1998 Land Rover Defender 50th Anniversary 4.0 V8

First registered November 1998 in the city of Kitakyushu, this Land Rover Defender 50th Anniversary edition is No 156 of 451 Japanese market cars. Powered by a 4.0-litre V8, this vehicle was repatriated to the UK in 2016.

What makes Japanese Defender 50th Land Rovers typically better than the UK-market versions is that they came fitted with air conditioning, “Boost” alloy wheels under black arches and, more importantly, they do not use salt on the roads in Japan so the steelwork underneath is likely to have remained in a much better condition without having to be welded or otherwise repaired.

Our businessman vendor bought the Defender last year, having had a handful of Defenders in the past. He wanted a 50th Anniversary but found that the majority of the dozen or so UK cars he looked at needed too much work doing to them. This recent re-import from Japan was near perfect aesthetically but he took it to Strathearn Engineering where he spent £1,500 on making it mechanically perfect too.

He’s put maybe 2,000km on the car whilst green-laning on the odd weekend but has found that his growing family needs more space, so he has upgraded to a 110 Defender. Having recently finished a number of other upgrades and repairs (see History Highlights), the vehicle is now ready for a new owner and showing around 103,000 km (just short of 64,000 miles).

The Defender is finished in a glorious combination of Rutland Red bodywork, with a white gloss roof and black wheels and other exterior fittings. The paintwork looks in remarkable condition with barely a blemish, just a few small nicks, and the aluminium body panels are as straight as you will find on any Defender.

The Defender has a roll cage neatly integrated with the bodywork which surrounds the front of the vehicle’s cabin but it would also provide a degree of protection to any occupants in the rear. Additional exterior fittings include a front A-bar, side steps and a full LED lighting rig with two front spots and an overhead four-lamp light bar. The spare wheel carrier at the rear is a new addition.

The car sits on gloss black 16-inch “Boost” alloy wheels, which were newly replaced about a month ago with original LR products. All five (including rear mounted spare) are fitted with new Continental CrossContact all-terrain tyres. The wheel arches have large, heavy duty Land-Rover mud flaps attached to protect the undersides from mud and water and anything else thrown up by the chunky rubber.

Like most short wheel base Defenders, the interior is a tale of two halves. Up front, the driver and shotgun passenger have comfortable fixed seats and a forward view, but in the rear a further four can be carried on thinner folding seats facing across the vehicle in pairs.

The grey vinyl seats front and back have Raleigh pattern cloth facings and appear to be in a good condition with no undue wear or damage. Door cards and hard plastic trim surfaces look in good order too.

The dash is mostly standard Defender with the addition of a Land Meter Clinometer on the dash top and controls for the LED lighting mounted below alongside a USB power socket. A later Sony CD Radio with Bluetooth and aux input sits centrally and is connected to a CD changer in the central cubby box playing through Pioneer speakers.

The grey carpets are a little dirty, befitting the go-anywhere capability of a Defender, and there are additional 50th anniversary overmats fitted. Up above, the headlining looks in reasonable condition, although a little soiled here and there and coming partially unstuck around the tilting glass sunroof.

With the rear seats folded up out of the way, the rear load space becomes useful for carrying such things as mountaineering equipment or animal feed, or maybe just grocery shopping! The carpet here looks fairly clean and intact and the rear cabin is lit with LED strips.

Under the high bonnet, the engine bay looks in good, tidy order with no signs of significant corrosion or damage to any of the ancillaries or their connective cables, pipes and ducts. The bonnet lid itself is in good condition with just a few rusty bolts and brackets on the slam panel and around the catch.

The undersides of the Defender are not pristine but are pretty immaculate by Land Rover standards. There is some surface rust blooming across some of the exposed metal of the brake discs and shields, the dampers and some of the other components and fittings, but mostly the recent underbody treatment appears to have put a good protective covering across the chassis and underbody. The new stainless exhaust appears in good order and undamaged - and certainly sounds impressive.

We are looking after the Defender during the sale and welcome any personal inspection prior to bidding. Use the Contact Seller feature to arrange a visit - subject to Government guidelines - or a video call to look around the vehicle in more detail.

The Defender has a current MOT valid until August 2021, which it passed with no advisories, as it did the previous three times. On its first UK test after coming back from Japan in 2016, a number of relatively minor issues were identified and sorted before being passed fit for the UK’s roads.

The Defender has its original book pack and a full detailed service history from its time in Japan. Before looking through the photos of the Japanese service history, it is worth noting that dates are given in the traditional Japanese calendar format which enumerates the year by the era of each Emperor. For example 1998, when the car was first supplied, is H10 (Heisei era) which is the 10th year of Emperor Akihito’s reign.

There are entries in the service handbook and additional inspection paperwork to show the Japanese service history as follows (which we’ve translated to the international calendar for you):

Apr 1999 (H11) - 4,778km

Jun 2000 (H12) - 9,920

Nov 2003 (H15) - 38,455

Sep 2004 (H16) - 44,102

Nov 2005 (H17) - 55,899

Dec 2011 (H23) - 89,762

Dec 2013 (H25) - 91,908

More recent paperwork from the UK confirms the work done by Strathearn Engineering last August to make the Defender mechanically perfect:

- B Service - oil and filters

- Plugs and leads

- Ball joints, dampers, track rods, anti-roll bar, bushes

- Strip down hubs, replace brake discs and pads

Further work in recent years includes:

- New fuel tank fitted by Vulcan Works in November 2020 (invoice included).

- Custom made stainless steel exhaust system in December last year to fully exploit its baritone V8 voice.

- Full Raptor coating (underside treatment) to preserve and protect - involving full dismantle and rub down. Detailed job with full photo records.

- Recent lighting kit throughout

- Door and bonnet hinges in billet aluminium (originals retained)

- Spare wheel carrier

The Defender is sold without the personalised plate shown in the photographs but holds the registration number S638JAH.

The iconic Land Rover Defender will always be a popular choice and the 50th Anniversary Edition is one of the most highly desirable examples. With its powerful V8 and smooth auto box it is also considered one of the best Land Rovers to drive.

The one we have for sale here is a real cracker and our photographer (who knows a thing or two about Landies) is a real fan. He says that it drives perfectly and has absolutely nothing wrong with it.

With Tweaked/Twisted or otherwise aftermarket custom Defenders commanding strong prices among enthusiasts and collectors alike, we are confident that this relatively rare factory special edition will sell for between £40,000 and £50,000.

This limited numbers modern classic Defender appears to need very little from a new owner other than to be given continued care and, most importantly, taken out and enjoyed.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.