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NAS-E 4x4 Has Twisted the Vintage Defender Into a California-Dwelling EV

Is there anything more to be said about the classic Land Rover Defender that has not been uttered already? As always, action speaks for itself and the iconic go-anywhere, do-anything British off-roader has been transformed into a luxurious American resident with a California CARB-approved electric powertrain.
Twisted Automotive NAS-E 8 photos
Photo: Twisted Automotive
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Just 30 examples are being prepared for hand-built manufacturing by Twisted Automotive for North American customers. It purposely looks about the same as any other classic Land Rover Defender, but the company promises custom styling changes, proprietary technology for a 200-mile battery-range and a special hidden-message twist (pun intended) embedded in the title.

This is because the U.K.-based classic Defender specialist has created the NAS-E in direct reference to the North American Specification (hence the NAS acronym) short wheelbase Soft-Top 90 version of old. As such, this is the only body type on offer – and the 30-unit production batch is part of the so-called California Series.

The latter comes in three colors, all of them as American as they can be: Malibu (for the yellow sands of Cali’s coast), Yosemite (the natural park’s wilderness) and Tahoe (in reference to the alpine serendipity of the namesake lake in the northern part of the state). Twisted is leveraging full equality, so clients will have 10 units available for each shade.

This is not the first classic Defender EV project we have met, and we can imagine the electric 4x4 choice gaining ground among the model’s aficionados – no wonder Land Rover is also gearing up to electrify the modern reincarnation. For Twisted Automotive the NAS-E becomes the first representative of its new Twisted Legacy collection and the builder has prepared a couple of trim levels – the standard NAS-E and the NAS-E Plus.

Both have the powertrain sourced from Remy Borg-Warner, the electric motor being capable of 214 or 320 brake horsepower and 280 / 309 pound-feet (380 / 420 Nm) of twist. The charging process is handled at 22 kilowatt-hours with the on-board charger and DC fast charging is also available for the 60-kWh battery pack.

Other mechanical changes see the arrival of a set of custom dampers, Twisted Performance six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes with ABS and TCS, alongside additional drivetrain performance enhancements and a new four-wheel drive gear-reduction direct transmission with a low-range transfer case.

Twisted is asking $185,000 for the standard grade and no less than $210,000 for the Plus trim – both include luxury appointments such as the bespoke Twisted audio system, a touch-operated infotainment system with navi and rear camera, leather and Alcantara-insert Alston seats, and even a front row three-seat bench for EV experiences closely shared not with one – but with two friends.
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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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