Yorkshire firm sees leap in demand for Twisted Defenders

The Thirsk-based company said it has received enquiries from 18 countries as fans of the iconic vehicle look to reserve their piece of history in the Defender’s final year of production.

Twisted said it has built an international reputation for quality engineering and a creative approach to tailoring each vehicle to customer needs.

It can spend over 300 hours improving everything from simple bolts, to full engine rebuilds and luxury interiors.

Charles Fawcett, managing director of Twisted said: “There is a real buzz around the Land Rover Defender in its last year of production.

“We have taken enquiries from Canada to Australia and are seeing unprecedented demand from the Middle East.

“Overall, demand has exceeded our most optimistic projections. It seems fans of the Defender want to own their own piece of history and our order book is already filling up.

“It is great to know that Twisted is recognised as the experts in engineering luxury and performance vehicles.”

Twisted buys new Defenders and modifies them to individual customers specifications. It also restores and improves customers’ existing vehicles.

The company creates around 100 tailored Defenders a year and prices can range up to £150,000 for vehicles that include a range of performance enhancing mechanical upgrades and custom interiors.

Defenders are the iconic British-made 4X4 workhorses that date back to 1947.

Twisted Defenders are a “considered purchase” and Mr Fawcett said that for his customers a standard one won’t do.

“We are not criticising the standard product because it does what it sets out to do,” he said.

“Our customer wants that standard product, loves that standard product, but can’t put up with it in its standard form.”

Mr Fawcett says after his company’s work, a vehicle is “quieter, smoother, quicker, more refined, but most importantly it is still a Defender.

“We are not trying to make it look like something it is not. We are not trying to make it be something it is not”, he added.

“What we don’t want to be is bling. We don’t want to be the modifier.”