Land Rover is celebrating the Defender's British roots with a one-off design by fashion designer Paul Smith.
Smith and Land Rover unveiled the bespoke vehicle at the Paul Smith flagship shop in London Tuesday, which also features artwork by the car company's Special Vehicle Operations. The 27-color exterior palette is an ode to the car's history with the British Army, Navy and Airforce, as well as the British countryside.
"I wanted deep, rich colours, but at the same time, I wanted them to work together yet be surprising", says Paul in a statement.
"My designs are known for their attention to detail, so I didn't want this Defender to be any different."
To give the vehicle a luxury feel, Smith, himself a proud Defender owner, says he used a mix of leather and fabric for the seats (the same fabric he uses for American upholstery company Maharam). A hand-painted bee graces the roof of the vehicle in another nod to the English countryside, while a set of Land Rover keys is painted inside the glovebox. The air-conditioning vents feature a blue leather trim.
Hand-painted bees grace the roof of the car, and are also a reference to the British countryside.
The Defender originated in 1948 as a service utility vehicle, and, after a continuous 67-year run, production of the Land Rover Defender will cease in December. A new model will be introduced in 2016.
But not content to go out without a bang, the brand is celebrating the Defender all year long, with three limited edition vehicles: Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography (which, according to Telegraph Luxury, debuted earlier this year and are just about sold-out).
Pretty though Smith's take on the Defender is, it's not for sale; instead it's on view at his London flagship store.
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