Many Land Rover enthusiasts love restoring an old vehicle to its former glory, but some like to take things a step further with a ‘restomod’, a project that does not just restore, but modifies the vehicle with some great new features.

There are many examples you may be inspired by, but it is important to note that for all the bells and whistles that your restomod might have, the basics still matter. Finding a great new Land Rover V8 engine should still be at the heart of your project.

A prime example of a great restomod is a vehicle owned by former Apple executive Clifford Smith, Gear Patrol reports. Always pushing the boundaries of tech, Mr Smith’s Land Rover project involved taking a Series 3 and giving it a serious upgrade, the first of many restomod schemes his new firm in Kent plans to carry out.

Visually, the vehicle appears largely the same, but this is far more than a restoration. It features new aspects like better suspension, brakes and steering, as well as an automatic gearbox, all of which are major improvements on what this 1976 model offered when it first rolled off the production line.

However, the best part may be the finely-tuned, 3.5 litre V8 engine. Mr Smith said: “This heritage engine not only delivers a huge amount of torque, but allows us to stay close to the brand.”

The central importance placed on the engine, which carries the authenticity of the original but is tuned to a higher level, epitomises what is possible with a restomod, keeping the tradition but adding extra quality and performance.

Another example of a restomod that has placed lots of focus on the engine was highlighted by Pistonheads in February. A 1994 Range Rover LSE had gone up for sale after a restomod project that added several new features. The most notable, the article emphasised, was a more powerful 4.8-litre, 285 hp V8 engine.  

If you are planning a restomod project, you may want to do all sorts of things to improve the gears, suspension, brakes and wider appearance of the vehicle. But nothing will do more to make it better than an upgraded V8 engine.