Camel Trophy Replica: 1985 Land Rover Defender 90
The Land Rover Defender 90 is already one of the most sought-after vintage SUVs, and it doesn’t take much effort to sell a decent one. That being said, if you were going to try to up the curb appeal, giving one the “Camel Trophy” treatment is likely a pretty smart move. The Defender 90 shown here looks like it was a good truck before the seller decided to add some color-matched steel wheels, safari racks, and Camel Trophy graphics on the door. Does this cosmetic refresh work for you, or would you prefer a bone-stock example?
Now, the good news is, the changes are almost entirely cosmetic, so it’s not a huge imposition if you don’t dig the look. Before we get into why the the Camel connection is so cool, the history of this particular Defender and its owner is just as captivating. The seller recounts that he bought this Defender in Italy in 2018, toured across Europe with it, and had the Camel conversion work done while overseas, which the seller indicates includes several accessories that are likely pretty hard to come by. While overseas, a 200Tdi 2.5 liter turbodiesel engine was swapped in, which ups the curb appeal even more.
The “sandglow” paint scheme was one of the hallmarks of the vehicles used in the excruciating “Camel Trophy” endurance events, which pitted teams against some of the most inhospitable terrain across the globe. Although Jeep worked with the event organizers in the first year of the event, Land Rover would soon approach them with an opportunity to partner together, a collaboration that would last for 20 years. The Camel cigarette brand provided additional support in its near-exclusive partnership agreement, and it certainly didn’t hurt that the brand’s colors complimented the Land Rover’s paint job.
The seller provides a long list of tweaks to give it the Camel treatment, which includes the addition of rock sliders, skid plates, a snorkel, off-road lights, heavy duty bumpers, a winch, and much more. Overall, the additional parts aren’t that exotic, but that was also sort of the point of the Camel Trophy: showcase how good Land Rover’s trucks were right out of the gate, able to compete in a grueling cross-continent challenge without having to load it up with additional equipment just to get across a stream or climb a mountain. Bidding is approaching $15,000 with no reserve and the auction ends today. Check it out here on eBay.
Comments
This Land Rover does it for me. There were a few of these plying the wealthier burbs back in the day. Now I would like one to do battle with all of the bro dozers you see on the road today. I’ll be watching the bidding on this one.
The problem with vehicles like this is, unless you use it as intended, and actually get some dirt on it, it looks a little weird looking like you’re ready to go on safari while sitting in the drive through at Starbucks or dropping your kids off at school. I live in an outdoor recreation tourism area, and see Toyota pickups, Jeeps, etc. covered in tools, high lift jacks, snorkels, off-road lights, sand mats, etc., most of which are in pristine condition. I don’t think most of them have ever been off-road- a lot of “posers” pass through here. Then there was the huge UNICAT motor home from Poland on a MAN 8 x 8 chassis- similar to a HEMTT. It was a serious off roader. I remember that they had a winch mounted above the spare tires on the rear of the steel body, as the tires were huge and likely weighed several hundred pounds each. Now that would look cool going through (and destroying) the drive through window…
(Full disclosure- I am a former Ser.II A Landy owner)
I love this so much it hurts. Congrats to the new owner.
I saw one of the original camel trophy truck being loaded up at my local Chevy dealership. They where unloading it to put some more cars on, and another truck was going to pick it up later. I HAD to stop to see it, and the truck driver was super nice. He had no clue what he was hauling, and I told him all about it. He let me climb inside, hold the ORIGINAL TOOL KIT (all original tools where still inside btw) and he even fired it up! Best day ever! Everything was totally original. Nothing had been changed from the day it ended the race. Original muddy/sweaty stained seat covers, original tools, still with mud cacked on them. Somebody bought it, and put it into storage immediately. The driver said it was going to someone in Colorado.
Hi John Eder
Yes, I get it. in the real world this is probably not the most usable vehicle. the irony or course, is that this is a REALLY genuinely capable off-roader, and in a world where the “dress-up-and-pretend” market is so much more important than any concept of reality, of course it will be overlooked.
SOLD for $19,600.
Ok I’m going to go off my nut here, but, it’s not an SUV, it’s a 4WD,
SUV’s have no off road capabilities.
There is no way in hell, that a Defender and a Suburu outback are in the same category (SUV).
I’m hoping that others agree.
Jeff take note!!!!!
Rant ended.
Howdy, Dave. I agree with the spirit of your comment completely. However, at least here in the States, ‘SUV’ is more a reference to body style rather than capability. Basically, it runs the gamut from a sporty minivan to a full-dress HMMV. But your point is not lost; there needs to be another category (like 4WD!) for truly capable, nearly single purpose vehicles like this beauty.
Over here, it’s pretty simple, if it has a dual range transfer case, it’s a 4WD, everything else is an AWD if it has front and rear diffs, and 2WD’s are included as an SUV,
I’ve owned several Suburu L wagons (wagon version of the brat (brumby over here), with a dual range transfer case, so that makes it a 4WD, not an SUV.
I once saw one of the original camel trophy trucks at my local Ford dealership. They where loading it up to transport it to it’s new owner in Colorado. I saw it being loaded and IMMEDIATELY stoped to take a closer look. I instantly knew what it was, but the dealership people and the truck driver where clueless to what an awesome vehicle it was. It was totally original. When the race ended the previous owner bought it and didn’t even clean the mid off. He just put it into storage. The tool kit what there, the sweat stained seat Covers, everything. And it ran like a dream. It was an amazing thing to see. I wish I could post the photos…