Tell us about your car…
This 1995 Land Rover Defender 90 belonged to one of my clients. I told him I'd love something like it. He told me he'd never sell, but when I saw him a month later, he had changed his mind and asked me if I wanted to buy it, and I did!
It had spots of rust and a poor interior when I bought it.
Was it stock when you bought it?
The previous owner had the car for about 13 years and liked to go to the desert so he'd made a few off-road upgrades such as a 2in lift, fuel-tank plates, diff-guards and rock sliders.
I replaced the original fibre glass roof with a short truck-cabin top, adjusted the roll cage to fit and had it resprayed from the original white to metallic grey. I must admit, it really suits this Landy! It used to overheat a lot and I found that the fans on the radiator were not powerful enough. I changed them to big, twin electric ones and it has been perfect since.
I had the chassis rust-proofed and then changed the interior. It was exactly as you'd expect a 15-year-old off-roader to be — worn out and rough. I had new carpets made for the foot-wells and insulated the bottom with a layer of carpet and finished it with leather.
The seats were redone in dark red; they contrast nicely with the car's exterior.
Must be a blast to take off-roading...
This is one of the ultimate off-road beasts. It is light, has good power and ample ground clearance.
I think most 4x4s today are quite capable in the desert. Modern technology helps but the problem is, as with my wife's US-made 4x4, they have big bumpers and sit too low and this affects their performance in the rough.
My wife damaged the Tahoe's front and rear bumpers and the wheel arch while off-roading. In the Defender, I just go up and over anything, and always go first to make sure the coast is clear and never get stuck or break anything.
Any plans to improve it?
Although this is one of the most powerful versions of the Defender, it only has 180bhp. That is not much for a 3.9-litre V8. I had a race air filter installed and it revs a bit better now but I definitely wouldn't mind having more power.
Is this your daily drive?
I used to live 80km from work and had a Dodge Charger as my everyday car.
Since now I've moved closer to work, I sold the Charger and now drive the Defender or my bike, a Buell XB12s Lightning.
What's your dream car?
The ultimate cool car is probably a Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, but in my heart, I'd love to have an original Fiat 500.
Bio
Name Jim Bolssens
Job Veterinarian
From Belgium
Wheels 1995 Land Rover Defender 90
In the UAE Seven years
