Man who bought 240 Land Rover Defenders in 2015 reveals how much he made from ‘biggest risk of his career’
A man who ordered more than 200 Land Rover Defenders months before production of the iconic British 4×4 ended in 2016 has revealed how much he made in an exclusive interview with This is Money.
In 2015, Charles Fawcett, founder of Yorkshire-based modifying company Twisted, made the decision to bulk-order a hoard of ‘final run’ of Defenders believing they would sky-rocket in value.
After placing a request for 240 vehicles, he eventually received 239 of the last examples to leave JLR’s Solihull assembly line, despite the car maker’s best efforts to prevent it.
When the vehicles were ordered, each new Land Rover Defender should have cost between £26,000 to £33,000, depending on the model and specification.
However, he said he negotiated a 14.8 per cent discount on the 239 vehicles, paying around an average of £22,600 per Defender.
Having been tipped off by a dealer about the opportunity to place an order for some of the last-built Defenders in 2015, Charles discussed availability and pricing with someone from JLR. But the British company’s tune soon changed.
‘The guy from Land Rover called me one Friday and said if I didn’t place the order that day we wouldn’t get any because Land Rover was about to change its policy and not supply vehicles to modifiers like ourselves.
‘I quickly fired over an email requesting 240 vehicles, asking if we could sort colours and specifications the following week, to which he replied “thank you for an amazing order”.
Charles Fawcett, founder of Twisted, bought 239 Land Rover Defenders in 2015, just months before production of the iconic 4×4 ended
Charles (pictured), who owns the Yorkshire-based modifying company, explained how Jaguar Land Rover tried to block the move
However, he eventually received 239 and negotiated a 14.8 per cent discount paying around an average of £22,600 per Defender
‘The most I had ordered new at one time before that was eight vehicles.’
However, a meeting with JLR soon after revealed the car maker’s reluctance to provide them.
‘JLR invited me to a meeting and said you’re not getting any cars because there aren’t any available,’ he said.
‘It all got a bit legal but eventually they agreed we could have them.’
In September 2022, the company announced the ‘final’ 16 vehicles from the haul would be sold at prices up to £222,000 – that’s an 800 per cent mark-up on what they cost in 2015.
While various reports across the internet have attempted to calculate the revenue generated from Charles’ order of 239 motors, he says it is difficult to say exactly how much he made when factoring in the costs of upgrading them.
He said: ‘We’ve sold around 210 and turned every single one into a Twisted vehicle.
‘Back in the early days of having them, we were selling at £60,000 to £100,000. Most now are £150,000 to £250,000, so we clearly have margin in there.
In September 2022, the company announced the ‘final’ 16 vehicles from the haul would be sold at prices up to £222,000
Reflecting on the order, Charles says that in the grand scheme of global business where companies spend billions, it was a ‘tiny little deal’
The last Land Rover Defender pictured coming off the production line at Solihull on Friday 29 January 2016
‘However, a huge amount has been spent on development, R&D and production time.
‘I guess you could directly attribute £50million to £60million turnover that’s been achieved off the back of them, probably more.’
Reflecting on the order, Charles says that in the grand scheme of global business where companies spend billions, it was a ‘tiny little deal’.
He added: ‘We’re just Land Rover enthusiasts in North Yorkshire who build cool stuff, have some amazing customers and just love what we do.
‘To be able to grab that delivery of vehicles was phenomenal for us as a tiny business. It’s right up there with the best financial decision of my life.’
Having claimed the company has sold around 210 of the Defenders, Charles has confirmed there are still some in storage, all of which have almost certainly soared in value.
‘I have some but I’m keeping them back for a collection of my own,’ he said.
‘I might release the odd one here and there. We have a few special customers who we’d let have a brand new donor car. But the last dozen or so I will keep to myself. I think there’s 25 left at the moment.
‘We’ve stored them, serviced them, cleaned them, covered them; we’ve looked after these things for 10 years and now I’m kind of attached to them. They’ve always been around, you know?
‘And in reality, they’re better than money in the bank.
‘If I could have kept 120 or 150 of them I would have done because that opportunity was a once in a lifetime – you’re not going to get that twice. All the stars aligned for us to get that order.’
