Twisted Automotive, the UK-based Land Rover Defender restoration and customization specialist, has unveiled its first-ever Range Rover project, a restomod build based on the first-generation of the iconic luxury SUV.
Called TRRC and recreated from memory by company founder Charles Fawcett using his father’s 1980s Range Rover as inspiration, the vehicle has undergone a high-performance luxury makeover courtesy of a GM-sourced LT1 V8 engine, full body restoration and upgraded interior.
For their first Range Rover build after 25 years of crafting Defender projects, the Twisted team applied their ‘anti-ordinary’ philosophy to the two-door Range Rover Classic. The vehicle is a “greatest hits” compilation of the RR Classic, if you like, as it borrows the best features from the SUV’s 26-year production run and tops it off with a 480-horsepower LT1 V8.
Distilling 26 Years of the RR Classic in One Vehicle
Fawcett says the RR Classic was the “king of the road” as he was growing up, leaving a lasting impression on him. “When I think back to the 1980’s, my father always seemed to have a two-door Range Rover, and there was one particular one that stood out,” says Fawcett.
“It was terracotta brown with fiberglass extended wheel arches and white Weller eight-spoke wheels shod with General Grabber road-oriented tyres. On the front, he’d fabricated a valance out of an MGB GT front spoiler. To me, it was just iconic. Today, the TRRC exists out of unapologetic nostalgia, recreating something I remember from when I was a tiny boy. I think many customers will relate to that feeling,” he added.
At the heart of the build sits a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine rated at 480 hp and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels. The handling was specifically tuned to suit the Range Rover’s unique character, with the result being a “sharp and super drivable but not too harsh” ride, according to Fawcett.
“A Range Rover needs to be supple,” he says, and we couldn’t agree more. Besides the progressive suspension and bushing upgrade, the vehicle also features upgraded differentials and an enhanced braking system with 6-pot calipers up front and 4-pot out back.
Visually, the TRRC is said to blend the best eras of the RR Classic, with features including a 1970s front bumper, a 1990s-style grille and headlight surrounds, a front splitter with high-output LED driving lights, body-colored C-pillar that accentuates the two-door silhouette, and a slightly lower ride height at the front to suit the Classic’s profile. The final production design will also include vents formed in the C-pillar panel. Customers can opt for the traditional floating roof too, in which case the C-pillar is painted black.
The bodywork has been re-created using new hammer-formed bespoke aluminum panels for every external surface, with the panel gap tolerance described as “obsessive.” Twisted will take a 1990-1992 Range Rover donor vehicle and do a full body-off, panel-by-panel restoration to body shell, while also stripping, blasting and e-coating the chassis and axle casings in a protective satin black finish.
A Plush Cabin Fitting of a Range Rover
A lot of attention is dedicated to the interior as well. The seats, for example, are positioned lower than the originals, so that the driver’s eyeline is directed at the upper half of the windscreen to make the most of the original Range Rover’s generous glasshouse.
Twisted Automotive also applied leather-trimming to all interior surfaces, including the seats (which are also heated at the front), knobs, door panels, dashboard, center console, center tunnel, front armrest, steering wheel rim, and more. The cabin also gains premium-grade extended carpeting, as well as a discreet Twisted 8-channel sound system and single-DIN infotainment system.
And since 1980s Range Rovers were much noisier inside than the current ones, Twisted also applies full cabin sealing and soundproofing, with the latter done in a unusual way. The soundproofing material is attached to the underside of the carpet rather than the interior shell, allowing customers to peel back the carpet to see the pristine paintwork of the TRRC—a move that pays tribute to the bare metalwork of early Range Rovers. By request, the company can even leave the rear inner arches uncarpeted.
As you can imagine given this level of detail, the Twister TRRC costs a lot: it starts at £350,000 (roughly $466,000), including the donor vehicle (sourced by Twisted in either left-hand drive or right-hand drive). The company is taking orders from all over the world, including the US, but it will only hand-build a maximum of 12 units per year. All build slots for this year are taken and “2027 is looking over-subscribed,” the company’s founder says.
