Land Rover Defender Project Blackcomb Is Both Elegant And Tough – And It Packs 565 HP

This year brought us a wide variety of new vehicles, with an all-new Land Rover Defender being one of the most important, yet those who find the previous iteration more appealing would probably appreciate East Coast Defender’s (ECD) latest creation more: the Project Blackcomb.

Building on the Defender 90, the British SUV is finished in Zermatt Silver with glossy black accents. It rides on 18-inch Sawtooth alloy wheels shod in BF Goodrich all-terrain tires and rocks a few upgrades that contribute to its enhanced stance while also improving practicality and off-road prowess. The new front bumper with integrated daytime running lights leaves room for the winch and there’s an exoskeleton as well.

Related: ECD’s Land Rover Defender Project Invictus Is An LS3-Powered Tent On Wheels

Step inside and you will see the soft black leather on the bucket seats in a diamond pattern with white stitching, black suede headliner and Momo steering wheel. The gauges are also new and so is the infotainment system that’s hooked up to the audio system complete with amplifier and subwoofer. The custom Defender features remote engine start, keyless entry, Wi-Fi hotspot, rear air vents, dusk-sensing headlights and a few other features. The load area is complete with the two forward-facing jump seats that can fold up to make room for cargo.

Most of ECD’s tuned Defenders are powered by the Corvette-sourced LS3 V8 and the Project Blackcomb makes no exception. The 6.2-liter engine is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission and develops 565 horsepower, which should be more than enough to get you up on a steep hill and allow you to challenge some modern-day sports car to a drag race.