Want a boxy SUV that runs on batteries? Check out the Twisted NAS-E

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  Everyone loves the Land Rover Defender, and what better way to appreciate one than by converting it to an EV? [credit: Twisted Automotive ]

American automotive anglophilia appears to focus mainly on the Land Rover Defender these days. Used examples of these utilitarian imports command asking prices that rival the similarly agricultural G-wagen but without the veneer of hip-hop video stardom, far outstripping what you'd pay for an old and battered farm vehicle in its country of origin. A new Defender is on the way, one that's much more modern and should even come with some electrification in time, but if you want to drive something boxy off-road without burning any gas, that's mostly meant waiting for a Bollinger. But now there's an alternative, albeit one that's even more expensive: the Twisted NAS-E.

It's the product of Twisted Automotive, a Yorkshire-based company that exists to restomod Defenders, and nothing but Defenders. Like Singer and Porsches, Twisted finds old Landies and spiffs them up, adding a modern powertrain and luxurious leather-wrapped interior. That's mostly meant using a GM LT1 or LT4 V8, but now there's also an electric option.

The NAS-E starts off as a sort-wheelbase soft-top Defender 90, but instead of a small-block V8, it's powered by a Remy Borg-Warner electric motor with 160kW (214hp) and 380Nm (280lb-ft). That motor, in turn, is powered by a 60kWh battery pack, which Twisted says will provide 200 miles (321km) of range. I'm not entirely sure where Twisted is getting its batteries from—we've asked the company, and I'll update this post if we find out.

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