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JimC

Member Since: 22 Jan 2011
Location: NOVA
Posts: 164

2007 Defender 130 300 Tdi HCPU Arles Blue

Defender: the Moscow Years

By request, here is an account of the year I spent in Moscow driving around my 94 NAS Defender 90 with the 3.9 litre V8. Petrol was pretty cheap in Russia at the time. It didn’t matter much because even on a busy day I might drive 12 miles, so that’s only a gallon or so.

Here’s shots of “Yeastie” sitting on the street after she was cleared by customs. This was October-ish of 07.

There were lots of Defenders in Moscow, many with hideous murals gracing the bodywork. There were also some interesting non-defenders.

Click image to enlarge

Soon after I got myself settled in my apartment, someone showed up with this highly-kitted-out 90. It never moved the entire time I lived there and I never met or saw the owner.

I was hoping to get around the country more but the Russians restricted my travel quite badly. The furthest I got out of town was the battlefield at Borodino- to show my enthusiasm, I parked on it. The diorama was more illustrative of the action than the actual field. Also a train pic.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

For those interested, here are some pix of how a NAS 90 is set up with. The fiberglass top. Yeastie had a series-style fuller added in a slap-dash fashion. This was not my work. As can be seen, the GRP top fits just outside the rubber-clad cage, but it is weak around the seams and penetrations. The 93 NAS 110s and the 94 NAS 90s has these square-style trailer lights by Rubbolite. The were replaced in 95 and 97 by the more well-known round 95mm Perei lights. Ironically, the Rubbolites were very good and weatherproof, and the Perei units leaked badly and required frequent repair.

This is my cat.

A friend and I would sometimes go dogging. In the sense of walking her dogs, not in the sense of activities sometimes pursued at British truckstops.

This was in Tbilisi, Georgia. It is conspicuously not a Defender.

This wa sin Uzbekistan. Also not a Defender.

Oh look, a typical Moscow traffic snarl, what could it be? Oh flaming car, nothing to see here.

On one of my last days in Russia, I got up at 4 in the morning so that I could run around and take pictures without the impediment of typical Moscow traffic. These pics were all taken before 5 am with the help of 20 hours of daylight in August.

Click image to enlarge

Bonus spotting: Maybach taxi

This wa Yeastie departing when I finally sold her back in the US. Big mistake, should have kep my loyal steed!

24th Oct 2019 1:56am

Supacat

Member Since: 16 Oct 2012
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 11018

2013 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS DCPU Keswick Green

Really excellent.

Is there any significance to your number plates being red?

24th Oct 2019 5:42am

williamthedog

Member Since: 29 Dec 2012
Location: south wales
Posts: 3441

Good pictures, is that a pimped up lada niva?

24th Oct 2019 5:46am

Grenadier

Member Since: 23 Jul 2014
Location: The foot of Mont Blanc...
Posts: 5829

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Corris Grey

Great photos

Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey

24th Oct 2019 5:59am

excossack

Member Since: 22 Feb 2012
Location: North West
Posts: 5850

1999 Defender 110 Td5 SW Caledonian Blue

Nice Lada Niva Marsh 1999 Defender TD5 110

Regards
John M0VAZ
Econet Station 48 no clock

24th Oct 2019 7:08am

discomog

Member Since: 09 May 2015
Location: Notts/Lincs Border
Posts: 2529

2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Santorini Black

Thanks for sharing your photos of your time in Russia. Defender 90XS SW
Mini Countryman Cooper S
Morgan Plus 8

24th Oct 2019 7:16am

Yulong

Member Since: 18 Nov 2017
Location: Aberdeen
Posts: 110

Ochen horosho, spasibo bolshoi!

24th Oct 2019 7:35pm

LandRoverAnorak

Member Since: 17 Jul 2011
Location: Surrey
Posts: 11324

They are great pics - thanks for sharing.

The 90 looks tiny behind that pick-up! 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

24th Oct 2019 9:13pm

L110CDL

Member Since: 31 Oct 2015
Location: Devon
Posts: 10782

Nice pics there, many thanks

1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.

Keeper.

Clayton.

25th Oct 2019 7:25pm

JimC

Member Since: 22 Jan 2011
Location: NOVA
Posts: 164

Red plates are diplomatic. The white ones in later pictures are just temp plates before shipping.

The mud-bog Lada Niva looks like it would have snapped axles like it was its job. Not sure what it was running.

The Dodge pickup was over 21 feet long, the 90 was the length of the engine and cab area...

Good times!

25th Oct 2019 9:11pm

JimC

Member Since: 22 Jan 2011
Location: NOVA
Posts: 164

Yulong wrote:
Ochen horosho, spasibo bolshoi!

Konechno, ne za shto

25th Oct 2019 9:12pm

keith

Member Since: 15 Aug 2012
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 2214

Jimc
Thanks for good pics. I'm in Moscow a lot as the Mrs is Russian..
there's a surprising amount of LRs in Moscow.

25th Oct 2019 10:17pm

Supacat

Member Since: 16 Oct 2012
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 11018

Keith ~ you need to keep the thread alive with any photos of worthy Landrovers on your successive visits?

26th Oct 2019 5:28am

DSC-off

Member Since: 16 Oct 2014
Location: North East
Posts: 1428

2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Aintree Green

Great pictures and story, thanks for sharing.
For many of us the NAS 90 was the ultimate defender for years. I remember seeing one a blue one in Banff, Canada in 1996. Got really excited and had to have my photo taken with it!

26th Oct 2019 8:42pm

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