Some cars make sense as collectables as soon as they’re announced. Make it low volume and high performance, offer up unique commissions and a few will inevitably be treated as assets to be protected at all costs. It’s the nature of being a very desirable beast, no matter how spellbinding they might be to drive.
Some cars become appreciated over time, or thanks to particular achievements; others acquire collectable status if their maker goes out of business. Some will merely speculate that their car is collectable to boost the value a bit. None of that, however, would seem to apply to the Land Rover Defender. That nameplate very much still exists, for one thing. It was never really a performance car, they were plenty popular enough, and while always respected for their workhorse credentials, true love would feel like a stretch.
Or would it? The Defender was around for so long, a very tangible (and stylish) link back to the very origins of an iconic British brand; and the popularity means it’ll be fondly remembered by plenty. Add in the undeniable charm of the Rover V8 and perhaps we should have seen the days of them being highly prized coming sooner.
The last owner of this one was a devout Defender fan, picking it up in 2012 to be part of their collection of classics. By then it would have been clear that a car like the original Defender, even with a few years left on sale, wasn’t going to happen again, and if a classic is all about an experience then a 90 V8 County is going to be like little else.
It’s barely covered a couple of thousand miles since 2013, and is said to have enjoyed a no-expense-spared life in a heated garage. Certainly it looks lovelier than any 1989 Land Rover really has any right to, the very opposite of an old, clapped-out 4x4. Surely an opportunity to experience the joy of a classic V8 Defender would be too much to resist, but then you also wouldn’t want to spoil such an immaculate survivor.
To drive or not to drive such a nice old thing is the $64,000 question in more ways than one - because that’s about what this County will cost as well. The asking price is £49,950; more than some of the higher mileage V8s, less than those that have been re-engineered and modernised. And a fraction of the cost of a Works V8, those cars created when Land Rover realised the level of demand that still existed for old V8 Defenders. Like they say: if you can’t beat them, join them…
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