While the Isle of Islay in Scotland is perhaps best known for its whisky, it’s also the birthplace of the Land Rover name. In 1947, the Isle of Islay was also used as a testing ground for several seminal early Series Land Rover prototypes, with Stephen Wilks — then the managing director of the Rover Car Company and one of the founders of Land Rover — putting the vehicles through their paces at his Laggan Estate.
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Back in 1947, Islay was used as a testing ground by Spencer Wilks, then the Managing Director of the Rover Car Company, where several of the early Series Land Rover prototypes were put through their paces. While driving his heavily modified Rover across the rugged landscape, the estate’s gamekeeper remarked that it must be a ‘Land Rover’, and the name was born.
Under the hood, the Land Rover Defender V8 Islay Edition sports the same technical specifications as the Classic Defender Works V8; with a 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine sending 405 bhp to the wheels by way of an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. With a limited run of 30 vehicles, each engine is restored, re-engineered, and upgraded, utilising donor vehicles from 2012 to 2016. Of the 30 examples, there are 17 available as a 90 short wheelbase and 13 available as a seven-seat 110 version.
Despite its heritage appeal, the Land Rover Defender V8 Islay Edition is replete with modern enhancements, such as uprated suspension and braking systems designed for superior performance and dynamics.
Informed by the hue of Wilks’ original vehicle, each Land Rover Defender V8 Islay Edition is finished in Heritage Grey which is complemented by a contrast roof and heavy-duty steel wheels finished in Limestone. Wheel arches finished in Heritage Grey further contribute to the cohesive design aesthetic. Land Rover logos and bagding are finished in the body colour, while a classic-style grille recalls other heritage editions.
Inside, a surprising interplay of colours and textures takes place. Drawing from the hues of the landscape where the Land Rover name originates, tweed fabric — crafted by the Islay Woollen Mill — adorns the ebony leather-clad seats, door cards, and central armrests. The pattern of the tweed features an earthy base that echoes the surrounding nature, with hints of 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.
On the centre console, there’s a removable tray crafted from the oak of whisky barrels sourced from the Isle of Islay’ award-winning Kilchoman Distillery. Kilchoman Distillery has a special significance to Land Rover co-founder Spencer Wilks, whose granddaughter Kathy Wills established the distillery with her husband, Anthony, in 2005. Naturally, both brands have come together to produce a limited-edition ‘639’ whisky in honour of the new Land Rover Defender V8 Islay Edition, with each client presented with a bottle to enhance their vehicle’s collectability.
Words by John Deckard
