Difference between a Santana and regular series Land Rover

[DGG]

Is one worth more of the same vintage and conditione? And what is the story behind the Santana? Thank you.

[rwollschlager]

I would not say they are worth more, just harder to come by in the states. Their styling deviated from the standard rover throughout the years and their parts began to differ, until rover and Santana completely separated, where land rover makes the defender, and Santana makes the strikingly similar PS10. Back story is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santana_Motor

[DGG]

Thanks. A friend is looking at a 75 series three Santana. The seller wants $15,000. The truck is in nice shape. Some odd styling things, but very clean. Didn't know what kind of advice to give him.

[Amirbayzid]

Thanks. A friend is looking at a 75 series three Santana. The seller wants $15,000. The truck is in nice shape. Some odd styling things, but very clean. Didn't know what kind of advice to give him.

Do you have pictures of the trucks quality? I'm seriously debating selling mine and going for a smaller Defender.

[DGG]

I don't have any pictures, but a picture that I saw of it looked good, but no pictures of the chassis yet.

[o2batsea]

They may look alike but that's about all. Two completely different car makers. Don't mistakenly believe that you can swap parts between the two as it is often not the case.
An F150 and a Silverado look pretty much the same too, but you wouldn't try to get parts for the f150 at a chevy dealer.

[defender104]

They may look alike but that's about all. Two completely different car makers. Don't mistakenly believe that you can swap parts between the two as it is often not the case.
An F150 and a Silverado look pretty much the same too, but you wouldn't try to get parts for the f150 at a chevy dealer.

That is.....not entirely true, to be kind. Many of the early Santanas were assembled from parts manufactured and crated up in Solihull and shipped to Spain. They were assembled at a Spanish factory (Santa Ana) in Jaen/Linares. These were CKDs, or Complete Knockdown Kits. These were badged as Land Rover Santanas, but were the same as the 90/88 and 109/110s being sold in the UK. Eventually, Santana started to manufacture the parts in their highly advanced manufacturing center in Spain. In the early 1980s, Santana started to change some things as the contract and licensing agreements with LR in the UK began to change and/or expire. Some of the biggest noticable changes were in the power plants (offering a 6cyl long before the UK brand did), as well as a turbo. Some parts were developed and manufactured in Spain and exported to the UK for use in genuine English Land Rovers, such as the LT77 transmission. Other differences included an additional safari/alpine window in the roof, different marker lights and tail lights, and a different grill and dashboard. Santana also went to front disk brakes much earlier than LR in the UK.

I lived in Spain for a few years and wanted a Land Rover. I had no idea about Santanas until I started researching buying an older Series or 110. I bought a 1987 Land Rover Santana 109 Especial, with 4 doors. That was sort of a transition year for LR Santana. It basically looks like a 110, but has the gear of a Series III, including a 2.25L diesel and the LT77. I can swap out most parts for my Santana for UK made Series III parts. Probably the biggest mechanical difference, up through that year and a few beyond, was the suspension. Santana went to parabolic leaf springs were as LR UK transitioned to coils. I now drive that Land Rover Santana here in the U.S., as I was able to bring it back with me since it was over 25 years old. That exempts it from all EPA and DOT environmental and safety regulations (Still a tough time and a hard thing to do. Feel free to ask for the painful details of LR importation if interested).

For clarity, I am no expert, and I am not claiming all of the above as gospel.....just some stuff I came across and read while I was in the hunt for some type of Land Rover, whether it wanted a pint or paella.

[IppoJ]

Four years later I'll add to this as well...
Even in a 1980 Santana the drivetrain is 100% Land Rover.
There are differences but most that I've seen are obvious ones, eg. the gauge cluster is in Spanish and says "Santana", the ignition key looks slightly different but the cylinder and switch itself are both LR.

[jimrr]

i appreciated your link to wikopedia so much i donated to their cause rwollschlager !! thx,

[charles1943]

I DO LAND-ROVER PRE-PURCHASE SURVEYS & EVALUATIONS FOR PROSPECTIVE OWNERS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY. IF I HAD ONLY 1 THING TO TELL THESE FOLKS IT WOULD BE: WHATEVER ELSE YOU DO DO NOT BUY A SANTANA. UNLESS YOU WANT TO COMPOUND YOUR AGGRAVATION EXPONENTIALLY. NEW PARTS CAN BE A BEAR, AND ARE FREQUENTLY IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN B/C ACROSS-THE-BOARD PARTS INTERCHANGABILITY IS JUST NOT POSSIBLE. NO SLIGHT AGAINST OUR SPANISH BRETHREN BUT IF PARTS ARE NO LONGER MADE WHY WOULD ONE WANT TO DENIGRATE THE PRODUCT? SANTANA MADE SOME AWESOME ASSEMBLIES AND TRUCKS BACK IN THE DAY, NO ARGUMENT!!! THEY WERE QUITE INNOVATIVE BACK IN THE 60's & 70's, EVEN ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR PHENOMENAL FRIENDS IN SOLIHULL!!