There are restored Series II Land Rovers - new coat of paint, possibly an anti-rust coating for the underside - and then there is this. A bespoke fully rebuilt Series II, reimagined by the perfectionists at Himalaya of South Carolina. Gotham, as they’ve dubbed it, may look like a standard 1966 88” wheelbase Land Rover but appearances here are deliberately deceptive. At Himalaya, they most definitely climb every mountain for their clients.
They’re a demanding lot, these American Land Rover obsessives. Greg Shondell of Himalaya puts it like this: "Each vehicle that leaves our facility is a testament to the perfect harmony between the past and the present, where innovation meets nostalgia.” Quite the statement. Thing is, the build here underlines that philosophy.
Every body panel has been removed and replaced with new factory correct panels. Panel gap is now to high end luxury car standards. Those who commission these machines are likely, after all, to have other vehicles in their collection, and they’re not going to be cheap shoppers. Gotham would be quite happy garaged next to a Batmobile. And that also requires a lot more power.
Out goes Land Rover’s standard 2.0-litre petrol engine - producing a pedestrian 52 bhp - and shoehorned in its place is a snarling V8 as used in Chevrolet's Corvette. Power’s likely to be around 320 bhp. Gotham is going to be fast.
Gotham by Himalaya: A spring in its step
Well sprung too. Underneath there’s a chassis that dispenses with the agricultural leaf springs of 1960s Land Rovers. Instead there’s a Himalaya custom coil sprung chassis so that the ingredients for your picnic cocktails arrived unshaken, and ready to be stirred. Axles are wider, disc brakes replace drums and there’s now power steering.
Comfort is key. All-leather interior is hand stitched and incorporates a neat centre console hiding audio equipment. Seats are not just retrimmed but fitted with denser foam, becoming narrower and allowing for a better driving position. Even the steering column has been altered so that it’s angled for better control. Wheel rim - you’d expect this by now - is in walnut.
Dashboard retains the 1960s Series II look, but integrates new controls for the air conditioning. "The dashboard on a series two Land Rover is really hallowed ground,” says Himalaya’s Shondell, "I mean absolutely iconic so our mission is not to detract from that." Finishing touch is the floor of what was once the load bay, now in walnut and ash.
As we’ve said this build was bespoke for one demanding - and we’d say very lucky - client, who no doubt is even as we speak on their way to a luxurious mountain top retreat. If you're making the journey to Charleston, South Carolina to meet the team and to specify yours, we’d suggest taking around £112,000 with you. That’s about enough for a brand new medium specification Range Rover, but everyone has one of those. We know which we’d choose. Mountain retreat? Don’t mind if we do.
Next up: Take a look at the Works V8 Islay Edition by Land Rover Classic.
