Car restoration business is international in nature. Those who specialize in it source parts in China or Europe, and some scour various suppliers in North America. Sadly, the parts import industry is wrought with fraud and the only remedy is uniform best practices and better collaboration between law enforcement agencies.
Land Rover restoration fraud has been around for some time, and the victims are usually collectors and Land Rover enthusiasts. One such incident illustrates that there is need for new, better regulations and uniformity of rules. It has been flagged in recent news https://www.theodysseyonline.com/washington-land-rover-restoration-shop-faces-7-figure-fraud-charges.
Many of the incidents get discussed in popular Defender forums such as www.landroverforums.com, www.defendersource.com, www.nas-row.com, and many others. There are also many companies that offer parts and restoration services for Defender enthusiasts. On April 23, 2022, the Robb Report selected 7 of the top Land Rover Defender restoration companies. These include Himalaya, ECD Automotive Design, Arkonic Ltd., Osprey Custom Cars, and a few others. Missing from the list for good reason is a Gig Harbor, Washington company that many of the Land Rover Defender aficionados don’t know much about – Defenders Northwest, LLC owned by Gig Harbor locals, Michele and Brian Hall.
A major lawsuit alleging fraud was just filed against them and Defenders Northwest LLC, sending an…
