained glass windows and bronze door panels and there could really only be one name responsible for it's eye-popping change: Studio Job

The Antwerp-based practice has always taken a subversive approach to design. Creating furniture and objects for brands like Moooi, Bisazza and Carpenters Workshop Gallery, it brings a witty, highly decorative sensibility to industrial design and limited-edition works, pushing ornamentation and craftsmanship to the extreme. Which makes the studio a curious choice for Jaguar Land Rover to charge with creating an anniversary edition of the Defender – its rugged icon of off-roading prowess.

But the car brand doesn't shy away from artistic collaboration. The Defender has already been placed in the hands of designer Piet Boon and fashion brand G Star Raw in recent years. This latest, considerably more daring pairing was born from the personal interest of Marc Bienemann, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover BeNeLux. 'I've known Studio Job for a long time,' he says. 'I've always liked the way they iconize objects by giving them a twist and recasting them in precious materials. And I felt that the Defender's 65th anniversary called for something truly one-off.'

A 'one-off' he has certainly got. Whereas previous collaborations have seen subtle changes to upholstery and exterior styling, Studio Job has literally pulled the car (a 2012 Defender 90 Soft Top) apart and rebuilt it. 'We didn't want this to be a simple styling task – there are better people for that than us,' says Job Smeets, who heads the studio alongside Nynke Tynagel.

In the process of merging the industrial piece and sculpture into one, no detail has been overlooked. Headlamps are polychrome hand-blown glass, the gear lever is cast in bronze, door handles are made from hand-painted faience, and seats are upholstered with fabrics bearing car parts and African imagery.

'I imagine this car as being the parade car of an African tribal leader,' says Smeets. 'It's a caricature of a status symbol.' This would explain the rubber mud flaps and flags with reliefs of African countries and the tribal masks that adorn the windshield. The car is also a riff on the 'testosterone-fuelled Pimp My Ride programmes you see on TV,' he adds.

The 'Art Defender' sculpture isn't, in fact, Studio Job's first collaboration with the brand. Earlier this year, it was tasked to create a limited-edition collection of miniature bronze models inspired by the Land Rover Evoque, handed to those that purchase the car. 'That project was an introductory taster of what we offer, whereas the Art Defender is a truly Studio Job piece', says Smeets. 'It's about pushing the boundaries of what a brand will allow an artist to do.' Thankfully Jaguar Land Rover was remarkably open minded. Says Bienemann: 'We didn't want to set conditions because we wanted an artist's impression of the car. What we've got now is a new icon that is directly recognisable as a Studio Job piece, yet still clearly a Defender.'


Jaguar Land Rover did set one condition however: that the car should be 'driveable'. But even this was a notion Studio Job took pretty loosely. It may be possible to maneuver the Art Defender, but those stained glass windows, and sculpture-embellished wheels might make navigating muddy woodland trails a challenge. But then functionality has never been a big concern for this most unusual of design studios.

'Form follows function' is a dictum that rarely troubles the mind of the car buyer: brand image has comprehensively trumped the actual abilities of the product wearing the badge. As a result, carmakers are dreaming up new ways of showcasing their strengths. Land Rover has more strengths than most. Although the company has shifted owners and stance over the decade, the underpinnings of these titanic 4x4s has always been engineered with off-road ability in mind, from the agricultural and characterful Defender right up to the flagship Range Rover (a replacement for which is due imminently).

The company's cars have become icons of go-anywhere ruggedness, from military service to relief work, muddy trans-continental jaunts or hill farming in Snowdonia. Yet rapid expansion and a shift upmarket, not to mention the introduction of new, rather more 'lifestyle' orientated products like the Evoque, has rather dulled the perception of all this rugged derring-do.

So the company has dreamt up a few ways of keeping well-heeled customers entertained, a snowy jaunt that fuses cultural tourism with axle-deep forays into the white stuff. We sampled this new Range Rover Experience in Finland, about 100km north of Helsinki, in the depths of winter, where Jaguar Land-Rover had laid on a smorgasbord of their very latest models, thick fleece jackets and pre-programmed satnavs to take us into the heart of the woods.

The Nordic Adventure fuses fine dining with rutted, snowy tracks, local culture with 360 degree spin outs on an icy track and upscale accommodation of both the four-wheeled and the four-postered kind.

The introduction of the very first Freelander, back in 1997, saw Land Rover roll out its new Hill Descent Control technology, an automated system that controls braking automatically to make steep descents safe and steady. Over the years, HDC has evolved into a whole raft of terrain-crunching technology, allowing the company's 4x4s to effortlessly chew their way through a variety of different landscapes, from snow to sand to gravel and mud.

We'd already experienced this breadth of abilities at the small proving ground adjacent to the JLR facility at Gaydon in Warwickshire, where alarming angles of ascent and descent and deep water proved no obstacle. Swapping muddy Warwickshire for rutted Finnish forest track was also a breeze; it helped that we were warmly ensconced in the rich leather interior of the 2012 model Range Rover.

The track led to a sizeable clearing, where Land Rover's events team had carved out several courses - slalom, a small handling circuit and a bowl, with acres of fresh virgin snow available to plough through. The full suite of Land Rover products was on hand, from the new five-door Evoque through to the Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover, with a pair of Jaguar XKR-S's to sample the combination of very high power and very slippery surfaces.

The main aim of the session is to demonstrate just how much the modern car can automatically shift power and braking to keep it on course, even when the elements are stacked against it. Given the undeniable heft of the Land Rover line-up, these displays of physical agility were all the more remarkable, even if it was rather more fun to turn off the traction control and fling two tons of leather, wood, aluminium and steel in a graceful arc across a great expanse of snowy nothingness.

While the Jags were dedicated to giving participants a gentle introduction into the art of controlled drifting, the 4x4s were having the most fun, scything around the handling circuit and throwing up great clouds of powder with every small error. JLR even laid on two unique Defender 'Bigfoots', custom-built in Land-Rover's Special Projects Division for off-road recovery. These well-travelled beasts run on enormous tyres, enabling them to power their way through the deepest snow (but are not the sort of thing that translate well to a Californian or Chinese commute).

The Nordic Adventure isn't just about the snow-bashing. JLR have arranged everything, from accommodation in Fiskars Wärdshus, Finland's oldest hotel, to dinners, lunches and excursions in and around the capital. Future experience plans will focus on Tanzania, as the company gears up to recreate the glory days of around the world adventuring. While the full-on Finnish experience isn't for everyone, LR offers small 'experiences' at a number of specialist driving centres around the world - check the website for details.

The full suite of Land Rover products was on hand, from the new five-door Evoque through to the Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover, with a pair of Jaguar XKR-S's to sample the combination of very high power and very slippery surfaces

How did you come to be a car designer?

I knew I wanted to be a car designer since I was 13. I liked any kind of design - if not cars I would be a designer of trainers. I knew what I loved doing but I didn’t know this could be a job until I saw that you could make a career out of this on a TV programme. So I did my BA in vehicle design in Coventry and then came to the RCA and graduated in 1998.

Did your perception change of what car design is?

It probably enhanced my attitude to car design. I always had an off-the-wall approach to it and they encouraged this kind of post modernist approach and thought process more.

What journey did you take after leaving the RCA?

Land Rover sponsored me and I joined them afterwards. The highlight of my career was the design of the interior and exterior of the Freelander 2. There is such a long lead time in car making. So that was the last car I worked on which is on the road.

What is your advice for young designers?

This is a great year at the RCA and there is a lot of creativity and innovation. Studios around the world are pushing design and seeing how far they can move it forward. In this sense these guys are coming in at the right level and are thought provokers. A few years from now they would need to tone it down a bit and make it less wacky but the pitch is right for now. I want a designer who brings something new, not something we’re already doing in the studio.