The Land Rover Defender stacks up neatly against the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, save for the lack of a convertible top. Yes, you can order a new Defender with a folding roof, but it takes the place of the power sunroof occupying just a portion of the fixed-in-place hard top. The folks at Heritage Design decided that wasn't good enough, so they created the Valiance Convertible.
In short, it's a Defender 90 with a full fabric roof that folds back to let the fresh air and sunshine pour through. Of course, it's not as simple as cutting the top off the iconic off-roader. A full roll cage is added for strength and safety, meeting FIA standards. The fabric roof is hand-stitched and installed as a power-folding top. The Defender's B-pillar is retained in the process, requiring considerable fabrication for fixed portions of the roof where the top rests along the doors and windshield.
