Everyone with a slight thing for classic Land Rover Defenders knows that the best of them tend to fetch a lot of money on the used car market. It is not uncommon to see examples changing hands for as much as a nice apartment in most parts of the Western world, and the same goes for this one, too.
Made in 1992, it was fully restored with a restomod twist in 2020. An Amsterdam-based company called The LandRovers stands behind the entire work, and they gave it a lot of goodies inside and out, under the hood and beneath the skin.
It is presented in Satin Blue paint finish, has steel bumpers, fender flares, underbody protection, a light bar up front, a roof rack with a latter at the rear, and additional stuff. It features a gray and blue interior, individual second-row seats, inward-facing jump seats behind them, a modern infotainment system, custom audio, USB ports, and so on.
Heavy-duty driveshafts are also on deck, together with new axles and a completely new suspension setup. Pop the hood open, and instead of the original straight-six, it features an LS3 motor. The 6.2-liter V8 was sourced from a Corvette and works in concert with an automatic transmission. There are no details about the output, but you can rest assured that this 4x4 has plenty of grunt to attack some very steep slopes.
Photo: Garage Kept Motors
Since the work was done three years ago, this classic Land Rover Defender has clocked just under 3,000 miles (~4,800 km). The vehicle is currently listed for grabs by Garage Kept Motors, and as we already told you, it is not the bargain you were perhaps looking for. Quite the opposite, as you will have to pay $199,900 before being able to sign your name on the dotted line and drive it home.
That is almost twice as much as the MSRP on a brand-new Defender 110 V8 in the United States, which kicks off at $111,500. This model has 518 hp (525 ps/386 kW) on tap produced by its supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine, needs 5.1 seconds to deal with the zero to sixty mph (0 to 97 kph) acceleration, and tops out at 149 mph (240 kph).
If you want something more premium, then the Mercedes-Benz G-Class comes from $139,900 in the G 550 configuration. It also packs a V8, a bi-turbo 4.0-liter unit that kicks out 416 hp (422 ps/310 kW). For the Mercedes-AMG G 63, you are looking at $179,000 before destination and handling. This model enjoys 577 hp (585 ps/430 kW) from its 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8. So, if you had a $200k budget to blow on an off-roader, which one would get your seal of approval?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News