Although some regard the Land Rover Defender as uncomfortable and uneconomical, others simply won’t entertain any other 4x4.

The Stryker family from near Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick, sit firmly in the latter camp.

They run an independent Land Rover business specialising in the repair, maintenance and rebuilding or modifying of all Land Rover models. In recent years, the family has set their sights on becoming Ireland’s only Defender specialist, and this now accounts for over 90% of the business’s workload.

Ian Stryker said they have worked on over 500 units and supplied parts to over 1,100 Land Rovers in the past four years.

Together, the Stryker family account for the ownership of 15 Land Rover Defenders.

He said: “It all started as a hobby. From a young age, my brother Paul and I had our own Defenders and spent countless hours working on and modifying them. My father and uncle were also Land Rover enthusiasts and had many different models of Defenders. They got to know them very well and neighbours even began asking them to fix Land Rovers.”

Ten years ago when Ian left school, he decided to establish an independent Land Rover niche business, with the focus on Defenders. His father Freddy was doing quite a bit of mechanic work at the time.

The decision was made to employ a full-time trained mechanic who Ian could learn from and serve his time alongside.

As the years progressed, the Strykers began establishing a reliable name in this niche industry. This led to a growing repeat customer base from all over Ireland.

Three years ago, the family purchased a purpose-built premises. A second full-time mechanic was also employed.

Today, the business has employed two more staff for admin and parts, while two apprentices are due to start at the end of spring.

The repair, maintenance and rebuilding/modifying of Defenders now accounts for over 90% of the business’s workload.

Refurbishing

Servicing and general repairs account for a large proportion of the team’s time, but the refurbishment aspect of the business has also grown over the years.

Today, enthusiasts have to add their name to a 12-month waiting list to get any substantial refurbishment done on their vehicle.

“Depending on what customers have in mind, we have done refurbishment projects from €2,000 right up to €35,000.

“We recently worked on a 2014 Defender where its owner wanted to completely rework its appearance. Without any major mechanical work, the restyling project cost €15,000.

Ian noted that they have worked on over 500 units and supplied parts to over 1,100 Land Rovers in the past four years.

“The biggest overhaul we carried out in recent years was for a local customer. He bought an old shell of a Defender 110 and knew exactly how he wanted the finished project to look. This entailed a full rebuild from the chassis up.

“Both the 300 TDI engine and gearbox were fully reconditioned. Aside from the new doors, most panels were salvaged from the existing Defender and a secondary donor vehicle.

“It got a new galvanised chassis, all new running gear, new 16in modular wheels and 285/75 BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres and a full set of new lights.

Many rebuilds include fitting a new galvinised chassis.

“The client runs an adventure therapy business, so the custom build required many other features.

“The interior was fully rebuilt and remodelled with a new dash console, new pressure gauges, new heated seats, a fridge and a stove. The unit was fitted out with roof racks, an electric winch and a full new custom paint job. The project totalled to a cost of over €30,000.”

Paul, Ian, Ryan and Freddy Stryker.

Parts

Over the years, the Stryker family have worked with and bought parts from most Land Rover component manufacturers. The most recent focus has been on building up a sizeable parts inventory.

“We source and sell parts to suit everyone’s budget. This includes spurious, genuine quality own branding (this includes manufacturers which supply Land Rover) or genuine Land Rover parts.

“The genuine parts could be twice the price of the spurious parts. However, they tend to only have a one-year warranty, while some of our suppliers offer a two-year warranty on parts,” said Ian.

Interestingly, he said Brexit has so far had a positive impact on the business. “We try to carry most parts in stock for any model Defender, many of which are interchangeable.

“The huge delays involved in importing parts from Britain due to the new custom regulations and other red tape has meant many smaller garages and private users around the country have turned to us to supply them with parts.

“Parts delivery from Britain has gone from one to two days to almost two weeks, which has put us in a good position.

“At present, we are sending out at least five to 10 part packages in the post every day. This has spurred us on to get our final website designs together. We hope it will be live in the next month or so.”

Today, enthusiasts will have to add their name to a 12-month waiting list to get any substantial refurbishing work done.

Defenders’ growth in popularity

Ian noted that Defenders are ever growing in popularity both here in Ireland and in the UK.

Although his customer base is split between farmers and enthusiasts, Ian believes the growing value of older examples will mean many will find it difficult to retain Defenders as farm vehicles.

“Twelve years ago, I bought a 2002 short wheelbase Defender for €4,000. Today, any 2002 Defender in good order will fetch €10,000 to €12,000.

“A customer of ours recently upgraded to a 2014 Defender. He had to pay €42,000.

“I suppose the fact you can’t get your hands on them new anymore means they will only go up in value.

“They also have a growing following here in Ireland. Previous to the pandemic, there were regular Defender meets and off-road challenge events all over the country organised by different clubs.”

The Stryker family carry a full inventory of Defender parts.

Defender history

The origin of the Defender dates back to 1940. In 1947, the initial ‘mule’ prototype featured a central driving position. By September, the Rover board approved the vehicle.

Series I (1948-1958)

After World War II, Rover developed the first Land Rover, an agriculture-focused four-wheel-drive jeep. It was launched in 1948 at the Amsterdam Motor Show. It was known as the Series I. It was offered in various configurations starting with an 80in wheelbase, a 50bhp 1,595cc petrol engine, a pickup body and was priced at £450.

Series II (1958-1971)

The Series II made its debut in 1958. It had deep side sills and rounded shoulders in the side panels. The engine was enlarged to a 2.25l locomotive. By the 1960s, Land Rover had built its 500,000th vehicle. Four-cylinder diesel and six-cylinder petrol engines were also later made available.

Series III (1971-1985)

In October 1971, Land Rover unveiled the Series III. It featured a plastic grille, flatter door hinges and a full-width dashboard with optional fresh-air heater. The headlights were moved from the grille to the fenders. In 1979, a V8 option was introduced to 109in with permanent four-wheel-drive via a central differential lock.

90 and 110 (1983-1990)

In 1983, the Series III was replaced by a new One-Ten model (110in wheelbase). Leaf springs were replaced by coils (influenced by the Range Rover). The four-cylinder engine came with all-synchromesh, five-speed gearbox.

It was identifiable by a full-width black plastic grille and wheel arch lips fitted to house wider track suspension. It had a more up-to-date choice of engines and increased comfort features.

Defender (1990-2016)

It wasn’t until 1990 that the Defender name surfaced. This was an attempt by Land Rover to differentiate its original workhorse from the newly launched Discovery. The Ninety and One-Ten range was renamed Defender 90, 110 and 130. It had a 107bhp turbo-diesel engine, superseded in 1994 by the 111bhp 300Tdi. A 122bhp five-cylinder Td5 became the Defender’s standard engine in 1998. In 2007, a major evolution took place including replacing the Td5 with the 122bhp Puma/DuraTorq TDCI four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, the addition of a six-speed gearbox and a more modern dash. The last Defender as we know it rolled off the production line in January 2016. In 2020, Land Rover unveiled the L663 Defender, a total redesign.