2010 Land Rover Defender 130 Camper

This amazing overlanding Land Rover Defender started life as a crew cab 130 pick up and was secured for stock by Nene Overland in December 2010. The previous owner, a well-known railway entrepreneur, bought the Land Rover from Nene and promptly commissioned them to convert it to a bespoke, peerlessly appointed and equipped overlanding camper. In addition to the original purchase price of around £32,000 a further £65,000 or so was expended over the next couple of years resulting in the unique and remarkable vehicle offered here today.

Once it was in the specification demanded by its first owner, it was then very much used for its intended purpose. This included trips around Europe, through 30 of the 50 United States, Canada, Alaska, as well as China, Tibet and Nepal. It has been used in Arizona in 44C heat, in Tibet in -30C and on mountain passes at 16,000ft above sea level. The previous owner was known to have once spent 49 consecutive nights in the camper without any reported issues or discomfort.

The previous owner and his family are thought to account for the two former keepers noted in the V5. It is understood that the Land Rover was transferred into his wife’s ownership in 2019 when the first owner started to develop health issues.

The current, and third, owner acquired the Land Rover at auction in July 2021. At this stage the 130 had covered around 34,500 miles. Due to a combination of factors, the current owner has been unable to use the Land Rover as intended having only added around 750 miles since purchase. As a result, the Land Rover is now available to those requiring surely one of the best overlanding Land Rovers currently for sale.

There are so many enhancements and upgrades to this Land Rover that we allocated extra time to our shoot to showcase them all. The double cab and long rear cabin are finished in gleaming Stornoway Grey (907). The condition of the paintwork and bodywork appears exemplary, especially when you consider the adventures this rugged truck has enjoyed.

Starting at the front we note that a heavy-duty ARB winch bumper is fitted. This is finished in black and provides a tidy home for the Warn 9.5 XP winch with a rated line pull capacity of 9,500lbs (4,310kgs). A large diameter tubular bull bar is built into the ARB bumper to protect the front end of the Land Rover. A heavy gauge, alloy sump guard is just visible, and a Trans Himalayan Adventure trophy plate is fitted. Travelling rearwards, a wading snorkel is fitted, and a tubular windscreen protection bar is in evidence.

Folding front steps are fitted to ease access to the cab. In each side of the rear cabin are three utility lockers. These provide valuable storage for spare parts, camping paraphernalia and the like. These are secured with quality chromed T handles and each locker is individually lockable. The rear of the Land Rover houses the camping cabin’s access door and folding access ladder with articulating feet. A tow hitch with single electrical outlet is fitted below this. The pop-top roof is finished in white and is secured via a number of easy-adjust galvanised clips. A Fiamma F45S wind-out awning is fitted to the offside flank.

The 16-inch steel wheels are finished in white and are fitted with a matching set of chunky BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A tyres in a 235/85 configuration. At the front these sit beneath a pair of GRP wheel arch extensions.

The cab of the Land Rover 130 has certainly not been neglected in terms thoughtful modifications and upgrades. From the factory this Land Rover came with the sought after County Pack which consists of air conditioning, electric windows, remote central locking and radio cassette head unit.

It’s the high backed Recaro sports seats that immediately catch the eye, however. These are trimmed in black Alcantara and vinyl and are in an excellent overall condition. The front footwells are finished in heavy-duty and practical rubber mats. Between those sublime Recaros is fitted a black steel lockable storage cubby with four integral cup holders. Netting storage pockets have been fitted to the black vinyl door cards.

The dashboard is mostly standard 2010 Defender fare. There are a couple of upgrades in evidence, however. An articulated Land Rover map light is fitted to the top roll and a Monit G100 rally computer is mounted ahead of the passenger. There are also a trio of extra 12v power outlets fitted as well as additional warning lights and switches. An extra wand sits behind the wheel to control the use of the Gold Automotive cruise control system.

The offside rear door affords access to the twin spare wheels and there is additional room here for tools and a modicum of squashable luggage. From this side a high-capacity fire extinguisher is noted, as is the 3000W PureSine Wave Invertor. The nearside rear door gives you access to a run of alloy sliding drawers. These are secured with double spring-loaded catches and are suited to the storage of food and provisions. At the bottom of this run is the slide out Engel 12v fridge freezer.

The rear camper cabin is exceptionally roomy for a Land Rover conversion. The extra length allows for a full-sized double bed to be permanently available. The pop top deploys on gas struts and provided ample head room for our 6’2” photographer. An opening roof light and electric extractor fan are fitted. The side windows open for additional ventilation and feature fly screens and Velcro affixed black out blinds. An opening fly screen is also fitted to the rear door.

A sink unit with electric water heater is fitted and a dual ring Stella ceramic hob is also present. There is plenty of shelved storage fitted together with a number of netted storage pockets. Ample roof LED lights and three pin power sockets are fitted.

An innovative WC and shower cubicle is somewhat of a highlight in here, making true off-grid camping a real possibility. A shower head and electric shower unit are present, and the toilet is mounted to the textured shower tray. An electric Airtronic cabin heater is also fitted in here, making this a comfortable space at all times of year.

By 2010 the Defender was boasting a good mechanical specification which, in this example, consisted of the 2.4L four-cylinder Puma diesel engine which was mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Given the extra weight and girth of this overlander and the conditions which it was due to encounter, the first owner had an engine upgrade undertaken. In 2013 a J.E. Engineering Stage 2 upgrade was performed. This consisted of a larger, gas flowed intercooler and other tweaks resulting in 185bhp and 332Ib-ft of torque. This is sufficient to endow this overlander with a responsive driving experience and true go-anywhere credentials. The latter is further enhanced by the ARB locking rear differential.

As we will see the Land Rover has been maintained regardless of cost and remains a very low mileage example with a mere 35,271 miles on the odometer. As such the Land Rover is reported to run faultlessly and certainly idled evenly and maintained a moderate temperature whilst ticking over during our visit. Both the underside of the Land Rover and the under-bonnet presentation are in excellent condition belying the age and adventurous history of the overlander.

There is an extensive paperwork archive included with this overlander. This includes the current V5 in the name of the owner. The current MoT is present in hard copy which is advisory free and valid until August 2023.

The original book pack is present as are the instruction booklets for many of the additions and enhancements. A great number of invoices are also included. These cover the build period between 2011 and 2013 as well as the Land Rover’s more recent history. Two full sets of keys are also included.

So perfectly is the Land Rover suited to gruelling overlanding adventures that it is hard to imagine the latter without conjuring up a mental image of the former. This example has been very thoughtfully conceived by its first owner and professionally executed by specialists Nene Overland.

The result is a totally unique vehicle that perfectly caters for extended trips in hostile environments. That said, it would be equally at home in more benign camping environments so should not be discounted by the less adventurous looking for a unique and head-turning camper for two. In either event, two things are almost certain – you won’t park next to another one and you are very unlikely to get stuck on your chosen campsite.

We are confident to offer this vehicle with an estimate of £35,000 - £45,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Peterborough. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.