Are these the most luxurious Land Rovers ever? Welcome to the refined world of Helderburg

The Land Rover was first revealed in 1948 as a utility vehicle pitched at British farmers in the straitened era of post-war rationing. It was hard to imagine that the stripped down machine would ever become a luxury object of desire. With a body fashioned from war-surplus aluminium and practical considerations like all-wheel drive and power take-off points, the Series 1 Land Rover was rudimentary and rugged. Less is more.

Fast forward three quarters of a century and Land Rover means a very different thing. The original Defender, evolved from that first Series 1, had become a cult object by the time the model finally ended production in 2016. It was replaced by the new Defender, the L663 model, in 2020, anticipated with some trepidation but now firmly ensconced as a suitable successor for a much-changed world.

The success of the new Defender has helped to line JLR’s pockets, but it also hasn’t detracted from the slavish devotion to the original vehicle, in all its guises. Whether it’s as an agricultural workhorse, a tatty but chic city car, an electrified cruiser, an upscale luxury off-roader or a simple hobby car, there are plenty of Land-Rover specialists out there to keep the faith.

These, however, are perhaps the most luxurious of the lot. Helderburg is a specialist Land Rover restorer based in Sharon Springs, upstate New York. Founded in 2019 by former business consultant Paul Potratz, Helderburg began as a hobby. Inspired by his father’s vehicle repair workshop and driven by a love of all things British, from automobiles to classic tailoring, Potratz started out restoring and upgrading classic Land Rovers for himself after sampling a few professionally restored examples and reckoning he could do better.

‘In 2019, I wanted another Classic Defender, but I couldn’t find anyone who could fully capture my vision,’ he is quoted as saying, ‘These iconic vehicles were losing their soul. The [restoration] industry was focused on horsepower and bolting on parts that detracted from the timeless elegance. That’s when I thought, either I’m crazy or I’ve tapped into something that people really want - creativity, individuality, and a sense of legacy in a Defender.’

A few social media posts later and it became apparent that a demand was out there. ‘’Helderburg’ is a name I made up to share my interest and hobbies of photography, travel, and country gentleman style, along with boots, watches, motorcycles and custom classic Land Rovers,’ says Potratz, ‘I also felt this could be a way to meet other like-minded individuals and share these passions.’

Each Helderburg Defender is given a name. In November 2019, Potratz completed the Elizabeth D110 (‘named after Queen Elizabeth since it was finished in Aintree Green, her favourite Land Rover colour’). After this was revealed, online interest rapidly turned into actual requests for cars. ‘I started receiving inquiries throughout the world asking me to build a Defender for them. I initially declined since it was never my intention to build Defenders for others,’ he recalls, ‘the following month I posted that my next Defender was for sale - within half an hour I had received over 20 offers.’

A business was born. ‘All hell broke loose after I complete Enzo D130 in March 2020,’ Potratz continues, explaining how this Defender, a double-cab with pick-up back and raised suspension, quickly went viral on Instagram. ‘Land Rover as a company contacted me and asked for me to show this build at their Destination Defender event, so we did. As a result, Enzo is quite possibly the most photographed Defender in the world. Strangers started following me home to see the car up close,’ he says.

With a very specific focus on Solihull-built left-hand drive Land Rover Defenders made between 1993 and 1997, Helderburg now employs 19, with the majority of the work taking place in a 25,000 square foot workshop in Herefordshire, UK, with finishing undertaken in New York. ‘We are very selective in who we hire - some of our craftsmen used to work for Land Rover in Solihull - and we are not interested in scaling to build more Helderburgs,’ Potratz says, ‘Right now, we are in the midst of developing something quite special for a one of one Helderburg that will be offered for sale by invitation only.’

Each car can take up to 3,000 hours to build. ‘We build a Helderburg the way they used to be built, which is by hand,’ says Potratz, ‘Many of our aluminium body panels are beaten and formed by hand instead of buying parts off the shelf. Original Land Rover engines are re-built by hand with performance parts that have been developed by us and other craftsmen.’

Unlike many other Land Rover specialists who’ll swap in an American V8 or even an all-electric powertrain, Helderburg is committed to diesel. ‘I'm stubborn because I believe a diesel is the ideal engine for a Land Rover Defender,’ says Potratz, ‘my father was a diesel mechanic and it makes me feel closer to him. In any case, a performance tuned Land Rover diesel engine is quite impressive on and off-road, has more longevity, better fuel mileage, keeps craftsmen employed and is more enjoyable to drive.’

Other aspects of the cars are very much non-standard, from the beautifully trimmed leather interiors to the upgraded audio systems. Suppliers are typically small specialists, capable of delivering the quality and precision that Potratz deploys in all spheres of his life. ‘Our philosophy is that in life you can have good, better, best and prestige,’ he explains. ‘We choose to be prestige. We don't build the most nor do we take commissions for a Helderburg from everyone.’

The tradition of giving each car its own name has continued, and each build is a lengthy process that involves a huge amount of collaboration and discussion. ‘The individual has to be someone with similar interests - someone that we would want to go to dinner with,’ says Potratz, who treats the process much like a tailor fitting someone for a suit. Colours, materials, personal preferences, the use case, all are discussed at a steady, unrushed pace.

‘A Helderburg build can take over three years depending on the design we collectively decide on,’ Potratz says. ‘During the build process we get to know the client very well and spend a lot of time with them - it's almost like a marriage.’ Describing each Helderburg as an ‘heirloom’ that clients will probably hand on one day, Potratz and his team ensure that each project will endure the test of time.

Helderburg.com, @Helderburg