The Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition is more than a sweet ride: It also comes with an Indiana Jones-style proposition. For the third year in a row, those who buy the special-edition vehicle get the chance to compete in an off-road competition. Up to 90 teams of two people will face off in Austin, Texas, in late October and early November. The prize? A four-day “adventure travel experience” in Namibia.
All you need to enter is the vehicle itself. The 2023 model of this annual special-edition Land Rover discards the vintage yellow paint job used last year, opting instead for a sleek black with topographic accents.
Available starting this month, Land Rover will sell 220 of the vehicles in the U.S. and a scant 10 in Canada. Entrance to the competition happens on a first-come, first-served basis — and there aren’t enough slots for every owner. So buy sooner rather than later if you’re eager to flaunt your off-road skills and become this year’s champion.
2023 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition
If last year’s model was meant to show the long history of Land Rover, this year’s version aims for a chic, modern appearance.
Designers of the 2023 Defender Trophy Edition based it on the Defender 130 P400 SE. The custom vehicle wrap is matte Santorini Black, accented by a topographical map design on the door panels and spare wheel cover.
It also comes with an exterior black pack, an ebony-grained leather interior, and custom interior badging. But as any Land Rover owner knows, it ain’t just pretty.
Additional all-terrain equipment includes a roof box from Pelican Products, along with the following:
- Expedition roof rack
- Deployable ladder
- Electronic winch
- Front and rear mud flaps
- Wheel arch protection
- Tow-hitch receiver
- Cold Climate pack
- Black exposed rear recovery eyes
- Off-road Pack; Advanced Off-road Capability Pack
- Front undershield
- Loadspace rubber mats
Defender Trophy Competition
Once you’ve purchased your shiny new Land Rover, you can start planning a trip to Austin to get it dirty.
Each vehicle comes with an opportunity for two people (owner and guest) to enter a one-day off-road adventure in the Defender Trophy Competition. Up to 90 teams from the U.S. can participate in the event, which runs from Oct. 29 through Nov. 8.
Competitors will face several on- and off-road challenges, according to a press release, including physical and team-building obstacles. Also, Land Rover will provide “expert” one-on-one coaching. This “[gives] customers a unique opportunity to develop extreme driving techniques and skills in their own vehicle before putting their training to the test,” the company said.
The winning team, as determined by a judging panel, will receive a four-day trip to Namibia. Once there, they will pilot Defender Vehicles on pathways and dunes in the Erongo Mountains and Spitzkoppe Peaks.
The Defender Trophy Edition is now available, with an MSRP of $103,000 (before delivery). Find it at certain Land Rover retailers in the U.S. and Canada.
