1997 Land Rover Wolf XD Remus Defender 90

Asking Price: $56,000
Location: Middletown, Connecticut
Mileage: 10600
Title Status: Clean

Seller’s Description: Left Hand Drive 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 Wolf, 300TDI,Ex MOD genuine XD-WOLF TUL FFR Hard Top REMUS upgrade, 300TDI 4 cyl. diesel, 5 Speed manual R380 transmission. 17,050 kilometers = 10,600 Miles. These XD-WOLF Defenders were built by Land Rover exclusively for the Ministry Of Defense are often referred to as Defenders on Steroids. The Wolf was built to a far superior standard than the civilian Defender with a much stronger reinforced chassis, better tub support, stronger upgraded 300tdi engine, with 24volt dual alternator and 4 wheel disk brakes.

Struck by the simplicity of the American Willys Jeep, the Brits set out to build their own version, using hand formed aluminum instead of steel, they created the Land Rover. Move 40 years into the future and you have the Defender 90.

The Wolf is the military extension of that.

This Wolf XD (Extra Duty) TUL(Truck Utility Light weight 90”) is 1 of 686 Land Rover Defender Wolf FFRs (Fit For Radio) with the Remus upgrade, a total of 1411 Defender 90 Wolfs were made in total. This is one of just 83 made in Left Hand Drive mode.

The Wolf XD was created when the MOD (Ministry Of Defense )rejected the current LR Defender for the military, a new upgraded version was created it was tested, rejected, upgraded again and tested again before it met MoD stringent new battlefield standards. It is far stronger and more reliable than the civilian Land Rover Defender on which it was based. After being subjected to extensive and rigorous trialing in order to ensure that it can meet the high standards of reliability which was essential for operational military vehicles, 8,000 vehicles were ordered.

When the Wolf was designed the engine in the civilian Defenders was the Td5. The Ministry of Defense preferred the 300Tdi for the Wolf because the electronics in the Td5 were more complex to manage in the field. The upgraded Gemini 3 diesel engine 300 TDI was much faster than the MOD previous model, it breathed through dust extractor filters mounted on the front wings . Heavy duty clutches are used on the R380 gear box, oil coolers were added and front and rear disc brakes , power assisted steering, and steering protection was added. The Bulk head was reinforced, stronger sills and top rails were used, the radiator surround frame was beefed up. Greater lateral reinforcements were used to increase the payload by 20% . Spring and shocks were upgraded.

A single piece fiberglass roof was created to make it far simpler to remove over the raised height of the roll bars than the Defender aluminum roof and adding more space.

Side-mounted spare wheel was created because everywhere else it was mounted the spare wheel caused the mountings to break and it was too heavy for the bonnet. There are 3 versions of mounting, soft top, hard top and quick release.

The chassis is considerably different in design to the standard Defender chassis even though it looks similar. The side walls are standard, most of the rest is bespoke. The additional rear load bed mounting was to take increased weights as the standard chassis kept punching big dents in the rear floor.

The chassis and bulk heads on all Wolf Remus are sprayed internally with Dinitrol rust proofing. Wolfs are equipped with a steering guard, to offer improved cross-country capability. A rear body roll cage was fitted and Remus Wolfs were upgraded with an extra front roll cage.

To reduce noise and heat from the transmission in compliance with health and safety rules a special heavy duty matting system was designed for the Wolf by ‘Wright Off-Road’. These mats weigh about 30 kg, and consist of mats to cover the footwells and transmission tunnel , bulk head and seat box. As an FFR it also carries a radiation insulation inside the roof to protect the radio signals.

They found the rear of the 90 too small (compared to the 110 FFR’s) once all the large radio equipment was installed in the back and most were placed in reserve (leading to extremely low use ) It is believed this one sat in Germany for many years before getting brought to the US by the current owner, hence the very low miles.

Near bullet proof Dive train, The Wolf XD Remus is designed to last. Exmoor Trim front seats ,Mill speck 2 piece doors with removable door tops, map reading light, heavy duty acoustic and insulating matting , 1 piece fiberglass hard top with radiation insulation lining ,full length front and rear Heavy Duty roll cage, 24 volt quick charge USB sockets, Gun racks, fire extinguisher mount, LT230 Transfer case with High , Low range and center differential lock, 16″ GENUINE XD-WOLF wheels, side mounted spare (can be bonnet mounted as well) rear cross member bumperettes, military NATO tow wiring and Pintle hitch, military heavy duty front bumper with recovery point front light guards, pioneer tool kit, XD-WOLF raised air intake/ snorkel, front wing Wolf side dust extractor air intake ,interior, chassis doors and bulk had are totally corrosion free, with the Remus upgrade which includes extra front roll over protection, added vibration acoustic matting and wax injection to chassis/bulkhead and under seal of chassis.

This Wolf has some wear from sitting stagnant in Germany, both inside and outside, so she’s not perfect and she was driven roughly 10,000 miles in conditions unknown to us, but probably not that kind.

There are some areas of some minor bi-metal corrosion and there are some chips in the paint, but if you’re looking for a Rover that will put all the other Defenders to shame, this is your pick. It is stronger than a civi D90 in every way.

The asking price on this rare Wolf (1 of only 83 Left Hand Drive units produced) is $56,000

Any questions, for several hundred additional photos and video, to schedule a time to see her in person or to make an offer, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thanks for the interest!