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It helps to be a Billionaire first. The owner of the petrochemical giant Ineos, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, likes Land Rover Defenders (a lot). He decided to make his own version and name it after the Pub where his version was sketched out on a napkin. The difference with this 'Reimagined' Defender is that it will be made in reasonable quantities - tens of thousands instead of tens or hundreds - so the price should be reasonable. Ineos is quoting a starting price of 50,000 GBP. Even if the one that you might want to buy is double that, it is still far less than the ultra-low production bespoke vehicles from ICON or Arkonic, which are several hundreds of thousands.
When you are going to the trouble of creating a completely new vehicle and production facility, there is the freedom to update the design. There is a fine line between making the vehicle work better, and destroying the character that made it iconic in the first place. But most people would like a car to start up and idle smoothly, have good A/C and ventilation, and have at least some concessions to safety.
Also, these companies are driven by one person with a clear vision - the recipe that always makes for the best vehicles. At some point combustion engined vehicles will become a hobby, but there could be a number on 'new' classics for the enthusiast who wants new vehicle capability and reliability.
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