RARE - Land Rover 1993 NAS Defender 110 -- #251/500! One of a kind.

Description

This is the real deal: a limited edition 1993 North-American Spec (NAS) Defender 110, number 251 of 500. You can decide for yourself what it's worth, but the fact is, it's the only Defender on the planet that has this number plate. We are starting the bidding at $75,000 with the expectation that the market price should be more than that. However, it is an absolute, no reserve auction, so if it receives one bid at $75,000 then somebody will have just gotten themselves a fabulous deal on one of the few USA/NAS numbered limited editions.
I am the second owner, and have put a considerable amount of time and money into making it "right." I carried on the project from the original owner, who had fitted the 110 with a factory-new-from-crate engine -- the highly desirable 300 Tdi, along with a new R380 transmission. The 300 Tdi engine is sought after because it puts out good power, is extremely reliable, and there are no computer chips involved; it's an outstanding utility-vehicle engine. When tuned correctly it provides very good highway performance, so this Defender can actually maintain highway speeds going up-hill. The truck has about 10,000 miles on it since the new engine was installed ("about" because the previous owner didn't keep great records; I am going on the word from his mechanic who basically curated the vehicle). Note; the engine was replaced because the previous owner didn't like the anemic factory engine, and wanted a more robust, reliable Land Rover. There was never anything wrong with the original 110; he just decided to take it where he wanted to. [Note, the title report below shows 4 owners, but if you look at it, it says "estimated" 4 owners. In fact, the guy I got it from was the original purchaser, from the dealer. He just moved a few times, hence the various registrations].
The truck spent 1993-2012 in the dry part of California - on the east side of the Sierras, and has been in Boise, Idaho since then. It is very clean and sound, without typical Defender corrosion, and it has never seen salt. All frame components, bulkhead, etc. appear to be perfectly sound. I put the truck through a full cosmetic restoration / conversion to expedition-ready Land Rover a couple of years ago, and have driven it about 1,000 miles since then. We didn't do a frame-off restoration because frankly itdidn't need one --the truck is in excellent condition, and I wanted to leave as many of the original parts in service as possible. I saw a picture of a 110 with this paint job, and decided that I wanted to go for that look. People tell us it's beautiful; most like the metallic gray better than the original white. We took the truckcompletely apart, short of removing the engine, for the paint job and new interior installation. It's painted right, with the only thing still-in-white being the walls of the engine compartment. But the truck is not crazy-don't-touch-it concourse clean. It was meant to be driven on wilderness adventures, and we approached its cosmetics with that in mind. Although we've taken care of it, and have been careful with it, it has 4 or 5 very minor "pings", and a few cosmetic blemishes in the clear coat. It has a scrape on the front bull-bar that doesn't go through the paint. The wheels are in good but not perfect shape, but they look very good.
The Defender has a number of unique details and features:

• It is fitted with an auxiliary fuel system, withbeautifully crafted custom long-range fuel tanks fitted between the outriggers. The tanks are made ofheavy-gauge steel, built to withstand impact from rocks (but just to be clear, this truck has never been dragged over rocks). In the pics you can see the auxiliary system's second fuel filling tube on the right side of the vehicle. Total fuel capacity is around 60+ gallons. The way it works is really cool -- when driving along, when your tank nears empty, you simply turn on a switch for a transfer fuel pump, and watch your main tank's fuellevel go back to full. I haven't checked mileage in a while but 300 Tdi's can get in the mid-to-high 20s per gallon (I've found that mileage varies depending on how you have the diesel pump rigged). But even if you'reonly making 20 mpg, the truck has anun-refueled range of at least 1200 miles, which is pretty cool if you're going to remote places. [Note: I haven't checked the capacity of the fuel system by draining it and refilling it, so the 60 gallons quoted is a conservative estimate. I think it may actually be closer to 70 gallons. I intend to check this out before the close of the auction, so the new owner has accurate information about its features. If you have questions send me a note).
• Fitted with an ARB bumper and brush guard.
• Warn XD 9000 winch.
• Front-bumper mounted Warn power plug, rigged to a pair of jumper cables... so you can actually offer or receive a jump without removing the driver's seat.
• The entire tub and the roof liner are coated with Line-X truck bed coating (similar to Rhino Liner). It gives a nice, clean looking, hose-it-out interior finish, which is a thousand times more practical than the crummy carpet and saggy headliners the original '93s had.
• As stated above, 300 Tdi Rover engine, R380 tranny, each with around 10,000 miles on them. Runs like a sewing machine (albeit a loud-ish one).
• Mantec snorkel. I like the clean way we mounted this one, coming out of the left wing's vent port.
• High-mounted Alpine radio, in case you are using the afore-mentioned snorkel (note, I have never waded this truck, and it didn't have any evidence of prior wading by first owner).
• Original Safety Devices full-body roll cage.
• Custom roof basket, a little shorter and stronger than the NAS ones (so you can fit it in an 8' garage).
• Custom side-steps/rock guards, the nicest ones I've ever seen on a Defender.
• Galvanized body-trim around tub to give it a special authentic Land Rover look.
• We installed active air vents, which for some silly reason the NAS 110s came without (they must have thought wussy Americans needed their air conditioning).
• The afore-mentioned air conditioning was removed when the 300 Tdi was installed, in order to improve power and in the spirit of removing things that break. And frankly, running around with all of the windows down and the ram-air vents open is more fun anyway.
• We moved the spare tire mount up to the bonnet (using factory parts, of course), because spare tires destroy rear doors and the spare on the front is a LandRover-thing, so why wouldn't you want it there?
• All new glass throughout -- new windows, all exterior lights, and Hella halogen headlights.
• New rubber door seals, tub-to-roof,window seals, etc.
• New steering wheel and dash assembly. We removed the NAS plastic junk from the dash and installed a classic Defender dash, so that the active air vents would work right.
• New Exmoor Trim Premium seats, including PremiumHigh-back second row. We chose the denim vinyl seats, so you can wipe them off if they get wet. They're similar in theme to the original gray hounds-tooth, but a lot nicer. They are comfortable to sit in for a long drive (even the middle row seats recline and are comfortable for an adult, which is way better than most Rover rear seats). [Note, the four jump-seats in the rear are a little older than the main seating, and are in black vinyl]. All seats are in very good condition; no tears, stains, etc. There are a fewminor scuffs on some surfaces, but overall they're in great shape.
• Tuffy box between front seats.
• Very good rubber on very good tires: Goodyear Wrangler MT/R, LT 235/85 R16s.
• New Heavy Duty Old Man Emu springs. As you can see in the pictures, the HD springs make the truck stand a little taller than most Defenders, particularly in the rear (this is so that if you load up the Defender to its capacity, the suspension can handle it). If you want to level out the stance, it's easy to replace the rear springs with something less aggressive.
• New Terra Firma Big-Bore shocks. [Note, the combination of the OME springs and Big-Bores make this 110 handle a heck of a lot better than the wallowing that most people experience with these rigs. The ride is excellent on the streets, and still excellent off the pavement. It has a more European-feeling ride than most Defenders].
• New non-corrosive door hinges and stainless steel body hardware have been throughout, short of the body-to-frame hardware, which isoriginal and in good shape.
• I'll leave in the compass that I took out of an F4. Betcha no other Defender has one of those.
• Lots more new items (switches, etc.) In general the truck is in very good to excellent condition.
• Comes with its original owner's manual and binder.
• A handful of the rubber bushings in the original suspension are showing signs of age. The truck runs and handles great, but its future owner will want to replace those bushings at some point, which is cheap and easy to do.

You will be hard pressed to find another Defender in North America that has as much integrity as this one. It's not perfect but for a 23 year old car, it's outstanding. We didn't finish it for the concourse, although it would hold up pretty well there. But if you are looking for a Defender to pack up, point south, and drive to Patagonia, then it would be a challenge to find one better than this.
So: the question everybody always asks, "why am I selling it?" -- And the answer is: I don't know, really. I don't have any plans to drive to Patagonia at the moment, and have gotten busy with other things in life. Hate to see this thing sitting in the warehouse. I've had a lot of Land Rovers, and this is the best one; I've been really proud of the #251 nameplate (and astonished that I ever found it). I doubt I've put more than 1000 miles on it since its cosmetic restoration, but I don't need to own things like this just-because. So I simply decided to sell it and see where that leads. Simple as that. In the end, I know that I'm passing along a really good 110 to its next owner, and I fully expect that these "500" will soon go for ridiculous amounts of money at auction. I mean, how many vehicles actually appreciate? And how many collectible vehicles ever came with a factory limited-edition number plate like the NAS Defenders have? Whether you're buying the 110 for a daily driver or as an investment, I'm comfortable that to the best of my knowledge it is a great Land Rover. But as with all private-sale used cars, it is being sold as-is, no warranty, etc.
The car is in Boise, Idaho, and available for inspection. This is ano reserve, absolute auction. One bid or more will buy it. Please: serious bidders only. Don't bid if you can't afford it or don'tknow for sure if you want to own it.
$5,000 deposit is duewithin 3 business days of auction close. Balance due within 10 days, upon inspection and pick-up in Boise, Idaho. Buyer arranges all transport, etc.