As well as an electric Range Rover.
Imagine pulling up to a Tesla Supercharger and seeing a classic Land Rover Defender hogging a space. Tesla owners would probably be angry at some gas-guzzling V8 blocking access to a charger until they discovered it was actually Project Britton or Project Morpheus from ECD Automotive Design. After announcing the project late last year, ECD has just revealed its first Tesla-powered Defender models.
Project Britton (pictured below) and Project Morpheus are based on 25-year-old Defender D110 trucks, but instead of a thirsty V8 or sluggish diesel engine, they now pack a single 450-horsepower electric motor from a Tesla Model S. The 2023 Land Rover Defender will eventually spawn an electric variant, but ECD beat JLR to the punch.
ECD says its electric Defender can hit 60 mph in around five seconds, which is quicker than the company's supercharged LT4-powered models. In terms of range, the 100-kWh battery pack should provide enough juice for a 220-mile driving range (ECD estimated) with a five-hour charging time. Like all ECD projects, the two electric Defenders are fully-restored and highly customized to owners' tastes.
“At the end of the day, we're doing this with deep love of older Defenders and a passion to keep them on the road by modifying them to fit into our clients' lives,” said ECD co-founder Elliot Humble. “Whether it takes figuring out how to engineer an electric engine into a restored Defender or color-matching the paint to match a favorite shirt, our world-class team can breathe life to our clients' wildest dreams.”
Project Britton is finished in a lovely shade called Cool Khaki Grey with an Alpine White roof. In addition to the Tesla drivetrain and spiffy new paint job, the Defender features Kahn Mondial wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires with adjustable Air Ride Suspension and high-performance Brembo brakes.
The interior comes with heated/ventilated Recaro Expert S seats wrapped in beige Porsche Nappa leather and a Evander Wood steering wheel. At the back, ECD mounted inward-facing third-row jump seats plus a unique teak wood storage bench. This build is fully modernized with an Alpine Floating Halo infotainment system featuring Bluetooth, WiFi, remote start, backup sensors, front/rear cameras, and three wireless charging pads.
Project Morpheus is a similar build, painted in Arles Blue with a Chawton White hard top roof. CarBuzz will have an opportunity to drive an electric Defender later this month.
Keyword: This Company Built An Electric Defender Before Land Rover