Taking the Road Less Traveled by East Coast Defender
Two unique vehicles designed to stand alone after completing the companies Luxury Build Experience
At East Coast Defender no two vehicles take the same path to perfection, as the custom automotive company perfects the Luxury Build Experience allowing their clients to commission a hand-crafted, custom Land Rover Defender or Range Rover Classic.
As two of the most recent D110’s roll off the production line at the Rover Dome, we asked ourselves the ever-important question… how can these two vehicles be so different? Let’s take a closer look:
Heritage Collection – Project Venture (Shown on the right in the image above)
Meet Project Venture, East Coast Defender’s latest hand-crafted Defender 110 featuring the traditional exterior Rover color, Keswick Green, with a full exterior roll cage with roof rack, rear ladder and full length black powder coated side steps. Don’t let this baby’s traditional exterior fool you, this rugged road warrior is powered by a 6.2 liter, Chevy LS3 V8 E-rod engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
– 6.2-liter, 430-horsepower, V8 E-rod engine with a 6-Speed Automatic Transmission
– Kahn Mondial Retro Wheels with 18” BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires
– Full Exterior Roll Cage with Roof Rack, Rear Ladder and Rear Work Light
– Full length Black Powder Coated Side Steps
– Zunsport Grille, Checker Plate on Wings & KBX Wing Tops
– WARN VR8 Winch Bumper with LED Daytime Running Lights
– Momo Jet Steering Wheel, Puma Dash & a custom E.C.D. Center Console
– Two Corbeau Trailcat Front Seats with Puma Middle Seats and Forward-Facing Rear Seats
– Push to Start Key-less Entry, Wireless Charging and USB Ports
– Premium Sony Infotainment System
Custom Collection – Project Dark Knight (Shown on the left in the image above)
This one-of-a-kind D110 is the latest specialty vehicle by E.C.D. Completed in a black eggshell finish with a full checker plate set, full external roll cage, LED spotlights and Wolfrace Vermont Polished 20” Wheels, this vehicle is the ultimate show-stopper with its luxurious interior and stealth like exterior design.
– LC9 5.3-liter V8 320-horsepower engine with a 6-Speed Automatic Transmission
– Wolfrace Vermont Polished 20” wheels with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires
– Full Exterior Roll Cage
– Full Length Checker Plated Side Steps with Black Powder Coating
– Black Checker Plate on Sill and Rear Quarter
– KBX Wing Tops
– Tubular A-Bar Bumper and WARN Winch with four square LED Spotlights
– Momo Gotham Steering Wheel, Puma Dash & a custom E.C.D. Center Console
– Two Corbeau Trailcat Front Seats and Two Corbeau Trailcat Middle Seats and Two Forward-
Facing Puma Rear Seats
– Luxury Pile Carpet in Black
– Sony Infotainment System
– USB Ports in Dash, Center Console & Rear
– Moal Bomber Gauges
– Push to Start
“It’s a journey like no other for our clients,” states Tom Humble, East Coast Defender Co-Owner. “We’re the only custom automotive design company in the world where customers have the opportunity to create their dream car completely from scratch.”
The Luxury Build Experience is a robust journey that challenges the client to step outside the norm to create a vehicle that feels right for them.
“What we are doing at E.C.D. is like the custom conception of a child,” states Scott Wallace, East Coast Defender Co-Owner. “We’re asking what sex you would like it to be, what color eyes you want it to have and how would you like it to behave and then we build it for you. There isn’t another custom automotive manufacturer in the world who can do that. ”
So, what is the Luxury Build Experience and why is it so unique? Once a bespoke Defender is commissioned, a special Design Kit is shipped to the new owner that includes a variety of paint, leather and wheel samples to help prepare them for their upcoming design meeting(s).
With questions in hand, new owners are then flown to one of the companies two Design Studios (Malibu, California or Kissimmee, Florida) or visited at the location of their choice to sit down with the Head of Automotive Design where they will discuss each facet of the design journey. Beginning with choosing a body type and reviewing some of the past builds by E.C.D., we’ll help you determine which path; heritage, custom or flat-out unbelievable, that works best for you!
Now it’s time to select an exterior color and any accessories you want to make your vehicle stand out from the crowd. This can be the toughest part of the process as the possibilities are endless! No really, like there are roughly thousands of color & accessory combinations you could consider.
Next, you’ll begin designing your interior which includes everything from the seating layout, seat types, steering wheel, gauges, electronics, storage, leathers and more.
Once your design meeting is complete its time for the E.C.D. team to get to work. Within a few short weeks clients begin receiving vehicle mock-ups, bi-monthly updates, seat designs with custom stitch patterns, paint samples (including a scale model of the vehicle) and leather samples to touch, smell and approve. Then its off to find a foundation vehicle to use for your custom build. Once on site, a detailed history of the vehicle and an encased door hinge are mailed to the new owner as a keepsake and reminder of their vehicle’s journey towards excellence.
The entire design and acquisition process takes about seven months to ensure that each customer’s vision is perfectly executed. Then – and only then – does the build begin!
“From the initial design meetings to the paint samples and the delivery of the vehicle, our team stays engaged with each client on a personal level,” states Elliot Humble, East Coast Defender Co-Owner. “We’ve kicked open the door to the creative process by connecting our clients to their vehicles in a way no other luxury build does. The client’s ideas combined with our expertise in design and the incredible talent of our techs, is a perfect team for building the ultimate, hand-build custom Defender or Range Rover Classic.”
In conclusion, our vehicles are unique because are clients are unique and they are constantly pushing us to be the best. We’ve been called a few names before. Relentless. Obsessive… sure, there’s more, but those are our favorites as we love what we do, and we’ll never stop striving to build the best custom Defender’s in the world!
For additional information on East Coast Defender, visit us online at www.eastcoastdefender.com or call (407) 483-4825.
