2021 Land Rover Defender Corroded

Jason R. Sakurai
by Jason R. Sakurai

2021 Land Rover Defender owners, are you unhappy with your SUV’s finish? Heritage Customs will give you corroded parts with real rust.

Based in the Netherlands, designer Niels van Roij co-founded Heritage Customs. While aluminum, brass, bronze, titanium, zinc, and gold finishes are available, it was rust that caught our attention.

Through his automotive design studio Niels van Roij Design, Niels focuses on automotive design. He develops hand-built cars that are based on existing chassis.

Land Rover owners, being the trendsetters that they are, will want Heritage’s metal-binding technology. van Roij can spray thin layers of metal onto any surface, which he says will adhere for 20 years.

After application, he can sand, polish, brush, or oxidize the metal to achieve the desired look. Why anyone would apply rust to a set of custom 22-inch wheels is beyond us but to each their own.

Far more in keeping with its heritage, van Roij offers rust-colored brown leather interiors. There are carbon fiber door inlays and dash trim. The dashboard, steering wheel center, and dash grab handles are color-matched.

The intent is to create a bold look, and seeing rusty panels on a new Land Rover would no doubt create controversy. Heritage Customs’ Valiance package for new Defenders includes all of this. With their Vintage program, they can do the same for classic Defenders. Let’s see how many owners of classic Defenders are okay with adding rusty parts.

[Images: Heritage Customs]

Jason R. Sakurai
Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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  • Macmcmacmac Macmcmacmac on May 13, 2021

    I remember referring to a sporty VW sports coupe as a Corroda once, which, being in Newfoundland at the time, was probably oddly appropriate. I still remember going to look at a lemon yellow '76 Dodge Aspen coupe my sister had won in a radio contest and thinking how rusty the leaf springs already were. I can guarantee the rust on my Chrysler will not last 20 years, so, progress?

  • Lostboy Lostboy on May 25, 2021

    OMG this just goes to show that rich people are also just as stupid as everyone else but in this case can be even stupider than the average joe - seriously?! paying more for a rusty look is like paying more for a more experienced escort to maybe have sex with - if the colour is the draw (and i'd be hard pressed to argue that having rust really is!) just get a can of spray paint and DIY or pay a shop to do it for you and keep the rust off! On a tangent - I've a really rusty old car that's apparently going to appreciate as it rots if this becomes a thing.

  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
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