Land Rover Classic has revealed a new special edition Defender inspired by the original 4x4’s origins on the Scottish island of Islay.
The Works Defender V8 Islay Edition is the first heritage-inspired model from Land Rover’s in-house team dedicated to reviving and updating original Defenders. It celebrates Land Rover co-founder Spencer Wilks and the Hebridean island where the Land Rover name was born and early prototypes were tested.
The limited-run car also draws inspiration from Wilks’s own Series IIa Land Rover, which is now part of the Land Rover Classic collection, and builds on the success of the Classic Defender Works V8.

5. Locally sourced tweed
The car’s links to Islay are emphasised in a specially chosen tweed from the Islay Woollen Mill, which features on the seats, door cards, central armrest and hidden behind the sun visor. The tweed uses colours to represent the area, with blue for the sea and the sky of Islay, purple to reference the local heather, and a subtle yellow chosen to reference the peaty grassy landscape. | Land Rover

6. History lesson
Beside the gear lever is a plaque detailing the story of how the Land Rover name came to be. The Laggan estate’s gamekeeper, Ian Duncan, is reported to have exclaimed to Wilks – who was testing a heavily modified Rover that would become the Series I – that it must be the new “Land” Rover he was driving. | Land Rover

7. Unique whisky link
The central stowage space features a bespoke removable tray made from the oak of whisky barrels sourced from the local Kilchoman distillery. Each tray features a unique wooden disc replicating the end of a whisky barrel and is made from a specific piece of the wood that displays the authentic stencilled lettering, meaning every vehicle is a one of a kind. | Land Rover