While Land Rovers are quite simply some of the best off-road vehicles, unfortunately they are consistently let down by their lack of reliability.
It is for that reason that so many gearheads often consider an engine swap for these off-roaders, and E.C.D. Automotive takes it one step further as they can fully customize the vehicle for you too. Each of their builds are tailored to customer needs and for this particular 1988 Defender 90 build, they chose a pretty special engine and brought the interior into the 21st century. This is one of those builds that might actually make you believe that it is the best 4x4xFar.
10 Project Mr. O
All of their projects get given a name, and that name will usually tie into the theme chosen for the vehicle.
This one hints at somebody from a certain spy movie and embraces the English gentleman within. Also, the understated exterior is complemented by an ultra-modern, lavish interior.
9 Corvette Power
Almost every Land Rover enthusiast laments the powertrain. All the engines these older '90s came with had their own unique issues, none did the vehicle any justice.
Although E.C.D. have a couple powertrain options including a Tesla drive unit, the owner of this particular one-off chose the Corvette LT1 which is good for over 440 horsepower, and it solves both the reliability and performance issues in one fell swoop. It will also rocket the little SUV from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds!
8 Beautiful Interior
The relatively understated exterior of Mr. O is complemented by a lavish interior, fit for any top-notch luxury exotic. Everywhere you look you will see hand-stitched leather among other high quality materials including real wood and tweed.
They also added a Puma dashboard kit for the Defender (essentially a late model dash) which allows them to include an infotainment system that has Apple CarPlay connectivity.
7 Wenge Wood Floors
Moving to the rear, you will find more high quality finishing, which includes a tweed headliner and hard wearing wenge wood floors for the load area.
They show incredible commitment to the British theme of the vehicle with their interior design choices. They also did a great job of integrating the old with the new as we see several old school elements accompanied by modern creature comforts like wireless charging and that upmarket infotainment system.
6 Attention To Detail
The devil is often lost in the details, so many custom-builds just can’t quite get their finishing right no matter how much effort is put into the project as a whole. However, we can say with some authority that Mr. O is a detail oriented kind of guy.
The satchels on the doors for one is a great touch, a nod to the rugged, simplified nature of the vehicle and the teak step boards are also a great touch. Teak doesn’t only look good, it is almost as hard as steel and will hold up for decades of use.
5 Commitment To Authenticity
All the flair (or bling if you will) is reserved for the inside of the vehicle. On the outside it is all business with off-road focused steel wheels wrapped in beefy Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires and a Night Mission green paint job.
Other than what appears to be a small lift, the suspension just gets a refresh and not much else. “If it isn't broken don’t fix it” applies here, because that is one area where Land Rover got it right.
4 Unrivaled Quality
From nose to tail this build just oozes quality. It is also hard to dispute that the powertrain getting mated to an automatic makes sense in an off-roader (even if most Land Rover purists might balk at the very idea).
The only things that are not completely hand made on the interior are those awesome looking Recaro seats and the Smiths Replica gauges. Nothing will leave you wanting.
3 Off-Road Ready Restomod
As much as it is a cut above inside, this is something you wouldn’t be shy to thrash off-road, it looks and feels the part of the true off-road beast it was born to be.
It just has enough comfort features to make that a more pleasurable, refined experience, and not quite as raw as the average Defender from years gone by.
2 Functional
You won’t be getting earth-shattering fuel economy in this, but this is something you can conceivable use as a daily driver.
Other bespoke off-roaders simply won’t be suited to that kind of treatment, and will be left floundering anywhere off the trail.
1 Fun
At its core, this is all about fun. It is a fun take on what a “British gentleman” might drive on his “estate.”
Any gear head will get a kick out of the Corvette soundtrack coming from a rugged little Land Rover 90, and it is just something that proves that you can have your proverbial cake and eat it, the way it blends practicality, luxury, and performance.