Based on the updated Land Rover Series III, the Santana Series III was introduced three years later than its Land Rover sibling. With updated gasoline and diesel engines, it was initially offered in 88-inch and 109-inch versions as its predecessors but was also offered in lightweight versions as well. During its production run, it saw different mechanical and cosmetic changes made, the most notable one being the introduction of a newly developed 6-cylinder engine, which was simply a larger version of the 4-cylinder variant. This was the last variant licensed by Land Rover, which exited the company due to financial troubles in 1983.