Yeti wears a top hat
Shredding snow in a 450 bhp Land Rover Defender 110 TopHat
Among the many custom Land Rover builds to grace the off-road world, the TopHat Land Rover Defender 110 arguably stands out as the ultimate number 1 survival kit. Formerly based in the Netherlands, TopHat Inc. took the iconic classic Defender blueprint and elevated it to spectacular level. Their builds combined vintage utility with modern comfort and - above all – horsepower galore. This episode’s 2009 Alaska White Defender 110? A fine example of going above and beyond..
Nut and bolt resto
It all started with a meticulous restoration of literally every bolt and panel including powdercoating the entire chassis and suspension set-up. The body was given a full respray in the original colour 909 Alaska White. Signature features of this build are the handcrafted leather interior with Momo Prototipo steering wheel, a (dismounted) roof rack with LED bar, privacy glass, sunroof, LED conversion and custom forged wheels with AP Racing calipers on all corners.
Jack of all trades on steroids
If all these specs don’t make you want to smash your piggy bank already, behold its pièce de résistance: A hot-cammed 450 bhp 6.2 V8 LT1 crate Corvette engine with Tremec 6 speed, locking diffs and a custom – valve equip- exhaust. The result? A jack of all trades on steroids. A machine that looks just as comfortable pulling up to a country estate as it does crossing a muddy trail or foots of snow. It rules the road on any surface without leaving the fast-lane.
When you decide to put the pedal all the way down to the floor and instantly enter BEAST mode, you are simply blown away by the insane torque of the engine and its highly addictive soundtrack. Incredible stuff that makes you want to experience over and over again. If Yeti ever needed a getaway car, this would be it.
Quick-release boss kit
Classic Steering Wheel Shop was contacted by the car's owner to supply a quick-release boss kit for the competition-bred Momo Prototipo leather steering wheel. Why fit a quick-release system on a non-racing car let alone a spacious Land Rover? The answer is quite simple: Unlike fitting one for facilitating easy entry and exit, this quick-release kit has been installed as an addition to the existing anti-theft package. Smart thinking!
Photoshoot
As we could take all the time we needed for the photoshoot of this trail-hardened powerhouse, we got to explore all of its great details and fascinating engineering. You just can't stop looking at the thing. And since we have got a soft spot for dogs, we had the owner's Australian shepherd strike a pose to end this episode's blogpost on a high. What do you think? 🏁
Team Classic Steering Wheel Shop
