30 years ago, Land Rover officially got into the North American market. It brought along 500 fully loaded examples of its four-door SUV to the US as a special edition called the Defender 110 NAS for North American Specification. Today, a special North American version is being unveiled to pay homage to that veteran vehicle.
The Land Rover Defender from 1992 (1993 model year) was equipped with a 3.9-liter Rover V8 engine and a five-speed manual transmission, and every single example was painted white.
The 2023 Defender 110 30th Anniversary Edition will follow the same lead, at least as far as the color is concerned. It will come in Fuji White, with painted retro styled steel wheels and lots of off-road accessories just like the 1992 SUV. Other features inspired by that model include a roof rack, side steps, wheel arch extensions, a deployable ladder, mud flaps, and rubber mats.
However, the engine and overall design is different, it will be powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine based on the Defender 110 P300 S grade. It produces 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque and will see the SUV accelerate from 0-60 mph in around seven seconds. Other new modern changes include air suspension and LED headlights. There’s an interesting feature called the activity key, its a waterproof wristband that you can use to access the vehicle while the actual key remains locked inside.
Land Rover plans on making 500 special Defenders with the 2023 model year. They are all going to be sold exclusively in North America with the price of $76,350, including a $1,350 destination charge, orders are currently open.