Restoration
Friday, February 7, 2025
by Hassan Soukar
Helderburg is an exciting new company restoring British Solihull UK-built left-hand drive Land Rover Defenders. Based on a 300-acre farm in Upstate New York, Helderburg has exploded since launching in 2020, disrupting the vintage restomod Land Rover industry.
Helderburgs are the most expensive and luxurious bespoke Land Rover restorations, with builds often exceeding USD 400,000. So, what makes them different?
It’s the little touches, from the billet aluminium exterior door handles with recessed finger grooves to luxurious interiors from the finest Scottish Leather, German Wool and Italian Alcantara to the innovative Helderburg braking system designed exclusively for enhanced performance.
The colours and the noticeable attention to detail can be seen in the pictures and videos. It is a high-fidelity luxury audio system. Each project can take up to 3,000 hours to build.
Helderburg’s founder, Paul Portratz, has an interesting story. His passion for Defenders started as a little boy working in his father’s modest vehicle repair and body shop. At an early age, Paul fell in love with Land Rovers and dreamed of owning one.
After a successful career in advertising, Paul started buying professionally restored Defenders but did not think they were adequate. He began restoring his Defenders, and when he posted the builds on social media, people immediately wanted to buy them. This was his “Eureka Moment”.
After countless modifications and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, Paul has created the perfect formula of parts suppliers, mechanics, leathers, fabrics, and design for true British classic Land Rover Defenders.
See article on Autos Community
