I came to a similar conclusion. I had no high-level light at all on my 1986 car but wanted something less visually intrusive than the MMC arrangement, that would also not be covered by luggage on the rack. A cheapo LED strip and a couple of hours in the workshop with a lump of aluminium produced this:

[Linked Image]

Tim H.
1986 4/4 VVTi Sport, 2002 LR Defender, 2022 Mini Cooper SE