I didn’t build Dunhill for a client. I built it for the boy who sat in my father’s shop, watching Peugeots, Alfa Romeos, Triumphs and old Land Rovers come and go. My father wasn’t wealthy, but when he bought something, he chose carefully. One of those things was his Dunhill lighter. He saved for it, used it, and kept it close with his handkerchief and pocketknife. That lighter is where this Defender got its name.
In the video I ask you to do one thing. Don’t watch on your phone. Put this on a big screen, grab your favorite drink, sit down and let me walk you around Dunhill. The first topic is the color. On paper it’s purple. Say “purple Defender” and people think Barney. I started calling it black cherry and suddenly people leaned in. What you see on camera is a deep royal tone that reads purple in full sun and blue‑grey lavender in the shade, a color I first fell for on a Rolls‑Royce I used to sit in at a salvage yard as a kid.
I go through the stance and the details that matter to me. The bespoke soft‑top audio system uses speakers handmade in France and an amplifier handmade in Italy, because this truck should feel like a party when the top is off and the cooler is in the back. Inside, I show you the Scottish leather with its heavy wax content designed to shrug off moisture and UV, and to keep that proper leather smell for years. I point out the engraved brass side vent, the billet aluminum, and the corner bracket that tells you this truck was taken apart like a Lego set and re‑engineered piece by piece.
I also explain why I stayed with a numbers‑matching turbo diesel instead of a crate V8. I wanted torque, daily drivability and a classic that I’d choose over my modern car, not a hot, noisy kit car that only looks the part.
Dunhill is sold. Click Here for Details
Arvon is available now for purchase at $346,230. Click Here for Details
Call Paul at 1 518-788-4724
