Land Rover Defender 90
The original Land Rover finally gets a name.
The story
Until the Discovery arrived, this was simply the Land Rover. It was renamed Defender in 1990 and given the strong new Tdi diesel. Farmers, armies, explorers and mountain rescue teams relied on it for decades.
Inside
Upright seats, flat glass, exposed rivets and your elbow against the door. Comfort was never the point.
In period colours
Tap a colour to respray the drawing.
The body panels are aluminium, a habit that began in 1948 when steel was rationed.
On screen
Skyfall Film, 2012
Moneypenny chases a train through Istanbul in a Defender in the opening sequence.
Meanwhile, in 1990
Margaret Thatcher resigned after eleven years as Prime Minister.
Best-selling single of 1990: Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers
Before you buy a 1990s car
- On petrol engines, check the cooling system and any sign of head gasket trouble.
- Ask when the timing belt was last changed, where fitted.
- Parts for mass-market cars are widely available; specialist and low-volume models can be hard to find.
General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.
Rivals of its day
Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.
See the real thing
These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.
Today's money: the launch price adjusted for inflation to 2026, using the Office for National Statistics price index.