∙Totally standard V8 County Station Wagon
∙Very early One-Ten from first 12 months of production
∙Beautiful original patina
∙Maintained thoroughly with lots of new parts

The Land Rover that is today better known as the Defender first appeared as the One-Ten in 1983.

It didn't immediately replace the old Series models, but was a larger, more refined and more mature package, riding on coil-sprung suspension derived from that of the Range Rover.

It was initially only available with two petrol engines. The traditional four-cylinder 2.25-litre power unit from the Series 3 or a detuned version of the Range Rover V8.

The model we have here is the range-topping launch specification One-Ten, in County Station Wagon trim, which offered seating for 10 and the Range Rover V8 engine coupled with a four-speed manual transmission.

Today, it's a very rare Land Rover variant and one that is sure to pique the interest of collectors.

This vehicle was supplied new in January 1984 by the Land Rover main dealership Julian’s of Reading. It spent the first 15 years of its life around Berkshire and Oxfordshire, and was then purchased by an owner in Suffolk in 2001.

He ran it for five years before it passed into the hands of a new owner, who kept it until 2014 when the vendor acquired it with a running problem caused by a faulty distributor.

He had some repairs carried out by a local 4x4 specialist and the One-Ten was returned to the road and has been used as a second family vehicle ever since. The sale is a very reluctant one, but the owner is about to move to Ireland so has decided to sell up.

There's quite an impressive file of history and paperwork with the Land Rover, including the original handbook and service book, although this hasn't been stamped since 1986.

There is, however, a lot of evidence of recent work carried out by independent specialists, both in the care of the current owner and the previous one, while there are also receipts dating back to the early 1990s for work carried out in the care of previous keepers.

In addition, there is a selection of old MOT certificates and an old blue-style V5 as well as the current V5C in the vendor’s name, plus an MOT certificate valid until August 2022.

Part of this vehicle’s charm is its incredible originality. It has never been stripped down nor restored, but is in true survivor condition, with a genuinely charming patina.

That means it's no show pony. It has a few small dents and a peppering of stone chips around the front end, along with small nicks and scratches and a few rusty screw heads here and there, but for a 37 year old vehicle it’s in astonishingly good order. Plus, the fact it hasn't been restored is surely part of its appeal?

The next owner could either keep it exactly as it is and enjoy it as a preserved survivor, or if they wanted a vehicle that was the perfect basis for a concours restoration then here it is - as it is original in every respect.

The chassis is very good. As you'd expect from a Land Rover with almost four decades of use behind it, it has had a few small bits of welding and also a new rear cross member. the work has been carried out to a very high standard and the chassis as it is today is in excellent order. 

The original wheels have decent BF Goodrich tyres all round and there's also a full-length roof rack that suits the One-Ten’s rugged nature.

Trimmed in a beige coloured tweed cloth, interior is well presented. There is minimal wear to the lower edge of the driver seat and some of the switches and controls have faded with age, but it's all there and it's all in working order. Even the original optional Blaupunkt radio-cassette still sits in the dashboard.

The rubber mats are in good order, while in the rear it still has its two side-facing bench seats should you wish to travel 10-up.

The V8 powerplant in the One-Ten is essentially a detuned version of the venerable Rover V8, as commonly found in Range Rovers of the era.

It starts happily and readily and idles sweetly, with no signs of any leaks in the engine bay.

It has recently had a brand new refurbished radiator fitted and has been serviced annually by a 4x4 specialist in Suffolk, that the owner has trusted with all of his vehicles both old and modern.

The vendor reports that the Land Rover drives very well indeed and that the steering, brakes and suspension all operate as they should. He does state that the clutch pedal has quite a high bite point, but it doesn't slip and it engages all gears easily in both high and low range.

Ever since production of the Land Rover Defender stopped in 2015, the collector market for them has been getting stronger and stronger.

And this is one that’s bound to have collector appeal because it's a very early example of the model that would ultimately become the Defender. It's so early that it predates the 90-inch short wheelbase models and still has the old-style lift up door handles and sliding windows that were soon deleted from later examples.

Add in the fact that it's a County Station Wagon, which is very much the one to have, and that it's also a V8 and it's a Land Rover with tonnes of appeal.

Additionally, it has startling originality and a wonderfully charming patina that in our view add even further to its overall appeal.