Came out of my hotel to find this

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
03/19/2016 at 10:11 • Filed to: None

Fresh from customs rocking European plates and American in-transits. Awesome. Edit: Apparently this is a Spanish built “Defender” made as a Santana.

DISCUSSION (19)

AuthiCooper1300 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 10:24

Don’t let that front badge fool you...

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > AuthiCooper1300
03/19/2016 at 10:25

Huh?

duurtlang > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 10:29

Spanish plate. That explains the LHD and lack of rust.

Jack Does Cars > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 10:30

While I’m not exactly sure what he/she is referring to, my guess is that because it is not a, “real,” 110 but rather a Spanish built Santana 110 and that the Land Rover badge could fool you. But I am probably wrong.

AuthiCooper1300 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 10:33

It is a Spanish Santana. Obviously based on the former S3 Land Rover, but further developed after Santana and Land Rover parted company.

These have front disc brakes, parabolic leaf springs, the engines were a bit bigger...

It’s most likely either a 2500 DL (four-cylinder diesel) or 3500 DL (six-cylinder diesel).

The Union Jack at the back and the reg plate indicate it probably was owned by a British expat in the Malaga area. May have gone at some stage back to Blighty and “acquired” the LR badge.

Not a specialist on Santanas by any means but I think my assesment is almost 100% correct.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 10:34

Kinja'd!!!

It looks to be a Santana built Land Rover, judging by the lights, the grill and the front rims. Santana built these under a licence as complete knockdown kits in Spain, however started upgrading them with other suspension parts and other engines. This being a Santana is kinda logical seeing it has a Spanish plate on the back.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > AuthiCooper1300
03/19/2016 at 10:37

You’re not wrong, the front wings and rear light clusters give it away immediately.

AuthiCooper1300 > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
03/19/2016 at 10:44

What you say is mostly correct, but... the CKD/SKD era lasted very little. A couple of years max!

Santana started deviating from LR with the development of a six-cylinder engine (based on LR’s four) that ended up being better than LR’s new six (or so they say).

After 1983 the licensing agreement with LR ended and development was exclusively by Santana themselves. So this car and the one in your picture are “Santanas” and not Land Rovers.

Some LR “Series” fans say these Santanas are a great improvement on the S3. Obviously those are the same people who think that coil springs are for wimps (although it is true that their parabolic leaf springs are a big improvement on Solihull’s quarter-elliptic ones)

AuthiCooper1300 > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
03/19/2016 at 10:49

Also: the sculpted bonnet (sorry, “hood”), the single-piece windscreen, the GRP roof panel, grille. Rear wheels could be early LR Santana or LR, front wheels decidedly Santana (remember they had disc brakes, so had cutouts to aid cooling).

Also these Santanas look a bit like a corresponding 90/110 in Land Rover, but the centre of the front spats and the centre of the wheel do not quite coincide - as if the chassis had moved forwards a inch or so. Not easy to see in these pictures though.

AuthiCooper1300 > duurtlang
03/19/2016 at 10:51

Indeed. Particularly coming from that province.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > AuthiCooper1300
03/19/2016 at 10:55

Actually the bonnet and single piece windscreen are 90/110/Defender parts, but I agree with the roof and wheels. The rear wheels are the old style Land Rover tube profile wheels, used on SII upto early 90/110s

shift monkey > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 11:03

you don’t happen to be in Southern VA do you? Japanese Classics in Richmond also imports these older European classics through Valencia Classic Vehicles.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > shift monkey
03/19/2016 at 11:05

Nowhere near there, sorry.

AuthiCooper1300 > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
03/19/2016 at 11:07

I think bonnet and single-piece windscreen are slightly different in LRs and Santanas. The sculpted bonnet is a 90/110 part, and by that time Santana and LR were not bound by any licensing.

Also Santana started fitting single-piece windscreens with the ‘82 Cazorla 6-Cyl variant, which also had horrible rectangular headlamps similar to the ones fitted to certain Mk1 Escorts.

Indeed, those rear wheels must be from the Santana “LR” era, or proper LR wheels fitted at a much later date.

AuthiCooper1300 > Jack Does Cars
03/19/2016 at 11:21

Except the Santana 2000 and early Forward Controls, all LR-derived vehicles by Santana are based on the usual Series 2/3 leaf sprung chassis so either 88" or 109".

Defenders (and non-Defender 90/110/127-130) have coil springs.

Therefore it is not a “110" variant.

Oh, I am a “he”.

Cé hé sin > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 11:50

I occasionally see a Santana but it’s a bit less LR than that one.

shop-teacher > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 12:13

Cool!

Liam Farrell > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/19/2016 at 12:50

Those would be more like a series 4 Land Rover. They weren't very good. Up until 1968 the Santana and regular Land Rover were the same. But past that they got more and more different. My 1971 Santana doesn't really have that much different other than mirrors, black out switches and other little things.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > AuthiCooper1300
03/19/2016 at 17:29

If you zoom in on the back there’s a 2500DL badge on the rear, so you are 100% correct.