Conventional off-roading wisdom has it that when you’re preparing a vehicle for overland expedition travel, you should modify it as sparingly as possible. The more standard it is, the less potential for something to go calamitously wrong because it’s been taken out of spec.
All the same, there will inevitably be things you have to change. You’ll want a proper set of heavy-duty all-terrain tyres on it for starters. Heavier duty suspension, too, to cope with all the extra weight you’ll be carrying. A reliable means of self-recovery.
Consumer electrics you can rely on. A radical new engine. Stuff like that. Spot the odd one out in that list. Yet here it is – a Defender 90 built for adventure travel and packing a 4.3-litre Lexus 3UZ. An absolute lion of an engine, this was used in the GS430 and LS430 where it put out a super-smooth 300bhp and 325lbf.ft – though to drive one, you’d think it had plenty more than that.
Read the full article in this month’s issue –
