Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition returns for 2023

Land Rover took another trip to the heritage well and returned with the 2023 Defender Trophy Edition. Limited to 250 units in North America, the off-roader was designed as a tribute to the classic Land Rover models that competed in the Camel Trophy between 1980 and 2000.

While the last Trophy Edition unveiled in 2021 was based on the four-door Defender 110, the latest installment in the series is an evolution of the two-door 90 model. It stands out with a yellow exterior wrap and it gains a long list of off-road goodies including a roof rack, a roof ladder, a winch, an integrated air compressor, plus front and rear mudflaps. Edition-specific "Trophy" badges add a finishing touch to the design.

Land Rover also added the Extended Black Exterior, Air Suspension, Cold Climate, Off-Road, and Advanced Off-Road Capability option packs as well as a trailer hitch. One of the Trophy Edition's coolest features isn't on or in the truck, however. Buyers will receive two tickets to a one-day off-road experience called North American Trophy Competition and held at the Land Rover Experience Center in Manchester, Vermont. They'll face a number of on- and off-road challenges, and a judging panel will choose the winner from six waves of up to 15 teams.

The prize is a trip to the United Kingdom to participate in the Classic Land Rover Trophy Competition scheduled for spring 2023. Land Rover is also letting enthusiasts who participated in the 2021 edition of the Trophy Competition return in 2022 at a cost of $5,000 per team.

Production of the 2023 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition is limited to 250 units; 220 are earmarked for the United States, and the rest will be distributed across Canada. On sale now at some Land Rover retailers, the off-roader is priced at $96,475 including a $1,475 destination charge. For context, the straight-six-powered P400 X-Dynamic SE trim that the Trophy Edition is based on carries a base price of $70,575.

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