Dunhill started with a Dunhill lighter and a boy in a small shop watching his father take on the cars no one else wanted to touch.
Peugeots, Alfa Romeos, odd diesel motors, British motorcycles and, eventually, Land Rovers formed the background noise. When it came time to build a soft‑top D90 for myself, that lighter and those memories dictated the name.
If you’re considering a commission, Dunhill shows you what happens when every decision is made for one person rather than for a spec sheet. This D90 sits in a deep black‑cherry, damson‑style color I first saw on a Rolls‑Royce at a salvage yard as a kid. In full sun it reads royal and confident. In the shade it moves toward blue‑grey lavender and looks like it belongs on a British estate. It’s not an original Land Rover color and it isn’t meant to be safe. It’s meant to feel like you.
Underneath the paint, Dunhill is completely re‑engineered. Every nut, bolt, washer and wire has been removed, inspected and rebuilt to a higher standard than it left the factory. The wider stance you see is engineered into the suspension rather than faked with spacers, so the truck stays flat and stable when you drive it hard or carry speed onto an on‑ramp. The turbo diesel is the original, numbers‑matching block, redesigned for torque, reliability and daily driving instead of bragging‑rights horsepower. This is the path if you want a classic you reach for every morning, not a toy that feels fragile.
Dunhill also answers the soft‑top question. The three‑layer top and full sound‑deadening make year‑round use realistic, while the bespoke audio system with French‑made speakers and an Italian amplifier turns it into a proper beach or mountain truck with the top off. Inside, thick Scottish leather with a high wax content shrugs off moisture and UV and keeps that unmistakable leather smell that people comment on at every event. If you’re thinking about commissioning your own D90, Dunhill is proof you can build something personal, unapologetic and usable every day.
