Father's Day Outing with my Defender 90 and Black Bay Steel!

[toomuchtalk]

Originally Posted by SoCal_Batman

I took my Land Rover Defender 90 out for a spin with my pup today (dog dad) and enjoyed a nice Sunday ride along the coast. No matter where I go, this truck gets a lot of attention with everything from nods and waves to inquisitive questions. The one thing commanding my attention today was how well my Black Bay Steel complimented my Defender. It’s hard to put into words, but something about both my watch and Defender together feel very vintage yet functional. It’s almost as if I could traverse the Moroccan Desert from point A to point B and let you know with precise accuracy on when I would arrive. Better yet, I could come to the rescue of all the overly confident Jeep owners out there and bail you out of tight spot’s that wouldn’t even make the Defender break a sweat!

For those of you who don’t know much about the Land Rover Defender, it’s a British off-road vehicle that was continuously produced in Solihull, United Kingdom for 67 years. Land Rover produced over 2 million Defenders and also holds the record for longest-running production vehicle in the world. The Defender 90 or D90 as it’s know was only imported into North America legally for 4 years; '93, '94, '95, and '97. In 1997, the final year of US Defender 90 production, the engine and transmission were both improved with a 4.0L V8 with Automatic Transmission and Air Conditioning was added. One of the reasons that 1997 was the last year of US production was because in 1998, regulations were passed that required all vehicles to have airbags for front seat passengers and side impact doors. The D90 couldn’t be fitted with these features without major modifications and ultimately Land Rover made the decision to retire the model in North America and focus on the rest of the World where they didn’t need to comply with said regulations.

I know that D90’s are plentiful in other parts of the world and those folks may not see this as a big deal, but in the North American market, they are extremely rare. The one I own is a North American Spec model #2297 / 2500 and is highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts, almost like every modern Rolex SS model ! The only way to purchase a D90 now is to either buy one that was already legally imported and sold during one of those 4 years in the US, or import one under the “grandfather” clause which applies to any vehicle 25+ model years or older. Anyways, just thought some of you might enjoy seeing something different on TRF and without further adieu, a few pictures below.

Cheers and Happy Father's Day Everyone !

[GradyPhilpott]

[Dbs1971]

Love your defender it’s a v8 auto and has a/c
That’s just too high tech for me lol
They are cool but more so in the USA where they are rare


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[drmizzou]

Sweet defender! Found this site that does full customization of defenders and they’re unbelievable and also with a HUGE price tag! Any of you guys that love these will no doubt love the site: www.arkonik.com

[drmizzou]

Oh and awesome black bay!

[037]

Immaculate D90! Great color as well.

[Quailhunter]

When my group goes to Scotland, all the locals drive Defenders. We rent Land Rovers which are good road cars but cannot go off road worth a darn. The Defenders go everywhere.

[dafuture]

Sweet combo. I love the color of your Rover, probably the best I've ever seen.

[c41006]

Beautiful Defender and nice watch!

[Psijason]

Beautiful Defender 90!!! That's a ballsy 4x4. The BB Steel fits right into the ambiance. Nice NATO!!! Looks like you had a great time with Cody!!!!

[Bruin Watch]

Killer ride and watch. And definitely some choice spots you picked for the pictures. Thanks for sharing!

[SoCal_Batman]

Originally Posted by scombs263

Nice pics...

Thanks, appreciate it !

Originally Posted by toomuchtalk

Thanks !

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

Thanks Grady !

Originally Posted by Dbs1971

Love your defender it’s a v8 auto and has a/c
That’s just too high tech for me lol
They are cool but more so in the USA where they are rare

LOL, you need it for this harsh 70 degree LA climate ! I agree, they're definitely plentiful elsewhere but have a following of their own in the USA! Is that your Series III?

Originally Posted by drmizzou

Sweet defender! Found this site that does full customization of defenders and they’re unbelievable and also with a HUGE price tag! Any of you guys that love these will no doubt love the site: www.arkonik.com

Originally Posted by drmizzou

Oh and awesome black bay!

Thanks Raf!! I've stumbled across that site before and those guys do some phenomenal work, albeit expensive! There is so many things you can do with a Defender, but I'm a big fan of the retro / vintage styling. Plus it helps that it compliments the black bay well

[SoCal_Batman]

Originally Posted by 037

Immaculate D90! Great color as well.

Thanks, appreciate the compliment !

Originally Posted by Quailhunter

When my group goes to Scotland, all the locals drive Defenders. We rent Land Rovers which are good road cars but cannot go off road worth a darn. The Defenders go everywhere.

Thanks Doug, the ULTIMATE off-road vehicle! There isn't much that can stop a Defender and I love the styling of it. I bet cruising around in Scotland is quite a blast, may have to add that to my bucket list !

Originally Posted by dafuture

Sweet combo. I love the color of your Rover, probably the best I've ever seen.

Thanks, I appreciate it! The exterior color is called "Coniston Green," I love it as well !

Originally Posted by c41006

Beautiful Defender and nice watch!

Thanks Joshua, I appreciate it !

[MonsterSS]

wow very nice! :)

[RazorD]

Very, very cool!

[J!m]

Nice 90 and the series III is in really good shape too!

Years ago I had a ‘71 88. Took it across Africa in 2001 and quickly learned it’s too small and too crude. Now I have a ‘95 110- ex U. K. power company truck. It ticked all the boxes based on what I learned in Africa:
Long wheelbase
Coil springs
1-ton payload
Disc brakes
No windows
300 tdi
R380 5-speed

I added the external roll cage, Camel Trophy bumper and brush bar, custom roof rack, roof top tent, heat exchanger for the hot water shower, custom stainless water tank, piggy back fuel tank, interior lighting, aircraft seat rails for tie downs, refrigerator, recarro seats, customized cubby box with a CB where the AM-FM goes. Etc.

No pictures handy but if you visit www.drivetheglobe.com you can see me when I had hair, and when I was cool. Now it sits in the garage awaiting front caliper rebuild for the last year or so...

[SoCal_Batman]

Originally Posted by Psijason

Beautiful Defender 90!!! That's a ballsy 4x4. The BB Steel fits right into the ambiance. Nice NATO!!! Looks like you had a great time with Cody!!!!

Thanks Jason!! They both go well together and I can't take my eyes of my Black Bay with the black NATO...so retro / cool looking! Cody and I had a great time, he loves cruising in the Defender and checking out all the babes running by !

[SoCal_Batman]

Originally Posted by Bruin Watch

Killer ride and watch. And definitely some choice spots you picked for the pictures. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks James, gotta love cruising around the South Bay !

Originally Posted by MonsterSS

wow very nice! :)

Thanks Danny !

Originally Posted by RazorD

Very, very cool!

Thanks David, appreciate it !

[brandrea]

Very cool Chris, the watch and the LR go hand in hand

[BBL]

.... Beasty running gears for a daily!!.... What a ride!
Nice you shared your day with us... nice watch, and beautiful blonde with you!

[Dbs1971]

Yes my series 3 last year they were made 1983

Yours is great enjoy


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[jimcameron]

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

How about more photos of the Lab?

[SoCal_Batman]

Originally Posted by J!m

Nice 90 and the series III is in really good shape too!

Years ago I had a ‘71 88. Took it across Africa in 2001 and quickly learned it’s too small and too crude. Now I have a ‘95 110- ex U. K. power company truck. It ticked all the boxes based on what I learned in Africa:
Long wheelbase
Coil springs
1-ton payload
Disc brakes
No windows
300 tdi
R380 5-speed

I added the external roll cage, Camel Trophy bumper and brush bar, custom roof rack, roof top tent, heat exchanger for the hot water shower, custom stainless water tank, piggy back fuel tank, interior lighting, aircraft seat rails for tie downs, refrigerator, recarro seats, customized cubby box with a CB where the AM-FM goes. Etc.

No pictures handy but if you visit www.drivetheglobe.com you can see me when I had hair, and when I was cool. Now it sits in the garage awaiting front caliper rebuild for the last year or so...

WOW! It sounds like your 88 was quite a beast, however your 110 sounds amazing! I love that you learned some things from the shorter wheel base and then applied all that to your 110 along with some tasteful additions! I will definitely check out that site, really want to see what your rig looks like. I'm a big fan of Defenders, however the 90 is a little bit more practical out here in Los Angeles. Given the opportunity to purchase a 110 at a reasonable price, I would absolutely do it. Thanks for sharing Jim !

Originally Posted by brandrea

Very cool Chris, the watch and the LR go hand in hand

Thanks Brian, I'd like to think so !

Originally Posted by BBL

.... Beasty running gears for a daily!!.... What a ride!
Nice you shared your day with us... nice watch, and beautiful blonde with you!

Thanks D M, I definitely had a great time and this D90 has no problem being a daily, other than the 12 MPG I get haha! Appreciate it, I'll let my blonde know too !

Originally Posted by Dbs1971

Yes my series 3 last year they were made 1983

Yours is great enjoy

That's amazing, love it !!

[SoCal_Batman]

Originally Posted by jimcameron

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

How about more photos of the Lab?

Ask and you shall receive !!

[CoveWatch]

love the pictures! looks like a great Father's Day!

[T01]

Great shots, Defender and watch!

[Shaky]

A septic tank with a LR90, I thought you guys all drove hummers and loved to tell the limeys they are better off road than any defender (there not).

A cool car where ever you are and especially where they are rare. A great watch, a defender and a dog is the ideal trio for a guy for certain especially in the great outdoors.

Don’t listen to the manual Jeep drivers either. There are many that will tell you an auto is best for off road antics, and I would have loved an auto in mine.

I had a 110 tin top, no back seats or side windows and my springer spaniel who was as mad as a March hare used to run round in the back like it was doing the wall of death when we were on the way out into the countryside. Miss mine loads and keep hold of it, the one thing that defenders have in common with Rolex is the price just keeps going up.

[HORNBLOWER]

Superb duo. Over here the Defenders rust like a bucket, your climate is ideal.

[Wesley Crusher]

Wow, awesome Defender!!! Do you do any off roading with it?

[faz]

some very nice shots there. thanks for sharing.