Photo: Garage Kept Motors
Less than a week ago, we featured a very orange-looking Land Rover Defender as part our Celebration Month coverage. The pickup, a 1987 model year, was somewhat of a mystery.
Listed on the lot of a dealer called Garage Kept Motors, it came with the promise of old-school British off-roading, and a hint that something not quite natural was hidden under the hood. Now, it seems, enough time has passed for some more details to come to light.
The story of this Defender is like that of most others of its kind. It was imported, legally it seems, to the United States some years ago, so it now comes with a clean Michigan title. However, it kept its right-hand drive configuration, so you’re going to have to deal with that if you’re planning a purchase.
Unlike most other Defenders, this one no longer retains the original engine. Somewhere along the line, someone decided to replace the British-installed powerplant with a Nissan-sourced 3.2-liter diesel. We’re not given the specs for it, but the promise is the swap has been carried out in a tidy manner, and now the engine sits in the bay linked to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4WD system.
The pickup seems to be in very good condition, both inside and out, sporting a few modifications. On the outside, we get a diamond plate trim on the lower sides as well as in the bed, while the most notable change on the inside is the fitting of crocodile skin trimmed seats.
Now that we know more details about this Defender, it seems even more appealing. Exempt from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards because of its age, the pickup is free to sell on the American market, and it is in the process of doing so. The asking price for it is $44,900, which is a tad more than what people generally ask for such machines.
The story of this Defender is like that of most others of its kind. It was imported, legally it seems, to the United States some years ago, so it now comes with a clean Michigan title. However, it kept its right-hand drive configuration, so you’re going to have to deal with that if you’re planning a purchase.
Unlike most other Defenders, this one no longer retains the original engine. Somewhere along the line, someone decided to replace the British-installed powerplant with a Nissan-sourced 3.2-liter diesel. We’re not given the specs for it, but the promise is the swap has been carried out in a tidy manner, and now the engine sits in the bay linked to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4WD system.
The pickup seems to be in very good condition, both inside and out, sporting a few modifications. On the outside, we get a diamond plate trim on the lower sides as well as in the bed, while the most notable change on the inside is the fitting of crocodile skin trimmed seats.
Now that we know more details about this Defender, it seems even more appealing. Exempt from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards because of its age, the pickup is free to sell on the American market, and it is in the process of doing so. The asking price for it is $44,900, which is a tad more than what people generally ask for such machines.
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