For years, Land Rover enthusiasts have asked the same question: If the Defender is tough enough to conquer almost any terrain on Earth, why isn’t there a factory pickup? Land Rover has flirted with the idea, teased concepts, and left the imagination to do the rest. Urban Automotive has grown tired of waiting.
Its answer is the Widetrack Avontur, a dramatic two-door Defender pickup that transforms the already imposing Defender into something that feels equally at home on a construction site, an off-road trail, or parked outside an exclusive London hotel.
Unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of Urban Automotive’s tenth anniversary celebration, the Avontur isn’t simply a Defender with its roof chopped off. It’s a comprehensive engineering exercise built around the Defender 110 Hard Top, requiring dozens of bespoke components and structural modifications to create a vehicle that looks factory-developed rather than hastily modified.
The transformation begins where most conversions would end. Urban removes the rear portion of the Defender’s roof, replaces the cut sections with precision-crafted carbon-fiber panels, and finishes the silhouette with a matching rear spoiler. The rear doors disappear entirely, giving the SUV proportions that evoke the classic Defender pickups of decades past while maintaining a thoroughly modern presence.
The company’s signature Widetrack treatment ensures the Avontur doesn’t go unnoticed. Color-matched fender extensions wrap around massive 23-inch alloy wheels, while a more aggressive front splitter and sculpted hood add visual muscle. Yet the centerpiece is undoubtedly the carbon-fiber cargo bed, which blends premium materials with practical functionality. A modular rail system, integrated bottle holder, and functional tonneau cover make it more than just an exercise in style—it is a usable load space with unmistakable super-premium execution.
Of course, removing a substantial portion of a vehicle’s body structure presents engineering challenges. Urban says it developed dedicated structural reinforcements, including a roll cage, to preserve the Defender’s rigidity and durability. Altogether, the conversion incorporates more than 36 custom-designed components, with buyers able to specify either gloss or matte carbon-fiber finishes to personalize the truck’s appearance.
The Avontur also continues a growing tradition within Urban Automotive’s family of bespoke Defender conversions. Sister company Heritage Customs has already attracted attention with its handcrafted Defender 130 pickup and convertible builds, but the Avontur brings a more aggressive, performance-inspired interpretation to the formula.
The pickup wasn’t the only Defender grabbing attention at Goodwood. Urban also introduced its latest styling package for the high-performance Defender Octa, adding forged carbon-fiber accents throughout the exterior. The package includes a vented hood, aerodynamic enhancements, redesigned front bumper elements, pronounced wheel-arch extensions, a roof spoiler, a bespoke spare-wheel cover, and carbon-fiber exhaust surrounds.
The forged carbon finish gives the Octa a distinctly exotic flavor, drawing inevitable comparisons to the extravagant creations of boutique tuning houses. Finished in blue with contrasting gold 23-inch Vossen forged wheels and matching exterior accents, the demonstrator left little doubt about Urban’s intention to push the Defender into super-SUV territory.
Urban Automotive has already opened customer registrations for the Widetrack Avontur, while orders for the Defender Octa package are officially underway. Pricing remains under wraps, although nobody should expect either conversion to come with anything resembling a bargain sticker.
Then again, exclusivity rarely does. And until Land Rover decides to build a modern Defender pickup itself, Urban Automotive may have created the closest thing enthusiasts will ever get—a machine that combines genuine utility with unapologetic luxury, wrapped in enough carbon fiber to make even the most reserved Defender owner reconsider what an off-roader can become.
Source: Urban Automotive
