“OEM+ is about complementing an already great design”

Car modification has always split opinion, but amid the recent boom in restomods it seems somewhat ironic. Even a casual glance at ‘modding’ reveals some common themes – overt bodywork and interiors, upgraded lighting and exhausts and perhaps some additional tech not offered as standard. 

The usual suspects come in the shape of the Mercedes G-Class and the Land Rover Defender, primarily with the earlier models but more recently with the modern relaunches. This is where the split between becomes clear: contemporary modification is just that, with very different approaches to styling than that of a restomod which seems to stick more closely to the original format. It is about amplifying the original design in a way that stands out, finding the balance between accentuation and styling for styling’s sake. 

One company that seems to be riding the contemporary wave is Urban Automotive, which has given its own touch to everything from the Defender and Range Rover to models from Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini. Following the launch of its latest widebody and aero kits for the W465 G-Wagon, which uses “an insane amount of carbon-fibre,”Car Design News sat down with founder Simon Dearn to discuss the origins of the company, why styling is not a taboo word in the modification world and why Urban is on a mission to change the perception of the modding scene.  

Car Design News: How did Urban Automotive start?

Simon Dearn: I used to work in IT and became fed up of the rat race, so set up what I thought was going to be a bit more of a lifestyle business, selling a few cars and playing golf. I thought it would all be very easy. We were selling cars from my house and then a small unit, but I found out that it was extremely difficult to sell sports and performance cars when you’re competing against massive players in that space. I stumbled across…