 | Home > My Defender > Defender "County Hard Tops". |
 
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| Slideywindows Member Since: 09 Sep 2016 Location: North Essex Posts: 1286  
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I have an interest in the early Hard Top "County" variant of the 300Tdi Defender.
Have been trying to establish when they were first offered by the factory. I'd thought it was for 1997 model-year, but is was clearly earlier as I've been keeping an eye out for them on eBay, and seen a couple of earlier ones, including this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-rover-defe...rk:23:pf:0 I've only seen two others, and both have been altered/modified. If anyone owns a County Hard Top of this era, or has photos of them, please put them on here. I don't expect many because they don't seem too common.  Click image to enlarge Am also interested in what was the full list of "extras" specified for the County. Finally, James Taylor suggests they should be shod with Freestyle alloys but the ones I've seen, including mine, all had Boost alloys. So this thread is for anyone interested in these vehicles - and hopefully the thread title will come up if someone searches for them on here in the future. And yes, I realise that I might find myself talking only to myself!  |
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12th Jan 2019 9:30pm |
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| JOW240725 Member Since: 04 May 2015 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7907  
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I can't contribute but I'll happily listen in
 James
MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641 MY1984 90 V8 Slate Grey - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post744557.html#744557 Instagram @suffolk_rovers |
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12th Jan 2019 9:44pm |
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| JOW240725 Member Since: 04 May 2015 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7907
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Would this suggest 95-96?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Defe...SwA~VaCai8 James MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641 MY1984 90 V8 Slate Grey - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post744557.html#744557 Instagram @suffolk_rovers |
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12th Jan 2019 9:50pm |
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| Outlaw1 Member Since: 11 Aug 2016 Location: east sussex Posts: 268 
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Hi slidy I have a 1998 300 tdi 90 hardtop county and although not fitted came with original freestyle wheels Unsure of correct colour perhaps venetian red .
If i can work it out i'll put a couple of photos up What have you found out about what was inclusive in the county pack ? Alpine windows Rear roof lining Checker plate wing top and sill ? Cloth seat covering instead of vinyl ? |
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12th Jan 2019 10:10pm |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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Obviously modified but this one has the correct wheels:
This one looks more original: Click image to enlarge I'd always assumed that particular spec came in with the 300tdi engine. Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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12th Jan 2019 10:15pm |
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| Oldowner Member Since: 26 Dec 2018 Location: South west Posts: 625 
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Standard spec for the county hardtop was sunroof, alpine windows, full length headlining. Heated rear window with wiper, factory fitted radio cassette / dash speakers. Three front seats in moorland tweed trim (later Rayleigh trim). Standard rubber gearbox/ tunnels mats, only the county Station wagon had the carpeted tunnel etc.
Exterior metallic paint with colour coded wheel arches (I think colour coded roof was optional), Defender decals with “county”. All windows had the “county” green tint as standard. I think the folding side steps were standard too but was a long time ago! James Taylor is wrong about the wheels - White Rostyles were standard fitment wheel with 205 tyres, freestyle alloys optional extra but vast majority seemed to have them. Boost alloy didn’t come out until approx 1998 (was two tone graphite / silver) and only then the fitted to very late 300tdi discoverys, didn’t become a standard defender fitment until a few years later. I always thought that the county 90 Epsom green/freestyles/white roof looked great, I had one in 96. Ps The county hardtop actually came out end of 200tdi from memory - 93?? Hence the rostyle wheels. |
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13th Jan 2019 1:12am |
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| JeremyJ Member Since: 16 Nov 2011 Location: Aylesbury Posts: 1758
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As above spot on!
My mum had an early 300 County Hard Top, had steel wheels with Michelin XS tyres on it as a build option. May have a photo somewhere, was M486UTM |
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13th Jan 2019 5:53am |
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| Grouse Member Since: 16 Apr 2012 Location: on the hill Posts: 521 |
Although not an official branded County, a 90 hard top could be ordered from launch in 1984 with most of the County features (County seats in Houndstooth Check, rear wash wipe / heated rear screen, Alpines, 205/80/16 radials on 6x16 steels etc etc). You could have most of the County features available at the time but in a hard top configuration. It just didn’t have the County name. I specified this on a new LR 90 bought new in Feb 85.
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13th Jan 2019 6:56am |
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| Oldowner Member Since: 26 Dec 2018 Location: South west Posts: 625
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... I almost forgot - you got an analogue clock in the unused dial space in the dash too!
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13th Jan 2019 8:39am |
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| Mike c Member Since: 11 Aug 2017 Location: Maldon, Essex Posts: 930 
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These pictures remind me of my first Defender, a 1994 90 300tdi csw in Epsom green
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13th Jan 2019 11:05am |
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| Lodelaner Member Since: 04 Feb 2010 Location: Lambourn Posts: 633 
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Agreed! To help date the car in the pics I have P442 NAB (an ex-LR owned car) which was registered 26th Sept 1996. JB @Lodelaner Instagram Youtube greenlaning and other LR related content |
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13th Jan 2019 11:24am |
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| Slideywindows Member Since: 09 Sep 2016 Location: North Essex Posts: 1286
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Interesting replies, thank ypu very much.
May I comment as folllows: I knew that you could order County "extras" from the beginning of coil-spring production, eg. the earliest One Ten price list had various Option Packs. I am trying to establish the point in time when someone in Marketing thought "We should offer a utility Land Rover with line-built County bling" (or words to that effect) and I have now found, in another of JT's books that the County HT was indeed introduced at the end of 200Tdi production, for the 1993 model year. Sadly there are few details of the actual extras included, apart from County seats and body-coloured wheelarch eyebrows. Thank you Oldowner for your list of standard extras for the 300Tdi version, which is quite comprehensive. However, perhaps I should also add: a second interior light, operated by the rear door; two grab handles above the rear door; rear wash as well as wipe; three fold-up steps and front mud flaps. My own CHT has grey Twill vynil seats rather than County cloth seats, which is strange as nothing else seems to have been altered. Metallic paint? Do the County HT's in the photos above have metallic paint? Always learning..... |
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13th Jan 2019 11:30am |
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| Slideywindows Member Since: 09 Sep 2016 Location: North Essex Posts: 1286
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Widget, is yours a Station Wagon or Hard Top? The Brochure hard top P404 NAB also appears in James Taylor's book. It is accompanied by a County Station Wagon, P136 NAB. They were LR publicity vehicles so yours may have been as well.. |
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13th Jan 2019 11:35am |
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| Oldowner Member Since: 26 Dec 2018 Location: South west Posts: 625
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Yes, both of them. Epsom green metallic most popular. That blue was quite rare, there was a lighter blue too and Rioja red. I think a few were Ardennes metallic green. I expect any of the disco 300tdi colours could be ordered. I don’t think standard basic hardtop were available in metallic colours until 04/05 - they still retained the white roof through Puma production until quite near the end I think - but to my eyes the standard plain roof without alpines looks wrong in any colour other than white. |
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13th Jan 2019 1:18pm |
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