Witham's latest auction comprises more than 50 Land Rover-related lots, which are being added to their catalogue daily. Current highlights include Wolf-spec recovery equipment, a recon Series 2.25-litre petrol engine, various aluminium storage boxes, traction mats, and gear that will appeal primarily to ex-military Land Rover owners – such as radio antennas.
Among the Land Rover vehicles for auction are two Wolf Defenders (90 and 110), a Wolf Scout 110, an unused LHD Discovery Sport, and …
Snatch Defender 110s
Withams’ catalogue includes two Snatch Defender 110s: a 2A (lot 446) and a 2B (lot 481).
Snatch Defenders were developed for Northern Ireland, and use the heavy duty chassis that underpins Wolf Defenders. Early variants, known as Snatch 1s, had Rover V8 engines, but many were later retrofitted with Tdis to create Snatch 2 spec. The 2A variant is a right-hand drive ‘Rest of World’ vehicle, whereas the 2B (also right-hand drive) was made for Northern Ireland. (They don’t have much sand over there – hence the lack of desert camo…)
The Snatch 2A is a 1992 model with 14,000km recorded, and the 2B is from 1993 and has 35,700km. Neither has a warranty, but their outward condition looks good.
1994 Defender 110 RWMIK+
RWMIK stands for Revised Weapons Mounted Installation Kit. These Defenders were designed to carry three people – commander, gunner and driver – and carry a range of weapons including a heavy machine gun and grenade machine gun. The ‘Plus’ variant was uprated to 4.7 tonnes GVW, including armoured body panels to protect against IEDs and rocket launchers. Power comes from a 2.8-litre Tdi engine via an automatic transmission, with locking diffs in both front and rear axles.
The MoD recently pledged 100 of these Defenders to the Lebanese Armed Forces, at a cost of over £1.5 million (over £150,000 each) according to the UK Defence Journal.
This particular RWMIK+ Defender (lot 520) has only 3500 miles on the clock, and first saw service in February 1994. It’s untested by Withams, but judging from the photos, its condition looks impressive.
1990 Tithonus Defender 110
The MOD’s ‘Project Tithonus’ involved revamping its ageing fleet of pre-Wolf Defenders to squeeze more than 30 years of service life out of them. Since this one has just passed its 30th birthday, it seems to have worked!
Tithonus Defenders can be distinguished by their fibreglass rear body (although they also had soft-tops) and external roll cage. They received a light mechanical overhaul and rustproofing, but no mechanical upgrades.
This example has a reconditioned 2.5 N/A diesel engine, and an LT77 manual transmission. It entered service in December 1990, has 87,300kms recorded, and is described as ‘on the button’.
All the items are in Lincolnshire at Withams’ premises. To bid, you will need to be pre-registered. Each lot has a different finish time – they do not all come off on the same day – and note that there will be charges and tax to pay on top of your winning bid.
Full details are on Witham’s website.