Maintaining the charm and character of a vintage Land Rover Defender pays to respect to the adventures that came before, while planning adventures yet to be explored.
Restore only what’s needed. Refresh the rest for peace of mind.
Mossel
Preservation Series1998 Land Rover Defender 110 – 300Tdi Diesel (RHD)
ABOUT MOSSEL
This project has been sold/adopted, but some very similar Defenders are in stock. If you are interested in something like this project, reach out via email, and we can discuss options.
This Land Rover Defender 110 300Tdi is an exceptionally original one-owner example of what an adventure-ready vehicle should be. She was originally owned by a Doctor in Cape Town, South Africa. His family used the Defender for travels around Botswana, Malawi, and Namibia. It’s been outfitted with a dual battery set-up, long-range fuel tank, rear door spare, front brush guard, roof rack, and air conditioning.
This Defender is listed at $42,750.00 USD, an incredible deal for a dry-climate vehicle as well-outfitted as this one. You won’t find one this well-maintained, with aircon, roof rack, bull bar, extended fuel tank, etc., for this money. This is part of our Defenders Within Reach program, where we try to source and refurbish Defenders at a reasonable price point. This vehicle will enjoy a few more weeks exploring the National Parks of South Africa before we ship it to the United States – at which time the price will increase to $52,750.00 USD. We’re trying to fill up the second half of a 40-foot container and ship one of our other projects, so we’re letting this one go at such an affordable price.
If you’re comparing this to any other Defender you see online, here are a few examples of the extra features and the value they add:
- Lightweight Aluminum Roof Rack (No Rust Ever) – $2500
- Under Dash AirCon Package – $5500
- Front Bull Bar – $850
- Extended Fuel Tank – $1500
- Dry Climate Chassis and Bulkhead – Priceless
We’ve taken it into our workshop for a mechanical refresh, ensuring the next caretakers will have many years of adventures.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This Defender recently turned 25 and is eligible for import to the United States. We are preparing the vehicle for shipment, and it should arrive in the Fall of 2023 at our Minnesota workshop. This Defender is available for purchase as-is or could be customized or modified to suit the new owner’s needs.
| Model | Defender |
| Class | 110 |
| Body Type | 5 door station wagon (SW) |
| Model Year | 1998 |
| Steering | RHD |
| Engine | 300Tdi, 2.5, 4 Cylinder, Diesel, without EGR/Cat, 16L |
| Gearbox | 5 Speed, R380, Manual |
| Factory | Completely Knocked Down |
| Sequential number | 828144 |
OUR BUILD PLAN
After our extensive mechanical service, we’ve determined that this Defender wants nothing. Our mechanical service process involves an extensive review of all vehicle elements, with all the major components refreshed, replaced, or serviced. You won’t find this type of service on many Defenders in this price range. We firmly believe in ensuring you can enjoy your new purchase from day one without dealing with neglected maintenance or fear something will go wrong with your vintage Land Rover Defender.
PHOTO GALLERY OF PROJECT
SAMPLE PRICING
Each Land Rover Defender project is different. Our pricing is extremely transparent and dependent upon the features, accessories, and restoration level desired by each client. Here is an example of pricing based on this particular Defender.
Tier One: Bishop+Rook Certified – Price Listed Above
This price is based on our level-one mechanical certification service – timing belt, water pump, alternator, starter, radiator, brakes, bearings, etc. It’s an excellent running and driving Land Rover Defender that will take you on plenty of adventures without fear of being abandoned on the side of the road. Cosmetically, the vehicle will be clean and tidy, with no significant issues hidden. You can enjoy this state forever or use it as a foundation for future upgrades, enhancements, or refurbishments.
Tier Two: Bishop+Rook Preservation Class – $56,500 (Starting Price)
This will include more extensive mechanical and cosmetic preservation of the vehicle. We will go through both the interior and exterior of the Defender to ensure everything is sorted correctly. This will include all the tier one mechanical elements above but also includes a deeper dive into chassis re-conditioning, interior trimming (headliner, dash trim, door card refurbishment, seat trimming as needed), replacement of seals, tyres, upgraded battery, and repairs to body panels that might need addressing (door bottoms, bulkhead, etc.). Mechanically, we will pull the engine for a full refurbishment whilst doing a more extensive mechanical refurbishment.
Tier Three: Bishop+Rook Preservation Class Plus – $65,250 (Starting Price)
This level of restoration will include all the elements above but also a partial disassembly of the vehicle to respray in a similar (or close to) paint color. This often includes replacing the doors and other body panels that may show signs of wear. All interior elements will be stripped out and refurbished. The headliner will be re-trimmed, interior panels replaced or retrimmed, new floor coverings (carpet and/or sound deadening mats), Tier III sound deadening system put in place, chassis treated (inside and out) for corrosion, axles refurbished, gearbox renewed, transfer case renewed, and additional options for wheels/tryes, The vehicle will feel like a time capsule when you sit in her – with just enough character preserved.
Tier Four: Bishop+Rook Heritage Class Restoration – $75,000 (estimated)
This restoration level is much more extensive than above, which starts with a complete disassembly of the vehicle (every panel, every nut-and-bolt, and every fastener. This process includes stripping the chassis bare and putting it through media blasting to bring it back to bare metal. Any rust or corrosion issues will be rectified before the chassis is sealed and painted to your specifications (raptor, satin, high gloss, etc.). All axles will be media blasted and painted to suit. All mechanical components will be restored: engine rebuild, gearbox, transfer case, differentials, etc. The Interior will be retrimmed, including seats, headliner, and door cards. New/refreshed window glass, seals, and other trim panels will be replaced with new.
Tier Five: Bishop+Rook Bespoke Class Restoration – $95,000+ (based on features)
Our Bespoke class of builds allows for more customization options for each build. Customers can choose interior retrimming styles, a deeper level of restoration, and more external paint options – including upgrades like air conditioning, roof racks, offroad accessories, and more. This class of vehicles includes more performance upgrade options to tune the vehicle to your ultimate use (daily driving, offroad, hybrid, etc.). The vehicle will be better than new once it completes this process and will become an investment-grade restoration.
THE BISHOP+ROOK BUILD DIFFERENCE
The difference between a Bishop+Rook Defender and a regular imported Defender on the market comes down to the hundreds (sometimes thousands) of hours we will spend to make them reliable and safe daily drivers. If you’re looking to build a custom Defender, check out our handy online pricing tool.
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.
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 unique 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
