Under This Retro Defender Is a LS-Swapped JK Wrangler

True off-road SUVs are hot stuff in the new-vehicle market, and the same is true in the world of restomods. One of the hottest restomod candidates is the Land Rover Defender, and clients have proven that they will pay $200,000 and more—new Lamborghini money—to build the truck of their dreams. Companies on both sides of the pond are scrambling to get a slice of this clientele: We’ve visited five such shops specializing in vintage Defenders …and that’s by no means all of them. Today, a new hopeful enters the fray: The Wrangler-based, LS-powered Blackbridge Mark IV.

This $169,950 truck is the newest offering from Blackbridge Motors, founded in 2016 by Scott Gilbert and based in Norwalk, Connecticut. The shop’s calling card is the Mark X, a $289,950 truck built nearly from scratch on a Roadster Shop chassis with fresh body panels and a 465-hp LT1. Gilbert, however, thinks there’s gold in the less expensive end of this market: He told Robb Report last fall that a restomod Defender in the mid $100,000s would be “a game changer.”

The Mark IV is the fulfillment of that vision. Designed to be more accessible than the Mark X, this Jeep-GM hybrid retains the characteristics that seem most popular in this corner of the automotive world: old-school Defender looks, reliable V-8 power, and a luxurious interior. Like its upmarket brother, the Mark IV is a build-to-order truck; Blackbridge expects you’ll want to customize yours.

To bring down the price point, the Mark IV starts not with a Roadster Shop chassis but with that of a 2018 (JK) Jeep Wrangler. The 116-inch frame extends the wheelbase of the original Defender 110 by six inches, and expands interior space—a welcome change to anyone who’s banged elbows against doors in the original Landies. The tub of the vehicle is designed by Blackbridge. The driveline in the truck shown here is a 6.2-liter, 425-hp LS3 from GM Performance backed by an automatic transmission from the same company. Those who would prefer an LT1 can have their heart’s desire, paired either with an eight-speed auto or a six-speed manual.

A pair of heavy-duty Dana axles with 4.88 gears are connected by a GM transfer case, and the whole package is managed by a GM Performance ECU. The wiring harness is a blend of GM (engine and transmission) and proprietary Blackbridge (everything else).

The interior is everything the original Defender’s was not: Packed with hi-fi audio, a touch-screen display, electric heating and cooling, LED lighting, and four captain’s chairs upholstered in leather. If you want a jump seat, you can have that: This customer preferred to prioritize cargo space. The canvas top is an in-house affair, as are all the exterior LED lights.

In the press release, Gilbert touts the value proposition of the Mark IV, underscoring its “ease of use and maintenance.” No doubt any Jeep shop will recognize the frame rails, and any GM one will know what to do with the driveline. The bigger question is whether Blackbridge’s value proposition is more than the sum of its parts—and whether customers care about the parts underneath the handsome truck.

There’s precedent for Blackbridge’s combinations of American and British and GM and Mopar: The most powerful V-8 in the original Defender was actually of American make, and the Wrangler aftermarket swapped LSes into Jeeps for years before the factory got around to a Hemi transplant. Heck, even the Land Rover factory blessed the modern V-8 swap when it put Jaguar V-8s into 150 old Defenders. The Mark IV is vintage only in looks—and Blackbridge is betting big that customers with cash to spend see that as the truck’s chief virtue.

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