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Refreshed Soft-Top Defender 110 Now Ready for TDI-Flavored Summer Adventures

Formerly known as East Coast Defenders, the Kissimmee, Florida-based E.C.D. Automotive is one of those cool aftermarket shops that have an eye towards the future and one checking up on the past. And they also know how to stir up a controversy, with British icons such as the Defender or Range Rover getting either ICE or EV, but thoroughly American powertrains.
E.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentation 28 photos
Photo: ECD Automotive Design/YouTube
E.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentationE.C.D. Automotive Soft-Top Land Rover Defender 110 Project C2 official presentation
It’s all about the cash and the will of the owner. As such, one could go for a Tesla-swapped Defender or Range Rover as well as an LS-powered alternative. But this time around, the owner of this vintage-flavored soft-top Defender 110 four-door is a bit different. Instead of going for outrageous power levels, this Land Rover has been kept as close as possible to the initial factory specification.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any custom touches. They’re pretty overt, starting with the full-gloss Marine Blue paintjob, the subtle silver accents, or the obvious roll-cage addition. The soft-top D110 does keep everything as vintage as possible, hence the purist-looking white 16-inch Wolf alloy wheels. Naturally, the BFG all-terrain tires also signal this old-school SUV is capable of handling any of the owner’s summer road trip wishes.

And we have a feeling these involve a lot of sea-faring adventures – considering the paintjob and other hints used during the official photo and video session. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when thinking the Defender is capable of getting quite a lot of people there. And the classic atmosphere isn’t vetoing any of the modern conveniences, such as the contemporary audio system with an extremely useful smartphone interface.

But the final highlight is the one showing the owner’s love for the old-school Defender era. As such, in place of a Tesla EV powertrain or an LS swap, the D100 continues down its path with the original 300 TDI diesel mill. Albeit, it too has a new lease of life as it was completely rebuilt by E.C.D. and paired to a four-speed Rover automatic transmission.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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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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