We love vintage off-roaders. Whether you’re summering on Martha’s Vineyard or cruising past California’s beaches, they are some of the chicest vehicles one can own.
The fashionable part, however, is the aesthetic, not the driving or ownership experience. Vintage off-roaders can be unpleasant to drive by modern (or really any) standards. Few want to deal with an old Land Rover Defender fresh from the farm with eccentric British electrical work, or a Ford Bronco with upholstery depressed by 50 years of butts.
What swanky customers truly want (and will pay well into the six figures for) is a restored and modified vintage off-roader that looks like the old one, but has been masterfully rebuilt from the ground up into the Platonic ideal of the old one. They want a ride where the materials and amenities are more luxurious, one with a more modern and forgiving suspension setup. Depending on one’s preference, one may even want to swap in a more-powerful, easier-to-manage crate engine.
Many companies are out there converting old Broncos, Defenders, Land Cruisers and Jeeps into genuine works of art. Below are 10 of our favorites that we’ve written about over the past year.
Arkonik SoCal D90 Land Rover Defender
Arkonik built what may be the ultimate custom beach cruiser.
