The Land Rover Defender continues to serve as the basis for radical and sporting creations and the most recent is the responsibility of the Germans at Manhart.
Used to transforming BMW models, this German preparer decided to offer us a more aggressive and luxurious version of the Defender 110, specifically the P400 version, one of the most powerful in the range.
Named Manhart DP 500, this Defender starts by standing out for the huge wheels that “pants”. We are talking about a set of 24” forged wheels mounted on 295/30 R24 tires. For those who want to venture off-road, Manhart proposes the same wheels with two inches less.
Whatever the size, these wheels always manage to fill the new, wider wheel arches, which are perfectly matched with the more muscular shock absorbers and the lowest ground clearance — it's 30 mm lower than a Defender P400 “ normal” thanks to a new air suspension.
Inside, even more luxury, with this Defender presenting a more elegant and cared look, thanks to the new leather seats and the Alcantara upholstery on the dashboard and on the armrests of the doors and center console.
But it's in the mechanics that we are again surprised by what this Defender has to offer. Because Manhart decided to “tinker” with the inline six-cylinder gasoline engine and 3.0 liter turbo that as standard produces 400 hp and 550 Nm, giving it a new engine control unit and a stainless steel exhaust system.
Thanks to these modifications this unit started to deliver an impressive 512 hp of power and 710 Nm of maximum torque, numbers that make this model very close to the Land Rover Defender V8, which “offers” 525 hp and 625 Nm.
Manhart does not reveal the price of all these modifications, but we can only hope that it will be as impressive as the image of this SUV.