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Land Rover 90, 110 and Defender

including 90,110,127,130,147,180 and 230 inch variants

The '90' and '110'

In the early 1980s, Land Rover embarked on a £200 million investment programme that quickly produced the Stage 1 Land Rover and the five door Range Rover. The programme finished with replacements for the Series III in the form of the 110" ('One Ten') Land Rover in 1983, and the 90" ('Ninety') Land Rover in 1984. The Series III remained in production until 1985.

Externally, there was little to distinguish the 90 & 110 vehicles from the Series Land Rovers which had been in production since the late 1940s. A mild facelift of revised grille styling and the fitting of wheel arch extensions to cover the wider-track axles are the most noticeable changes. Also the windscreen was made larger and came as one piece. The grille was moved forward, as it was on the stage 1, to allow sufficient space in the engine compartment for the Rover V8 as well as the new engines planned. Inside, the furnishings were improved, and the rear load space was increased by restricting the boxed-in sections to the wheel arches only.

Leaf springs were replaced by coil spring suspension, which gave a more comfortable ride when the vehicle was lightly laden and also improved axle articulation. Power-assisted steering was added as an option. The Series III 4-cylinder engine options were increased to 2.5 litre, and the Rover 3.5 litre V8 became a standard option. The 90 / 110 incorporated a full-time four wheel drive system similar to the early Range Rover & Stage 1 V8, with a transfer gearbox with a lockable centre differential. However the very earliest 110" models did retain the Series gearbox with a free wheeling front axle. On the Station Wagons, the 'Safari Roof' design was dropped.

The 90" was launched in 1984. The new name was partly a result of marketing. In reality the wheelbase is 4.5" longer than the 88" Series III, at a full 92.9". New features of the 110" were carried over to the new 90". In 1984 Wind-down door windows were fitted to both the 90" and 110" models, replacing the sliding glass panels on earlier models.

From 1985 a new chassis type was available, the 127-inch (naturally officially called the One Two Seven), which carried a High Capacity Pick Up (HCPU) - style rear load bay and a 'twin cab' 4-door passenger compartment on a stretched chassis. The 127" was also available in numerous special conversions such as 6x6 types and fire engines. Eventually the chassis became an "off the line" option and was renamed the 130" to distinguish it from the 127" which was a conversion of a 110" chassis.

This period saw Land Rover begin to market the utility Land Rover as a private recreational vehicle. While the basic pick-up, Station Wagon and hard-top versions were still working vehicles, the County Station Wagons, with improved interior trim and more comfortable seats were sold as multi-purpose family vehicles. This change was reflected in Land Rover starting what had long been common practice in the car industry - the slight changing of the County model from year to year to constantly attract new buyers and to encourage existing owners to trade in for a new vehicle. These changes included different exterior styling graphics and colour options, and a steady trickle of new 'lifestyle' accessories that would have been unthinkable on a Land Rover a few years before, such as radio/cassette players, styled wheel options, headlamp wash/wipe systems and new accessories such as surfboard carriers and bike racks.

1983 Land Rover 110 CSW
1983 Land Rover 110. pic by Old English Cars.

1986 Land Rover 90 soft top.

1986 - launch of the turbo-diesel.

For many years Land Rovers had been criticised for their low-powered engines. The concept of a simple, low-stress, low power engine had worked for decades, but modern buyers demanded more. A turbo-diesel engine, closely based on the 2.5 litre 4-cylinder diesel engine already used, was introduced. This unit produced 85 horsepower (a 13% increase over the naturally-aspirated unit, and 150 lb-ft of torque at 1800 rpm, an impressive 31.5% increase). This finally provided a powerful yet economical power plant for the vehicle. The engine was only intended to be a short term solution to compete with more advanced Japanese competitors, but was quickly adopted as the standard engine for UK and European markets. The engine was marketed as the 'Diesel Turbo' (to differentiate it from diesel-engined Range Rovers, which used VM engines badged as the 'Turbo D'). Early engines gained a reputation for short service lives, with problems such as bottom-end failures and cracked pistons. Small changes made in 1989 solved many of these problems, but the engine is still avoided by some.

Land Rover Special Projects Division

To maximise sales in Europe, Land Rover set up their special projects division, which handled special low-number conversions and adaptations to the vehicles. The bulk of the division's work was the construction of stretched-wheelbase mobile workshops and crew carriers for British and European utility companies, often including 6-wheel-drive conversions, but more unusual projects were undertaken, such as the construction of an amphibious Land Rover Ninety used by the company as part of its sponsorship of Cowes Week from 1987-1990. The Special Projects division also handled specialised military contracts, such as the building of a fleet of 127-inch V8-powered Rapier-missile launchers for the British Army.

Land RoverSpecial Projects Amphibious Land Rover.

The Defender

The Defender name was adopted in 1990 for two reasons:
One was as a measure to distinguish the utility Land Rover model from the Discovery and Range Rover, which were moving rapidly up-market. The other was to further distinguish Land Rover as a company in it's own right, having been bought out from government control in 1988 by British Aerospace. (British Aerospace had indeed bought the whole Rover Group, but Land Rover was seen as the key money-maker).
The Defender also had a new turbo-diesel engine.
This was loosely based on the existing 2.5 litre turbo unit, but had a modern alloy cylinder head, improved turbo charging, intercooling and direct injection. The '200 Tdi' as it was called produced 107 horsepower (111 in the Discovery), and 188 lb-ft of torque (195 lb-ft in the Discovery), which was nearly a 25% improvement on the engine it replaced. This engine finally allowed the Defender to cruise comfortably at high speeds, as well as tow heavy loads speedily on hills while still being economical. Immediately Land Rover removed all of the other engine options (now redundant in the face of such a good package in a single engine). Some enthusiasts consider the 200 Tdi to be the best engine ever fitted to the vehicle.

1994 saw another development of the Tdi engine, the '300 Tdi'.
This was the same capacity as the 200Tdi, and both the Defender and the Discovery had engines in the same state of tune (111 horsepower, 195 lb-ft), and had the same basic layout, but had over 200 changes to improve the refinement and on-road performance of the engine. However, in the process the economy of the engine was reduced slightly, as was the ability for it to be serviced by the owner.

In 1998, a high-spec. limited edition 50th Anniversary Defender 90 was released, which was equipped with automatic transmission, air conditioning, roll-over protection cage and powered by the Range Rover 4.0 litre V8 engine. This was the last ever Defender model to see the Rover V8 fitted as standard. The 300 Tdi engine could no longer meet emissions regulations, so in 1998 the Defender was fitted with an all-new 2.5 litre, 5-cylinder in-line turbodiesel engine, badged the Td5. This replaced the 300 Tdi as the only available power unit. The engine used electronic control systems to provide 11 horsepower more than the Tdi, and much improved refinement. Traditionalists were critical of the electronic systems deployed throughout the vehicle, fearing that these would fail when used in extreme conditions. This was proved not to be the case, but the increased complexity means that repairs and upgrades to the engine have to be done by someone with the necessary electronic equipment, which has led home mechanics to prefer to buy second-hand Tdi-powered vehicles.

Td5 powered Land Rover Defender. Pic by Valentino Ghi.

Land Rover Defender.

A new model type, the 'XS' Station Wagon was introduced in 2002 as a top-spec level, while the 'County' package can now be applied to every model in the line-up. XS models come with all 'mod-cons', such as heated windscreen and seats, air-conditioning systems, electronic traction control and leather seats. These are popular with buyers in the UK and other developed countries, who either use the vehicle for on-road duties such as towing or people-moving, or simply as an interesting alternative to an estate car. The development of air-conditioning as an option caused a small yet visible change to the Defender's 'look', as vehicles fitted with this option have their radiator grilles moved forwards slightly to accommodate the cooling apparatus, this now protruding beyond the wings (now a permanent feature on new models).

Land Rover still provides a staggering range of special conversions such as hydraulic platforms, fire engines, mobile workshops, ambulances, breakdown recovery trucks and 'stretched' versions sometimes reaching as much as 230" wheelbase.
The Defender is very much an anachronism in today's vehicle marketplace. It is still largely hand assembled, and unlike most modern cars and trucks, all the major body panels and sub-assemblies simply bolt together. A Defender can literally be broken down to its chassis with simple hand tools, there is no unibody structure. This is actually an advantage when used extensively for off road travel - unibody vehicles can weaken over time, but there are no such stress points on a Defender. This feature allowed Land Rover vehicles to be shipped anywhere in the world as "CKD" sets ("completely knocked down" - crated sets of components for later assembly), but has become a liability because of the high cost of labour in the UK where the vehicles are primarily manufactured today. Both enthusiasts and commercial users appreciate the bolt-together construction of the vehicle, for it not only means that modifications and accessories are easy to fit, but given some spanners and the correct parts, almost any Series or Defender vehicle can be switched between the various body styles with an hour's work or so. Dented or damaged panels can therefore easily be replaced. It also means that the bodywork of the vehicle gives absolutely no structural strength (it can be completely removed, leaving just the chassis and bulkhead/firewall if needed). This has its advantages in that modifications, damage or corrosion in the bodywork cannot compromise the vehicle's strength, but also means that the upper bodywork offers little or no protection in the event of the vehicle rolling over. Roll-over cages are popular modifications fitted by many users, and were a standard fitment to all North American Spec. (NAS) Defenders.

Military Defenders

Land Rover Defender vehicles have been used extensively by many of the world's militaries, including the US, following experience with the vehicle during the first Gulf War, where US forces found the British Army's Ninety patrol vehicles to be more capable and more suited to operation in urban areas and for air-lifting than the Humvee. The British Army has used Land Rovers since the 1950s, as have many countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. The British Army replaced its Series III fleet with One Tens in 1985, with a smaller fleet of Nineties following in 1986. Both used the 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated diesel engine. These older vehicles are reaching the end of the service lives, with many being sold onto the civilian market from the late 1990s. In 1994 Land Rover created the Defender XD (XD= eXtra Duty) to replace and complement these vehicles. Powered by 300 Tdi engines, the XD has a much stronger chassis, with fibre webbing around the welded joints in the chassis and around stress points to massively increase load capacity. The XD was available both in Defender 90 and 110 forms, and was developed under the name 'Project Wolf'- a common name for these vehicles. British Army Wolves are usually 110-inch High Capacity Pick Ups or Hard Tops, and are used for patrol, communications and supply duties. XD 90s are less common, but are generally ordered as Soft Top or Hard Top vehicles for light liaison and communications. Short-wheelbase vehicles lack the load capacity needed by modern armies, and the increased power of heavy-lift helicopters has made the larger 110s easily air-transportable. This was a historic advantage of the smaller, lighter 90. The Italian army uses heavily-modified XD 90s for special operations due to their superior off-road ability and manoeuvrability. Land Rover always offered its military Defenders with the 300Tdi engine rather than the more powerful but more complicated Td5 engine offered in civilian vehicles. Before the 300Tdi engine came along, military Land Rovers were offered with 2.5-litre petrol and diesel engines, as well as the 3.5-litre V8 petrol. Although trials with the Td5 engine proved it to be reliable in battlefield conditions, it was decided that servicing and repairing its electronic control systems was too complicated. Land Rover were also unable to guarantee they could make the Td5 resistant to electro-magnetic interference. With 300 Tdi production now ceased, Land Rover offer a military version of the 4-cylinder Ford DuraTorq engine which is now used as a replacement for the Td5 in civilian vehicles.

XD Defenders on patrol.

The British Army's Land Rovers have been the subject of criticism following recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The standard Land Rovers carry no armour-plating and so are very vulnerable to roadside bomb and rocket attacks. The 'snatch' Land Rovers are armoured against light firearms discharge and petrol-bomb attacks, i.e. street riots, not anti-tank mortars or explosives. It is accepted that the Army's Land Rovers are not designed to operate in these front-line combat conditions (similar criticisms have been levelled at the American Humvee, also not designed for out-and-out front-line fighting roles), and so new vehicles have been designed and built to better protect the troops in this situation.

Defender 147"

Land Rover Special Vehicles (South Africa) developed and built the Defender 147.
The Defender 147 can carry up to 13 passengers, but comes with a variety of options to suit a family, game lodges or safari operators. In conjunction with engineers from Land Rover UK, a prototype Defender 147 underwent a series of "torture tests" that simulate a 10 year life cycle, to prove the capability of the design. In keeping with Land Rover tradition, the 147 badge indicates the length of the wheelbase in inches, with the total vehicle length coming in around 5.3 metres. The prototype Defender 147 began life on the normal assembly line at the Land Rover SA plant in Rosslyn, near Pretoria, where a substantial amount of the production was completed before it was transferred to the Special Vehicle section for final assembly. While the front and rear sections remain the same, it has grown 935mm in total length and wheelbase (based on 110 dimensions). Special adaptations include an additional door and C-pillar on each side, along with the adoption of heavy-duty suspension components consisting of a 1580kg-rated front axle, 2200kg rear axle, and co-axial helper springs. High capacity steel wheels are fitted. The vehicles are powered by the Td5 turbo-diesel engine. At least 10 vehicles have already been delivered to clients

South African Defender 147" SW.

Defender Updated: 2007

Replacing the Defender with a new model has been in the planning stages for many years. The design is over 20 years old in its current form and in many ways is only slightly updated from the Land Rovers of the 1950s. Replacement was due for 2007 as the new 'Euro iv' emissions regulations came into force, which meant the end of TD5 engine production. Recently new methods of building the Defender have made the model profitable again (since the 1990s, the hand-built vehicle had been made at a small loss), and so its replacement had become less of a priority, freeing up time and funding for Range Rover Sport and Freelander 2.

Therefore for the 2007 model year the Defender received a new 4 cylinder 2.4 litre version of Ford's Euro iv compliant DuraTorq diesel engine, as currently used in the Ford Transit van. Producing 122bhp at 3500 rpm, as opposed to the 122bhp at 4200rpm on the td5, the DuraTorq has a cast iron cylinder block, and alloy 16 valve cylinder head with a common rail fuel injection system. A modern dashboard, uprated cabin heater, air conditioning as standard, new 6 speed gearbox and forward-facing rear seats (due to new seatbelt legislation) have updated the vehicle. There's a bulge in the bonnet to accommodate the new taller engine, and the defender badge has been removed from the front of the vehicle. The radiator grille has also moved forward to accommodate the aircon cooling kit. The manually operated cooling vents under the windscreen have been removed, fitted with metal blanking plates instead. This is to facilitate the new dash design. Total replacement of Defender will be needed by 2010, when new regulations regarding crash safety for pedestrians will render the current design obsolete. The revised Defender's first public viewing was at the Paris motor show - September 30th 2006.
In 2009, Project 'Icon' was revealed as the project to replace the Defender.

2007 model Defender.

Defender 230"

Tillees Land Rover Centre sent in this info:
Here’s some pics of our stretched 230 inch wheelbase Defender!
It’s taxed and tested and driving around UK roads, it may be a few weeks before the interior is finished but I will send you the pics when it’s done.

230 inch Defender By Tillees Land Rover Centre.