Land Rover V8 110 county 

One of my favourite Land Rover configurations: the County 110 V8.

Before the Defender name arrived, this was Land Rover’s flagship, a 110 Station Wagon powered by the legendary 3.5L Rover V8, paired with a five-speed gearbox and permanent four-wheel drive.

Comfortable by 1980s standards, yet still unmistakably mechanical, raw and built to last. Even today, it feels effortlessly cool.

Core Spec

• Arles Blue
• Custom Cognac leather
• Harris Tweed headlining
• PROJECT 88 removable steering wheel
• Mud Terrain tyres and Wolf wheels
• Upgraded steering, suspension and brakes

Further customistion available on this vehicle 

• Fully professionally repainted at a cost to us of £17,000 (that’s paint alone)
• Complete custom leather interior
• Full underside rebuild with new upgraded suspension, brakes and steering

Purchased as a half-completed restoration last year, this became my daily driver over the summer and drove brilliantly.

We’ve since taken this unfinished restoration to the next level. The previous owner had already carried out extensive engine and gearbox work, so it runs and drives superbly.

I’ve documented the work we’ve completed below.

Bodywork & Paint

• New roof
• New doors
• New side windows
• New sills
• New floor panels
• New front wings
• New front bumper
• Professional paint — (£17,000 in paint alone)

Interior — Fully Retrimmed

• Complete custom leather interior
• Custom carpet with leather edging
• Trimmed door cards
• Custom Harris Tweed headlining
• New door handles
• Full sound deadening

Suspension

• Underside steam cleaned, detailed and chassis painted, with new nuts, bolts and hardware
• ‘Live’ −1 comfort springs
• New shock absorbers
• Vented disc brake and pad upgrade
• New anti-roll bar and bushes
• All new bushes throughout
• New towing eyes
• Front bumper
• Bumper fitting kit
• Front spring plate
• Rear spring plate
• Front spring retainer
• Rear spring retainer
• Spring fixing nuts (full set of 16)
• Radius arm bushes
• Trailing arm bush
• Anti-roll bar bush
• ARB bracket
• Rear drop links (genuine spec, part no. NTC1888)
• Drop link shoulder bolts
• Drop link washers
• Drop link nuts
• Suspension washer set
• Shims

Steering

• Steering damper
• Steering turret ring

Brakes

• Front brake discs (upgraded, vented)
• Front brake caliper, right-hand
• Front brake caliper, left-hand
• Pad retainer

Axles & Driveline

• Swivel fill plug
• Sull service
• Differential plugs

Electrical & Lighting

• Headlights
• Headlight bowl
• Light surrounds
• Side repeaters
• Horn
• Switch panel
• Interior light switch
• Rear heated screen switch
• Fuel tank sender (part no. STC1482)

Wipers & Washers

• Wiper boxes (part no. DKU500010G)
• Wiper spindle grommets
• Front washer jet

Exhaust & Fuel

• Rear silencer (backbox)
• Exhaust mounting rubbers (x2)
• Exhaust olive
• Fuel filler cap

Body & Exterior

• Sunroof
• Rear sliding windows
• Front grill (premium unit)
• Right-hand grill panel
• Grill bracket
• Top vent
• Top vent seal
• Vent flap seals
• Rear door hinge kit
• Bonnet hook
• Bonnet prop
• Bonnet cable clip
• Wheel arch clips
• Right-hand finisher
• Striker covers, left and right

Interior

• Dash binnacle and mount
• Steering column shroud
• Handbrake gaiter
• Gearstick gaiter
• Ashtray
• Door handle surrounds (x4, left and right)
• Window winder handles (set of four)
• Door card fasteners
• Accelerator pedal rubber
• Brake & clutch pedal rubbers

Each PROJECT 88 is MOT-exempt, ULEZ-compliant, and tax-exempt. Interest in these cars grows exponentially year on year, which supports their capital appreciation. A wider market and the limited availability of good cars should ensure a safe bet for your money. Certainly more fun than wine, property, or gold… OK, maybe wine can be fun too.

If you’ve always fancied a mechanically sorted, über-cool looking Land Rover that you can just jump in and go anywhere with the biggest grin, then a Project 88 is the perfect addition to your family