Most enthusiasts agree that modern cars, by and large, aren’t as endearing as their older counterparts. A clear indication of this is the increasing number of firms that specialise in building restomods. Usually restomods are high-performance or classic cars but this Chieftain Range Rover Classic is a restomod of an SUV.

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Old but new

The creators of the Chieftain Range Rover Classic say that they offer selective modernisation by redesigning elements and replacing old fashioned parts with modern equivalents to deliver a modern car feel whilst retaining all the original’s aesthetic.

Ground-up

In the case of the Chieftain Range Rover Classic the company has undertaken a ground-up approach. Chieftain starts with an all-new chassis of their own creation. The new ladder frame features independent suspension on all four corners, with twin spring/damper units for the rear wheels. Also fitted to the underpinnings are a set of high-performance brakes from specialists AP Racing.

V8 power

Chieftain ditched the original Rover V8. In its place the chassis cradles a GM-sourced 6,2-litre V8. The supercharged LS3 unit produces in excess of 520 kW. Exhaust gasses are sent through side-exit tailpipes that are bound to wake the neighbours whenever you fire up the American V8. Directing power to all four wheels is an eight-speed automatic transmission. The company has not divulged any performance claims but if we had to guess we’d say it’s fast enough.

Click here to read about the upcoming V8-powered Land Rover Defender.

Exterior changes

Chieftain maintains the boxy lines of the original Rangey, but there are numerous bespoke touches that let you know this is a special machine. Firstly, the ride height is quite low. Matte black alloys are wrapped in off-road biased rubber. There are no Land Rover badges on the bodywork. New headlamps and an LED light bar are some of the changes up front.