Todd Snyder to Design First Car: A Land Rover Defender

Todd Snyder has been called the King of Collaborations as he’s partnered with numerous brands since creating his collection more than a decade ago — Champion, Timex, Foot Joy, L.L. Bean…the list goes on.

Now the designer has tried his hand at cars.

This month, Balmoral Defender, an automobile restoration company that specializes in Land Rovers, has tapped the designer to create a special car for its Rugged Gentleman Collection, a line that offers three vintage editions of Defenders that have been reimagined with a contemporary design twist.

 “When I was a teenager, I went to my first classic car show and have been fascinated with cars and automotive design ever since,” Snyder said. “To partner with Balmoral Defender has been extraordinary. My love for materiality, design, and craftsmanship is only equal to Balmoral Defender’s commitment to best-in-class restoration.”

Snyder worked closely with the Balmoral team, which is based in England’s Cotswolds region, as well as leather craftsmen in Andalucia and U.S. mechanics in Florida to create the car. The Todd Snyder Limited Edition is a 1998 Defender D90, a model typically associated with British country life, that was reworked into a modern SUV.

The car features Leat Me Italian leather upholstery with contrast detailing throughout the interior, honeycomb-patterned quilted seats and a Sonnenland Dark Beige Mohair convertible roof. The car sports a LT1 V8 engine with 10-speed automatic transmission, an Alcon braking system, upgraded suspension, and modern power steering.

The Todd Snyder Edition 001 is the first of what will be 10 made-to-order cars that will retail beginning at $305,000 each. Two future editions are in development and will be released later this year.