Project Cars: 2001 Land Rover Defender 130

The CarAdvice team reveals what's hidden away in their sheds and backyards awaiting some TLC.


The Land Rover Defender is my second 4WD, which is also an all-time favourite for me. It’s the long-wheelbase model, sporting the 2.5-litre TD5 five-cylinder, with a bark much worse than it’s 90kW/300Nm bite. I love it for that 3225mm wheelbase (which is closer to 127 inches), old-school live axles, good payload, low gearing and great clearance.

Along with the typical modifications of suspension, wheels and barwork, I’ve set it up for remote touring with a winch, long-range tank, snorkel and internal beadlocks. The factory tub’s been replaced with a now rusty steel tray, on which lives an aluminium canopy from Tong Metal.

I’ve recently learned how bad I am at fitting roof lining, but am happy with the cheap 12V distribution box that went into the canopy recently. And what I mean by happy is, it hasn’t gone up in smoke. Yet.

The Defender has been through the Simpson Desert a couple of times, down to Tassie for our honeymoon and up the coast and into the bush countless times. It’s been a reliable and capable rig over the years, and we’re looking forward to more adventures now with a couple of ratbags in the back seat.

  • Current Status: Sitting patiently in the driveway, waiting for the next adventure
  • Odometer: 272,987km
  • Kms since last update:
  • Next on ‘to do’ list: replace rocker cover gasket, degrease engine bay and replace dodgy anderson plug. But the list on this one  is never-ending

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Sam Purcell

Sam Purcell has been writing about cars, four-wheel driving and camping since 2013, and obsessed with anything that goes brum-brum longer than he can remember. Sam joined the team at CarAdvice/Drive as the off-road Editor in 2018, after cutting his teeth at Unsealed 4X4 and Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures.

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