Spectre tribute truck
EVER fancied playing the part of 007 James Bond? Well now you can, or at least pretend you are, thanks to bespoke Defender specialists Himalaya who are offering a rare opportunity to own one of the most famous Land Rovers to ever appear in a film with its new special-edition Spectre tribute truck.
Priced at $250,000 (its normal custom builds start at $165,000) and uses a rare Crew Cab pick-up configuration. The South Carolina-based company is able to create the very same layout using all-new body panels and frames sourced from England which are hung on an all-new frame that is precision-manufactured, while their team can customise the powertrain and interiors to customers’ preferences. Himalaya also goes the extra step by designing and manufacturing its own handles, latches and catches.
While it turns to Britain for some of the aesthetics it has American mechanicals, with Himalaya replacing the stock 1961-designed Buick/rover 182 hp 3.9-litre V8 engine with GM’S more modern LS3 unit integrated with a GM six-speed automatic transmission and an upgraded Rover all-wheel-drive transfer case with upgraded internals. This gives the Spectre 525 hp (Himalaya’s other engine options include the Cummins R2.8 turbodiesel and Whipple-supercharged LS3). Similarly, the axles are factory housings with strengthened internals.
Because oversized 37-inch Toyo mud-terrain tyres are significantly larger than the factory-sized rubber, Himalaya upgrades the brakes with larger Wilwood discs and is currently co-engineering a premium braking system with Brembo. Steering is bolstered with dependable (ahem) Jeep Wrangler components. It also has a four-inch lift kit with custom coil springs and in-house extended-length control arms plus Fox Racing remotereservoir shocks.
The Spectre’s brawny exterior has been achieved thanks to a Safety Devices exo-cage, Front Runner Vehicle Outfitters roof rack and a custom bed-mounted rack for the fspare tyre. Additional body protection is supplied by a front A-barstyle winch bumper over a Warn Zeon 10S winch, a radiator skidplate, Amp Research Power Step sideboards, and a rear bumper with receiver hitch that Himalaya customised starting with a Poison Spyder Jeep unit.
Inside, leather is the predominate material while Alcantara is used for the headliner. Other details include Recaro seats, Dakota Digital gauges, a Momo steering wheel, Exmoor interior LED lighting and a Safety Devices roll cage. Himalaya also installed a premium entertainment system comprising a Kenwood head unit and JL Audio speakers and fitted liberal amounts of Dynamat sound-deadening insulation and improved door sealing to further assist in providing a more comfortable cabin experience.
The Himalaya Spectre Edition Defender is just one example of the company’s capabilities. In addition to customerspec’d bespoke Defenders, Himalaya also performs classic Rover restorations as well as resto-mod builds that are mostly factory-based but with a few strategic upgrades. For more information, please contact Himalaya (800) 956-9481 or go to drivehimalaya.com.