Twisted The last of the famous stash of factory-fresh 110s are now for sale

Twisted Automotive puts fi nal run of 16 Defenders on sale from legendary 200-strong stash

‘ALEXA, SHOW ME FORESIGHT.’ In 2015 Charles Fawcett, founder and MD of Twisted Automotive, went on a tour of Land Rover not long before the production lines fell silent for the last time. He focused on the line producing 110s.

He took out his titanium-plated cheque book and bought 200 Defenders. As you and I don’t. Most were converted and sold through Twisted, but 16 of them went into a barn where they were not forgotten. Gradually they amassed a patina of dust, nostalgia and £50 notes. Now, with the patina thick enough, those 16 are for sale.

They won’t be sold as stock but as Twisted Land Rovers, twisted to the individual owner’s requirements. Let’s get this out of the way for dreamers. Prices start at £135,000 + VAT and rise to £185,000 + VAT.

All 16 were registered in 2016, after production had ceased, and were chosen for their chassis numbers and build dates. These really are unique models, which is why, once they have had the Twisted treatment making them even more individual, the vehicle run is called One of One.

Twisted is one of those companies that sensibly and cleverly rides on the raft that is the Land Rover heritage. But they add a modern pointy end so that you can actually enjoy all that heritage in the 21st Century. Take one example. Twisted say this about their interiors: ‘One of One is stripped out, panels are realigned and the vehicle is made thoroughly waterproof. Once completed, Twisted’s dual-layer soundproofi ng is fi tted.’ Imagine saying you’d had to realign the panels or whatever if it was a Toyota Land Cruiser or similar.

Naturally the interiors will be complemented in leather with buckets of electronic aids, many of them for communication or for listening to your favourite music – Twisted can’t help with your musical taste so Engelbert Humperdinck it is then through the eight-channel premium audio system.

Naturally you’ll need to turn it up rather less thanks to all the sound-deadening and thick carpets, but the noisy thing at the front will still make its presence felt. Thankfully, in some good ways. The TVS 2.3-litre four-pot turbocharged petrol engine will pump out 308bhp and 350lb ft of torque through the six-speed manual box. You get benefi ts like forged steel crankshafts and conrods but, on a mundane level, this vehicle is ULEZ compliant so you can drive into London in some style.

Or you could go for the 174bhp 2.2-litre turbo-diesel with 310lb ft of torque, also fi ring through a six-speed manual gearbox. As a consequence of more go, there’s more to stop it all, with six-pot front discs and four-pot rears. The uprated suspension also aids control, with dual-rate springs, custom damped shocks and better anti-roll bars.

There’s a lot of detailing goes into a Twisted Land Rover, so you’d need to go and talk through all the attention to detail you’d be buying for your, gulp, 200 grand. If you want to talk that talk then check out www.twisted.co.uk or email info@ twistedautomotive.com.

‘Thank you Alexa, you’re amazing.’

‘You’re welcome darling. Would you like a drink?’

OH COME ON. You know how this goes, because you’ve heard it before. Yup, no spoiler alert, the least reliable used vehicle is the previous generation of Range Rover. Yes, it’s in top spot of the list from Warrantywise, the company providing extended warranty plans. They surveyed over 130,000 vehicles, all less than ten years old but out of warranty and all selling reasonable numbers. Nowhere to hide. Range Rover No 1 spot. BMW’s M3 takes second but don’t despair – there’s another Range Rover, the Sport, in No 3. Two podiums, yay. In fact, look at the table. Notice something else? Five of the top seven are SUVs, and all but one are premium brands. Make of that what you will.

Warrantywise’s Top 10 least reliable models

Rank Vehicle Highest Overall Repair Cost Score /100

1 Range Rover

£23,890 20.2 2 BMW M3 £12,115 21.4 3 Range Rover Sport £22,358 23.1 4 Porsche Panamera £10,785 23.4 5 BMW X6 £9,613 23.6 6 Porsche Cayenne £6,360 24.9 7 Audi Q7 £8,719 25.7 8 Bentley Continental GT £6,227 29.1 9 Mazda CX-5 £5,777 29.6 10 BMW M5 £10,129 30.8