2006 Land Rover 'URBAN TRUCK' DEFENDER 110

Completely rebuilt in 2016 at the vendor’s instigation, the process of turning a stock Defender into an Urban Truck started by glass bead-blasting the chassis and before painting and undersealing it to ensure its future longevity.

It was then carefully rebuilt with a Masai vented bonnet, chequerplate and extra vents on the front wings, an Urban grille, and Masai bonded rear side panels before being resprayed.

A Masai roof rack and ladder were then fitted along with front LED flood lights and a rear LED work light. Sawtooth alloy wheels and BFG Goodrich all-terrain tyres were also fitted and the interior was upgraded with Corbeau heated leather seats in the front and leather high-back seats from Exmoor Trim in the middle.

The Defender also features electric windows, central locking, a Bluetooth-enabled headunit, a rear parking camera, polished aluminium gearknobs, and a removable steering wheel.

The mechanical components are the well-proven TD5 engine and five-speed gearbox plus the factory drivetrain and chassis; thus equipped, it is significantly better-looking and more eye-catching than the factory Defender, while retaining every bit of the vehicle’s reliability and legendary off-road ability.

In the care of the vendor for the past four years and only for sale because the he is thinning his collection, the reserve he’s agreed represents only a fraction of the sum he’s invested in it, a sum he estimates at around £15,000 – not including the cost of the vehicle itself…

A Masai roof rack dominates the exterior. Fitted with a ladder, plus front and rear LED lights, the upgraded exterior road lights are protected by metal grilles on the rear. The front ones are also upgraded by way of LED headlamps, sidelights and indicators as well as extra forward-facing lights in the front bumper.

Accessories include a towbar and a genuine Land Rover electric socket, rear and side steps, and underbody protection by way of a sump guard at the front.

Further protection comes from the chequerplate that has been fitted on the lower corners and leading edges of the rear wings as well as the top of the front wings and the sills. Extra air vents to feed cooling air into the engine bay, something the Urban front grille supports.

The rear windows have been fitted with a Masai bonded panel for a sleeker, smoother look, and the front windows are fitted with Perspex wind deflectors.

The 18-inch ‘Sawtooth’ alloy wheels are finished in black and are free of scuffs, scrapes and other damage, largely because they wrapped in chunky 265/65R18 BFG Goodrich all-terrain tyres, tyres whose sidewall height is measured in feet and whose depth of tread is measure in inches.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems? Well, apart from the inevitable stonechips and minor marks every vehicle will accumulate over the years, we have spotted some light rust to some of the lower seams on the doors but this looks to be minor and should be easy to catch.

While you are at it, you might like to replace the bolts on the door hinges as they’re weeping rust, and source a new set of sidesteps as they’ve rusted through underneath; both are unsightly rather than a genuine problem but would be well worth doing given the condition of the rest of the Land Rover.

The interior has been fettled as comprehensively as the exterior. Light years apart from the working-class fixtures and fittings it left Solihull with, it now sports heated black leather front seats from Corbeau, while Exmoor Trim provided three matching leather seats for those in the rear. All are high-backed for safety and comfort, with the front ones providing the sort of lateral support Defender owners have been dreaming about for decades…

It also four individual seats in the loadspace area. These are low-backed and have lap-belts for safety. They also fold away to enable the area to be used to carry either people (up to nine in total!) or goods. A wooden laminate floor not only looks terrific but also enables the vehicle to be easily cleaned.

The Defender also features electric windows, central locking, an Alpine Bluetooth-enabled headunit, a rear parking camera, polished aluminium gearknobs, and a removable three-spoke steering wheel. A centre cubbybox offers storage plus a handy place to keep your coffee and elbows while rubber mats protect the floor.

Work to do? Well, if you are a fastidious owner then you might like to repaint the handbrake lever and the headlining is a little stained and has the odd tear in it. The former could be resolved with a rattle-can of satin black paint from Halfords, while the latter probably justifies a replacement headlining. Still, given the way Defenders are built, removing the old one and fitting a new one would be a more straightforward job than it would in almost any other vehicle.

The standard engine, drivetrain and chassis have been retained, making for a vehicle that isn’t only capable of conquering the world but also being repaired by even the most rudimentary garage.

The vendor tells us that it drives as it should and needs nothing other than continued regular servicing. The engine bay itself would benefit from being detailed but the underside is strong and solid and very neatly protected by underseal and Waxoyl. The latter is wearing well but a prudent owner might like to consider topping it up to maintain the protection in the odd area where it has worn off.

The Land Rover’s MOT certificate is valid until March 2021. It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus some old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years and a clear HPI report from 2016 when the conversion was undertaken.

Interestingly, prior to the conversion, the Land Rover was employed as a work vehicle on Guernsey where it spent its life running up and down the worksite for the new runway there, something that explains both its condition and low mileage.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing to find photos of this paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

Everyone loves a Land Rover Defender, and the rise in prices since they went out of production eight years ago means they remain a very safe place to put your money.

And yet, while everyone loves the way they look and drive, their utilitarian nature can make them something of an acquired taste to actually live with; while Sir Ranulph Fiennes probably rips stuff like the heater out as an affront to his manliness, the rest of us tend to bemoan the uncomfortable seats and lack of day-to-day civility we have become used to.

Which has led to a wealth of companies offering to civilise and civilianise your Defender and while this is a well-trodden path, most still seem to focus on making them even more expedition-ready rather than fitting them with the equipment that urban-dwellers actually need.

This is not the case here – but then you’d guessed that from the name, hadn’t you? This means that this Defender Urban Truck is utterly fit for purpose while retaining its go-anywhere capabilities and easily serviceability.

This carefully judged balance between show and go makes our guide price of somewhere between £31,000 and £40,000 seem like good value to us. With only a few minor cosmetic jobs to complete, the spring would see you in a beautifully finished piece of four-wheel-drive eye candy with which to wow your public.

It is also capable of fulfilling a number of roles, from company hack for the PR-savvy businessman/woman to Mediterranean villa beach transport for a high-net-worth individual – and the fact that your bank manager and accountant are likely to applaud your foresight will be a welcome bonus.

(That, as a largely analogue vehicle, it should prove to be considerably more reliable than the troublesome modern replacement, bodes well for its long-term desirability…)

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Portadown, Northern Ireland; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.