1987 Land Rover Defender

1987 Land Rover Defender 90 The Land Rover Series dates back to 1948 and they always had a four wheel drive option. In 1983 the Defender 110 was introduced and visually, was not far removed from the Series III it replaced, but modernized mechanically, on the interior, and suspension. The 110 refers to the wheelbase and the Defender 90, with the shorter wheelbase, soon followed. A part time 4x4 system was offered until 1984 when failures caused the company to switch to full time all wheel drive.   For consignment, a 1987 Land Rover Defender 90 showing 171,564 kilometers, or about 105,000 miles, but the true miles are unknown.  This rig was imported from Italy in 2023 and was subjected to some restoration including new paint, bodywork, interior pieces, and more. Receipts will accompany the Defender.  Exterior A face so handsome it's recently been referenced by another automaker, here in its original form with round headlights flanked by a pair of marker lights, backed by a black bezel that blends seamlessly with the black horizontal grille. Flat fender tops equipped with texturized plates give way to a rising hood that widens as it reaches the nearly vertical windscreen. The entire truck is Chamonix White, including the roof, with its epic sky windows and in this case, a safari ready roof rack. Out back, not only diminutive tail lights and markers, but lots of windows including a large one on the side hinged door. Black fender flares hover over 16-inch wheels with 265/70R16's all terrain tires with a mid 2023 date code. This two door rig is gloriously square and while there's some evidence of body work near the black rocker trim, the rest of the truck lacks glaring imperfections.  Interior Simple black plastic door panels look like they would be very comfortable with some mud, and that goes for the rear door as well. Inside, new front bucket seats in black leather sit atop the boxed risers and present cleanly with tuck and roll inserts. In back, it's a playground for kids and kids at heart with center facing bench seats that are also new. A textured black steering wheel leads to a simple instrument cluster where just four gauges live beside a large panel of indicator lights. There's a touch of patina on the dash including the center where an oil pressure gauge is located, and we note a crack in the plastic pad on the left top corner. A utilitarian shifter rises from the center console with a rubber boot in a hard plastic case. Some under dash trim is peeling and as you would imagine, the floor is rubberized front and back over gray carpet, to trap sand, mud, and snow.   Drivetrain Under the hood, we have a 2.5 liter four cylinder diesel, fuel injected and rated at 68 horsepower. A 5-speed manual Leyland LT77 transmission splits power through 5.89 gears at both ends. Power disc brakes are employed in front and power drums in back. Our consignor reports recent work includes a refurbished braking system including master cylinder, new injectors, diesel coils, fuel pump, and starter.  Undercarriage There's no rust present, but there are copious amounts of grease build up, oil, and dirt on the pans, differential, driveshaft, and other components. Nothing seems out of place nor broken, just dirty. The ball and claw axles are here with one a bit wetter than the rest. A single exhaust flows underneath, occasionally under some protective guards, runs through a stock style muffler then terminates under the back. Leaf spring suspension is employed front and back.  Drive-Ability Our Italian import was a bit stubborn at first and hard to start. Once running, the truck glided effortlessly through our test loop, which of course is flat, and we have no doubt this 4x4 could handle more challenging courses. Rocks, snow, and of course, the curbs of the Starbucks drive thru. There's no radio or air conditioning on board but the functions that are available all operate as they should. Splendido! While Classic Auto M