The Land Rover Defender that ran the length of the Camel Trophy rally track across Tanzania and Burundi back in 1991 fetched $127,000 at an auction despite being a comm car, rather than a racer.
The SUV is in authentic condition with a yellow exterior, a bull bar, limb risers (a.k.a. branch deflectors), a roof rack, auxiliary lighting, a winch, a snorkel and a host of other overlanding gear.
After completing the entire rally course, the off-roader starred in multiple events across Europe, was used as an educational car for off-road driving enthusiasts and only made it into the United Sates in 2021. The seller took care to carry out a complete overhaul and maintenance on it, replacing many suspension components before the auction.
Despite the alleged full makeover, there is no hiding the signs of age on the veteran Land Rover. The photos expose rust and all kinds of other defects both outside and inside the cabin. Some of it is due to the fact that the car actually overturned during Camel Trophy and had to undergo serious repairs. The seller admitted that one of the power windows and the rear-glass washer still did not work.
Powering the beat-up rarity is a stock 2.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The odometer shows around 300,000 kilometers (~186,000 miles) of use, but the real mileage remains a mystery.