In December 2025, Top Gear’s journalist Stephen Dobie visited our head quarters in Amsterdam. Inside the workshop, where classic Defenders are rebuilt and re-engineered, he spent time with the Panterra Defender and the team who developed it. His visit resulted in a first-drive review that looks beyond nostalgia and specifications, focusing instead on how this electric Defender drives, feels and redefines what a restomod can be.
Top Gear is clear about our electric Panterra driven Defender. What sets the Panterra apart is how it embraces modern electric performance without losing the Defender’s soul. As Top Gear puts it: “This is no mere transplant, though. The Landrovers has spent the last seven years building up to this point, redesigning almost every component beneath that familiar Landie silhouette to properly do justice to the engineering depths it’s explored“
With adaptive torque-vectoring and fully independent suspension, the Panterra delivers a driving experience that feels surprising yet respectful of its heritage. Top Gear notes: “There’s a linearity to the pedal’s operation that makes it a cinch to operate in town, on motorways or anywhere in between. Dare to take one of these off-road and its precise power delivery ought to be rather useful.”
Finally, the article speaks about the Panterra’s broader promise in advancing electric Defender evolution: “The tech beneath feels too promising to be confined ‘only’ to restored Defenders”, suggesting this drivetrain could influence future EV architectures.
In short, Top Gear’s experiences paints the Panterra as a blend of classic character and electrified innovation. An adventurous leap for both The Landrovers and the Defender legacy.
Read the full article on Top Gear: The Landrovers Panterra review: what’s it like to drive a 600bhp, 375-mile electric Defender?
