1994 Land Rover Defender 90 NAS #30 – Full Restoration

Model History

In 1994 Land Rover North America imported approximately 1,943 Defender 90’s into the U.S (another 87 went to our Canadian friends). The majority were soft top versions, in either a full soft top or a “fastback” half soft top configuration. These stateside trucks were quite different from their European cousins (collectively called ROW trucks for “rest of world”).

In addition to all being left-hand drive, the U.S. version Defender 90 had added safety equipment and a different powertrain option, a 3.9L fuel injected V8 for 1994 and 1995 and a 4.0 EFI V8 for 1997 rather than a diesel engine.  Those 7000 or so U.S. legal Defenders became known as the North American Specification (NAS) trucks, each badged and numbered on the right rear panels. They were outfitted with additional safety features to meet U.S. restrictions such as an internal roll cage and 4-wheel disc brakes. It is for these reasons, mainly the limited entry, that NAS trucks bring a market premium above a comparable ROW truck. They may look identical even to the well-trained eye, but the NAS trucks will always hold a special place in Land Rover history.

Car History

Second Daily Auctions is proud to present today #30 of the very first NAS stateside Defenders. This marks the lowest numbered Defender we have personally seen. This 1994 Defender 90 began life as an Alres Blue North American Spec. A prior owner shipped the truck to Switzerland. There it was taken to a Land Rover specialist to have the vehicle fully restored, where approximately $80,000 in restoration costs were done in 2008. It was upgraded mechanically and cosmetically, including the disc brakes, engine block, a stainless steel exhaust system, seats, carpets, and top. After completion it was stored in a climate controlled garage and shows less than 500 miles since restoration. We have the entire restoration list available upon request, though not in native English language.  It has loosely been translated in the description below.

The vehicle was sold to the current owner who stores this D90 in Florida and it is being sold with a clean clear title in the seller’s name.

Exterior

This D90 presents as it did the day after it was restored. Less than 500 miles on the replaced odometer, it has not been used other than for short runs and starts to maintain proper seals and oil water burn out. It has been fitted with a custom grill, front bumper, winch and steering skid plate upfront. The original wheels were refinished and painted with an accent body colored trim ring. The original work was done in Switzerland, and we have included and itemized restoration list.

Work began with a complete disassembly of the entire truck. The engine was removed, the gearbox removed, and transfer case were all removed. All wiring was removed and replaced. The entire interior was professionally disassembled. Outside the original paint was stripped to bare metal, new primer was added, and repainted in the red color you see today.

Interior

Inside, changes were made throughout including both material updates and features such as push button starting and heated seats. Underneath the chassis was sandblasted, painted, and anti-rust treatment applied. A Dynatec winch was added, a LT85 rebuilt box was added and a 24-spline LSD installed. The drive shaft was strengthened to tdi300 spec quality as were the CV joints. An Airtronic air heater was added. Poly bushes replaced the old ones, new springs were added, all steering rods were replaced and toe in was adjusted. BFmGoodrich M/T 255/85R16 tires were added with adjustable Monoshocks. A front tubular bumper was added along with a skid plate. The odometer was switched out at the time of restoration but the original is included with the sale.

Estimated Value

As with many of the cars we feature, proper valuing is difficult given the low production volume and the rarity of examples going to market, compounded by the wide-range of examples and conditions you may find. Most confusing to buyers in this market is the difference between a NAS and a ROW import. This NAS D90 is quite unique in having an extensive restoration done, and still only showing 500 miles since the refresh with only 70k miles on the chassis since new. Often the concerns with Defenders are rust and reliability, those issues do not exist here given the full nuts and bolts customization and restoration done.

Recent Market:

• NAS 1997 Defender 90 – Sold $70,000 (36k miles)
• NAS 1997 Defender 90 – Sold $65,000 (all-original)
• NAS 1994 Defender 90 – Sold $51,000 (paint respray, no full cage rack)
• NAS 1994 Defender 90 – For Sale $54,000 (81k miles, no rack)
• NAS 1994 Defender 90 – For Sale $57,000 (78k miles)
• NAS 1994 Defender 90 – For Sale 69,000 (96k miles)
• NAS 1994 Defender 90 – For Sale $66,500 (98k miles)
• NAS 1994 Defender 90 – For Sale $65,500 (98k miles)

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Disclaimer: We do our best to represent the vehicle from the information provided but this should not be implied as an inspection. Second Daily is not the owner of the vehicle and therefore we recommend as with any online vehicle purchase, as a potential buyer you should either arrange to visit it in person for a personal inspection, or hire a professional service to conduct a pre-purchase inspection. The full VIN number is given here, as potential buyers, you can perform your due diligence to determine if this vehicle meets your standards. Second Daily is not liable for the condition or contents of the vehicle. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.