You and I love the OG Land Rover Defender, especially the short wheelbase version (90). That machine is a legend in itself. What you see here is for sale, and is not the original Defender. This is in fact, a tasteful conversion of a 2001 Force Trax Judo into a Defender look-alike. This example is from Shimoga and has an asking price of 4.85 lakh. The KA Registration is valid till 2026. Insurance is claimed to be valid as well.
As shown in the ad, this is a 2001 Force Trax Judo 4×2. It has been modified to look like the old Defender 90. The Judo is fairly large with a wheelbase of around 3,000 mm. It seems to have been cut short to make it look like the 90 that only had a wheelbase of 2.3 meters. It gets Off-Road Rims with Yokohama 31X10.5 R15 Tubeless Maxis AT Tyres. The vehicle gets a canvas top and a snorkel.
The front fascia looks so much like the OG Defender. The circular headlamps on the square housing, circular indicators, and the large grille with horizontal slats have all been recreated with good attention to detail. The front fender gets turn indicators and a unique mesh insert.
The tail section looks clean. The soft top adds an air of ruggedness to it. The tail lamps seem to have been borrowed from the Hindustan Ambassador.
On the inside, the SUV gets a two-spoke steering wheel and rugged front seats. The rear gets two side-facing bench seats that seem to offer ample cushioning. The pictures also show the engine bay of the vehicle.
The Trax is an MPV lineup built by Force Motors in Pune. At the time when it was launched in India, this company was known by the name ‘Bajaj Tempo’. Thus it would be logical to call it the Tempo Trax as well. There was an SUV version of the Trax, which was called Judo in many markets. In some markets, this was also called Trax Cruiser and Gama.
The Judo was known for its simple ruggedness and tough build. The Force Gurkha that we see today, is a successor to the Judo, which was born later in time. Initially, the Gurkha was aimed at the military segment. The SUV used a Mercedes-Benz-sourced (OM616) 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine.
The Defender is an iconic model from Land Rover. It has had a rich pedigree. The off-roader was originally available in three body styles- 90, 110, and 127. The 90 was the short wheelbase version- perfect for offroading. The wheelbase here was just 2,360 mm. The 110 was the standard wheelbase version, and the 127 was an extended wheelbase version. Later, the 127 evolved into the 130. The OG Defender 90 has a huge fan following across the globe.
When Land Rover resurrected the Defender nameplate in 2019, they chose to keep the variant names unchanged. Thus, today we have the Defender 90, 110 and 130.
Paying homage to its stellar reputation, Land Rover revived the Classic Defender in 2024, as a factory custom built by the Works Bespoke team. Retaining the iconic OG shape and proportions, it had a massive V8 as its powerhouse. Both the 90 and 110 body styles were made. Unlike the OG, these had comfortable cabins with ample tech and features. Icons never come cheap and neither were these…