Description

Model History

The Land Rover brand was born in 1948 when the first Land Rover vehicle, known as the Series I, was introduced at the Amsterdam Motor Show. Over the years, Land Rover continued to innovate and develop its vehicle lineup. The Land Rover Defender is the most closely related to the original 1948 Series Land Rovers that started the entire brand and are still hugely capable, rugged and durable off-road vehicles. It has been used in various expeditions, military applications, and challenging terrains around the world handling extreme conditions, including deserts, mountains, and jungles.

History File

This is a Land Rover Military Defender 2.5L Petrol (Engine Code 17H) paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. It is finished in Olive Green with a black interior. It was served as a military vehicle in Hong Kong back in the late 80’s to the 90’s when Hong Kong was under the British ruling until 1997. After it was retired from the military, this vehicle was auctioned off in November 2004 to a Japanese Land Rover lover where he used it as the support car for the Hong Kong marathon each year for the next 13 years. Since 2017, it has been under the love of a mature Land Rover enthusiast and car collector that seeks perfection in every one of his vehicles where he carried out a no-expense spared full extensive restoration from top to bottom. A full cargo of genuine Land Rover parts including a new engine cylinder head was shipped out to Hong Kong from the UK for the restoration. The odometer is showing a respectfully low mileage of 108,895 km. The road license is currently expired; however it will come with a fresh MOT for the next ownership. The car has just had two brand new Bosch batteries fitted, a full engine and gearbox oil change, new alternator and new wipers front and rear. A whole new exhaust system has just been fitted also. It has only one previous owner reported on the Vehicle Registration Document. This Military Defender equipped with a robust four-wheel-drive system that allows it to conquer challenging terrains with ease. It features solid axles, generous ground clearance, and excellent approach and departure angles.

Exterior

As it has recently undergone a complete restoration, chassis was reinforced and coated with anti-rust and corrosion paint. The aluminium body, doors and panels were freshly repainted with military Olive Green and observed to be in excellent condition without any kind of damage. The military wolf bumpers were painted to match the body colour as well. The plastic front grille is fully intact showing no sign of cracks. The front and rear military lights are in excellent condition, as well as side markers were replaced with new bulbs and housings. The front bonnet open and shut perfectly. All the doors, the rear cargo door and the iconic alpine sliding windows were fitted with fresh new rubber seals. The military wolf wheels were also painted to Olive Green to harmonise with the body colour and theme and paired with military Michelin tyres ordered specially from Austria. All the Land Rover exterior badges and emblems are present, with none showing any surface wear and in excellent pristine condition. This car has also been fitted with genuine Land Rover foldable sidesteps on both sides and the rear door for convenience.

Interior and Trim

Interior was completely refreshed and updated as well. Seats have been reupholstered with new vinyl black leather fabric with Defender markings and new cushions. The air conditioning blows very cold front and rear for maximum cooling comfort for the middle row and rear jump seat passengers. All interior dashboard, Alcantara headlining and all switches were replaced during the restoration. The dashboard, centre console, steering wheel and military map reading light remain in excellent condition with no major wear. Gear shift knob and low-range lever are easy to read and locate. All the switches, vents, and levers are all in excellent condition and all work as should. A classy, old-school Alpine cassette stereo head unit is nicely fitted in the middle of the centre console and paired with Morel speakers front and rear. All the electricals and wiring has been restored to perfection and the instrument cluster gauges have been replaced except for the original odometer and speedo to retain originality.

Engine and Running Gear

The engine block was completely rebuilt with new cylinder head, lifters and all other major components. Transmission, axles and all suspension components were replaced with genuine new Land Rover parts. Power delivery is as respectfully expected of a 2.5L Petrol powertrain – with more than enough torque and pulling power that starts from the bottom end to across all the rev range to get this 4×4 moving at speed. The 5-Speed manual transmission is smooth and precise to shift throughout all five of its gears. The low-range differential gearbox also operates with ease to manually adjust the settings for difficult terrain and off-road situations. The steering is very responsive and tight when turning and brakes provide plenty of stopping power to bring the iconic Land Rover Defender to a halt. It is believed very few still remain in Hong Kong and most of the Government Defender’s from under British ruling was shipped to Australia after the handover. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own and enjoy this fully restored piece of Land Rover history – It is now live for bidding exclusively at the Car Farm.

Buyer’s Premium:

5% of Winning Bid

(Minimum – HKD8,000.00)

(Maximum – HKD50,000.00)