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Hairy-Chested Land Rover Defender by Manhart Is Closer Than It Appears

Land Rover has struck gold with the new generation Defender. The modern off-roader has been praised by most reviewers and has become a common sight at various tuners all over the world, which have now been joined by Manhart.
Land Rover Defender 7 photos
Photo: Manhart
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Their proposal gives more character to the British 4x4, and while it only exists in the digital realm, previewed by the official renderings, it will become very much real.

Dubbed the Manhart DP 450, the project is a hairy-chested take on the Land Rover Defender. The tuner is ready to give it a whole bunch of aftermarket stuff, such as the lightbar mounted on top of the roof, bull bar, winch to get it out of most sticky or slippery situations, and a set of wheels, shod in chunky rubber.

A roof rack, complete with a ladder, is on the menu as well. Moreover, Manhart can also give the SUV the typical looks that combine a black finish with gold accents. And that’s not all, because a power boost will be available too, with the tuner claiming that the vehicle will have 450 ps (444 hp / 331 kW) on tap.

Mind you, since they didn’t say anything else about it at the time of writing, we have no idea what engine they will use. Still, if it is the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit, then that will be a healthy boost, considering that it has 300 ps (296 hp / 221 kW) to play with.

Meanwhile, the Defender V8 remains the most powerful of the series. It packs a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine that pushes out 525 ps (518 hp / 386 kW) and 625 Nm (461 lb-ft) of torque, dealing with the 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 5.2 seconds, and topping out at 240 kph (149 mph). The thrust is directed to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the company also re-tuned the spring and damper rates.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
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After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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