Off-Road-Ready 1995 Defender 130 Is a France Import, Hides a Nasty V8 Secret

While Land Rover is hard at work trying to make the reinvented L663 Defender a common sight in the United States, its L316 predecessor is not exactly the perfect material for the American pickup truck lifestyle.

Alas, there is one unit – imported from France and clear of pesky U.S. Customs intrusion – that may seek to change that. Dressed in Army Green over a black leather interior and with beefy looks that seem to make it ready for anything (including an unintentional off-road roll-over – hence the protruding roll cage!), this Defender 130 pickup truck is now more American than its British parent ever imagined.

Proudly tucked in the inventory of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Garage Kept Motors, it now has an LS swap on board – a nasty little V8 secret that beats under the hood with the blunt force of a 2015 Chevy Camaro SS 6.2-liter V8 engine. The paintjob is also unique according to the description, and we can only say the semi-matte green shade bodes extremely well for the black details seen on a lot of exterior parts (including the bedliner).

The Landy is just as serious inside, where it is all black vinyl leather business – complete with a few hints that something is amiss. Those include the aftermarket instrument cluster with the odometer indicating a mere 40 miles (64 km) – though we can all bet those are of the nasty TMU (total mileage unknown) variety. Plus, there is also an aftermarket center console with a modern shift lever for the automatic transmission, the black roll bar system, and whatnot.

As for the rest of the highlights, those certainly include the beefy all-terrain tires, 6.2-liter ‘LS’ V8 connected to a custom exhaust system with MagnaFlow muffler, and a functional Lo and Hi 4×4 range selector, among others. And last, but not least, comes the asking price – the dealership wants no less than $119,900 to be parted with this rare whip!