1999 Land Rover Defender 90 4-Litre V8 50th Anniversary LE (Auto)

To celebrate 50 years of Land Rover production, the factory built 1,071 Special Edition vehicles known, not unnaturally, as the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition. 385 stayed in the UK, 451 went to Japan (with boost alloys and gloss black arches), Germany 180, France 25, Holland 20 and Belgium ten. The special edition was essentially an NAS (North American Specification) station wagon and consequently was very well equipped from new. All UK and European versions were finished in a rather distinctive hue known as Atlantis Blue and were powered by the Range Rover's 188bhp 4-litre V8 petrol engine mated to a 4-speed ZF automatic gearbox. It also had air-conditioning, a front cabin Safety Devices roll-cage and each one came with a numbered commemorative plaque on the rear right-hand side, enhancing its appeal to the 'lifestyle' market.

This splendid example was first registered on 22nd April 1999 and has been extensively and sympathetically refurbished to a high standard by the craftsman at Masai4x4 in Staffordshire. The original chassis has been replaced and treated, the bodywork fully stripped down and resprayed in the original Atlantis Blue, and the driving experience has been improved by the fitting of sound deadening throughout, new seats in black leather piped in cream and a new carpet set. The original factory-fitted radio/cassette has been retained but the speaker set has been upgraded to improve the overall sound and Alpine 'tweeters' have been fitted in the dashboard to enhance vocals and high-frequency sounds.

The fuel system has been rebuilt with new injectors and the V8 carefully set-up and we understand that it drives really well and sounds like a V8 should. The gleaming Atlantis Blue, paintwork is complemented by a set of Defender Freestyle 50th Anniversary 16" alloys wearing decent BF Goodrich T/As, side-steps and a Masai A-Bar sporting large foglamps.

The vehicle has covered 79,357 miles in the hands of its five owners and the Cherished Registration shown in some of our images does not form part of the sale and will be replaced by its original registration, RYA 10X. This is a beautiful example of a rare car and undoubtedly a future collectible that may be a very sensible investment.