Two iconic designs combine in new 4x4 motorhome

Duckworth Overland, based in Somerset, is building a unique Land Rover-based motorhome, called the Aerover. It aims to combine the off-road capabilities of the original Land Rover Defender with the iconic, aircraft-inspired design of an Airstream caravan. The project, which was commenced in September last year, hopes to bring beauty to the overland vehicle market and is aimed at people more interested in style than the usual boxy off-road vehicles.

Everything on the Aerover is handcrafted and the interior can be completely bespoke to a customer’s needs. Built on a totally renovated 2001 Land Rover Defender with rebuilt Td5 engine, new chassis and air suspension (offering different ride heights for on and off-road driving, as well as a levelling function), the base vehicle for the first Aerover is described as better than new.

Onto that base, Duckworth Overland is adding its all-aluminium body, made with traditional coachbuilding skills and featuring an aluminium frame, aluminium skin and solid aluminium rivets. The wooden frame seen in the photo of the Aerover under construction is just a buck, over which the sheet metal bodywork is formed – it doesn’t form part of the finished vehicle. When completed, the exterior finish can be polished (with future maintenance provided by the company), or have a clear coat over the top for protection.

Inside, the Aerover will have a rear lounge seating four, a Victron electric system, habitation air-conditioning, a 200Ah lithium battery, compressor fridge and an electric hob – there will be no gas on board. Heating is diesel-fuelled.

This initial Aerover is expected to be completed in September 2021 and will be priced at around £200,000. Future examples will take around six to nine months to build, although it is hoped to get this production time down to one vehicle every three months. Other base vehicles could also be considered, including the Toyota Landcruiser, but Duckworth Overland expects the entire production run to be no more than 30 vehicles, so exclusivity is assured.