Land Rover Defender 90 1998

This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at Supercar Fest 2026 on Saturday the 16th of May, Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell, Northampton, NN6 0BN. , The icon. As much a part of British car culture as the Mini, the Jaguar EType or the Ford Escort perhaps even more so. Though officially only known as a Defender from 1990, as a rebadge of the previous 90 and 110 models, it was instantly familiar given the evolutionary relationship with the Series Land Rovers that preceded them. To the layman, the different versions have almost become interchangeable, not least because each represents the utilitarian, unpretentious, rugged offroader that made Land Rover famous.Despite, or perhaps because of, being recognisably related (with the same charm and character) to the very first Land Rover of 1948, the Defender retained a steadfastly loyal customer base. Perhaps the most significant development, however, was nothing to do with a change in the vehicles appearance or specification it was the gradual adoption amongst trendy metropolitan elites as their carriage of choice, taking the Land Rover legend from the country into the city. This created a new market of marque specialists who, as well and servicing and preserving the Defender, set about creating bespoke, enhanced and adapted examples for a clientbase that truly value what the Defender represents.One of the original and most wellrespected enhancers of Land Rovers are Overfinch. Founded in 1975 by Arthur Silverton as Shuler Presses in Surrey, the company tackled perceived flaws in early Range Rovers including swapping engines, first the Jaguar V12, then the GM V8, whilst also utilising automatic gearboxes, and adding handling improvements, braking upgrades, and luxury interiors. In 1981, a Shulerprepared Range Rover triumphed in the gruelling ParisDakar Rally, cementing the brands reputation for performance and the company also received commissions from the UK Government to build armoured Range Rovers for VIP transport. They are still active offering upgrades and enhancements to Land Rover vehicles, launching its Heritage division in 2021 and focusing on restoring and reimagining classic Land Rovers.The vehicle presented here is 1998 Land Rover Defender 90 50th Anniversary, in itself, a very special example, to celebrate 50 years of Land Rover production. The factory built 1,071 Special Edition vehicles known as the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition with 385 remaining in the UK, 451 going to Japan, 180 to Germany, 25 to France, 20 to Holland and 10 to Belgium. The special edition was essentially an NAS (North American Specification) station wagon and consequently was very well equipped from new. All UK and European versions were finished in a rather distinctive hue known as Atlantis Blue and were powered by the Range Rover's 188bhp 4.0litre V8 petrol engine mated to a 4speed ZF automatic gearbox. They also featured airconditioning, a front cabin Safety Devices rollcage and each one came with a numbered commemorative plaque.For the owner of this Defender, purchased in 2002 at 27,000 miles, however, this wasnt enough, so, he approached Overfinch and commissioned a £20,000upgrade programme (the equivalent of £45,000 today). The work included a 570HSi High Performance Engine (5.7litre Chevrolet engine as used in a 1992model Corvette) installation (Defenderspec) allied to their tubular manifold and sports exhaust, and a heavy duty cooling pack (£11,695); plus, a performance gearing conversion, suspension upgrade pack, precision steering conversion, and a quick ratio steering box, all with the required components and improvements to make the vehicle Overfinchworthy.The resultant Defender is one of just a handful of 50th Anniversary examples to receive the fullfat Overfinch treatment, accompanied by all the relevant paperwork. This level of commitment to ownership is reflected in the years that followed the conversion work, with the Defender returning to Overfinch for further care in 2003 (£3,659.75), 2004 (£2,702.50), and in 2005 (£1,194.04). Additional enhancements include Recaro seating (£464.13), an Ashcroft Transmissions gearbox ratio upgrade (£499.38), a full repaint (Porsche Titanium) in 2004 (£8,378.88), and an Ashcroft Transmissions ZF gearbox rebuild/Torque Converter upgrade (£1,498.13). Bought (and cherished ever since) by our vendor in 2015, he has continued to bestow much care and attention on this special vehicle. Always garaged, he has ensured an engine oil/filter change annually, plus the axle, transfer box and swivel hubs are regularly flushed and renewed. He also renewed all the suspension with Land Rover specialists Alive Tuning of Lincolnshire (Bilstein B6 shocks and damper kit, Eibach lowered roadspec springs and Eibach uprated front and rear antiroll bars circa £3,500), ensuring that it is very much inkeeping with the original Overfinch feel and abilities. Allied to 8.5 x