From Land Rover restoration and customization experts Blackbridge Motors
The trend these days is to electrify vintage Landies, but what if you wanted to buck the status quo and retain the retro looks…with 659 combustible horses? Well, Blackbridge Motors—specialists in restoring and customizing classic Land Rovers—will offer you just that in exchange for £212,000 .
The sizeable grunt has come thanks to a GM-sourced 6.2-liter ‘LT4’ V8—otherwise seen powering the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 or the C7-generation Corvette—and channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Blackbridge has even thrown on some custom-built driveshafts.The all-new CFMoto 450MT is priced at P328,900The mechanical goodies don’t stop there, either, with other changes including new heavy-duty axle shafts, a braking system from Wilwood Master and Fox shock absorbers.
This approach continues into the cabin, where the leather-clad upholstery, trim finishes, switchgear and dials have been given a slight refresh, but are still visibly true to their spartan nature. Blackbridge has even left the traditional five-metre-long gear stick in place, albeit with new readouts to signal the car’s transmission overhaul.One interesting change is the new audio system from Sony.
Scott Gilbert, brand CEO, said: “Blackbridge Motors started with the simple question of how we could transform vintage Defender ownership from something filled with compromises into a contemporary, fun driving experience that still maintains all its original charms in terms of iconic design.
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