Some vehicles become more desirable with age because they grow increasingly difficult to replicate. The classic Defender 90 belongs firmly in that category. Its upright silhouette, abbreviated wheelbase and unapologetically utilitarian character have made it one of the most recognizable British 4x4s ever produced. Project Ranger takes that familiar formula and adds something considerably more intoxicating: American V8 power, a manual gearbox and an open roof.
Created by Florida-based ECD Automotive Design, Project Ranger began life as a North American Specification Defender 90 already owned by its client. Rather than replacing its character with an entirely modern interpretation, ECD subjected the vehicle to a comprehensive restoration and transformed it into a bespoke soft-top conceived for life beneath the Florida sun.
Under the hood sits a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 producing 430 horsepower, paired with a five-speed manual transmission. It is a combination that changes the Defender’s personality considerably. Where the original was built around deliberate, workmanlike progress, Project Ranger adds the sort of performance and soundtrack capable of turning even an ordinary coastal drive into an occasion.
That soundtrack comes courtesy of a Borla Performance exhaust, and with the soft top removed there is very little separating driver from machinery. It is precisely the kind of sensory experience increasingly engineered out of contemporary luxury vehicles: the clutch, the gearlever, the mechanical note of a naturally aspirated V8 and the open air all playing a role.
“Driving a D90 Soft-top with the LS3 and manual transmission is an absolute blast,” ECD co-founder Tom Humble said when the project was completed. “Tearing up and back down through the gears is something we all enjoy here at E.C.D.”
Visually, Project Ranger avoids the temptation to become overly polished. Its body is finished in Terrain, a rich, earthy shade originally associated with Ford’s Raptor, applied here in full gloss. Black 18-inch Sawtooth alloy wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires reinforce the Defender‘s purposeful stance, while a classic mesh grille preserves the straightforward character of the original design.
An ARB front bumper and Warn Industries winch make it clear that the Defender’s off-road credentials have not been reduced to theater. A black steering guard, full-length checker-plate side steps, checker detailing and KBX wing tops further emphasize the utilitarian aesthetic. There is substance beneath the visual drama: this is a vehicle intended to look equally at home outside a waterfront restaurant as it would beyond the pavement.
Inside, ECD resisted the usual approach of transforming a vintage Defender into a leather-lined lounge. Because the owner expected to drive it primarily with the roof removed, the cabin was designed around durability. Charcoal-colored weather-resistant canvas covers much of the interior, giving Project Ranger an appropriately relaxed quality while making it better suited to Florida’s less predictable moments.
That does not mean modern conveniences have been ignored. A Puma-style dashboard is complemented by a leather steering wheel and distinctive Moal Bomber instrumentation, while machined aluminum details introduce a more considered finish. In the rear, removable bench padding preserves the flexible, almost military simplicity that helped define the Defender in the first place.
Contemporary technology is integrated without overwhelming the cabin. Sony infotainment joins an amplified eight-speaker JL Audio system with subwoofer, while USB ports and wireless device charging provide the everyday functionality expected of a modern bespoke build. The result is less about disguising the vehicle’s age than removing some of the compromises traditionally associated with owning one.
That distinction matters. The most convincing restomods do not simply place modern hardware beneath an old body. They identify what made the original desirable and intensify it. In Project Ranger, the Defender remains square, exposed, mechanical and slightly rebellious. It has simply gained the power and craftsmanship necessary to make those qualities considerably more compelling.
There is also something particularly appropriate about a soft-top Defender in Florida. Remove the canvas roof, select a gear, and the vehicle becomes part beach cruiser, part classic 4×4 and part muscle car, an unlikely combination that makes considerably more sense once a 430-horsepower V8 begins breathing through its Borla exhaust.
ECD continues to create highly personalized Defenders today, but Project Ranger captures an especially appealing side of the company’s philosophy. It is not trying to make a Defender behave like a contemporary luxury SUV. Instead, it takes everything inherently charismatic about the old Defender 90, the compact proportions, exposed nature and sense of adventure, and gives the driver even more of it.
Luxury, after all, does not always mean silence, acres of leather or isolation from the road. Sometimes it is having something built specifically for the way you intend to live. In the case of Project Ranger, that means a short-wheelbase Defender, a V8, a manual gearbox and nothing overhead but Florida sky.
