ECD Auto Design, formerly East Coast Defender, is the name brand for Land Rover Defender resto-mods. But the name change (and an upcoming public offering) reflect a broader ambition for the company, expanding their treatment to vehicles outside the Land Rover family. The first of those vehicles — still keeping it very much old-school, British and iconic — is the Jaguar E-Type.
ECD just completed its first E-Type build, the Project Dallas commission. I was lucky enough to take it for a spin while visiting their factory outside Orlando, Florida; here’s what I discovered.
The ECD Auto Design Jaguar E-Type: What We Think
If you love E-Type Jaguars (and have nigh-infinite funding), it’s hard to conceive of a better overall experience than building one with ECD Auto Design. You get a unique opportunity to truly customize your dream car. And the end product retains the charm of the original vehicle while providing enough upgrades to make it more liveable and reliable in a modern context. An ECD E-Type is not a practical purchase. But this buyer does not need to concern themselves with practicalities.
Personally, I’d opt for a low-key Range Rover Classic from ECD in Loire Blue with an electric powertrain over the E-Type. But the beauty of having enough money to have ECD Auto Design build you a car … is that you likely have a garage that can accommodate multiple ECD builds.