Year: 2026
Client: WMC
Created for Wilks Motor Company, a restomod venture founded in respect for Maurice Wilks, creator of the original Land Rover.
WMC Series IIC is a design concept for the company's second build, a long-wheelbase Land Rover Defender reimagined in the spirit of the original Series II. Following a proof-of-concept first build, the studio was engaged to undertake an interior design study, a scope that later expanded to include the exterior. The brief was to address modernisation, usability and storage while respecting the heritage character of the vehicle.
Rather than transplant a contemporary automotive interior into an older platform, the studio took a ground-up approach that favours minimalism over luxury. Simple, refined forms and restrained upholstery bring comfort and composure to the cabin. On the exterior, the fundamental architecture remains unchanged, while select surfaces and junctions are reworked to temper the more rustic aspects of the original, and new configurations introduce greater flexibility.
The concept resists both overt aggression and nostalgia. It remains unmistakably Series II in spirit, yet every detail has been reconsidered, imagining what Mr Wilks might build today if the lineage were allowed to evolve with care rather than reinvention.