THE FAMILY YOU CHOOSE

When needs must, 82-year-old Dorothea is happy to put her Zambezi silver Landy to work on difficult terrain (particularly if you offer to wash the muck off afterwards) and with a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, on one occasion she rescued more than forty caravans from a muddy field. She is, says Charles Fawcett, Twisted’s founder, “the lady every Land Rover adventurer would want to call grandma. She is the matriarch of our anti-ordinary clan.”

Refusing to kick off her two-inch kitten heels when she’s behind the wheel, Dorothea, from North Yorkshire, lives the life that most of us yearn for. Not a suitcase to carry or security queue to dread, she sets off on her travels with her home, a sturdy German-built caravan, trailing behind her TD5. “This is not a dress rehearsal, you don’t get a second chance, so get on with it,” says Dorothea, who road trips with Radley, her Scottish Terrier. “When I’m getting ready to go somewhere he sits at the back door waiting. He loves it.”

Dorothea’s self-assured yet down-toearth presence has a firmness that says, don’t mess, but in 2010 she was targeted by thieves. They stole the dark green Defender her late husband Kenneth bought for her three weeks before he died. “I cried, and cried, and cried,” recalls Dorothea, who has been piloting Land Rovers since the late sixties. “Kenneth said it would be the last one I ever had.”

Determined not to be a victim, Dorothea called upon Charles to help her find a replacement that she could depend on. “I knew what that green Defender meant to her because she brought it to us for maintenance work before it got stolen,” says Charles. “Dorothea was quite upset, but being the strong independent lady that she is, she got on with it – and so did we. At Twisted we look after our own.”

On a bleak winter's evening, with planes grounded, trains cancelled and roads made impassable due to heavy snow, Dorothea arrived at Twisted’s Thirsk HQ for a test drive. “I were full of cold but I wanted a motor and you’ve got to know how t’handle them when it’s slippy.”

Sat on chunky 18-inch hurricane alloys, the 200bhp TD5 felt slightly more lively than the Defender Kenneth had gifted her, but Dorothea was impressed by its “throaty” 2.5-litre tuned diesel engine. Its upgrades, including uprated suspension and an anti-roll bar, as well as a stainless steel exhaust system, were engineered by Charles, but Dorothea “let the charm and practicality rule her appreciation of the vehicle.” Dorothea had found the Landy she was looking for. It’s been twenty years since Kenneth passed away, “I would give everything I have, and more besides, if I could have him back for a day,” but Dorothea hasn’t let the decades pass her by. With her wagon hitched to her Landy she’s never in a hurry when she heads off into the sunset. “Better two minutes late in this world than a minute too soon in the next.” This maternal advice from Dorothea is the kind you’d expect a caring mother or grandmother to impart. “It’s an honour to consider her a symbolic head of the family,” says Charles. “At Twisted, we’re the family you get to choose, and what brings us together is our love for the Landy.”

Iyou’ve got a soft spot for a soft top, speak with the Twisted team. Alternatively, Twisted techs can convert a hard top (ours or yours) with our heavy-duty hood sticks and custom-made Twisted mohair hoods. Choose a hood in a colour and style that suits your vehicle - with or without windows, zip-up, or even removable sides and back.

There are several options to use the original doors or change for Seriesstyle ones with removable tops.

You might want to make the windscreens foldable for the ultimate ‘flies in your teeth experience’.

We’ll convert the original rear door to a half-height side opening, or we can fit a drop-down tailgate. Each build is as the customer wants it. Your adventures, your Defender. Twisted makes it happen.

If you’ve always dreamed of owning a Twisted Defender, pick up the phone today and let’s get you a coffee. If you have a Land Rover Defender that you’d like the Twisted technicians to service, repair or convert to a soft top, you’ll be in the best hands.

TOP OF THE SHOPS Let’s take a look at the best-sellers from the Twisted portfolio.

TWISTED SPORT 18" ALLOY WHEELS

Twisted Stage One Grille Setworkshop Fit

From £690

Designed and manufactured in Italy exclusively for Twisted, the Twisted Sport Alloy Wheel has become the item synonymous with our brand. This fits all Defender models, including early 90/110/130 and offers a deep dish, wider offset.

• 18" x 9"

• Available in Satin Black OR Anthracite Grey

• 1100kg load rating

Twisted Steering Guard

From £348 From £474

Designed and manufactured a stone’s throw from Twisted HQ is the 6mm thick aluminium Twised steering guard. It’s powder coated in black with a laser cut Twisted logo. This popular product protects the steering damper while driving off-road, it also gives a finished look to the front of any Defender.

• Includes chassis mounting plates and fitting brackets and bolts.

• Suitable for all standard Defenders 90,110 and 130

• Available in custom colour upon request.

Twisted Progressive Suspension

From £2,154

Twisted Classic Steering Wheel

From £540

The Twisted Classic steering wheel is the wheel of choice. The 15" wheel doesn’t take too much away from the standard but ensures a comfier, more driveable experience. The 14" option is, of course, slightly smaller. All Twisted steering wheels come with the branded Twisted centre and a boss for easy fitment.

Available in black, silver or wood

• Available in 14" or 15"

The most influential Twisted product. It transforms the ride of a Defender. After a two-year development programme in partnership with suspension engineer Rhoddy Harvey Bailey, Twisted springs and anti-roll bars are manufactured exclusively in Germany by Eibach. The dampers are custom valved to suit the spring rates, from Bilstein.

A bias on the anti-roll bars is switched to give more travel on the front axle, resulting in less under-steer and more traction when driving. Comfort on road is enhanced through revised spring rates, softer in the first 25mm of movement, soaking up the normal undulations whilst firmer in the centre of the coil to create a more predictable, communicative drive.

All components are replaced including:

• Custom valved gas dampers

• Steering gas damper

• Progressive standard ride height coil springs

• Front & rear anti roll bars and bushes

Our Stage One Grille has been designed to create a more nostalgic look, giving a gentle nod to the Stage One V8 Series III. Made entirely from nylon-coated stainless steel, the grille has a 1.5mm frame. The 8mm square wire mesh is fully welded to the frame to avoid any unwanted rattling but still allows flex.

This kit has the additional mesh horn covers, air con panel under mesh, and will require both front wings TIG welding and painting, hence the workshop fit description. You’’ also get original Series III style headlight surrounds (as standard in gloss black, which you can paint if you wish, once received) to replace the current standard Defender ones.

• Available in black or grey

• Also available in ‘Home Fit’ variation.

• Only available for air conditioned vehicles.