Estrella

1997 Land Rover Defender 110 – 300Tdi (LHD)

ABOUT THIS DEFENDER

This Land Rover Defender was recently acquired from a large collection in Spain that was owned by a fellow Defender enthusiast. We source donor vehicles from around the world – the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and other far reaches along the dusty trails of the wild. Our Defenders come with stories and experiences that remain part of the living history of each vehicle. We want our Defenders to have unique personalities that carry with them the stories and history that came before while creating new adventures with their new caretakers.

Each Custom Land Rover Defender build begins with a donor vehicle that serves as the base for the project.  We take care of everything for you, including sourcing the base vehicle, ensuring eligibility for import/export, and the entire build process.  We help you select the ideal donor to match your Defender needs.

This Land Rover Defender is in the pre-restoration phase but will make an exceptional donor for a potential Preservation Series or Heritage Series Custom Defender build.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

When this Defender rolled off the transport truck at our Renville workshop we were less than happy.  Not because of this Defender, but that the driver had hit a bridge on the way to deliver the 5 vehicles to our shop.  It was also miserably cold out and our focus was more on the damaged Defenders and not the other donor trucks.

As we had to wait for the insurance claim to be settled, we put Estrella in storage and pretty much forgot about her for a couple of months until the weather turned nice and I started to get curious.

She ran terribly when she got into the workshop. We spent several days correcting a variety of mechanical issues, including botched wiring, rotted fuel lines, and a tank of fuel that had likely been filled prior to Covid-19.  As we fixed little things here and there, she started to come to life in a way we didn’t expect.  We got her running really smooth after going through the entire fuel and electrical system, which allowed us to drive her around the workshop a bit.

A few weeks later we had the time (and space) to bring it to our Minneapolis workshop where we could do a bit more diving and a much deeper assessment.  What we found was an incredibly solid chassis, strong motor, and tons of character.  While she was originally earmarked for a full restoration, we realized that she was probably one of the most original Defenders we’ve seen in a long time – and that it would be a shame to take her apart.

SAMPLE PRICING

We built this tool ourselves to help people see how the different restoration levels and accessories will impact their budget. We’re much better at building Defenders than we are at online budget calculators, but it should help point you in the right direction.

Configurator

We offer Defenders anywhere from $35,000 to $150,000, so there are a lot of variables in the middle. Understanding your budget will help you determine the most important priorities for a build or sourcing project.

The link to the tool is above, but here are a few examples of how this particular vehicle might price out:

Tier I – Survivor Series (Bishop+Rook Certified) – Starting at $65,250.50 USD

Mechanical refresh of all critical and wearable components, including head gasket, timing belt, water pump, radiator, electrical service, fuel system check, brake system refurbishment, wheels/tyre package. Rust and chassis treatment.  Original paint and patina cleaned and refreshed as needed.

Tier II – Preservation Series – Starting at $77,500 USD

The above mechanical refresh, plus cosmetic enhancements including a respray in original color – rectifying major cosmetic dents, dings, and historical wear.  Addressing interior trim (refurbishment of headliner, seats, dash, carpets).

Tier III – Heritage Series – Starting at $92,650 USD

Complete mechanical service starting with a total body dis-assembly.  Chassis completely stripped to bare metal, refurbished, painted, and sealed.  Axles rebuilt.  Motor rebuilt.  Gearbox rebuilt.  Transfer case rebuilt.  All bodywork returned to factory condition.  Complete panel-off re-spray.  Re-assembly including restoration of all key components of the vehicle. Choice of interior trimming and exterior styling.

Tier IV – Bespoke Limited Series – Starting at $125,000 USD

Complete nut-and-bolt restoration, with a return to better than factory condition.  Every option is available for finishing, including exterior color, wheels, suspension, interior trim, external accessories, stereo system, and other one-of-one styling components.  Motor is completely rebuilt to better than factory, including tuning and motor swap options.  Suspension upgrades and enhancements.  These are limited edition builds and will be taken on a case-by-base basis.

COMMISSIONS + BUILDS

Each build begins with a donor vehicle that has been sourced and supplied by Bishop+Rook to fit the needs of each commissioned build based on customer requirements – ensuring eligibility for import into the American market and a suitable level of quality as a base vehicle for restoration. On occasion, we also welcome the opportunity to preserve and restore our customer’s own classic Land Rover as part of the same refurbishment and enhancement process.

TAILORED TO YOUR EXPERIENCE

We offer each individual the opportunity to collaboratively put their stamp on a Land Rover build – from color and style to accessories and performance features. We aim to build a one-of-a-kind Defender that is not only reliable, but even more capable, stylish, and versatile than the day it was born. We provide a fully bespoke build process, in the spirit of 17th-century tailors of Savile road, where we mold your donor vehicle into a Defender to fit your needs, budget, lifestyle, and taste.

MIDWESTERN + ENGLISH VALUES

We believe in friendship and a true partnership with every client who puts their trust and faith in our hands. With a base of operations in the heart of the Midwest and a flourishing workshop in the English countryside, hard work comes with the territory. We believe in transparency and integrity – preserving the Bishop+Rook reputation by building good, honest, Defenders.

STARTING THE PROCESS

For those of you just starting your research on Defenders, there are a few areas you will want to learn about (maintenance, driving experience, and budget).  For the last part – budget – we’ve recently launched a “Defender Budget Pricing Calculator” to help folks understand the different levels of pricing you should expect to see on the market.

INSTANT QUOTE

A DEFENDER FOR EVERYONE

Whether you’re looking for a unique low-mileage Defender survivor or a complete nut-and-bolt bespoke restoration, we want to be the team that provides you with your dream vehicle. When other companies focus on cheap mechanical nightmares, or Defenders costing the same price as a house, we focus instead on – Defenders for the regular person. All of our Defenders undergo an extensive mechanical refresh to ensure years of reliable adventures.  From there, you can decide how much further you want to go with a restoration.

ABOUT BISHOP+ROOK

Bishop+Rook is a Minneapolis-based importer and restorer of classic Land Rover Defenders. We are passionate about film, photography, travel, adventures, and vintage cars. We finally found a way to combine our life’s passion into helping others find their dream car. We restore the vehicles to an adventure-tested stage – not over-restored and not over-priced. We simply want to share our love and passion for these amazing vehicles with like-minded people.

We price our vehicles fairly. Any profit we make is turned back into our creative projects or seeking out our next restoration. Any work we do is to ensure people can enjoy the vehicles right away – we make sure they are adventure-ready on day one.

We typically have about a dozen or so Defenders in stock, but for those looking for something truly unique we offer a service to find and import cars with specific requirements.  Drop us a note and let us know what you would like.

We’re sure you have many questions. We try our best to answer anything and everything that comes our way, even if you decide not to do business with us.  We simply love these vehicles.  If you’re just starting your search, we wrote a little piece that may help you sort through the many models, conditions, and prices you may see on the marketplace.  There are a lot of people importing Defenders these days, some really good guys, and a few others that might not have your best interest in mind.

Read our Guide: The Unicorn Hunt

CONTACT US

For more information, feel free to call or text us at +1 612.424.1642 or email us at mike@bishoprook.com