2001 Land Rover Defender 110 Tomb Raider

Lots of famous folk have driven Land Rovers over the years – from Fidel Castro to Queen Elizabeth II. But when it comes to glamorous we reckon Angeline Jolie heads the Defender pack. Playing explorer Lara Croft in the 2001 movie Tomb Raider, itself a spin off from a 1996 video game, Jolie’s choice of vehicle to tackle the South American jungle was a Defender Td5, specially kitted out for her trip.

Lara Croft gets to plow through some movie magic terrain in a special Defender 90. Obviously people slightly less glamorous than the movie star wanted a piece of the action and Land Rover obliged – but only for a select group of lucky buyers, as the British firm produced just 250 Tomb Raider Limited Edition Defender 90s or Defender 110 Double Cabs.

The limited edition D110s, like this example, came exclusively in Bonatti Grey, and have diamond-plate protection, a roof rack, alloy wheels, off-road spot lights, a rear step, rock sliders, and specially commissioned fabric seat covers. Aside from the burly Td5 turbodiesel with its common rail injection system, the limited edition vehicles got traction control, four-pin locking differentials, coil-sprung suspension and ventilated front disc brakes.

Other off-road accessories include a roll cage, a detachable winch with front and rear mounting points and in-board stowage, long-range fuel tanks, GPS, skid plates to protect the engine, recovery hooks, an off-road recovery kit, and a fire extinguisher.

This Tomb Raider special edition looks fantastic as it’s just been freshly repainted and cosmetically refreshed. It’s been well maintained mechanically and with a youthful 168k miles it’s still running very well. The owner says it has been utterly reliable as well as a lot of fun. Now it’s ready for its next adventure – will it be with you?

The first thing you notice about the 110 Defender is that the paintwork is very good indeed. The recent respray has been carried out to a high standard, and the bodyshop obviously removed the doors, took all the aluminium chequer plate parts off and did a thorough job. Land Rovers never had the straightest of panels when new, but this one is as good as we’ve seen in this respect.

It looks like new door rubbers have been fitted during the bodywork refresh too, as they look very clean and undamaged. Of course, the downside to respraying any vehicle is that the fresh paintwork can make other imperfections stand out, and this Defender is no exception. You notice the rusty fastenings holding the exterior roll over cage on, for instance.

However, these are minor points and a new set of bolts would be cheap to buy and easy to fit. As would the rear canvas hood section which, although intact, looks tired next to that fresh paint. The body coloured wheels don’t look as though they’ve been refinished and aren’t perfect, but equally there doesn’t appear to be any kerb damage and they’re in good condition, although the tyres, which are still road legal, will probably need replacing within the next few thousand miles.

The powered winch sits proudly on the front bumper ready to haul you, Lara or anyone else in the vehicle out of a swamp, or any other sticky situation. The aluminium chequer plate that features heavily on the vehicle is also in very good order.

All in all the overall impression is of a very smart, straight and shiny Defender which could be really special with a little time and effort from the next enthusiastic owner.

Like the outside, the interior of this Land Rover wears its years very well. The most obvious fault is a split in the upright section of the driver’s seat, but overall the cabin is in very good shape. The rear seats don’t look to have seen much use at all – I guess Lara travels light.

The original Land Rover branded stereo cassette player still sits in its place in the dashboard, which might not be the hight of hi fi sound, but original details like this are important on a classic vehicle – especially one as rare as this one.

The driver’s door card has a few dings and dents, but it’s a standard Defender part so easily replaced should the new owner wish to titillate the interior. And apart from that there’s little to say that the pictures can’t tell you – overall the interior is in very good shape, and with a little time and effort it could easily be superb.

The Td5 engine is covered with a large slab of plastic, and there really isn’t a lot to see under a diesel Defender’s bonnet. However, everything looks standard, which is a good thing as Land Rovers get heavily modified in all sorts of ways, not all of them good. It’s a little scruffy here and there, with the odd corroded bracket, but generally very tidy.

The engine starts and runs as it should, and once warmed up there’s no visible smoke from the exhaust.

The great thing about inspecting a Land Rover as opposed to say, a Porsche 911, is that it’s really easy to have a good look underneath. This one looks very sound to us too, with a good lashing of rust preventative underseal covering the chassis. There’s evidence of a slight engine oil leak towards the front, but nothing major.

We didn’t spot any evidence of welded repairs to the chassis and the all-important rear crossmember looks good too.

First registered on October 30th 2001, this Defender comes with a service history book that’s stamped by Land Rover up until 128,000 miles, after which independent specialists were used to maintain the vehicle. The V5 states it as having had seven former keepers.

With a production run spanning an epoch making 68 years, it’s not often one gets the chance to describe a Land Rover as rare, but in this case it’s true. Only 250 of these Tomb Raider Limited Edition Defenders were built, so they don’t come up for sale very often. And this is a good solid one too. Fancy a trip into the South American jungle? We can help with that, but sadly we’re unlikely to be able to persuade Lara to come with you.

We estimate this vehicle between £19,000 - £29,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.