Twisted Automotive
THE ANTI-ORDINARY LAND ROVER
STORY & Photography| SIMON RAEBURN-WARD
As the sun brightens a crisp summer’s morning, a group of Land Rover Defenders gather near a forested area in the heart of the Southeast of England’s Devon county. Having traveled from across the UK and beyond, the owners are chatting with each other whilst enjoying a bacon roll and a coffee. Their most common denominator is their vehicles have been restored and reimagined by custom build specialists, Twisted Automotive.
There is excitement in the air, a sense of adventure and belonging because these owners are part of a community and they’re about to start the Twisted Tour ‘23. Conversations are hushed as Charles Fawcett, the founder of Twisted Automotive, musters everyone’s attention. He then outlines the day ahead, with the start heading into the forest on a Land Rover Experience type of drive. With adrenaline rising, the opportunity to explore the challenging terrain that taps into the Defender’s capabilities further adds to the excitement. The daring drive includes short sharp climbs, where you can only see treetops and the sky, to near vertical drops that disappear into mud pits, water crossings, and axle articulating ruts. Many owners are impressed, others absolutely gob-smacked, by the Twisted-built Defender’s abilities.
Twisted Automotive
Founded in 2000, Twisted Automotive is based at the opposite end of the country in the market town of Thirsk, in North Yorkshire. Its facilities include a factory where the magic happens and the local movie house, The Old Cinema, has been converted from ruin to a showroom and café, welcoming passersby, customers, and the curious.
At the time Charles had been running a Land Rover off-road tuition center where he was often knee deep in mud, training people for their own off-road enjoyment. This experience meant he came to know the capabilities of the Defender inside and out. In the late ‘90s modification shops were satisfying the demand for an emerging trend, a purpose-built Defender. The norm was jacking up the suspension, cutting the bodywork, and adding huge tires in preparation for extreme off-road action.
In standard guise Defenders are a bit of a pig on the road, but performing the aforementioned mods made them truly awful. Charles saw an opportunity and decided to go in the other direction… instead of the blunt behavior of the day he would go upscale. He set out to create a Defender with better performance and driveability on the road without compromising the vehicle’s off-road prowess, making them what Charles called something anti-ordinary.
THE TWISTED BUILD PROCESS
A typical Twisted build starts with engine upgrades (or swaps) that boost power and torque by 50% or more, which is great in a straight line, but at some point you’re going to have to go around corners and stop. Years of work went into fine-tuning the Land Rover’s suspension and braking systems. The Defender naturally understeers and if you hit the brakes mid turn, it flicks to oversteer. External suspension experts were brought in and together the team dialed in the handling in a very deliberate manner. The effort culminated with 26 laps around the Nürburgring which is where Twisted earned the UK’s fastest Defender title. This suspension setup is standard in every Twisted build.
During the first 10 years, the Product Development Manager was the customer directly asking to make changes and modifications. One that stands out to Charles was the request to have bumper-mounted daylight running lights back in 2008. After many iterations, the final product was delivered to the customer and it was received so well that it’s become standard fitment to all builds.
The natural progression of the business was moving from individual modifications to creating complete vehicles. Twisted builds take between 800-1,000 hours and are executed by eight technicians in a dedicated factory. Every build is stripped right back to a bare chassis and then rebuilt with every component restored or upgraded in the process. If you are still left wanting, you can have a custom build. Need a soft-top beach cruiser, cross-continent grand tourer, or a 130 designed to explore the African continent? Just ask. Twisted delivers around 24 builds a year and finds its relatively small production numbers deliver long-term customers, customers who will own the rig for years and come back for upgrades or eventually a re-build.
The end result retains respect for the Land Rover’s distinguished heritage while being fundamentally different to the rigs that originally came off the production line. Being so customer-centric and focused on developing relationships with customers is how the Twisted community has flourished. Customers will ring up for a chat, says Charles, or a catch-up over a cup of Yorkshire tea if they are passing through. Others will take time out of their varied and busy lives to come together on a Twisted Tour adventure.
The Twisted Tour
Once out of the trees in Devon the Tour takes to the pavement and heads to Salcombe on the south coast for the next adventure. We disappear down hedge-lined roads, glimpsing the sun glinting off sea through the gaps. To the unknowing eye, it’s just a convoy of Defenders and yet there is something different about them, these Defenders have a little more going for them. As you look closer, detail after detail emerges. The grill replicates a Series One, the indicators look similar to a military Land Rover, the door handles are billet aluminum. Just about everything to feel or see has been changed. Inside you are cosseted in handstitched leather, from the seats to the dashboard, the cabin is elegantly finished as you would find in a high-end Rolls-Royce. Everything has been given the Twisted touch. Then there is the drive, almost car-like, smooth, taught steering, and quiet. This is a premium motoring experience. There is instant response from the upgraded standard engine, which continues to pull, even at motorway speeds. If you really want performance, Twisted’s 6.2-liter V8 forces you into the seats, as does the electric version.
We arrive in Salcombe, part of the English Riviera, and on a day like today it’s glorious. Resting on the edge of the estuary leading out to the sea is the new Twisted Marine Showroom. Charles has diversified into sport boats and Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs). Having started as a passion project with a Scarab imported from the U.S., Twisted was approached by several manufacturers to upgrade and enhance their vessels to Twisted spec. The first builds have already been sold, designed and overseen by an ex-F1 engineer with a background in marine engineering. Following the Twisted ethos, the boats are now faster, more efficient, and finished to Twisted detail. Clearly, the boats have a perfect towing partner, and at the same time its opened up the market to new customers expanding the company’s community both in the UK and worldwide.
Then there’s the Twisted-built Jimny, another passion project that was launched in 2023. ‘I love them,’ says Charles, having owned a Suzuki SJ410 for many years. The Twisted magic is sprinkled over the Suzuki Jimny and another new niche is created. The simple, sure footed analogue 4x4 has huge amounts of ‘soul and credibility.’ The Jimny, a Japanese Kei classification SUV and powered by the prerequisite 660cc engine, is very much like a small Defender, a capable rig with an avid following. Driving one puts a smile on your face and sets your mind racing as to where it could take you.
The Tour ends after dinner, overlooking the sea where the boats had cut through the waves a few hours earlier. Watching the setting sun, participants clinked their glasses and formed new friendships while telling stories of where their build has taken them and where they are going next. They head into the night with a deeper, more detailed understanding of what their vehicles are capable of and the newfound confidence to push their limits.
