- American menswear designer Todd Snyder has partnered with Balmoral Defender to create series of Land Rover restomods
- Based on a left-hand-drive 1998 Land Rover Defender 90, the Edition One City Black is the inaugural model in the collaborative Rugged Gentleman Collection
- The release is limited to 10 examples, with units priced from $305,000USD (approx. $430,000AUD)
Todd Snyder doesn’t shy away from a collaboration. The American menswear designer has lent his ruggedly tailored sensibility to a multivaried coterie of brands across diverse product categories, ranging from Bodega, Danner, and Rubinacci to Timex, D.S. & Durga, and Harley Davidson.
Now, the American menswear designer is switching lanes with the introduction of the Todd Snyder x Balmoral Defender Rugged Gentleman Collection. While Snyder has dipped his toe into the automotive world by way of a clothing capsule with Harley Davidson, this marks the first car he’s designed.
Although the journey from trucker jackets to trucks may seem like a stretch, it’s a natural next step for Snyder, who begins the moodboard for each of these collections with a car — more often than not, a Defender. Working in collaboration with the British outpost of Balmoral Defender, a Montana-based restomod company that specialises in restoring Land Rover Defenders, Snyder has applied his detail-oriented approach to the restoration of a 1998 Land Rover Defender 90.
The build in question began its life as a left-hand-drive model originally registered in Madrid and sourced from just outside the Spanish capital, where the dry climate means there’s a lower susceptibility to rust and corrosion. The donor vehicle then travelled to the Cotswolds for a full chassis restoration and structural update by the second-generation specialists at Balmoral Defender’s British headquarters, before a custom interior upgrade at an automotive atelier in Seville, Spain, and an engine swap in Balmoral Defender’s stateside headquarters.
The powertrain in question is a 6.2-litre Chevrolet LT1 V8, producing an output of 455 bhp.
Snyder’s understated yet firm approach to masculinity is present throughout. The collaborative automobile, dubbed ‘City Black’, has a bespoke exterior that sees metallic Niagara Grey paint—which oscillates between charcoal and navy depending on lighting conditions—topped with Sonnenland Dark Beige mohair soft-top, resulting in an effect not dissimilar to a pair of chinos topped with a black leather jacket.
The sartorially minded details continue inside, with honeycomb quilted Italian leather covers with Niagara Gray piping by LeatMeSpecial on the seats and deep grey leather wrapping on the dashboard.
On the technical side of things, the aforementioned 6.2-litre Chevrolet LT1 V8 is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, while driving dynamics are brought into the present by way of Alcon brakes, upgraded suspension, and power steering.
The ‘City Black’ Edition One of the Todd Snyder x Balmoral Defender Rugged Gentleman Collection will be produced in a limited run of 10 examples (on a made-to-order basis), with pricing starting at $305,000USD (approx. $430,000AUD). Todd Snyder and Balmoral Defender have hinted at two follow up additions to the Rugged Gentleman Collection, with further information to be shared in due course.
Words by Henry Blake
