The Defender has been in the seller’s care since November 2006 – and given it was only put on the DVLA’s records two months earlier as a pre-registered vehicle, he is, to all intents and purposes, its only owner.

Finished in Tonga Green to County specification, it also benefits from Alpine windows and electric windows in addition to black leather seats, front and rear bumper protection, new side steps, a Mantec spare wheel carrier, LED headlamps, and supplementary soundproofing.

JE Engineering also carried out a Stage 2 tune in June 2007, while Ashcroft Transmissions changed the final gearing ratio in December 2016; taken together, these modifications ensure the Defender is much more efficient than a standard example, especially at motorway speeds.

Well-maintained by either a main dealer or an independent specialist, the clear run of MoT passes since its first in 2009 suggests the Defender’s reputation for poor reliability may have more to do with the way some of them are maintained...