Luxurious equipment based on the Defender
Among the many Land Rover Defenders, from rare to the latest models, one that stood out for its individuality was a complete car customized by Startech. The rare Defender with a glass rear was an extremely rare model, of which only a few were available in Japan.
The tuning car is limited to 68 units by a Startech
At the Defender Collection Owners Meeting held on 20 April 2024 at a special venue in Saitama Prefecture, around 50 new and old Land Rover Defenders gathered. One of the cars that caught my attention was an unusual Defender 110 with a glass rear.
The Defender is available with three different wheelbases-90, 110, and 130 inches- and each has its body variants, such as station wagon and pick-up. The one presented here is based on the 110, but is unusual in that the rear window section is made of a single piece of glass. It is the SIXTY8, a complete model based on a 2016 Defender 110 custom-built by German company Startech. As the name suggests, it is a rare model, limited to 68 units worldwide, and probably only two or three exist in Japan.
Luxury customization by a Brabus group company
The owner, Mr. Uehara, has known about the SIXTY8 since it was first launched and happened to acquire this valuable model about six years ago now, as a for-sale car was available.
“I took the plunge and bought it, not only because it was a valuable car, of which there were only a few in Japan, but also because the unit was a five-speed manual car, which I liked. I probably wouldn’t have bought it if it had been an automatic transmission car.”
By the way, Startech is a group company of BRABUS, known as a Mercedes-Benz tuner, and SIXTY8 is based on the Defender 110 with tinted panoramic glass in the rear quarter section, a special grille, over wings and steps, underguards, and other exterior features.
Interior with abundant use of genuine leather
The interior is just as luxurious as the exterior: light brown leather bucket seats with SIXTY8 embroidery are standard, while the door panels, center console, and dashboard are also in light brown leather. The headliner is upholstered in black Alcantara, and the interior is so luxurious that it is hard to believe that it is based on a Defender with a solid and sturdy interior.
Mr. Uehara has also lifted the suspension of this precious model with a combination of Terrafirma shocks and 2.5-inch upsprings. Incidentally, the aluminum wheels with a steel wheel-like design are an original design called Monostar D by Startech. The wheel size is 18 x 8.5J, combined with 265/65R18 size BFG all-terrain tires. This is how Mr Uehara is enjoying his wilder SIXTY8.
