Welcome to another new-old Defender, built by Twisted. It is electric. It is yellow. And it is rare.

Officially called the NAS-E – or NAS-E Plus if you want a more powerful version – Twisted has reimagined the North American-spec soft-top Land Rover Defender 90, by binning all the dirty oily bits (of which old Defenders have many) and replacing them with electricity.

The fully-electric Twisted NAS-E gets a Remy Borg-Warner motor that promises some 215hp and 380Nm of torque, matched to a direct drive, four-wheel-drive setup. There’s a 60kWh battery on board promising 320km of range (with a 22kW-hour charging system and the option of fast-charging).

Being such a progressive old timer, it has custom valved dampers, Twisted Performance’s own six-piston calipers, harder brake pads, ABS, TCS, and a step-down transfer case for high and low-range. We’re promised “superior traction, dramatically reduced understeer”, while still retaining the old Defender’s ability to go literally anywhere.

It is yellow, yes, but you can also get it in blue, or even green if you wish. There are some cream leather seats, a touchscreen infotainment system, avthree-seat bench, silver Twisted Sport wheels, a roll cage, ‘spray down’ flooring and even air con.

Should you wish to test out that ‘spray down’ floor, that more powerful NAS-E Plus offers a 325hp and 420Nm of torque. It also comes with everything the NAS-E gets, along with side steps, black side sills, a bull bar, and the all-important addition of spotlights.

Only 30 will be built, and currently only for the US market, the NAS-E starting from US$185k, the NAS-E Plus kicking off at US$210k.

“As the world moves steadily towards mass electrification, the Californian market has been missing a uniquely stylish electric 4x4 option that can stand out at the beach, off-road and at stoplights with a level of exclusivity and prestige that can only come from the timeless British Defender,” explains Twisted North America boss Bruce Riggs.

STORY Vijay Pattni