East Coast Defender - Range Rover Classic : Project Alpha
East Coast Defender's Range Rover Classic Project Alpha is a ground-up restomod that applies the Florida-based builder's expertise with Land Rover Defenders to the more refined and luxurious Range Rover Classic platform. The result is a bespoke, hand-assembled vehicle that blends the heritage aesthetics of the pre-millennial Range Rover with modern infotainment, premium leather upholstery, and powertrain options that include a Chevrolet Corvette-sourced 6.2-litre V8 producing 430 hp.
Who Is East Coast Defender?
East Coast Defender, also known as ECD Auto Design, operates from Florida and has established a strong reputation as one of the leading custom Defender restorers in the United States. Their Defender builds are well known for the depth of modification available: engines can be swapped to high-output American V8s, suspensions lifted and upgraded for serious off-road capability, and interiors completely retrimmed in premium materials. The company limits its production to maintain quality and exclusivity, building fewer than forty Range Rover Classics per year under the Project Alpha programme.
What Is the Range Rover Classic Project Alpha?
Project Alpha is ECD's name for its Range Rover Classic rebuild programme, and it follows essentially the same process as the company's Defender builds. A donor vehicle is sourced, typically a 1990s long-wheelbase Range Rover Classic, then stripped completely to bare metal. The chassis is media-blasted, inspected, and galvanised before rebuilding begins. ECD offers three trim levels for the Range Rover Classic: Retro, which preserves the original drivetrain while upgrading the interior and aesthetics; Pursuit, a mid-level upgrade with powertrain enhancements; and Pinnacle, which involves a complete drivetrain replacement with the Chevrolet LS3 6.2-litre V8 and a six-speed automatic transmission. The Pinnacle build takes approximately 2,600 hours of handwork to complete.
Performance and Powertrain Options
In Pinnacle specification, the Range Rover Classic Project Alpha is powered by a Chevrolet Corvette LS3 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 producing 430 hp at 5,900 rpm and 424 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. This is the same engine family used in the Corvette C6 and several other high-performance American vehicles, making it well-supported for parts and servicing worldwide. With this engine, ECD claims a 0-60 mph time of under eight seconds in a vehicle that looks from the outside like a period-correct luxury SUV from the early 1990s. The contrast between the classic exterior and the modern drivetrain is precisely the point.
Interior: Modern Technology in a Classic Shell
ECD's approach to the Range Rover Classic interior is additive rather than replacement where possible. Original seats are retained and retrimmed in premium Spinneybeck leather. The centre console is redesigned to accept a modern infotainment system and upgraded audio components, while maintaining the clean, uncluttered look appropriate to the period. Suede headliners, bespoke gauge clusters, and custom exterior paint and wheel options allow each car to be entirely unique. Exterior modifications available include LED lighting, custom grilles, restyled front fascias, and a range of wheel designs suited to the classic proportions of the Range Rover's bodywork.
Pricing and How to Order
Project Alpha pricing starts at approximately $150,000 including a donor vehicle, with Pinnacle builds reaching above $200,000 depending on specification choices. Each vehicle is built to individual customer order with a nine-month lead time. For comparable bespoke Land Rover and off-road vehicles curated by TheArsenale, explore the TheArsenale Cars collection or discover the Petrology x TheArsenale Land Rover Defender 90, a bespoke Defender build with TheArsenale's own creative input. You can explore ECD's full current lineup at ECD Auto Design.
