If you are looking for a company to modify your Land Rover Defender, then East Coast Defender may be a company worth considering. This Florida-based tuning company specializes in Land Rover Defender modifications. Unique custom modifications will make your car unique. Of course, when discussing the modification plan with this company, don’t let them think that your budget is limited, otherwise they may not accept the job, because this is a company that only pursues high-quality goods and does not consider cost.
Fortunately, we borrowed a Defender 110 and a Defender 90 through a partner of East Coast Defender (hereinafter referred to as ECD). After this experience, we realized that the modifications we saw before are basically considered Pediatric level, from these two cars, there are a bunch of crazy guys in the ECD company. If you haven’t heard the name ECD, chances are the company has only officially used the name for the last two years.
Up to now, ECD has built more than 50 Defenders in total, and each car can fully show the idea of the owner, and the rate of returning to the street is definitely not a problem. Every work of ECD has a high-quality modification, and the details are also perfect. You can choose to send your own Defender to ECD for them to build, or you can choose a pre-modified stock directly from ECD’s garage, including 90, 110 and 130.
The people in ECD are also “unscrupulous” in order to meet the needs of customers. Of course, the needs of customers are also very different. Some customers hope to make the Defender more tough, and the appearance should achieve the effect of not being angry and self-imposing, while some customers have no demand for the appearance, but ask ECD to stuff the general-purpose V8 machine into the engine compartment of the Defender. These are not difficult for ECD engineers, and they can even satisfy customers who want to put the body shell of the Defender on the chassis of the Discovery 4. ECD has proved to car fans with practical actions that in addition to the Mercedes-Benz G series and Jeep Wrangler among the hard-core off-road vehicles, the Defender also has great modification potential. ECD does not set 1,800 Mercedes-Benz G customers or 200,000 Wrangler customers per year as the goal, but puts all its energy on Land Rover Defender owners, so that every customer can get full attention from ECD.
The Defender 110 we tested was powered by a Corvette’s 6.2-liter V8, which made 430 horsepower. The car is a year away from completion, but the ECD team is still very proud of the car, and they can’t wait to show us the changes under the hood. In order to be better compatible, ECD engineers re-matched the intake system and wiring harness of this LS3 engine, and finally got this degree of completion that is not lost to the original factory. The highly recognizable Kahn wide-body kit makes this 110 a bit more retro. The Kahn 1983-style aluminum alloy wheels are paired with 285/65R18 Nitto tires. This combination is not exaggerated and is very close to the original factory. There is also an external roll cage installed. If you take a few steps closer, you can see more details, such as the LED light bar of Lazer Star, the glass behind the B-pillar is replaced with Masai Panoramic brand privacy glass, and the 10,000-pound winch is integrated on the front bumper of Slimline. In addition, the exhaust system is also customized by Magnaflow to meet the smooth breathing of this LS3 engine.
In the interior part, the instrument panel has also been decorated with ECD and replaced with Custom Speedhut instruments. In addition, eight speakers have been installed throughout the car, and the front seats have also been replaced with sports seats with electric heating function. In addition to the black exterior, the interior also uses black tones, and sitting in the car will make people feel a little chilling. In addition, there is a hidden drawer in the trunk. This drawer can only be opened by opening the trunk. It is a good place to hide a shotgun.
The Defender is not an ideal tool for urban commuting. The original off-road positioning is destined to be unsuitable for road driving, but its outstanding off-road capability is also the reason we love it. So this time I didn’t expect any surprises from this 110. When the speed reached 90km/h, the vibration from the bottom of the buttocks and the steering wheel always reminded me that this is an off-road vehicle. Of course, I have to say something different. That is, the Defender 110 of ECD can be regarded as the fastest model among the Defenders, and the V8 power performance of the LS3 is very good. Due to the recent heavy rainfall, the road we chose to test drive is very muddy, but it is still not a problem for the Defender who has upgraded the LT230 transfer case.
We also experienced this Defender 90, and the shorter wheelbase also makes it more flexible in handling than the 110. The modification of this 90 has many similarities and differences with the 110. This car is also equipped with an LS3 engine, uses BFGoodrich AT tires and does not install a roll cage, and there is no wide body kit, so This 90 is closer to the original state in appearance.
According to reports, the Defender 90 is priced at US$170,000 (approximately RMB 1.17 million), while the price of the Defender 110 is as high as US$210,000 (approximately RMB 1.45 million). This price is indeed enough to buy some top luxury cars, but some people still prefer to choose the Defender that has been produced for many years. Before Land Rover prepares the successor of the Defender, the Defender players will be lonely for a while, but fortunately there will be Tuning companies like ECD accompany them.
