🏎️ Max Finds a Neon Green Beach Crawler - '90 Land Rover Defender 110

presented with…

GM & Happy Monday folks,

You are getting pure, unadulterated, procrastinator Max this morning. Why? Well, I left this until the absolute last minute to write. I have no excuses, but frankly, I do my best work under pressure.

There’s a reason writer’s do their best work on a deadline, right? Regardless of whether or not that mentality backfired on multiple occasions during my college-career…

This morning we are STICKING to the summer-car trend. This one is geared more towards overlanding and forest-camping than Friday’s 90s family road-tripper.

And rather than having the tasteful ode to yesteryear in the Buick’s wood paneling, this one is an in YOUR FACE NEON GREEN OFF ROADER.

HERE IT IS: A 1990 Land Rover Defender 110 Pickup

What Makes The Land Rover Defender 110 So Cool?

• It Has A Royal Pedigree and a Loud Present

• It has some Mystery Features and Issues

• The Rooftop Tent Looks Comfy AF

Today’s Edition is brought to you by Morning Brew

But First, the Highlights…

• 🌏️ Driven around the world: 1.23x

  • But I feel like it gets extra credit for being imported from Turkey recently.

• 🎼 Song to Get the Vibes Right: Graceland - Paul Simon

• 🏇 Can beat 68 horses in a fight

  • Admittedly, one of the weaker engines we’ve come across.

• 💰️ Predicted Price: $35,110

• 📆 Auction Ends: TODAY (August 28th, 2023)

It Has A Royal Pedigree and a Loud Present

That’s right folks, the British stalwart that is the Land Rover Defender was a notorious favorite of Queen Elizabeth II. There are HUNDREDS of photos of her ripping this this around the royal estates.

Pretty sweet.

But what is a Land Rover Defender? Where did it come from?

Honestly, its kind of confusing. I’m trying to boil it down in my tired delirium - here’s what I got so far:

The Defender was NOT, originally, a World War II military vehicle (like I had personally assumed).

Instead, it was inspired by the post-war era, and by other successful military-turned-consumer vehicles, like America’s Jeep.

The Rover Company, which was heavily involved in World War II military manufacturing, decided to build an off-roader after the war ended. They called it the ‘Land Rover’ simply because it could drive over-land, rather than being road-going, exclusively.

So… Land Rover as a name was NOT its own brand, it was more an inversion of the typical model designations we see today. Instead of ‘Brand Model’ it was ‘Model Brand’.

The Land Rover Series I was introduced in 1948, eventually became the Series II, III, and then… the Defender in 1990.

All this to say, the Defender has deep roots & royal patrons.

Which… makes the neon green color scheme on today’s car feel a bit strange.

My running theory, and this is giving the seller the benefit of the doubt, is that they initially painted it British Racing Green (one of the best colors, full stop), but realized while camping that British Racing Green is VERY close to forest green.

They didn’t want to lose the car in the woods, and as such painted it a brighter shade.

That’s my guess, anyways.

It has some Mystery Features and Issues

First up, we have a bit of a smoking gun in the auction photos: many quarts of oil in the passenger seat.

As someone who's owned a BMW that consumed oil faster than Joey Chestnut at a hot dog contest (literally 1 quart per 1000 miles), and a Porsche that leaks more than a Julian Assange website, a jug of oil in the front seat is suspect. If you see it in the car, that means it is used… often.

OR, maybe its a remnant of a recent oil change, and nothing to worry about.

I’ll let you decide Occam’s Razor here, dear reader.

Next though, we have something a bit less suspicious and a bit more intriguing.

WTF does this button do?? The icon appears to be a phone hanging up, which is not helpful at all.

From this picture, it seems like the black container to the right of it is a water tank, so maybe the button is a water pump for the shower?

Let me know if you have any ideas!

Oh, yeah there IS an attached shower (this truck is sick):

And while we are on the subject of the many amazing camping amenities in this Defender, let me just say:

The Rooftop Tent Looks Comfy AF

Now, keep in mind, this is coming from a place of my having hiked 25 miles, with 30 pounds on my back, and then sleeping in a hammock in a rainstorm last weekend.

BUT DAMN.

This tent looks comfy. It has more square footage than my first apartment, has like 6 windows (natural light is all the rage these days), appears to have a sleeping cushion AND CUPHOLDERS.

Add an espresso machine and some more corgi’s in this thing and you have yourself the Queen’s favorite glamping rig.

And remember…

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In fact, I believe the contract specifically stated you had to each subscribe 100 of your closest friends, colleagues, enemies, exes, priests, pets, & sugar mommas. I’ll have to check the fine print to be sure, but you all may as well get started spreading the word in the meantime.

That's a wrap for today. New Editions come out every Monday & Friday! While you wait, go out and drive! And if you want more, be sure to follow Max’s Twitter (@maxjzin)

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