Production of the venerable Land Rover Defender is due to end in 2015, 68 years after its introduction, so it’s no surprise to see a bit of a revival of the old girl lately. The latest interpretation of the classic workhorse comes from the UK’s Urban Trucks, which has shoehorned a Corvette engine in place of the clunky stock diesel unit, to create a monster.

The Ultimate RS, as Urban Trucks is calling its vision, pops a General Motors 6.2-litre LS3 V8 with 500bhp under the bonnet, and adds some spangly decoration to the Defender both inside and out. The bodywork has been revised with carbon fibre vents and custom bumpers featuring daytime running lights, while inside sit heated Recaros, leather everywhere and an Alcantara roof lining. The suspension has been lowered 25mm compared to standard, and the Ultimate RS sits on Bilstein dampers and 18-inch alloy wheels. The brakes have been upgraded to cope with all that power, with six-pot Tar Ox callipers at the front.

The price for all this amusement? Don’t expect much change from $120,000.