Vehicle Description
If you really need to go to the deepest, darkest parts of the
world, there aren't many vehicles more capable than this 1997 Land
Rover Defender 90. Taking everything they'd learned about
off-roading over the past seven decades and cramming it into a
truck-shaped box, Land Rover built an SUV they knew most Americans
wouldn't understand, let alone buy. But if you're one of the lucky
few, then you know that there really is no place this low-mileage,
British Racing Green Defender 90 can't go.
You've seen the shape of this iconic vehicle on the plains of
Africa, the swamps of South America, and slogging across the tundra
in Antarctica - just about the only place it doesn't belong is on
pavement. However, that's a big part of its appeal, because this is
one butch truck. NOBODY kicks sand in the Defender's face, and
especially not this 78K actual mileage example. British Racing
Green is the quintessential Landy color that's graced the venerable
British sheetmetal for generations, although it arguably looks the
best on the late-model Defender. From what we can tell the finish
is all-original, and with only minor signs of use acquired through
the years, resulting in a very handsome, driver-quality
presentation that's befitting a certain Queen and her Corgi's. The
aluminum bodywork is light but very strong, and all those right
angles and sharp corners were designed to make it easy to service
in the field. After a 1-year hiatus, the '97 Defender made a
triumphant return in both convertible and hardtop (aka the Station
Wagon) designs like the one offered here. That 'Safari' style top
is incredibly cool, offering port windows on the white roof and a
roll bar/luggage rack/rear ladder round-bar set-up that stiffens
the body and provides a bit of an exoskeleton/roll cage that
protects the truck out on the trails. Add in beefy black fender
flares, a brush guard with integrated fog lights and a mounted
winch, and the rear-mounted spare tire and you have a truck that's
ready for just about anything. You also get heavy-duty bumpers fore
and aft that are built for combat, oversized side mirrors, and nerf
bars at the flanks for guided access into this tall-profiled SUV.
Of course, it's so clean that looking good is probably the only
challenge it's ever faced, because this truck shows no evidence of
having been brutalized out on the trail.
The interior is remarkably civilized, with great-looking black
buckets for the front seat occupants and a set of four
center-facing, folding jump-seats in back, Safari-style. Landy's
have never been sedate and silent inside, but the upgraded interior
with weather-resistant twill-effect upholstery on the seats, modern
door panels at the flanks, and thick carpets and tough rubber mats
on the floors help insulate the cabin from the outside world. It's
significantly more upscale than past models (the company was owned
by BMW in these years, so that helped), yet still durable and easy
to maintain with a 'form-and-function' attitude on display that has
been perfected by the brand. There's a meaty steering wheel,
simple, bold gauges, basic controls for the under-dash HVAC (and
yes, the A/C blows cold), and plenty of storage cubbies for your
gear. The wide center console houses the essentials for
off-roading, including the shifters for the automatic transmission
and transfer case and even cup holders! And, of course, being
destined for American shores, things like cold A/C, a sunroof, a
powerful AM/FM/CD/iPod stereo in the center console, and a padded
roll bar are included.
Power comes from Land Rover's long-running 4.0-liter V8, which
itself was derived from Buick's all-alloy V8 dating back to the
'60s. Although the 4.0 wasn't terribly different from the previous
3.9L when it came to power and torque, it did usher in
significantly improved electronic systems like the distributorless
ignition and GEMS management system that were also use on the 4.0L
Discovery. Reliable and torquey, it services the Defender quite
well and with proven durability in the most remote areas of the
globe, you should have no worries about getting to your
destination. It's been properly maintained by 3 previous owners
over the past 78K miles and remains 100% stock everywhere you look,
further evidence that this D90 has always been just a 'mall
crawler'. The standard ZF 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission
was all you could get in a 1997 US import, and it works with the
2-speed transfer case on the full-time 4x4 system to permit decent
highway cruising and low-speed crawling with equal success.
Long-travel coil springs front and rear and a tall stance mean you
can clear boulders the size of Volkswagens, and with power steering
and power 4-wheel disc brakes the ride is delightful. Stock 16-inch
wheels look great and they're wrapped in the same 255/85/16
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A radials that the early production
numbers came with.
1997 was the last year these amazing Defenders were imported
Stateside, and not many found their way to our shores. That makes
this low-mileage, 100% stock example extra special. Call today!
