We tested one of the vehicles made by the guy who bought 240 Land Rover Defenders in ‘biggest career risk’ and made $65M
- This Defender was built by Twisted, a company that customizes Land Rovers
- It has a Chevy V8 engine in it, and you can tell
- But all that power and modding comes at a price
Published on Mar 14, 2025 at 8:01 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Mar 14, 2025 at 9:55 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
We tested an expensive Land Rover Defender built by Twisted Automotive, a company founded by a guy who took a huge risk and made millions.
Two things stand out.
First, you can tell why it costs more than a regular Defender.
Second, it makes the story behind this brand even more incredible.
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A Land Rover with a Chevy V8
Twisted is a small-batch car manufacturer that specializes in one vehicle: the Land Rover Defender.
Each Defender by Twisted customizes is faster than a regular Defender. But more importantly, they’re designed to ‘feel’ nicer and somehow more special.
And it does.
The Defender we had the chance to experience is a convertible model with a soft top and a twist – no pun intended. Honest.
Its diesel engine had been replaced with a meaty V8 out of a Corvette, and you can tell, but more importantly, you can hear it.
It sounds like a dinosaur gurgling because it’s hungry.
There’s also more attention to detail throughout the entire vehicle, from the new new buckets seats to the race car steering wheel and the bigger wheels.
The bad news is Twisted Defenders aren’t cheap.
They generally go for six figures, with some costing close to half a million dollars.
The crazy story behind the Twisted brand
Back in 2015, Charles Fawcett bought 240 Land Rover Defenders, and put them in a ‘secret’ bunker.
His idea was to buy the models in bulk, tune them out, and then sell them individually.
In the first few years, Twisted Automotive was selling vehicles for around $100,000 each.
The margin was pretty good, but not spectacular, and that’s because the company was still new, and was trying to build a reputation.
Now, some models Twisted sells can cost as much $200,000 or even $300,000.
Between 2015 and 2024, as reported by LADbible, the company’s revenue exceeded £50 million – equivalent to around $65 million.
Not bad for a business built on a risky career move, right?
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