Photo: Bring a Trailer
Who do you rely upon when the going gets tough? In case we are dealing with a 4x4 adventure trail, there were few answers back in the 1990s. But certainly, something that started with Land Rover and continued with Defender was among them.
For the 1997 model year, the British automaker allegedly produced a mere 2,800 examples of the Defender North American Specification. As it turns out, this 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 NAS was number 156 of them, as per the description shared by the Bring a Trailer seller known as Captainis1. It's certainly an eye-catching adventurer, specified in Arles Blue with a white roof and a grey interior.
It caught the attention of the seller back in 2019 and comes with partial documentation, so unfortunately the 85k miles (around 138,000 km) shown on the odometer are of the nasty TMU (total mileage unknown) variety. That’s the first bad news, which is perhaps balanced by the fact that it has a reworked powertrain consisting of a replacement 4.0-liter V8 that is mated to a four-speed auto transmission, as well as a dual-range transfer case.
As far as we can tell, even though we are on the verge of closing the 2021 summer road trip season, the Defender 90 NAS won’t be deterred by adverse weather on the trail. Or any adversity, for that matter, judging by the external/internal roll cage, front brush guard, rear step bumper, tubular side steps, or the additional body protection.
Instead, with its compact dimensions, it looks ready to handle any narrow trail, and the 16-inch alloys shod in beefy all-terrain tires will probably go a long way toward achieving that. Meanwhile, inside there are some neat creature comforts, such as the vinyl and cloth bucket seats, the AC system, or the inward-facing jump seats. So, adventures with family and/or friends are clearly a go here.
The other bad news concerns the price, though. With just a few more hours on the auction clock, the current highest bid has already reached no less than $75k. Heritage, off-road prowess, sound mechanical basis, and a price to match, of course.
It caught the attention of the seller back in 2019 and comes with partial documentation, so unfortunately the 85k miles (around 138,000 km) shown on the odometer are of the nasty TMU (total mileage unknown) variety. That’s the first bad news, which is perhaps balanced by the fact that it has a reworked powertrain consisting of a replacement 4.0-liter V8 that is mated to a four-speed auto transmission, as well as a dual-range transfer case.
As far as we can tell, even though we are on the verge of closing the 2021 summer road trip season, the Defender 90 NAS won’t be deterred by adverse weather on the trail. Or any adversity, for that matter, judging by the external/internal roll cage, front brush guard, rear step bumper, tubular side steps, or the additional body protection.
Instead, with its compact dimensions, it looks ready to handle any narrow trail, and the 16-inch alloys shod in beefy all-terrain tires will probably go a long way toward achieving that. Meanwhile, inside there are some neat creature comforts, such as the vinyl and cloth bucket seats, the AC system, or the inward-facing jump seats. So, adventures with family and/or friends are clearly a go here.
The other bad news concerns the price, though. With just a few more hours on the auction clock, the current highest bid has already reached no less than $75k. Heritage, off-road prowess, sound mechanical basis, and a price to match, of course.
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