1996 Land Rover Defender 130 – 300Tdi (RHD)
We acquired this Land Rover Defender 130 and are preparing it for restoration. It would make an ideal candidate for a build – either as a daily driver or as an overland vehicle. It once served at an English airbase where it supported the crew cleaning up spills.
Note: This Defender 130 Donor Project is currently reserved and is going to go through a complete Bespoke Restoration. While rare, we do often come across both RHD and LHD 130’s. They are only available for special order builds due to the nature of the vehicles. If you’re interested in building a Land Rover Defender 130, reach out via the form below and we can walk you through the process.
We are currently working on a restoration plan for this Defender. The difference between a Bishop+Rook Defender and a regular imported Defender on the market comes down to the hundreds of hours we will spend to make this a reliable daily driver. Should you adopt this Defender before we’ve completed our work and wish to add your own personal touch, we would be happy to add those elements.
Bishop+Rook Certified – Price As Listed
This is the price based on our level one mechanical service – timing belt, water pump, alternator, starter, radiator, brakes, bearings, etc. Basically, a really nice 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 major issues hidden. This will be a state that you can enjoy forever, or use as a foundation for future upgrades, enhancements, or refurbishments.
Bishop+Rook Preservation Class – $72,000
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 properly sorted. This will include all the tier one mechanical elements above, but also include 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 to replace the rear main seal and clutch, whilst doing a more extensive mechanical refurbishment.
Bishop+Rook Preservation Class Plus – $89,000
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 oftentimes includes replacing the doors and other body panels that may show signs of wear. All interior elements will be stripped out and refurbished to like-new condition. The headliner will be re-trimmed, interior panels replaced, new floor coverings (carpet 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.
Bishop+Rook Heritage Class Restoration – $125,500 (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 specification (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.
Bishop+Rook Bespoke Class Restoration – $152,500+ (based on features)
Our Bespoke class of builds allows for more customization options for each build. Customers have the choice of 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.
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 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.
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 Row, where we mold your donor vehicle into a Defender to fit your needs, budget, lifestyle, and taste.
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.
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.
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.
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
For more information, feel free to call or text us at +1 612.424.1642 or email us at mike@bishoprook.com
