Twisted swaps the old Land Rover Defender to two new engines

The first-gen Land Rover Defender may have left production quite a while ago, but countless tuners continue restoring and upgrading this truly iconic off-roader. Today, let us review the latest project by Twisted Automotive.

The Defender gets two engines from the tuner, and while the first one is more or less common, the other one is very interesting indeed. The first swap is called “Twisted NA-V8” and is based on the LT1 engine of the Chevrolet Corvette C7. The naturally aspirated unit has 6.2 liters of displacement and churns out 455 hp (339 kW) along with 624 Nm (460 lb-ft) of torque. Transmission can be five-speed manual or eight-speed automatic.

The other one comes based on the LT4 V8 6.2, a supercharged engine of the previous-gen Corvette Z06. This one hits the wheels with up to 650 hp (485 kW) and 881 Nm (650 lb-ft) of torque. Automatic is the only gearbox available.

Twisted points out that it can upgrade both drivetrains upon request, without giving any further specifics.

The shipment also includes Alcon brakes with six-piston calipers at the front end and four-piston ones at the rear, Eibach springs, Bilstein shock absorbers, reinforced camshaft, half-axles and drive belts, new wheels, side sills and bumpers, LED-based headlights and a remotely-controlled exhaust system. Customers can even opt for an external safety cage if needed.

Inside, additions include heated and ventilated Recaro seats, leather and Alcantara upholstery, and a new infotainment system with support for Android and Apple phones.

One final important update comes in the form of improved cornering ability, something that is particularly important for an SUV like the Defender.

The company works with 90 Soft-Top, 90 Station Wagon, 110 Station Wagon, 110 Double Cab and 130 Pickup models. Prices start from U.S. $250,000. Each car takes six months to complete using mostly manual work. The general warranty is valid for 20,000 miles (32,200 km) or two years, whichever comes first. The GM parts, the engine and the transmission benefit from an extended warranty term of five years or 50,000 miles (80,500 km).