Overland Expo East 2026 just wrapped. According to the organisers, one of the standout rigs of the show was a 1989 Land Rover Defender 110 with Alu-Cab Icarus roof conversion.
The vehicle belongs to Rin Oostdyk, our partner who distributes Alu-Cab in the USA. Rin’s truck started life in South Africa, and the story behind Rin tracking it down and getting it to the states is worth sharing.
Where It Started
Back in 2017, Rin was driving in a Defender with our founder Jeremy Bergh and CEO Warwick Leslie. Somewhere on a stretch of road just outside of Cape Town, something happened to Rin who was still thinking about the rig after he flew home to the States.
No marketing pitch needed. No spec sheet necessary. Sitting inside the vehicle was all it took for Rin to decide that he needed one. Nine years later, that decision is on show in the eastern US and being recognised as one of the best rigs at the event.
We Found Him the Truck
Rin wanted a proper old One Ten. Not a reproduction and not a soft restoration. His search ended with a 1989 Land Rover One Ten we sourced for him here in Durban, South Africa. Assembled locally during the sanctions era, the CKD (Complete Knock Down) truck boasted a factory-galvanized chassis that’s basically immortal. It also carried a six-digit VIN tag, which gave the New Jersey DMV a genuine headache when the truck finally landed stateside.
The Finished Build
The truck that showed up at Overland Expo East is a full rebuild. Below is everything that went into it.
On the roof: An Alu-Cab Icarus roof conversion, installed not long after the Defender reached the US and then pulled back off and reinstalled during the rebuild. It’s paired with an Alu-Cab 270° Shadow Awning and a Front Runner Slimline roof rack carrying custom decking Rin built himself.
Under the hood and underneath: The original engine is gone, replaced by a Cummins R2.8 crate engine, routed through an Ashcroft R380HD gearbox and LT230 transfer case, with crate axles swapped in to make highway miles tolerable on a truck that was never engineered for interstate speeds.
Structure: A new bulkhead, new doors and chassis work handled at Rovers North, finished with a full repray.
Suspension and brakes: Old Man Emu BP-51 bypass shocks and a Powerbrake X-Line Big Brake Kit, because a Cummins-swapped Defender needs to stop as confidently as it goes.
Protection and recovery: An ARB bull bar, a Warn 8274 winch, IPF lights and a Safety Devices roll bar.
Up front: Scheel-Mann seats with tailored cushions.
Living quarters: A custom aluminum interior system from GP Factor. This includes a couch and kitchen built into the space beneath the roof conversion. There’s also a Dometic sink and stove, integrated drawer storage over a sub floor, a food-grade stainless steel water tank and bamboo countertops. Fun fact, this build went on to shape GP Factor’s later interior system for the Ineos Grenadier.
That’s a 37-year-old, sanctions-era South African-built truck running a modern American drivetrain under a South African-designed roof system, judged one of the best rigs at a major US overland show. Not many builds can make that claim.
Full Circle
Rin isn’t just a customer with a good story and a well-built truck. He’s our partner in the USA, which means this recognition lands differently for us than another customer’s build would. We found him the vehicle. We manufactured the roof conversion. Now, one of the biggest overland shows in the USA has called it one of the best rigs there.
That’s the kind of full-circle moment you can’t plan for. A South African-built Defender, sourced out of Durban, wearing South African-engineered gear, winning recognition on American soil. Driven there by the same person who fell for it while driving in our Defender nine years ago.
Go read the full Overland Expo East 2026 roundup to see Rin’s Defender alongside the rest of the field. Give him a follow @rinoostdyk to see where his truck goes next.