I C O N IT’S BEEN BUILT TO CELEBRATE JAMES BOND’S 25TH OFFICIAL ON-SCREEN OUTING
LAND ROVER DEFENDER V8 BOND EDITION Rtba / landrover.co.za
That’s not an Aston Martin. With observation skills like that, you should sign up for spy school. But 007 knows how to off-road, and Land Rover has a long lineage in the trigger-happy franchise, stretching all the way back to The Living Daylights. The mean black-on-black one above? It’s been built to celebrate the 25th official on-screen outing of Britain’s second-best secret agent (after Johnny English).
18
Cool, how many ejector seats? Sadly, none. Unlike the tricked-out Defenders seen fleeing from evil types in No Time To Die, the V8 Bond Edition goes easy on the gadgets in favour of performance. Instead of rocket launchers or a thumbtack dispenser, it’s packing the same engine as the ‘standard’ Defender V8: a supercharged 5.0litre number good for 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. Ideal for slipping out of trouble on the school run.
Speedy. But why so much black? To match the colour of Bond’s soul after cold-heartedly bumping off so many foes? Or just because it looks so gangster. Either way, it comes with an Extended Black Pack that imbues the Bond Edition with plenty of understated menace. That includes 22in gloss black alloy wheels… and bright blue front brake callipers, which apparently didn’t get the ‘any colour as long as it’s black’ memo.
When can I get one from Q Branch? Blowing your cover with a bespoke 4x4 isn’t like buying a hatchback: it takes time and tailoring, like a fine tux. Only 300 will be made, and just 5 of them will be sold in SA, with pricing yet to be announced. It’ll certainly be more costly than the standard V8 models, which start here at home around the R2.35 million mark. Probably best to abandon your spy dreams and just get the Carpathian model.
