Case Study: The NC Commission

1997 Land Rover Defender 90

A complete chassis-off Tier 2 restoration using an incredibly original, low mileage donor vehicle. Built and delivered 2023/2024 for a client in North Carolina, USA.

Exterior

Finished in Keswick Green (LRC799) with colour-coded wheels, wheel arches and wing mirrors. The front doors were converted to series-style two-piece doors allowing the door tops to be removed in the warmer months. A heavy duty soft top frame was fitted and for the soft top we used Exmoor Trim’s Stayfast XS Hood in Sand. A Land Rover spare wheel carrier was fitted to keep the weight of the spare wheel of the door and transfer it onto the chassis and body. A galvanised front bumper was fitted and a heritage front grill, with classic badging throughout. LED headlights, and a LED light package was fitted in the classic Red/Amber/White colour scheme. Land Rover mud flaps were fitted to complete the look. 

Interior

The main choice for any Defender interior is whether to fit leather or vinyl. Whilst you could argue that there is no substitute for leather with a feel and smell that vinyl can’t recreate. The quality of vinyl fabrics have come on leaps and bounds over time. On a convertible that’s intended to be used all year round, vinyl is a much more sensible choice. For this Defender, we opted for Exmoor Trim’s Oxford Tan vinyl fitting two front seats, a matching cubby box and four individual fold-up rear seats. The dashboard and custom door cards were trimmed in house using the same fabric.

Gallery