After revealing their first bespoke, coachbuilt automobile in form of the Evanta Barchetta, British firm Kahn Design is now ready to take the wraps off their next project, which is a 400-hp Land Rover Defender-based SUV called the Flying Huntsman.

As you would expect from something with such an aristocratic name, Kahn’s Flying Huntsman is a pretty serious bit of kit. To make this car Kahn engineers heavily revised the chassis and body of the standard Land Rover Defender 90, and created a “105 Longnose”. That nose was required to accommodate the engine they’d chosen for the Huntsman, which is a 6.2-litre GM LS3 V8 engine, capable of developing between 400 and 450bhp. The Flying Huntsman is 400mm longer than the standard Defender.

The main motivation for Afzal Kahn, the owner of Kahn Design, to go ahead with this project was Land Rover’s decision to pull the plug on the current Defender at the end of this year. They will replace it with a new model, but Kahn believes “the fact that Land Rover are retiring it is an absolute tragedy. It’s one of my top three all-time favourite vehicles.” This car is only the first “in an upcoming line of related retro classic models” based on the Defender. There will even be a 6×6 variant!

For the privilege of driving the Flying Huntsman you are going to need £125,000. Global debut is planned at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

Via Autocar