Maintaining the charm and character of a vintage Land Rover Defender pays respect the adventures that came before, while planning adventures yet to to be explored.
Restore only what’s needed. Refresh the rest for peace of mind.
Our Philosophy on Vintage Land Rover Defenders
WE ARE SIMPLE CARETAKERS – THE DEFENDER IS PART OF OUR FAMILY – PROVIDING US JOY AND ADVENTURE
We’ve never really liked the idea of “Buying a Defender,” which is why we refer to it as an adoption process. Becoming a caretaker of one of these unique vehicles means accepting responsibility for their maintenance, use, and general well being. We feel there is a general duty to preserve the history and story of each of the vehicles we build. When you adopt a Defender from Bishop+Rook you become part of a larger community of aficionados and adventurers.
When we bring a Defender into the workshop we always start with the philosophy of, “preserve what we can, restore what’s needed, refresh the rest for peace of mind.” This approach allows us to maintain the unique character of each Defender, while giving their new caretaker a solid foundation to build upon. While we do several nut-and-bolt restoration projects, the Defenders we truly remember are those that came with unique background stories and went on to become part of a new life of adventure.
We offer several types of Defenders ready for adoption. We believe there shouldn’t be a barrier to Defender ownership, which is why we have created several different options for people dreaming of boxy adventures.
Diesel + Dust Series
Roll up your sleeves and make room in the garage
Some of you are bold adventurers with a taste for the blood from scraped knuckles and the zaps from an un-grounded contact wire. For those with a full tool chest and desire to refresh and restore your own vintage Land Rover Defender, we’ve created a “Diesel + Dust Series” of vehicles ready for adoption. These trucks are fresh off the farm, field, and greenways of the UK, Spain, France, and Italy. They are a solid base for you to begin your own build process, while saving the pain, frustration, expense, and hassle of importing a vehicle yourself. These are vehicles that come with all the imperfectly-perfect flaws from a life well lived.
Adventure Ready Defenders
When you sit behind the wheel of a Defender you should start to imagine the adventures ahead
We source nearly all of our vehicles in road-worthy and drivable condition, but that doesn’t mean the standard of quality from their previous keeper is the same as ours. When we bring a Defender project into the workshop it is our goal to refresh them to an adventure-tested stage — not over-restored and not over-priced. We simply want to share our love and passion for these amazing vehicles with like-minded people. Our line of Adventure Ready Defenders maintain their original character and patina, without letting major mechanical issues get in the way of your next journey.
Preservation Series Land Rovers
When we discover a unique Land Rover with a good story.
For many of our Preservation Class Defenders, we will still complete a fairly in depth restoration. But rather than stripping the vehicle down to the bare chassis and using it as a blank canvas, we ask ourselves, “how can we make this Defender better than it was before, while still maintaining its personality.” We view this like a “spa treatment” for a Defender (you know, the spa packages where someone needs to go away for a bit, but come back looking 10 years younger? That type of spa package.
Custom + Bespoke Builds
Each Defender should be as unique as their caretaker – designing her is part of the journey
While some of our clients have the resources and mechanical ability to build and restore their ideal Defender on their own, we realize time is a precious commodity. We offer a complete refresh and restoration option for those who want us to help them source and build their ideal Defender. We offer everything from minor upgrades and enhancements to complete nut-and-bolt rebuilds. With workshops in the US, UK, and Spain, we have virtually unlimited access to parts, resources, and vehicles to begin each project. Our line of Bespoke Built Defenders range from mild refreshes to complete restorations.