Barrett-Jackson will soon be holding an auction in Palm Beach, Florida dedicated, among other things, to this 27-year-old Land Rover Defender converted into a Barbiemobile inspired by the 2023 movie Barbie. There are no estimates, but everything hints that the SUV will land firmly in the six-digit territory.
Epic Auto Restorations carried out the project a few years ago. The seller claims the model year 1999 vehicle had to be stripped down to the bare chassis and reassembled anew, explaining why the whole process took more than a year to complete. Both the exterior and the cabin were retrimmed in white and pink tones with a bare minimum of black accents. The interior ended up with modern bucket seats and a small multimedia display, if little else of note.
The stock 2.5-liter diesel engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission continued its duty under the hood. Epic Auto Restorations even managed to decorate the whole engine bay in the same theme as the rest of the car, but we couldn’t find mention of any power mods. In all likelihood, the mill continues to push out its standard 124 PS (122 hp / 91 kW) or so.
While no pricing details have been revealed, the work necessitated designing and fabricating dozens upon dozens of custom trim elements from textile, plastic and leather. The listing claims it’s a one-off project, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it were proven to be the case. It’s going to be interesting seeing how much the Barbie-Defender goes for.
