2000 Land Rover DEFENDER 90 2.8 BMW

One of only 656 short-wheel-base models ever made between 1997 and 2001, this South African-built Defender has the benefit of a factory fitted BMW straight-six, 2.8-litre, fuel-injected M52 engine - only sold in South Africa, there are only around 20 of these in the UK.

Yes, that’s right; this Defender has the same engine as the BMW 528i, 728i, and Z3. Land Rover, which was, you’ll recall, owned by BMW at the time, was under pressure to offer a high-power, petrol option alongside the more usual diesel TDi after the demise of the in-house V8. This was the result.

As amalgams go, this is one of the best: German engineering allied to Land Rover know-how created a vehicle that is not only the fastest production Defender ever built, but probably the nicest; the venerable V8 that used to live under the bonnet was all well and good but the BMW straight-six is in a different league when it comes to power, torque, and reliability.

Now showing 212,000kms (or about 132,000 miles) this delightful Defender is currently being run by one of the journalists on the Land Rover Monthly team. Having owned it for around a year, it is in almost completely standard condition and running beautifully.

Fitted with a bull-bar, two huge spotlights, a new set of four BF Goodrich Mud Terrain TA tyres mounted on OE wheels, and finished in a very attractive shade of mid-blue this Defender 90 ticks all of our Land-Rover shaped boxes.

The parts of the chassis that are visible have been finished in black, which contrasts nicely with the coachwork and matches the bulbar, mud-flaps, side-steps and folding rear step.

It is also fitted with a height-adjustable towbar with electrics.

The bad news? Well, while the African sun has helped preserve the chassis, it has caused the paint to fade just a little. If you’re looking at creating something that is way cooler and more interesting than the average custom-built Defender then that won’t bother you because you’ll respraying it anyway.

The rest of us could just flat it down and then machine polish it. It is, after all, a Land Rover Defender, a vehicle that wears a patina better than just about anything else…

The black leather interior features six seats; two up front, and four in the back, arranged two on either side. This is a very practical arrangement because the rear seats fold up, so you can carry stuff in it too. (Please see the gallery.)

The ability to be able to fold the seats up and out of the way, along with the super-practical rubber flooring, make it the perfect location for Instagram-worthy shots of your mountain bike. Or, for those of us with an actual life rather than a virtual one, it makes this Defender the perfect vehicle with which to do the most stylish tip run of your life…

The seats are in good shape; while you wouldn’t want to spend eight hours at a stretch in the ones in the back, there are no such worries for the driver and navigator (c’mon, expedition vehicles don’t have passengers: if you can’t earn your place then you should stay at home…) who sit in supportive and comfortable individual seats, albeit ones that show the sort of creasing and wear that is consistent with having covered 130,000 miles.

A centre console sits between the front seats, and it’s big enough to store a full set of Search and Rescue gear. Plus two cups of Starbucks’ finest, obviously.

The floors, which are steel as you well know, are solid and free of rot, damage and other problems, and even the carpets and headlining are in pretty good shape.

The door trims have a few minor battle scars but are better than 99% of the tarted-up farm hacks you see being advertised as cast-iron classics by unscrupulous dealers riding the wave of nostalgia that’s sweeping 4x4 circles now that the new Defender is close to launch. (What, you hadn’t heard?)

Cooling down on a hot day can be taken care of via the factory fitted air-conditioning system or, if you distrust modern technology, by opening the sunroof.

The chassis is, in stark contrast to most Defenders of this age, rock-solid and almost completely free of even surface corrosion never mind full-blown rot. The underside looks more like that of a five-year-old vehicle than one that is knocking on the door of its 20th birthday for which you can thank the South African climate, and a previous owner(s) who took the time to give her nethersides a rinse every now and then.

It’s dry underneath there too, which even the most ardent of Land Rover enthusiasts will admit is unusual.

The engine bay is a little mucky but that is only to be expected in a vehicle that is run by a member of the Land Rover Monthly gang. That’s the bad news. The good news is that while they might not be the sort of chaps you’d introduce your girlfriend to, they know their stuff and tend to keep their vehicles in tip-top order. This one has just had a new clutch, for example.

And as for the mileage, while 130,000 miles might seem like a lot, it really isn’t, not for this engine; the vendor knows of one that has covered more than 300,000 miles and is still going strong.

Problems? None to speak of. It’s so solid underneath that if it were ours we might be tempted to get it professionally undersealed and Waxoyl’d but that’s very much a nice-to-do job rather than something that is essential.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever, and it now carries a full 12-month ticket.

The car comes with a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it while it was in South Africa, all presented in a lovely ring binder marked ‘HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP.”

It now wears its correct UK registration W693 NDA and comes with the original owner’s handbook, along with other paperwork and the wallet that came with it when it was new.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very high standard.

The prices being asked, and sometimes even achieved, for top-quality Land Rover Defenders peaked some time ago. While they still represent a safe place to put your money, the market has returned to a more sensible level, bringing this iconic off-roader within the reach of many who thought they’d never be able to afford one again.

Which is good news for you, because we think this unusual and highly collectable example will sell for between £17,000 and £20,000, which is a bit of a bargain given the Defender’s condition, rarity and performance.

You could either leave it as it is and enjoy that creamy smooth BMW engine and the Defender’s legendary off-road performance or, you could turn it into an extraordinarily civilised overland vehicle, which is what the South Africans tend to use them for.

Those with the necessary foresight and imagination could save themselves a whole of heap of money compared to buying a Twisted or factory rebuilt 90 V8 by creating the ultimate urban weapon; while everyone else is tooling around in identikit Defenders and G-Wagons, you could have something that is much rarer and much, much cooler.

Something that has been built, not bought. Because the beauty of a car like this is that everything is available off-the-shelf - and it all bolts straight on. So even the most mechanically inept could commission a full respray prior to fitting a new interior, a suspension upgrade, and new wheels and tyres themselves. The BMW engine, with its 192bhp, 207lb/ft of torque and 0-62mph time of 9.3 seconds, could be left untouched.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen near the owner's home in Bedford; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.