Photo: Heritage Customs
At the end of 2021 news of an incredible project being in the works broke. Word came from Niels van Roij Design and Heritage Customs that we will soon get to experience the thrills of convertible driving in a Land Rover Defender. Quite the experience, that would be, and it just became real this week as the "ultimate coachbuilt SUV convertible" finally broke cover.
The world of convertible SUVs is more diverse than you'd think. We've got the usual suspects playing in this field, the likes of the Jeep Wrangler or the Ford Bronco, but carmakers that usually don't play in this segment have been known to try their hands at it in the past as well: Volkswagen with the T-Roc, Range Rover with the Evoque, and even Nissan with the Murano.
The convertible SUV segment however remains a very pretentious one, and carmakers and custom shops need something truly extraordinary to make it there. By the looks of it, the Valiance seems to have what it takes.
You guessed it, Valiance Convertible is the name of the Defender 90 post its roof getting chopped. It came into the real world because, soon after the first sketches surfaced two years ago, "a number of our very loyal customers have immediately purchased their coach-built Valiance."
The one you're staring at out is the first roll of conversion lines over at Heritage Customs. Like all others that will ever be made, it is unique because it was built to the specifications of its unnamed customer. Generally though what you see here is what you'll see on all Valiance Defenders: the classic exterior look of the British SUV, yet boasting never-before-seen paint options, and loaded with luxury leather and metal detailing inside.
Because it's a convertible we're talking about, the thing's roof is of particular interest to us. According to Heritage, one can choose for their Defender from a great number of fabric hoods, coming in all imaginable colors. Even a contrasting top is offered, to mimic the roof of the original SUV.
Removing the top for the roofless experience is a blend of old-school and modern operations. First, one will have to manually unlatch the thing. From there, an electrical system takes over and moves the roof out of the way.
The particular Valiance shown this week is a beautiful display of leather and craftsmanship. The valuable material, coming in the usual brown-orange hue, is spread all over, from the in-house sports seats to the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel. Even the roll cage fitted to handle the occupants' safety is drowning in the stuff.
The vintage feel the material provides is contrasted by the modernity of the instrument cluster and central screen, but also by the metallic inserts seen pretty much everywhere.
The roof itself, in this particular case, comes in brown as well, and if you ask me, it doesn't seem to fit just right with the Land Rover color of the SUV's body. Custom wheels that perfectly match the looks though make the connection to the ground.
We're not told anything in terms of what, if any, mechanical changes were made to the Defender.
Because every Valiance Convertible is a matter of personal choice, slapping a general price tag on this thing is ill-advised. As a hint, though, Heritage said back in 2021 the price for each of these Netherlands-built Defenders starts at €138,500 (about $152,000 at today's exchange rates). We were told it takes in excess of three months for such a Defender to come to life.
The convertible SUV segment however remains a very pretentious one, and carmakers and custom shops need something truly extraordinary to make it there. By the looks of it, the Valiance seems to have what it takes.
You guessed it, Valiance Convertible is the name of the Defender 90 post its roof getting chopped. It came into the real world because, soon after the first sketches surfaced two years ago, "a number of our very loyal customers have immediately purchased their coach-built Valiance."
The one you're staring at out is the first roll of conversion lines over at Heritage Customs. Like all others that will ever be made, it is unique because it was built to the specifications of its unnamed customer. Generally though what you see here is what you'll see on all Valiance Defenders: the classic exterior look of the British SUV, yet boasting never-before-seen paint options, and loaded with luxury leather and metal detailing inside.
Because it's a convertible we're talking about, the thing's roof is of particular interest to us. According to Heritage, one can choose for their Defender from a great number of fabric hoods, coming in all imaginable colors. Even a contrasting top is offered, to mimic the roof of the original SUV.
Removing the top for the roofless experience is a blend of old-school and modern operations. First, one will have to manually unlatch the thing. From there, an electrical system takes over and moves the roof out of the way.
The particular Valiance shown this week is a beautiful display of leather and craftsmanship. The valuable material, coming in the usual brown-orange hue, is spread all over, from the in-house sports seats to the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel. Even the roll cage fitted to handle the occupants' safety is drowning in the stuff.
The vintage feel the material provides is contrasted by the modernity of the instrument cluster and central screen, but also by the metallic inserts seen pretty much everywhere.
The roof itself, in this particular case, comes in brown as well, and if you ask me, it doesn't seem to fit just right with the Land Rover color of the SUV's body. Custom wheels that perfectly match the looks though make the connection to the ground.
We're not told anything in terms of what, if any, mechanical changes were made to the Defender.
Because every Valiance Convertible is a matter of personal choice, slapping a general price tag on this thing is ill-advised. As a hint, though, Heritage said back in 2021 the price for each of these Netherlands-built Defenders starts at €138,500 (about $152,000 at today's exchange rates). We were told it takes in excess of three months for such a Defender to come to life.
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