Used 1985 Land Rover Series III - Defender - Former British Military -... for sale in Oklahoma City, OK

Here it is... the absolute coolest Christmas gift ever!

I purchased this 1985 right-hand drive Land Rover Series III (precursor to the Land Rover Defender) 109" from the United Kingdom three years ago. I handled all of the importation - including US Department of Transportation and EPA - bringing it into the Port of Galveston. I registered and cleared the vehicle with US Customs and took it all the way through registration here in Oklahoma, where I have a clean green title. (If you are reading this post, you likely know just how rare this is.)

This vehicle was built in Solihull, England, and spent its entire life in the British Military. It worked primarily in the Royal Air Force. I have detail on its history for the buyer. It has dual fuel tanks, ex-military lighting switches and the original gun rack behind the seat.

I purchased the vehicle as a hard-top. I removed the hard top and fitted it with an Exmoor Series III soft top, and I have the original door-top windows, which are intact in their original glass. These alone fetch hundreds when they can even be found. Other work I completed upon acquisition includes:

- Professional rebuilding of the carburation system
- Professional replacement of the brake lines with stainless lines
- Entire tune-up of the 2.5L petrol engine
- Refinishing of the original pine floors
- Affixing of the pine side seats in the rear that match the original flooring
- Replacement of the original tube tires with all new BF Goodrich All Terrains (with less than 200 miles on them)

The trucks starts up and runs beautifully. The original four-speed manual transmission is true and strong, and the suspension is in excellent condition. Mechanically, having spent its entire career in the care of the British Armed Forces, the vehicle was maintained with (literally) military precision and is in superb shape.

Cosmetically, it's just cool. The paint is original British military "Bronze Green" - perfectly patinaed with a gorgeous old-school look. It is absolutely rust-free, including the undercarriage. If you'd like to paint it into a show-pony, it is ready. The existing paint has multiple coats - standard practice among desert-dwelling British Armed Forces vehicles - so the peeling on the passenger side merely reveals more paint of the same color underneath. The Series III grille is original, and it even has a grille badge from a horse saddle at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation processional in front of Westminster Abbey. (That's for any of you fans of "The Crown.") It carries its original British license plates along with the Oklahoma tags.

The lone known issues with the truck are:
- I disconnected the lights upon replacing the hard top and haven't gotten around to replacing them. Wiring is in place to do so.
- A couple of the gauges work intermittently, including the fuel gauge
- The odometer was disconnected at some point in the past, as is common in vintage vehicles; the 75k miles is nominal
- The wipers don't work. (If you're driving this in a rain storm, you have missed the point.)

This is a truly rare find; thus, it is not priced like a broken-down Jeep. If you find a cooler ride, you should buy it. This is ready to roll around town or, if you're intent on working up a true show-stopper, this is a perfect platform for full restoration. It will not go 75 miles an hour on the Interstate. It was never meant to. It will ford a river, descend a ravine... or drive to Classen Curve.

The vehicle lives in a barn next to my Defender at my farm just east of Edmond. I am happy to answer questions, as well as to provide more photos. (The Defender next to it in the barn is not for sale... nor is the Lab.)

Thank you for looking. Please call or text 4oh5-3nine7-78nine2.