1997 Land Rover Defender 90 NAS

Why I bought it

Ever since I was a young boy matriculating further into my passion for cars, I wanted a Defender NAS. Something about that classic, boxy, utilitarian silhouette just did it for me. Everything you need and nothing that you don’t. In a world of iPads stuck to dashes, speed warnings, lane keep assist, and the rest of today’s nonsense, there is nothing more refreshing than getting into this back to basics characterful British rig. This particular NAS (North American Specification) is quite interesting as unbeknownst to me until researching these to buy—and probably many others— a number of NAS chassis were actually shipped and sold to Japan in lieu of the US market following the 1997 legislation change mandating airbags. The change meant of course, unless Land Rover completely overhauled Defender at the time, that the trucks as produced and slated for the US market had to be diverted elsewhere for sale. This was one of those Defenders, a 90/SWB, chassis 041 (number 41 brought into Japan originally). Japanese NAS Defenders carry a ROW VIN and US VIN and share the same specifications as US spec examples. Roughly 7000 NAS Defenders were produced in total between 1994 and 1997, and there are approximately 500 Japanese NAS 90s in existence.

Previous owners

First owner in Japan, imported to the US in the fall of 2025.

Restoration story

Professionally repainted to OEM Beluga Black in Japan from the original exterior color of Alpine White.

1997 Land Rover Defender 90 NAS

Gallery

Specifications

The car's story

Why I bought it

Previous owners

Restoration story

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