This is an original Land Rover Perentie from 1989, it’s a version of the 110 Defender that was given a series of major upgrades in-period to make it tougher, more reliable, and better suited to military use with the Australian Armed Forces.
The Perentie has been called one of the toughest Land Rovers ever built, and that’s not hyperbole. It was engineered specifically for use in the Australian Outback as well as in war zones, and so it was tested in deserts, snow-capped mountains, dense tropical jungles, and everywhere else you can imagine.
Fast Facts – The Land Rover Perentie 110
- The Land Rover Perentie, originally built between 1987 and 1990, was an upgraded version of the Defender 110 designed for the Australian Army. It featured a galvanized chassis, a reliable Isuzu 4BD1 diesel engine, and improved durability for extreme environments, making it one of the toughest Land Rovers ever produced.
- Developed under Project Perentie, the 4×4 and 6×6 models included unique modifications like blackout mode, heavy duty suspension, upgraded transmissions, and reinforced differentials. The 6×6 version used a turbocharged engine, rear leaf springs, and an extended chassis to handle military demands.
- Approximately 2,900 Perentie vehicles were built before being replaced by the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and Unimog in Australian military service. Many were later sold to civilians, where they remain prized for their off-road capability and rugged reliability, often used for daily driving and outdoor adventures.
- This 1989 Perentie 4×4, registered in the United States, retains its military camouflage, canvas soft top, and original Isuzu engine. With just 17,000 miles on the odometer, it is now being auctioned in Macon, Georgia, as a rare opportunity to own a piece of Land Rover history.
The Land Rover Perentie: A History Speedrun
The development of the Land Rover Perentie began in the early 1980s to meet the requirements of Project Perentie, an Australian Army tender for a new fleet of both 4×4 and 6×6 vehicles that could withstand the rigors of military use.
Above Video: This short film tells the story of the Land Rover Perentie including both the 4×4 and 6×6 versions.
Four key vehicle types entered the trials, the Jeep AM10, the Mercedes-Benz 300GD, the Unimog, and the locally-built Land Rover Perentie. The Toyota Land Cruiser was then evaluated a couple of years later. Up until this time the Australian Armed Forces had largely used Land Rover vehicles, however the now long-in-the-tooth Series 2A and Series 3 Land Rovers were deemed obsolete and unable to meet future demands.
The project was led by George Fowler of JRA Limited, based in Moorebank, New South Wales. A series of significant changes were made to the Land Rover 110 (later known as the Defender 110), these included a significantly tougher, galvanized chassis, and the fitment of an Isuzu 3.9 liter four-cylinder 4BD1 diesel engine.
This chassis allowed the 4×4 version of the Perentie to be airlifted by helicopter from a single corner with no warping, and the galvanizing made them so rustproof that many are still in regular use today having never needed any welding or remedial work.
The choice of the Isuzu 4BD1 diesel engine came down to the fact that the Land Rover diesel engine that was in production at the time was deemed inefficiently powerful. The 4BD1 unit was developed as a truck engine, it was famous for its high-torque output and its bulletproof reliability – making it ideal for use in a military 4×4.
A slew of other upgrades were made to the Land Rover 110 in order to turn it into a 110 Perentie. The coil spring suspension was lifted 2.5 inches and given new shock absorbers to match. The electrical system was modified for military use, including a “blackout” mode, a full roll structure was added along with a new canvas roof, and it was fitted with an uprated Salisbury 8HA rear differential as well as a tougher Land Rover LT95 4-speed gearbox.
Some of the modifications to the 6×6 version were different to the 4×4 version, it received a different chassis of course as well as the two powered rear axles, rear leaf springs in place of coils, and a turbocharged version of the Isuzu 4BD1 diesel engine was used.
Very few examples of the Land Rover Perentie have made their way out of Australia in private ownership. This example is now based in Georgia where it has been road registered.
In total, JRA Limited would build 2,500 4×4 and 400 6×6 vehicles between 1987 and 1990. A second production run was later commissioned and called Project Bushranger.
The original Land Rover Perenties have now been largely removed from service after decades of use, and replaced by the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and the Unimog – the modern-version of the Defender would be wildly unsuited to military use after all.
Most Perenties have been sold to the general public in Australia, where they’re prized for their off-road ability. Some use them as daily drivers, and they’re a common sight on off-road trails, remote fishing spots, and 4×4 shows.
Interestingly, the name Perentie was chosen in the original Australian Army tender as a reference to the Perentie goanna, the largest lizard in Australia and a creature known for its ability to survive through tough conditions.
The Land Rover Perentie 110 Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is one of very few examples of the Land Rover Perentie that have been exported to the United States and registered for road use. It’s a 1989 4×4 model, and as you would expect it has the correct galvanized chassis, uprated transmission and axle, and that Isuzu 4BD1 diesel engine.
The Perentie is famous in Australia for its toughness and for its ability to go anywhere and get back again.
This Perentie still carries its camouflage paintwork and matching green canvas soft top, along with green steel wheels, front bull bar, and external equipment racks. It has 28,000 kms or 17,000 miles showing on the odometer, and it has twin front bucket seats.
It’s now being sold out of Macon, Georgia on Bring a Trailer at no reserve with a clean Georgia title. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
*Editor’s Note: Due to a scheduling error we missed the auction on this one by a couple of days. The vehicle sold for $23,500 USD.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
