1987 Land Rover 90

By 1983, the original Land Rover 88 and 109 models were showing their age, so the company decided to use the technology it had developed for the Range Rover to improve their staple offering. The result of the £200M programme was the Land Rover 110 (One Ten), featuring full-time four-wheel drive, coil spring suspension and 11.8-inch front-wheel disc brakes. Off-road capability was significantly improved for the Land Rover, with seven inches of vertical travel in the front and 8.25 inches in the rear. Approach and departure angles were vastly improved by moving the rea axle three-inches closer to the end of the chassis. A £7 million plant redesign meant that the frame now featured more than 400 separate welds and bolted cross members permitted easier access to engine, gearbox and fuel tank. Power steering was optional for the first time and the rear-mounted spare elevated to simplify towing. In 1984, the short-wheelbase option, the Land Rover 90 was released

Traditional Land Rover design cues were maintained for both models, but the one-piece windscreen was 25 percent larger. The Land Rover 90/110 was available in five models: soft top and hardtop, pickup, heavy duty pickup and (for the 110) station wagon. Bare chassis cabs were available for specialist work, and the top of the line was the luxury Land Rover 110 County station wagon.

The Land Rover 90/100 models were initially powered by either the alloy 114 bhp V8 coupled to a hefty four-speed gearbox, a 2.3-litre 74-bhp four-cylinder petrol engine or a 60-bhp, 2.5-litre diesel engine, both with a five-speed gearbox. All models had a two-speed transfer case to double the number of gears, and the turning circle was tightened.

In 1986, a more powerful Diesel Turbo was added, and in 1990 the model gained the 2495cc 200 TDi engine. The same year, the model was redesignated the Land Rover Defender to differentiate it from the new Land Rover Discovery that had just been unveiled.

Various upgrades followed over the years. In 1994, the 300 TDi engine was launched, followed by the hugely-successful TD5 in 1998. Finally, in 2007, the model received the ‘Puma’ engines, initially a 2.4-litre TDCi, and from 2012 a 2.2-litre TDCi. Puma-engine cars can be quickly spotted by a large bonnet hump and have numerous safety and comfort upgrades. The Land Rover Defender was discontinued in 2016.

Land Rovers are, by their nature, durable vehicles. Early Land Rover 2.3 and 2.5 engines are very strong, V8s can suffere from corrosion issues and TDis need a cambelt change every 60k miles/ 5 years. Chassis damage is always possible, and look for corrosion everywhere, especially in the bulkhead. Interiors generally became more comfortable but less durable as the years progressed.

Two notable limited-edition models were the 50th Anniversary, launched in 1998 and the 70th Anniversary, launched in 2018. Both used a V8 engine, the 50th Anniversary a 3946cc, 190bhp unit and the later car a 4999cc, 399bhp monster. The latter was not technically a new, car: Jaguar Land Rover took a number of existing chassis and restored/enhanced them. Both anniversary models are now extremely collectable. Furthermore, in 2015, a modified version of the 110 was used in the James Bond movie Spectre. The vehicles used in the filming, and replicas, are also very sought-after.