| newer engines. The windscreen was replaced with a taller one-piece
version and wheel arches were added to cover the wider track axles.
One of the major upgrades was the move away from leaf springs to
coils and a permanent 4 wheel drive system. Power Assisted steering
was added as an option.
Internally, furnishings were improved. In
1984 wind up windows replaced the sliding versions found on Series
models and the load space was improved with less boxing.
1985 saw the launch of a third wheelbase, the 127 inch, twin-axle vehicle
designed for heavier loads than the One Ten. It was designed specifically
for the utility and commercial as well as military markets.
In late 1990, the Land Rover became the Defender. This was primarily
a marketing exercise as the Discovery and Range Rover meant that the original
Land Rover now required a model name so that Land Rover could then be
used as the marque. In the same year the 127 was rebranded as the Defender
130 although the wheelbase remained unchanged.
In the same year the newer more powerful 200Tdi engine was introduced
giving a 25% improvement on the older engines. It was based on the existing
2.5 litre turbo unit and was built on the same production line, but had
a modern alloy head, improved turbo charging, intercooler and direct injection.
This engine remained until the development of the refined 300Tdi in 1994.
Names & badges
From 1983 to 1990, although called 'Land Rover One Tens' and 'Land Rover
Ninetys', the name on the front badge confusingly said 'Land Rover 110'
or 'Land Rover 90'. From late 1989, after the introduction of the Discovery,
the front badges were changed to read just '110' or '90'.
From 1991, when the Defender name was adopted, the vehicle badges simply
said 'Defender' with a badge on the rear saying either 'Defender 90' or
'Defender 110'.
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