Automobile Magazine

Helderburg, 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 and is disrupting the vintage restomod Land Rover industry.

Helderburgs are the most expensive and luxurious bespoke Land Rover restorations on the market with builds often exceeding $400,000 USD. So, what makes them different? It’s the little touches, from the billet aluminum exterior door handles with recessed finger grooves, to luxurious interiors made from the finest Scottish Leather, German Wool and Italian Alcantara, to the innovative Helderburg braking system designed exclusively for enhanced performance. It is the colors and the noticeable attention to detail you can see in the pictures and videos. It is the high fidelity luxury audio system. Each project can take up to 3,000 hours to build.

Helderburg’s founder, Paul Portraz, has 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 one day owning one. After a successful career in advertising, Paul started buying professionally restored Defenders, but did not think they were adequate. He started restoring his own Defenders, and when he posted the builds on social media, people immediately wanted to buy them. This was his “Eureka Moment”.

After countless modifications, 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.