The 110 pickup, which is rare in Japan, came from England

Amidst a gathering of all types of Land Rover Defenders, from rare vehicles such as limited editions to custom cars, we found a rare “Defender 110”. It is a rare pickup type that is rarely seen in Japan. How did the owner acquire the 110 pickup with a burly roll cage built into the cargo bed?

The smallest cargo bed among the many body variations

Around 50 new and old Land Rover Defenders gathered at the “Defender Collection Owners Meeting” held on April 20, 2024, in Saitama Prefecture. One of the vehicles that caught our attention was a 110-based pickup, which is not often seen in Japan.

The Defender is available in three different wheelbases (90, 110, and 130 inches), each with body variations such as a station wagon and pickup. The pickup introduced here is a so-called “double cab pickup” based on the 110, with the cargo bed behind the rear seats.

Because it was not handled by dealers at the time and was not officially imported to Japan, the 110 pickup is a rare model that is rarely seen in Japan. It is popular in the outdoor scene these days because it can transport five adults and their luggage, but compared to the 130 pickups and the 110 single-cab pickup, it has a narrower cargo bed and a narrower rear gate, making it the pickup with the narrowest cargo bed among the many body variations.

A low-mileage unit that was located in Wales, England

The owner of the 110 pickup is Mr. Yamazaki. He used to drive a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, but he narrowed his search to pickups in Japan, but was unable to find one, so about nine years ago he brought this low-mileage 2013 Defender 110 pickup from the UK to Japan as a parallel import.

“The Defender is the same SUV type of car, but it is the complete opposite of the G-Class. The engine is stronger than I expected, the pickup is really fun, and I think I will have a long relationship with this car.”

The vehicle, which is equipped with a large roll cage in the cargo bed, has a Japanese license plate and the number “DC13 ACF,” which is a Welsh license plate registered in the UK when the vehicle was new, and they dared to leave it as is.

Customization is in progress to the owner’s liking

When the car was first acquired, it was basically stock, but after arriving in Japan, a roll cage was installed and Knoxdoll was applied to the underside of the car to prevent rust. He is also in the process of gradually changing the interior to the style he likes, such as installing a Motrita steering wheel.

“In the future, I want to try customizing the suspension. Right now it just has stock legs and steel wheels that I think are made in England, so I would like to lift it up and change the wheels. I also want to install a roof carrier, but I don’t know if I can get one in Japan for pickups that are shorter than those for wagons. Well, I plan to gradually make it into the style I like.”

Mr. Yamazaki’s customization of the Defender 110 pickup, one of the few in Japan, is in progress. Currently, the odometer reads about 17,000 miles (27,000 km), but the number is gradually increasing.