This is not just a Land Rover Defender. This is the fastest production Land Rover Defender. In the heart of this beast is a 2.8L I6 engine from a BMW E36 328i. Back in the 90s, BMW Group had ownership of Land Rover for a period time. At the time, many Land Rover enthusiasts complained about the lack of power and extreme fuel consumption of their 3.5L Rover V8. Seeing this growing problem, a BMW engineer in South Africa decided to put the then-new M52 2.8L engine into the Defender chassis.

After 2-3 weeks of tuning and adjustments, the new Defender 2.8i was running like a dream. Everybody was impressed by the smoothness and performance that neither the 3.5L V8 or the Tdi could offer. At testing, the Defender was able to cruise effortlessly at 170kmph. A high revving 4x4 may be unusual, but definitely fun.

The Defender 2.8i was built with BMW parts until the end of the crankshaft. The flywheel, clutch mechanism, pressure plate, release bearing, bell housing and gearbox all came from the Range Rover P38 DSE. And with a 1.667:1 LT 230 transfer box, ratio, it is a short gearing, high revving, nippy Defender with an abundance of power.
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These magnificent Defenders were only produced in South Africa, with 656 Defender 90s (short wheel base) and 739 Defender 110s (long wheel base). It was not a limited edition model like the 50th anniversary, but low production numbers and the unique driving experience make the Defender 2.8i extremely desirable.

Contact us to learn more and experience a completely different side of the Defender.