The market for Land Rover Defender restomods is booming right now on both sides of the Atlantic.
No one cares about the (now discontinued) Defender’s humble origins as a rugged workhorse – all people want is make it look as posh as possible and load it up with as many amenities and horsepower. This approach results in obscene prices that frequently exceed those of brand new luxury SUVs.
Take Arkonik, for example, which has just finished work on a new Defender restomod called the Recon D110. Based on the long-wheelbase model, it has been equipped to deal with the varied terrain of Sun Valley, Idaho.
The owner commissioned Arkonik to build a Defender that would allow them to reach their retreat located in the Sawtooth National Forest. Obviously, a standard model with the right set of tires would have done just fine, but the owner wanted more.
On the outside, modifications include the grippy all-terrain BFGoodrich tires mounted on Kahn Defend 16-inch alloys, Hella spotlights, and Trucklite LED headlights. The bodywork is painted in Bonatti Grey but the roof and wheel arches are in Santorini Black to provide a subtle contrast.
You may also notice the custom hood, Satin Black signature grille and tread plates, side and wing-top air intakes, roof rack with seven LED spotlights and rear ladder, side steps, and winch. What you can’t see is a Terrafirma suspension with uprated steering damper and anti-roll bars for better on-road characteristics.
The interior features two Recaro bucket seats in the front, two sports seats on the second row, and four tip-up seats in the back. All are upholstered in black Nappa leather with Alcantara trim and contrast stitching.
Modern amenities include lockboxes with USB ports for the first two rows, a LED lighting package, Alpine premium sound system with a touchscreen and Apple Car Play, air conditioning, and a sunroof.
Power comes from the 200TDi four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, which we assume is in stock configuration since Arkonik doesn’t mention any upgrades. That means it only delivers 111 hp (113 PS) and 255 Nm (188 lb-ft) of torque. Which means those Recaros could have been omitted – but boy do they look great.