“BEFORE”
Truman is a classic 1986 Land Rover Defender 90 (“D-90″), and now he’s our official 30A mascot.
Truman was first put into military service on August 29, 1986 (Registration ID: 61KF77), and the last unit he served was the Royal Wessex Yeomanry, an armored regiment of the British Territorial Army. He was found abandoned on a military lot, so we bought him in August 2012 and immediately began a major restoration project.
The vast majority of the restoration work was done overseas, and we asked our 200,000+ 30A fans for input and help throughout the entire process, including what color we should paint it (we opted for Light Stone, one of the British Ministry of Defense’s official colors).
We incorporated many of your other suggestions as well, including adding a 12,000-lb winch, a rear-mounted British MOD water can, a snorkel, a tone-on-tone 30A logo emblazoned on each door, new seats and more. We even let 30A fans choose its name … and they voted for Truman, after our community’s most famous — if fictional — resident. After much nervous anticipation (and bureaucratic paperwork), our D-90 eventually cleared U.S. Customs in Jacksonville. Then on March 29, 2013 — after 8 long months of work and waiting — Truman finally rolled into Santa Rosa Beach, where he’ll live out the rest of his days basking in our Florida sunshine.
Check out these photos of Truman’s transformation from a military workhorse into semi-retired ‘Sand Rover’:
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- They found Truman on a military lot
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- Old canvas needed to be replaced
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- The original body was in great condition
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- The interior needed a little work =)
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- 200 Tdi (Turbocharged Direct Injection) Engine
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- New steering box and pipework
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- Radiator and intercooler in place
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- Fantastic chassis
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- Swivels rebuilt with new seals
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- New exhaust with custom brakets fitted to the chassis
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- Temporary cone filter–to be fitted with snorkel kit
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- After 100-mile test run, heater matrix leak found. New one fitted.
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- Stripped down…
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- “BEFORE”
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- Even though many fans wanted us to paint it “30A Blue”…
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- We went with your 2nd choice instead: “Sand”
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- Rear section of cage can be removed
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- Heavy duty cage
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- Wolf light guards
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- Tubular Side Steps
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- 5-Speed (Right Hand Drive)
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- 12,000 lb Winch with Plasma Rope
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- New Center Console and Seats
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- Snorkel
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- British Military Water Can
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- New Canvas Top
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- Facing bench seats in the rear
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- Just missing our beach permit now!
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- Truman arrived on 30A on March 29, 2013
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- Fans voted for a circular 30A logo on the doors
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- Grayton Beach, Florida
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- Point Washington State Forest
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- 25,000 acres of protected forest to explore in South Walton, Florida
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- Seagrove, Florida
Truman leaves Great Britain:
…and arrives in the U.S.A.:
