Land Rover recently ended the production of its Defender model after a 68-year run, but that doesn’t mean fans of the vehicle can’t still get their hands on a souped-up example thanks to American tuner East Coast Defender.
For its most recent creation, Project XIII, East Coast Defender has taken a 1993 North American Defender 110 and given it an LS7 Chevy V8 engine to take it to an entirely new level of power.
The 6.2-liter V8 engine is sourced from a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The behemoth powerplant makes 430 horsepower that is sent through a GM 6L60 automatic transmission. Even for all of its weight and size, the Project XIII Defender can reach 60 mph in 7 seconds, which is a huge improvement on the specs of the original model.
Making the Defender more powerful is easy, but what East Coast Defender has done to completely rework the special North American Defender 110 makes it truly unique. The Florida-based tuner has added a bespoke front fender kit, a rear ladder, and a full external roll cage that add both flair and more off-road reliability. Running boards, new LED lights, and a set of 32.5-inch BFGoodrich Radial All-Terrain KO2 tires have also been added to complete the look.
Land Rover made only 500 examples of the North American Spec Defender 110, so giving it a makeover was a little bit of a risky move. However, the result is a once-in-a-lifetime rendition of Land Rover’s Defender model. The owner reportedly paid $225,000 to have completed.
