Land Rover Defender 200TDI AUTOMATIC

Make: Land Rover
Model: Defender
SubModel: Defender 90
Type: SUV
Year: 1987
Mileage: 102,638
VIN: 11111111111111111
Color: Green
Engine size: 2.5 Diesel 200TDI
Number of cylinders: 4
Fuel: Diesel
Transmission: Automatic
Drive type: 4WD
Interior color: Gray
Drive side: Right-hand drive
Vehicle Title: Clear
Location: Hewlett, New York, United States

Description

1987 Land Rover Defender 200TDI, extremely rare with an Automatic transmission.
The Vin isSALLDVAB7AA274910.
I’ve owned this Land Rover for 5 years having originally imported it from the UK where it was a one owner car belonging to a family friend.
3 years ago I took the bodywork off the frame including the bulkhead and rear tub. The chassis was cleaned down and painted. It has no rust and no welding repairs. It is original including the rear cross member and outriggers. Whilst the body was off I changed the color from the original green to the darker green it is now. I dislike repainted cars that still show the original color underneath, in the returns and the engine bay. Therefore I stripped every painted panel down and painted them individually, ensuring the color change was complete.
The main purpose of the rebuild was to give it a heritage look with a soft top. To give it the character of a Series 1 but with more modern usability and highway capability. I wanted to keep the stripped out and open functionality. Therefore the only soft trim are the seats. That way it doesn’t matter if it gets wet inside, you can just mop it out.
From previous Land Rover ownership I know that heat transfer from the engine bay into the cabin is a big deal. Even with the 4 cylinder diesels kicking out little heat there is only a simple utility single skin piece of metal between you and the hot parts resulting in hot and uncomfortable traffic driving. I didn’t want any heat insulation or carpet on the inside of the vehicle, so I could retain the Series 1 character, I therefore built and fitted a bespoke heat shield. The bulkhead, transmission tunnel, foot wells, floors and seat box are all insulated on the underneath with multi-layer specialized material. The exhaust also has an additional bespoke shield where it passes under the passenger floor. From extensive use I can confirm it has zero heat transfer to the interior. This makes it the perfect summer run around. With the soft top rolled up protecting you from the sun and the bulkhead flaps open it is a pleasure to drive. It has been the car of choice in the summer for our household, not having to deal with hot car interiors and subsequent air conditioning, our modern cars don’t get a look in. The Land Rover got every shopping run, beach run and late night restaurant trip.
The Land Rover is a 200TDI Automatic. This is extremely rare, I’ve never seen another Diesel Automatic advertised. This set-up has a number of benefits. The 200TDI is basically seen as one of Land Rovers best engines. Realistically it was the first Land Rover engine to provide enough power to provide decent drivability and reliability. Early 4 cylinders are under powered and extremely fragile. This Land Rover has adequate pace and bullet proof reliability. Being an Automatic makes it a pleasure to drive, even in traffic. Originally I used to live in Manhattan and I spec’d it to be drivable in heavy traffic. It is the ultimate city cruiser, it’s equally at home on the congested freeways of Long Island where we live now. An additional benefit of the automatic transmission is that it is easy to drive as a RHD. My family have all used it and enjoyed it. This is very different to previous manual transmission defenders we have owned. A RHD manual Land Rover is difficult to drive. Although challenging and rewarding to drive for a Petrolhead, when you just want to get somewhere in modern traffic the manual is cumbersome and hard work and better left at home. Everybody loves driving this Defender. Being RHD you keep the Land Rover heritage, constantly have the fun of explaining its not a Post Van and provides amusing conversations at the red light as you are sitting right next to the driver next to you. You get lots of attention.
In the name of drivability I’ve also fitted the transfer box from a later Land Rover Discovery. The transfer box dictates the final drive, as the Discovery has longer gearing this Defender has much better highway speed than standard. I’ve seen standard 4 cylinder Defenders advertised as comfortably cruising at 70+. I believe this is a stretch of the truth, but with this set-up you can genuinely keep up with highway traffic. I’ve also fitted the steering box from a later Discovery. Standard Defenders, especially early ones, have extremely vague steering. The Discovery steering box is much tighter, especially around the straight ahead, which is obviously where you spend most or your time.
As mentioned the interior is stripped out and sparse. However I have fitted a Bluetooth receiver and amplifier, hidden away in the dash. This way you can pair your phone and play downloads and Pandora. The only visible sign that it is there is a volume control on the center dash panel and 2 speakers hidden under the dash.
The Land Rover comes with 2 roof set-ups. A soft top for summer and a hard top for winter. The summer set up is the tan colored canvas roof, hood sticks to support it, rear folding tailgate and half height side doors. This is my preferred configuration to drive it in as it gives it the heritage look and you get the real driving experience. It is possible to buy removal door tops for the half height doors but I have never bothered as I prefer it open. For the winter it has a regular hard top with panoramic glass sides, a side opening rear door and full height side doors with winding windows. Swapping between the two roof set ups is simple but also requires 2 people and half a day, so not quick. We prefer the soft top and mostly keep it in that configuration. When not in use I hang the hard top from my garage ceiling. The Land Rover is currently fitted with the hard top and will ship with the soft top, hood sticks, half height doors, tailgate, latches and associated hardware in the back.
It has towing electrics and a tow ball. However the tow ball is currently removed and fitted instead with a standard square receiver so a standard bike rack can be fitted. It will be supplied with both.
The Land Rover has a clean and clear New York title. It has been recently serviced and has many new parts. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

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