The Land Rover was conceived by the British Rover Company following World War II as a handy light duty and farming vehicle spawned from the Willys Jeep concept. Over the years, it has grown into a highly-respected, very capable and well-designed 4x4 for both off-road and daily urban use.
In 1994 Land-Rover was able to import a limited number of Defender 90s (commonly abbreviated D90). The majority of these were the soft-top version, in either a "fastback" half soft-top configuration or a full soft-top, as seen on this example. These Defenders 90s were quite different from their UK cousins, including the engine, four-wheel disc brakes, and a "safari cage.” The Defender 90 won “Four-Wheeler of the Year” in 1994 and with this ringing endorsement, the early Defender 90s sold out quite quickly.
Initially produced for a Canadian market, this Arles Blue Defender runs with a 3.9-liter V-8 engine rated at 182 horsepower and a five-speed transmission. It shows 89,000 kilometers on the dash and is accessorized with a folding canvas top, side step rails, 16-inch factory alloy wheels with rear-mounted spare. Both the interior and exterior show some wear from normal use, but is still of a quality conducive to great fun in the outdoors; perfect for camping or pulling a vintage camper trailer. Arles Blue is considered to be a very desirable color on the Defender due to low production numbers.