This is the 350bhp Ares Defender V8 Hardtop

Ares has revealed its latest new-old-Defender, and it is thus: met the Defender V8 Hardtop. Unsurprisingly, it is a Land Rover Defender with a V8 engine and a hardtop.

An old Land Rover Defender of course, using the outgoing icon’s chassis. Within those boxy flanks resides a “new” 5.3-litre V8, apparently “integrated as part of an extensive engineering programme undertaken by Ares”.

Said V8 punches out 350bhp and 383lb ft of torque, and is matched to a six-speed auto sending drive to all four wheels of course. Ares has tweaked the Defender’s chassis, as you’d expect. The gearbox, axle shafts and CV joints have all been “bolstered”, and there’s a better brake setup with big discs and six-pot calipers.

Plus, the suspension’s been swapped out for an electronically adjustable ORAM setup with ‘sport’ and ‘comfort’ modes that Ares claims ensures a “relaxing ride, engaging handling and precision body control whatever the terrain”. That’s right, ‘engaging handling’ in a Defender.

You’ll spot it sits a little higher than normal, and that’s because it is – there’s a 35mm lift kit. Ares has tweaked the design of course, removing all the body bolts, and fitting larger rear tinted windows and a panoramic sunroof.

There are 18in alloys under wider wheel arches, a carbon fibre bonnet, a “single-piece” carbon fibre front end with LEDs, and new circular rear LED lights. Naturally there’s lots of luxury material deployed inside - notably across every surface possible - as well as a massive stereo with a subwoofer, many speakers, and so on.

Prices start from €235,000 plus VAT.