Some colours simply belong to certain cars.
British Racing Green on a Jaguar.
Rosso Corsa on a Ferrari.
And Hyperion Blue?
Traditionally, you’d be thinking much more along the lines of a rare 1960s Ferrari or Maserati than a Land Rover Defender.
Which is precisely why this latest creation from Twisted caught our attention.
The Yorkshire-based company has unveiled a bespoke T110 finished in Hyperion Blue ahead of its first appearance at The Bridge X in Bridgehampton, New York.
And somehow, the colour works remarkably well.
Twisted describes Hyperion Blue as a shade historically associated with rare Ferraris and Maseratis from the 1960s.
Putting such an elegant period colour onto the square, upright shape of a classic Defender is an unusual combination, but that contrast is really the whole point.
Rather than disguising the Defender’s utilitarian origins, the colour almost exaggerates them.
The slab sides, exposed hinges, upright glass and simple body shape remain completely recognisable.
They’re just now wearing the sort of colour you might expect to find on something considerably lower, sleeker and more Italian.
Phil Chapman, Twisted’s Head of Brand, described the combination as deliberately rebellious, taking a colour associated with 1960s Italian exotica and applying it to what began life as a rugged British utility vehicle.
That sounds dramatic, but looking at the photographs, you can see exactly what he means.
Twisted’s approach has never been about simply repainting an old Defender and fitting a nicer interior.
The company says each of the two T110 commissions being shown at The Bridge represents around 2,500 hours of work.
The vehicles are stripped back to bare metal and rebuilt from the chassis upwards, with attention paid to everything from panel alignment to mechanical specification.
Both of the cars heading to the US event use LT1 V8 powertrains.
So although the basic silhouette remains unmistakably Defender, what sits underneath is very different from the agricultural specification Land Rover originally intended.
That divide is also what makes heavily re-engineered Defenders so interesting.
To some enthusiasts, the appeal of an old Land Rover is precisely its simplicity, diesel clatter and uncompromising nature.
To others, the shape is the starting point for something faster, quieter and considerably more luxurious.
Twisted sits firmly in the latter camp.
The Hyperion Blue Defender won’t be appearing alone.
Twisted is also taking a second T110 finished in Stirling Moss Blue.
That vehicle has been commissioned by a US customer, and members of Twisted’s UK build team will be at The Bridge to talk visitors through the engineering behind the cars.
For a company based in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, the event is also another indication of just how international the market for bespoke classic Defenders has become.
The Defender may be one of Britain’s most familiar vehicles, but highly modified and re-engineered examples now have a substantial following among American collectors.
The Bridge X takes place on the former Bridgehampton Race Circuit site in New York.
The main gathering on Saturday 19 September is an invite-only event and marks the tenth edition of The Bridge, bringing together rare and significant cars from private collections on the fairways of The Bridge golf club.
The location has real motorsport history behind it.
The original Bridgehampton circuit was built in 1957 and hosted some of the biggest names in racing, including drivers such as Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, Stirling Moss, Bruce McLaren and Carroll Shelby. The site later became The Bridge golf club, but its racing heritage remains central to the event.
Unlike a conventional concours, The Bridge doesn’t award trophies or crown winners.
The emphasis is on the cars themselves, their design, engineering and significance.
That makes a Hyperion Blue V8 Defender a rather appropriate thing to park among them.
Twisted will also use the event to preview another project aimed squarely at the US market.
Visitors will see a scale model of the TRRC, the company’s interpretation of the Range Rover Classic.
The Bridge’s own preview describes the forthcoming TRRC as a 500-horsepower model, with its full-size US debut expected later in the year.
That project could prove particularly interesting.
The Range Rover Classic occupies a slightly different place in enthusiast culture from the Defender.
It was luxurious by Land Rover standards from the beginning, yet early examples still retained much of the engineering simplicity and character that made the original concept so appealing.
A properly executed modernised version therefore has plenty of potential.
We suspect this one will divide opinion.
There will always be Land Rover enthusiasts who would rather see an old Defender with steel wheels, a simple diesel engine and a few battle scars.
We completely understand that.
But there’s also something appealing about seeing just how far the basic shape can be taken without losing its identity.
And whatever you think of the LT1 V8, the luxury treatment or the thousands of hours of rebuilding, Hyperion Blue might be the most interesting part of this particular car.
It’s a colour you wouldn’t naturally associate with a Defender at all.
Yet somehow it suits it.
Would you have one like this, or should a classic Defender stay much closer to the way Land Rover originally built it?
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