Boring Freelander 2 stuff

[Bazzworx]

Derr... nice as that is, the 300Tdi wasn't fitted till 1994; the 40 year tax and MOT exemption only applies to unmodified vehicles as far as I'm aware

I hope I'm wrong.

Historic (classic) vehicles: MOT and vehicle tax

Vehicle tax exemptions and MOT exemptions for vehicles built or first registered before 1986.

www.gov.uk

It depends if it's classed as a substantial change which based on other 90 and 110 conversions that went from Td to Tdi I know of it doesn't affect it. One I do know that was converted from V8 to Tdi that wasn't allowed to be exempt due to the change of the number of cylinders.

 

[Broch]

Mmm... OK, but, a 90/110 is treated like any other car and the Government website specifically uses an engine change as an example of substantial change (however, there are loop-holes as to what constitutes an engine change).

The full rules are here:

Historic (classic) vehicles: MOT exemption criteria

www.gov.uk

You can get away with it if the new engine is a modified cubic capacity of the original model engine or an alternative engine available at the time of manufacture. I don't know if adding a turbo to the Td comes into the exemptions, but it's up to the owner to declare any modifications.

You can also claim exemption if the original is no longer reasonably available - so that may work, and you can claim exemption if the engine change was more than 30 years ago. But, I do know people with 1600 Escorts that have been refused because they had a Pinto fitted.

 

[Furbles]

Mmm... OK, but, a 90/110 is treated like any other car and the Government website specifically uses an engine change as an example of substantial change (however, there are loop-holes as to what constitutes an engine change).

The full rules are here:

Historic (classic) vehicles: MOT exemption criteria

www.gov.uk

You can get away with it if the new engine is a modified cubic capacity of the original model engine or an alternative engine available at the time of manufacture. I don't know if adding a turbo to the Td comes into the exemptions, but it's up to the owner to declare any modifications.

You can also claim exemption if the original is no longer reasonably available - so that may work, and you can claim exemption if the engine change was more than 30 years ago. But, I do know people with 1600 Escorts that have been refused because they had a Pinto fitted.

Yep, I did do my research before buying. On all grounds it should be fine: it probably was installed 30+ years ago (though there is no evidence), and it’s also true that the original engines are not available. This is an original engine for the same car fitted from 1994. Plenty of historical Defenders have a 200 or 300 tdi uograded from the original 2.5 NA, so I’m pretty confident it will be fine.

 

[Furbles]

Apologies, I should have added: it also passes on the ground that it’s not a modified cubic capacity: the 300Tdi is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder Land Rover engine fitted as original equipment to the 110/Defender. Same capacity class, same cylinder count, same manufacturer, same model line.