Currently there are tens if not hundreds of Land Rover Defenders which have been reincarnated by some reputed workshops in the big cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong. Most of them are driven regularly and many can be occasionally spotted in the outskirts of the city in areas like Purbachal while being covered in sand, dust and mud.
For this feature of Turbine, we bring to you one of the most unique and well built Defenders of the country. Owned and restored by Mr. Sujan Hannan, the car was initially purchased by him back in 2019. Being the only 3 door Defender 110 hardtop of the country, his unit was undoubtedly a rare one.
“It was driven only 7000km when I got my hands on this car which is very rare for our country,” said Sujan, “however, the car wasn’t in running condition back then.”
After getting the car, Sujan immediately started working on making the car run, most of which were electric works and later included an air conditioning system. However, Sujan wasn’t content with only restoring the car. He wanted to do a bit more than that.
That’s when he decided to build a house inside it. YES a literal one!
Designed to have shelves, a table, a bed and even a stove inside, this Defender is the perfect car to take to any part of the country and not worry about where to stay.
When it comes to driving this house on wheels, Sujan is also impressed by how the car drives aside from its utility space. Despite the added weight, the car can handle any challenges and go over any terrain just like any other Defender out there.
What’s the most remarkable memory with the Defender? We asked Sujan
‘My best memory till now with this car is when I was driving on Marine Drive Road situated beside the longest sea beach in the world in Cox’s Bazar. I still remember when I set up the Defender for camping beside the Marine Drive Road after I was done with the drive.
What are the difficulties you have faced when travelling with the Defender?
‘The car performs perfectly fine on the highway and I actually love taking it on long drives outside the city. However, inside the city, it is really difficult to maneuver this car mainly because of its giant size. My worst experience with this car is when I get stuck in Dhaka traffic.”
What are the future plans with the Defender? Do you ever think about selling this car and getting a newer 4×4 with more modern features?
‘It’s just the beginning of my journey with this car. I have plans to go on many more long drives with this. Besides, this car was built for multipurpose tasks, such as a portable office for my future projects, a car which I can travel with both alone and even with my friends and also a tow car for my other builds.
Having basic things which can be found in any house such as a well organised sleeping place, a food carrier and even a small kitchen, I can even use this car as my emergency shelter if I ever need to!’
