It was only natural that when the 68-year-old Defender production line creaked to a halt, interest in the iconic vehicle would accelerate.
We’ve already seen the values of early Series Landies start to appreciate, as well as the late-model Defenders with their (slightly) more modern driving experience but the ‘forgotten’ 90 and 110 models from the 1980s are still an attractive prospect and in many ways don’t give much away to the late-model Defender-badged models.
The big move was the switch to coil springs in 1983 and apart from the addition of modern diesel engines and trim for the later Defender, underneath it was still the same old Land Rover.
One of the hidden gems of the line-up was the 110 station wagon which in plush (by Land Rover standards) County trim was offered with a massive 12-seat people-carrying capacity.
Seating capacity was reduced to nine in 1990 and crash safety regulations ultimately saw the sideays rear bench seating discontinued in 2007.
This means the full-fat 12-seater is a rarity in the UK, but if properly registered as a minibus it’s said to be a handy way of evading the London Congestion Charge.
With the combination of V8 power, traditional go-anywhere Land Rover ability and the capacity to fit the entire extended family aboard, there’s no better multi-purpose vehicle out there.
