My two year build is “finished” and I am in search of the next project. The only thing left I might have wanted to do would be to put an LS V8 in it, but this 300Tdi is just too good to swap.
I found this Defender as a blue hardtop on a farm in Florence, Italy in fall 2019, then had a shop do an extensive restoration. Everything was brought back to look and operate as it did from the factory. I was living in Rome at the time and brought it home with me to Seattle where it was my commuter 3-4 days per week (11-minute drive) from summer 2020 until now.
The car is fully sorted, rust free, and is turn-key ready for its next owner to enjoy. $74,950. I am happy to share details about the restoration work for anyone who is interested. I am consigning the car through Park Place Ltd in Bellevue, WA because they can offer financing, trade-ins, and other services I can’t… plus I am buying a 911 from them… so this seemed like a good way to sell it. Details and more photos of the Defender can be found here:
1995 Land Rover Defender 90 SALLDVAF8MA961738 for sale in Seattle Bellevue WA
Used 1995 Land Rover Defender 90 at Park Place LTD SALLDVAF8MA961738 for sale in Seattle Bellevue WA
Here is the full text I wrote for the dealership to use (they didn’t). I’ve gotten a lot of questions, and this should help those who have sent me PMs. Cheers!
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The seller purchased this left-hand drive 1995 Defender 90 300Tdi in November 2019. It was found in very good condition and rust free on a farm in Florence, Italy with just under 200,000 km (124,274 mi) on the odometer. The seller is a Diplomat and was posted to Rome for many years where he restored and modified this Land Rover Defender. This was his second car in Rome, and only used on weekends and for occasional trips from his residence to the US Embassy. The seller found a Land Rover restoration shop on the east Italian coast, and entered an extensive restoration contract. The objective was to restore the D90 to its original condition with everything working properly as it had when the car left the factory. All major restoration work was performed between December 2019 and circa April 2020. The car was stripped and any issues discovered were fixed. Several new body panels including outer door skins, front fenders, and updated TDCi Puma-style hood were installed. The car was blasted and re-sprayed Corris Gray, with a black engine compartment, black fender wells, and an anti-rust black undercoat of the chassis. Where possible, nearly every bolt was replaced with stainless steel to prevent future corrosion. The car received a totally new 2" lift suspension (uprated springs and shocks), all four new disc brake pads and rotors, new OEM Land Rover rubber bushings throughout, new steering arm, new uprated steering damper, new panhard rod with new bushings for the panhard rod, radius arms, trailing arms, body to chassis. New rubber door seals and vent seals keep the elements out. A swing-away rear tire carrier was installed to the new cargo half door. When the original hardtop was removed, a Safety Devices internal rear roll cage was installed to protect occupants. This was covered with a new black Exmoor Trim premium stayfast soft top with clear side windows. The side windows and rear window are attached to the car with a belt rail system similar to the NAS Defenders, and roll up to resemble a surrey top. The top attaches to the top of the windscreen and doors with an Exmoor Trim black gutter kit, and is very effective at sealing out the rain. The heavy duty front bumper includes recessed LED DRLs, which can be manually turned off with a switch on the dash. The rear NAS step bumper has a 2" receiver hitch and is rated for up to 7,716 pounds, although the US recommended maximum tow weight for the Defender 90 was only 3,500 pounds. The car has a gloss black front skid plate.
Inside, the interior was completely refurbished with high backed Exmoor Trim heated Elite Sports seats with adjustable lumbar support. In the rear there are two inward facing matching Exmoor Trim tip-up seats with new Exmoor Trim seat belts. Between the front seats is a cavernous locking Tuffy center console with matching arm rest. The Momo Prototipo black leather steering wheel sits just right with an Optimill black billet aluminum steering boss. The brushed aluminum gear lever and low-range knobs give a solid feel. The rear cargo area is covered in dense acoustic noise deadening material with an OEM Land Rover rubber mat on top. The headlights were replaced with modern JW Speaker dual burn LED units, while the rest of the indicator and brake lights were replaced with high end LED. The end result being incredibly bright, efficient, and durable lighting - something these Land Rovers lacked from the factory.
The Defender has 18x8 ET10 Land Rover black sawtooth wheels shod in nearly new 275/70R18 BFG KO2s. New gloss black wheel bolts, matching black wheel locks , and Land Rover center caps complete the look. A matching fifth wheel and tire is mounted on the rear swing-away carrier. It has new NAS-style black wheel arches and four new OEM Land Rover mud flaps. Braking is handled by discs at all four corners.
The bulletproof 2.5-liter 300Tdi turbodiesel inline-four motor is original, and the timing chain was replaced during restoration at 200,000 km, as were all engine filters, belts, fuel injectors, oils and fluids throughout the vehicle. Once the car arrived in the US in summer 2020, the seller had Lamorna garage go through the car thoroughly and replaced all filters, oils and fluids again. The car received another full fluids change from Lamorna in September 2021. The only modification to the engine is an EGR delete to improve power and efficiency. It starts every time and delivers smooth, reliable power. The R380 five-speed manual transmission shifts smoothly and is in good condition. The car can cruise comfortably at 65 or 70 mph. There are no shakes or wobbles in the steering. The car gets roughly 28 mpg. The Defender has been driven only 1,446 miles since the restoration. This Defender 90 is offered with import documents and Washington State registration in the seller's name listing it as a 1995 model. The seller has the car sorted and it is a turn-key classic that can be daily driven.
