Photo: jubbahill/Bring a Trailer
The new Land Rover Defender is no longer the hard-working vehicle that paved the way through remote areas as its ancestors did half a century ago, like this 88 Series III, which is offered with no reserve for someone to care for it.
Some old cars are kept in museums, some are in private collections, and some are rotting away in barns waiting for someone willing to revive them. This 1973 Land Rover 88 Series III is one of those vehicles that are still earning its money. It even comes with a snowplow mount. We're not told if that tool comes with the car.
The red exterior is not so common on these vehicles, and the paint was refreshed under previous ownership. Its white top is removable, and you can leave that at home and enjoy an open-top experience. The 15" white steel wheels wearing 225/75 A/T tires are fit for dry pavement and on snow-covered roads as well.
Inside, this short, 142.4 in (3,61 m) Series III can accommodate three people at the front, on individual seats. They were restored sometime in the past, wrapped in black vinyl. Sure, the one sitting in the middle will have to find a way to avoid the gear stick and the transfer-case lever as well. Behind the front row, the carmaker placed a pair of side-mounted, inward-facing benches. There is no air conditioning, but passengers can get some fresh air through the side sliding windows. No, folks, there are no cranked ones for this baby.
Under the hood, you'll find the original 2.25-liter gasoline engine. It was developed for its predecessor, the Series II. Still, it was a dependable powerplant that could endure hours of hard work and off-road trails. However, Land Rover upgraded them for the Series III and increased the compression ratio from 7:1 to 8:1. The 73 ponies provided by this inline-four were sent to the back or in all corners via a two-speed transfer case. Don't expect it to have locking differentials.
As for the bad bits and pieces, there is some rust on the chassis and on the leaf springs. You might want to check these out before sending the money to the jubbahill seller in North Salt Lake, Utah, where the car is located. There are more problems, including cracked reversing lights, loose headliner, and worn-out door panel vinyl. Yet, the seller did some work on the vehicle and prepared it for trips with fresh fluids and a carburetor tuneup.
Sure, this piece of British engineering from 1973 might not be everybody's cup of tea. Still, since these cars are getting more and more traction (pun intended), they started to be much more appreciated than a couple of years ago. Last year, a similar vehicle (same year and version) traded hands for less than $30,000, while in January this year, another one was sold for over $41,000.
The Series III was banned from the American market after 1974 due to stringent U.S. regulation and the first OPEC fuel crisis. So, it's a rare car on American roads, and it's up for grabs on Bring a Trailer until February 27.
The red exterior is not so common on these vehicles, and the paint was refreshed under previous ownership. Its white top is removable, and you can leave that at home and enjoy an open-top experience. The 15" white steel wheels wearing 225/75 A/T tires are fit for dry pavement and on snow-covered roads as well.
Inside, this short, 142.4 in (3,61 m) Series III can accommodate three people at the front, on individual seats. They were restored sometime in the past, wrapped in black vinyl. Sure, the one sitting in the middle will have to find a way to avoid the gear stick and the transfer-case lever as well. Behind the front row, the carmaker placed a pair of side-mounted, inward-facing benches. There is no air conditioning, but passengers can get some fresh air through the side sliding windows. No, folks, there are no cranked ones for this baby.
Under the hood, you'll find the original 2.25-liter gasoline engine. It was developed for its predecessor, the Series II. Still, it was a dependable powerplant that could endure hours of hard work and off-road trails. However, Land Rover upgraded them for the Series III and increased the compression ratio from 7:1 to 8:1. The 73 ponies provided by this inline-four were sent to the back or in all corners via a two-speed transfer case. Don't expect it to have locking differentials.
As for the bad bits and pieces, there is some rust on the chassis and on the leaf springs. You might want to check these out before sending the money to the jubbahill seller in North Salt Lake, Utah, where the car is located. There are more problems, including cracked reversing lights, loose headliner, and worn-out door panel vinyl. Yet, the seller did some work on the vehicle and prepared it for trips with fresh fluids and a carburetor tuneup.
Sure, this piece of British engineering from 1973 might not be everybody's cup of tea. Still, since these cars are getting more and more traction (pun intended), they started to be much more appreciated than a couple of years ago. Last year, a similar vehicle (same year and version) traded hands for less than $30,000, while in January this year, another one was sold for over $41,000.
The Series III was banned from the American market after 1974 due to stringent U.S. regulation and the first OPEC fuel crisis. So, it's a rare car on American roads, and it's up for grabs on Bring a Trailer until February 27.
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