Land Rover Defender Restomod Has A Supercharged V8 And Porsche Paint

E.C.D. Automotive Design specializes in restoring Land Rovers and improving them while doing the work. Its latest creation is an overhauled Defender 110 convertible that the company calls Project Hutton. The build has touches from Ferrari and Porsche. Plus, there's a major power upgrade in comparison to anything a customer could buy from the factory.

Under the hood, there's General Motors' LT4 supercharged 6.2-liter V8. E.C.D. doesn't specify the power output, but the powerplant has 640 horsepower (477 kilowatts) as a crate engine. An eight-speed automatic routes the output through strengthened axles.

Project Hutton's exterior color is Porsche's Frozen Blue shade. E.C.D. pairs this with exposed metal elements on the front bumper's brush bar, grille mesh, and an exterior roll cage. Louvered panels decorate the side sills. The roof is white vinyl.

The Defender rides on 10-spoke, 18-inch wheels with 33-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. Behind them, the Brembo brake calipers are Ferrari yellow.

Caressa Silver Touch leather covers the cabin. It's a stark, white shade that's going to show every spec of dirt if the owner ever goes off-roading. The Ferrari yellow seatbelts and gauge faces provide a pop of color. Behind the second row of seats, there's room for four more occupants in facing jump seats. This means there's room to haul up to eight people.

E.C.D. also adds some modern tech. There's now a Kenwood eXcelon infotainment unit. Music comes out of Infinity Kappa speakers. Plus, there's a wireless charger, four USB ports, and front and rear cameras.

In addition to building combustion-powered Defender restomods, E.C.D. recently started building them with Tesla-sourced electric powertrains. Motor1.com got a chance to drive one and toured the production facility.

The Tesla-derived powertrain makes 450 hp (270 kW) and has a 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The setup moves a Defender to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in about 4.0 seconds. The range is around 200 miles (322 kilometers) depending on the wheels, body style, and customer customizations.