We aren’t entirely sure if the folks at Land Rover would appreciate this video or not but one thing’s for certain, this Congolese Defender is testament to its sedulous nature. We can’t imagine it’s as plush to drive as its replacement though.
A video posted by Passy on YouTube got us begging the question of whether a hardened 1994 Congolese Defender 300 TDI is good or bad PR for the British overlanding automaker? For the most part, we think it’s actually a good thing and testament to the unrelenting ability of the utilitarian model which spanned production for so many years. Despite its resolute function for almost 3 decades, most of its mechanical components seem to have been improvised and it would by no stretch of the imagination pass a roadworthy test in its current state.
Africa, particularly the lush and unchartered equatorial portions of the continent, is not for the faint hearted. The landscape is a treacherous place that tests the limits of man and machine and this Congolese Defender, with its scathed body and improvised mechanical components, looks like it has seen it all. Wearing Chinese tyres we have never heard of, to an interior with untidy wiring looms exposed behind the dashboard and an engine bay which has less OEM components than an aftermarket parts store.
The bodywork on the Congolese Defender seems as though it has gone under the workmanship of a panel beater more than the kilometres it has travelled but under the bonnet is where things get really interesting. It seems as though the fuel tank has been retrofitted in the engine bay using a large plastic receptacle that had a previous life as a bottle. The model requires a jump start since we can only assume the starter motor was removed after its serviceable life came to an end.
The engine is apparently original though and while idling sounds rough with a veritable metallic twang emanating from the engine, under the load of acceleration, it sounds fairly healthy (considering the alarming state of the engine bay itself).
We highly doubt we will be seeing the latest Defender in such condition after so many years of operation in the harshest conditions in the world so we can only expect that this Congolese Defender 300 TDI will continue being fettled until it really gives up the ghost.
