After a 2 year search, I found the Land Rover I always wanted, however a unique business opportunity I want to take advantage has me selling a few things I wish I didn't have to. Due to time sensitivity of this opportunity, my reserve is set very low for this truck.
If you know Land Rovers, you know what the Stage 1 is. If not, I will list why many believe this to be the best Land Rover ever made.
All Series 1, 2, 2a and 3 trucks are fantastic vehicles. While they differ slightly in lots of areas, the one common issue is lack of power. Many people would love to drive their Series trucks as daily drivers, but can't due to this problem. They go anywhere - slowly, and are the ultimate 4X4 iconic vehicles everyone loves and wishes they had, but they just aren't practical. But at the end of the Series life, as a test lab for the upcoming Defender, Land Rover put the Range Rover drive train in the Series Land Rover. It consisted of full time 4WD, the most robust transmission Land Rover ever built - the 4 speed LT95, and the Land Rover V8 engine. It was the best of all worlds. Legendary Land Rover simplicity and reliability, yet with power and a drive train from the luxury Range Rover.
Horse power in the most powerful 4 cylinder Land Rovers was approximately 70HP. The Stage 1 V8 had massive torque and was de-tuned because it had too much power. De-tuning consisted of restrictor plates in the carburetors, which were easily removed, and the Stage 1 then produced approximately 140HP.
While many people think old Land Rovers are rare, they are not. Many were imported to the US. This makes parts plentiful. But the Stage 1 was never imported to the US, making them extraordinarily unique. It is estimated that there are approximately 30-50 of these trucks in the US with most having had very hard lives as they were built to work. Also, most were made in the 109 3 door version since they were powerful work trucks, so the more desirable 5 door station wagons with a factory V8 in the US are perhaps the rarest of all Land Rovers.
Despite this trucks rarity, body components are all standard Series 3 Land Rover. Engine and drive train parts are primarily Range Rover and both of those vehicles were produced in large quantities, making parts availability very feasible. There are a few unique items to the Stage 1, like the bonnet, but that is the same as the Defender.
This particular vehicle is a 1983. After searching for 2 years for a Stage 1 (3 or 5 door) I found this one. I bought it in Utah and flew there so I could drive it home to Southern California. Used to my 4 cyl 3 door Land Rover, I could not believe the difference. 75mph is no problem and the gas pedal is barely depressed. The truck had not been abused, but it had many little issues. I'm a perfectionist which is a problem with Land Rovers as they are always wanting to be tinkered with. But I chipped away at many little things and adjusted, lubricated, repaired, cleaned and refreshed many, many things. It made the 800 mile trip home, but it is in far better shape now.
Overall condition is good, but it is not a show car. It is very presentable, yet has enough patina to look like it's been places. No major dents or accidents ever, but lots of little scratches and scrapes on one paint job over the original paint. It was a cheap paint job I'm sure, and it's many years old, but it looks appropriately weathered for an old Land Rover. The interior is nice, but not perfect either. It has the "County" trim with black and grey tweed. The previous owner put leather Discovery seats in the front, and being a purist I thought they would be the first to go. I grew to like them and while the original seats were included, I never changed them. It has the "Safari" roof with alpine windows, 4 vents and the extra aluminum skin. It does have a sunroof, which appears to have been dealer installed. I don't believe Land Rover ever offered these, but I've seen other Stage 1 trucks with the identical item. Perhaps a popular option at the time. Chassis is good and does not require any attention at this time, but like most Land Rovers, the outriggers rust and this will need attention some day.
If I were keeping the truck, I would do two things. I would either rebuild or replace the carburetors. These have twin SU carburetors which are fantastic for off road and extreme angles, yet they aren't the best for mileage and require balancing etc. Many people opt for the single Holley carburetor to get away from twins as well as increase fuel mileage. Personally, I like OEM original, so I'd keep the SU twins and rebuild them. Most owners opt for the Holley. The second thing I would do is change the leaf springs to Parabolic springs. This is another debated subject on Land Rovers and to each their own. I like Parabolics as they ride better to me, but some disagree. Neither of these must be done, but I would certainly do them for an overall smoother vehicle. I'm 51 and I like smooth.
Other misc. things I can think of:
1. Another unique aspect to the Stage 1 is turning radius. Series trucks do not have the best turning radius and I was pleasantly surprised how much tighter it is with the Range Rover set up.
2. I've read that some folks have had troubles with the Diff Lock working properly. This one works perfectly.
3. All Land Rovers leak oil. I've had 4 of them. This either does not leak or it leaks very little. Less than any Rover I've ever had.
4. All fluids in Trans, transfer case, diffs, engine, etc. have just been changed in the last 30 days.
5. On my drive home from Utah, it burned zero oil. I was amazed.
6. Truck is RIGHT hand drive. The VIN indicates Stage 1, V8, LT95 4speed, 5 door wagon, 109, but LEFT hand drive. Puzzled by this, I crawled underneath and looked around. Sure enough, someone at some point flipped it from LHD to RHD. They are made to be set up either way, but this was changed and could be changed back without issue if so desired. I've learned to really enjoy the RHD, so for me, I love it. Lots of "thumbs ups" from other motorists.
7. Truck came with a Defender grille set up. I prefer original everything, so I sourced a Stage 1 grille and installed it. Truck comes with either grille but not both. It takes about 3 minutes to swap them out and I'm showing photos with both versions. Your choice.
8. Bonnet is set up to accommodate a spare tire. Currently spare is mounted on the rear door. For fun I took some photos with a spare from another vehicle on the bonnet. Truck will come with one spare, not two as shown in a few photos.
I love this truck and wish I were keeping it. With that said, I'm happy to help the new owner with advice, parts sources, opinions, etc. This is a unique vehicle which deserves a good home. Without neglect, it will do nothing but appreciate, so it deserves to be taken care of. Defenders are nice trucks, but they are expensive and they're everywhere. Series trucks are nice, but they are underpowered. This is the best of all with the classic looks, split windscreen, lack of fender flares, yet the benefit of power. With the V8 you can even run an air conditioner if you desired. True old school safari looks, with enough comfort to be usable every day.
I would not hesitate driving this truck to Florida tomorrow. The ride would be nicer with the two items I suggested above, but single or twin carbs and standard or parabolic springs are individual choices the new owner can make if they so desire. I've priced this truck with those suggested improvements in mind.
International buyers can expect my assistance in delivering the truck to the Port of Long Beach if necessary.
Good luck and enjoy.
Note: VIN is not recognized by ebay but is SALLBCMV2AA101794
Truck is a 1983 model but I had to put 1980 in the ebay form or it kicked it out because it does not recognize the VIN.
Truck is a 1983 and VIN on the frame matches VIN on the engine bay tag, which matches VIN on the title. After fussing with the ad, my wife suggested putting 1980 and it accepted the ad as a 1980 Defender. This is not the Defender, it is the Series III Stage 1 V8.
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Thu, Jul 23 2020
From open-track days to 24-hour races, so many events are held on Germany's Nurburgring track that carmakers need to share the tarmac with their rivals to put new models through their paces. Industry pool days are normally closed to the public, but a seven-minute video reveals what Land Rover, BMW, and several others are testing. Posted on YouTube by StatesideSupercars, the video shows prototypes racing around the track in the mid-summer heat. Land Rover's engineers are busy putting the final touches on the V8-powered variant of the new Defender, which our spies have previously spotted testing in its home country of England, and they're developing what looks like the high-performance, SVR-badged version of the next-generation Range Rover due out in 2020. As we reported earlier in 2020, the hot-rodded Defender packs a 5.0-liter V8 between its fenders, though its horsepower and torque outputs remain under wraps. Unverified rumors claim it will arrive as a limited-edition model to avoid sending Land Rover's fleet-wide CO2 emissions through the roof. And, the video confirms chassis engineers have made extensive modifications to the SUV's suspension, partly to keep body roll in check. Walking down the pits, members of BMW's testing team are getting up early to put track miles on an enigmatic variant of the face-lifted M5, and on the next-generation M3. We've already seen the M5 in the metal, so why is it still camouflaged? One possible answer is that we're looking at the rumored CS version, which should receive a 641-horsepower V8 thanks to software tweaks and a better cooling system. The simpler (and more boring) possibility is that BMW isn't quite done testing the M5, and it doesn't want to waste time removing the black and white wrap. Your author regularly spotted i8 prototypes in full camouflage regalia months after its debut. As for the M3, much has already been said about its mammoth grille, which seemingly mirrors the one worn by the new 4 Series. Autoblog drove a pre-production prototype in June and walked away impressed. It receives an evolution of the X3 M's 3.0-liter straight-six turbocharged to 473 horsepower, though selecting the optional Competition package will increase that figure to 503. And, fear not: The six-speed stick is coming back. Land Rover and BMW aren't the only companies playing on the 'Ring.
Thu, Feb 10 2022
For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148. It's common for so-called "mass market" brands to lead this particular study, according to J.D. Power, as "premium" brands "typically incorporate more technology in their vehicles, which increases the likelihood for problems to occur" and aren't necessarily built to a higher standard that less-expensive brands. The highest-rated single nameplate is the Porsche 911. It's the third time out of the past four years and the second year in a row that Porsche's quintessential sports car has taken top honors. Porsche as a brand sits in seventh place (162) just behind Lexus (159) and ahead of Dodge (166). At the very bottom of the list is Land Rover with a dismal score of 284; the SUV specialist held the same unfortunate distinction on last year's list. Ram (266), Volvo (256), Alfa Romeo (245) and Acura (244) also performed poorly. The overall industry average score sits at 192 — mass market brands average a score of 190 while premium brands sit 14 points lower at 204. While Tesla is unofficially included in some of J.D. Power's results, the agency says the sample size it has access to for this study is too small to include. As has been the case for the past several years, infotainment systems dominate the list of problems reported by owners. Popular (or unpopular, depending on your point of view) complaints include built-in voice recognition (8.3 PP100), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.4 PP100), built-in Bluetooth system (4.5 PP100), not enough power plugs/USB ports (4.2 PP100), navigation systems difficult to understand/use (3.7 PP100), touchscreen/display screen (3.6 PP100), and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.6 PP100). While problems with the car's infotainment and technology packages are indeed bothersome, it's important to remember that such issues aren't usually leaving owners stranded with an immovable vehicle like a broken transmission or blown engine would. Culling infotainment complaints from the results would reduce the average problem-per-100-vehicle score by a staggering 51.9 points. The vehicles included in this study are from the 2019 model year. That means owners have had three years to get to know their cars and trucks. It's the 33rd year that J.D.
Tue, Feb 17 2015
Spectre, the next film in the James Bond franchise, is due for release on November 6 of this year. That means there's filming happening right now all over Europe as scenes are stitched together, and one of them involves the Aston Martin DB10 shuffling through maneuvers at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. Our guess is that Bond has become an unwelcome guest at a fancy event – there's a Porsche 959 and a Bugatti EB110 in the courtyard – which is why he is forced to make one of his quick-reversing escapes under fire. While that was being captured last week, the Spectre production crew put together another behind-the-scenes clip from filming in Austria, which gives us a look at the Range Rover Sport SVR and Land Rover Defender "Bigfoot" crushing it up some snowy mountain passes. That clip is below. Yes, we're excited. News Source: L Verse Studios via YouTube, Motor Trend TV/Movies Aston Martin Land Rover Coupe SUV Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Videos spectre aston martin db10
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