Land Rover's Off-Road Mini-Me

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【Summary】Entrepreneur Charles Fawcett, known for enhancing Land Rover Defenders, has turned to the budget-friendly Suzuki Jimny due to the Defender's limited availability. The Suzuki Jimny, with its cult status, was briefly sold before being withdrawn to meet EU emissions regulations.

FutureCar Staff Sep 03, 2023 10:16 AM PT

When Land Rover announced the discontinuation of the long-serving Defender in 2016, entrepreneur Charles Fawcett took a chance and ordered 240 of them for his firm, Twisted Automotive. Twisted Automotive was already known for enhancing the Defender with additional performance and luxurious trim, with some models featuring V8 engines and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Currently, Fawcett's Thirsk showroom only has 19 Defenders remaining. However, this is not the reason why he has now shifted his focus to the Suzuki Jimny, a budget-friendly four-wheel drive vehicle that has gained an unexpected cult following. The Jimny was briefly available for sale before being withdrawn to help the company comply with EU-wide emissions regulations.