INSPIRED BY ISLAY

Fancy a very fast, very exclusive yet understated Defender that's built by Land Rover? Step this way 

- Mark Dixon

WHILE IT CARRIES subtle 'GXC 639' graphics on each front wing, the just-announced Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition - and breathe - is, says Land Rover Classic's PR man Alistair Sommerville, not just a tribute to the 1965 Spencer Wilks original.

'It's also a celebration of Islay and our association with the island,' he explains. 'Each vehicle will have a bespoke wooden cubby tray made from the oak of the Kilchoman Distillery whisky barrels - no two will be the same - and an oak veneer rear floor that's engineered to current Range Rover standards. The interor also features leather seats part-trimmed in an Islay Woollen Mill tweed that's been specially chosen to reflect the colours of the island: the blue of the sea and sky, the purple of the heather, and the earthy yellow-green of the peaty, grassy landscape?