This Restomod Defender And Baja Beetle Could Be The Perfect Two-Car Solution

Twisted brought the TBug and its other wares – a lineup of Land Rover Defender–based SUVs – to New York's Monticello Motor Club to celebrate the brand's launch in the U.S., meaning customers in America will soon be able to assemble the cutest and most capable two-car solution out there.

The Twisted T90, T110, And T130
Ever since its launch in 2000, the company's bread and butter has been the Land Rover Defender, and Twisted will either provide conversion and restoration services to existing owners or help prospective customers source and custom-build their own. It's not entirely clear which body styles and engines will be available to U.S. customers, but Twisted Automotive brought a V8-powered T110 TV8 Defender pickup, a 109-inch Series III, and two "Revival" models based on the 110 and 130 station wagons to the track in New York to showcase its wares.

According to the company's U.S. website, it has a handful of restomods already available. The cheapest Land Rover for sale is a Series III – potentially the same one on display – for a cool $199,000. That cost includes a full Twisted body, chassis, and mechanical restoration, plus a leather-upholstered interior and gorgeous coat of Marine Blue paint. The Rovers go up in price from there, with a T130 wagon listed for $329,000 and a TV8-powered T110 carrying a "Price on Asking" list – so you know it ain't cheap. There's no word on if the company's electric restomods will arrive in the U.S., but if so, those conversions will likely be the most expensive in the lot.

A Charming Little Buggy
Although restomods aren't the place to look for great bargains, the Twisted Automotive TBug is the least expensive vehicle in the company's lineup. One is available to U.S. customers for $149,000 boasting that double-original horsepower number of 80, which is all but guaranteed to offer tons of sandy roostertails in the desert. The TBug also gets 12-volt electrics for easier maintenance and long-travel shocks, springs, and CV joints for Baja-ready performance.

A front disc brake conversion ensures better stopping power even when temperatures climb; ditto oversized rear drum brakes with Porsche-sourced boosters. BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires, wrapped around EMPI Baja wheels, provide off-road traction. Cosmetically, the 1970s-appropriate Bahama Gold paint matches gorgeously with the wood steering wheel and custom-embossed tan leather upholstery. A modern audio system hites behind a period-correct faceplate, matching the vintage looks of the high-back front bucket seats.

Twisted's American-market expansion comes hot on the heels of its growth into Japan last November. But according to company founder Charles Fawcett, the U.S. operation is "the most significant chapter in our 25-year story," thanks to Americans' love of the rugged Land Rover Defender in all its iterations.