From Defender V8 Swaps to Supercar Standards: Restoring the Rare Mosler MT900

At Landroid Motors, our bread and butter will always be classic Land Rover Defenders. From galvanised chassis replacements to bespoke restorations, we spend our days perfecting Britain’s most iconic 4x4. So, how did we end up executing a nut-and-bolt restoration on a rare, 200mph Mosler MT900 supercar - a car that is now heading straight to the lawns of Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace this September?

Mosler MT900 in the Landroid Workshop

It started, appropriately enough, with a Land Rover.

The initial brief from the client was straightforward: remove the original 5.7L LS6 engine from his Mosler MT900 to be used as a donor engine for his friend's Land Rover Defender V8 conversion. In its place, we were to fit a highly tuned 7.0L LS7 into the Mosler.

However, classic cars - whether they wear a Land Rover badge or a carbon fibre supercar tub - share a common trait: they rarely hide their secrets well once subject to a Landroid inspection. After a number of years in storage, the Mosler was in a severe state of deterioration under the skin. What began as a simple engine extraction quickly escalated into a full-scale, ground-up restoration and re-engineering project.

Here is a technical look at how we brought this rare supercar back to life, and why the engineering standards required for a build like this are exactly what we apply to every Land Rover that enters the Landroid workshop.

1. The Heart Transplant: 7.0L LS7 & Custom Drivetrain

The core of this project was the transition from the original LS6 to a massive 7.0L LS7 V8. Because the Mosler is a low-volume supercar, there is no off-the-shelf parts catalogue for an engine upgrade of this magnitude.

We upgraded the new LS7 block with a Lingenfelter GT19 camshaft, an uprated adjustable timing chain and gears, uprated valve springs, and titanium retainers. We also installed a harmonic crank damper complete with a locating dowel pin to handle the increased rotational stresses.

To feed the 7.0L, we fitted an MSD Atomic intake manifold paired with a 102mm throttle body, high-flow fuel injectors, and matching fuel rails. The Mosler’s original carbon airbox had to be heavily modified to accommodate the larger intake pipe, and we manufactured new, larger carbon intake tubes for the engine bay, repairing the broken airbox mounting points in the process. To communicate with the new GM ECU, a custom throttle pedal mount and linkage had to be fabricated from scratch.

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  LS7 install nearing completion

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  Old LS6 ready to be removed and reveal the extent of the corrosion

Custom Dry Sump & Exhaust Systems Clearance and oil starvation are massive concerns in mid-engine supercars. The LS7 is a dry sump engine, this ment fabricating bespoke bracketry to mount the dry sump tank securely within the side pod. We assembled a complete custom oil system featuring a new oil cooler, thermostatic feed, breather, and a custom-machined feed and scavenge adapter tailored perfectly to the Mosler chassis.

Breathing out is just as vital as breathing in. We custom-fabricated 2” primary tubular stainless steel exhaust manifolds running into a full 3” exhaust system. This included sports catalytic converters (with optional decat pipes) and quad tailpipes built specifically to the customer's request. The manifolds, downpipes, and cats were ceramic-coated to keep engine bay temps down, and we welded in mounting bosses for wideband Lambda/AFR sensors to support future datalogging and tuning.

Rear frame, exhaust and suspension showing extent of corrosion

Custom fabricated exhaust, heat shielding and restored suspension

2. Suspension, Brakes, and Chassis Overhaul

Years of storage had not been kind to the Mosler's underpinnings. We began by stripping the front subframe and the rear engine/suspension subframe. Both were media-blasted, inspected for stress fractures, repaired where corrosion had taken hold, and fully powder-coated.

Front end rebuild underway - stablemates with a not quite as rare Defender SVX

The original lower engine and gearbox crossmember was deemed entirely unserviceable. Using the original as a template, we fabricated a stronger replacement from scratch in-house, powder-coated it, and fitted it with upgraded poly bushes.

The suspension overhaul was exhaustive:

• We stripped the front and rear suspension and hub assemblies, vapour-blasting the remaining aluminium suspension arms to a factory finish.

• Custom replacement front suspension arms were fabricated.

• The high-end Penske dampers were sent out for a specialist overhaul, repair, and re-sealing.

• We fitted custom-made Anti-Roll Bar (ARB) bushes and installed new wheel bearings all round.

For stopping power, we stripped, cleaned, and re-sealed the brake calipers with new pistons and bleed screws. Per the customer's request, we manufactured a custom mount and bracket to convert the brake pressure switch to a mechanical switch, integrating the new wiring flawlessly. The pedal box was overhauled and fitted with brand-new master cylinders.

Condition of suspension prior to restoration

Rear suspension during restoration

3. Cockpit, HVAC & Thermal Management

Supercars are notoriously hot inside, and the Mosler is no exception. When we removed the centre console and gearshift mechanism, we discovered that the inner shift cables had literally melted due to their proximity to the exhaust heat. We tracked down the original manufacturer to custom-build heavy-duty replacements and refitted the gear linkage with bespoke heat shielding to ensure it would never happen again.

The HVAC system required similar attention. We disassembled the unit, media-blasted and powder-coated the housing, and pressure-tested both the heater matrix and the AC evaporator core. After reconditioning the linkages, freeing up seized servo motors, and repairing corrosion on the AC condenser frame, the unit was rebuilt with new seals and hardware.

Inside the cabin, the underbody seat reinforcing plates were carefully de-bonded from the Kevlar tub, media-blasted, powder-coated, and reinstalled without damaging the composite underbody. We freed off the internal handbrake mechanism, rebuilt the pedal box (overhauling the seized brake bias adjuster), and cleaned, restored and refitted the interior trim.

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  Corroded near side front suspension of the Mosler MT900

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  One of three cracked damper mounts

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  Level of deterioration in the front end

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  Lower front arm with hole rusted straight through

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  Corroded steering column

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  Condition of rear frame after suspension and engine removal

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4. Electronics, Fuel, and Auxiliary Systems

An engine upgrade this drastic requires entirely new brainpower. We designed and manufactured custom mountings for a new AIM digital dash instrument cluster, wiring it in and programming the cluster to communicate with the new engine ECU and custom loom.

The fuel delivery system was completely upgraded with a new high-pressure fuel pump and internal tank plumbing. We relocated the carbon canister, plumbed it into the new intake, and fabricated a complete new fuel line system routed safely through the engine bay.

For cooling, we stripped the radiator and fans, repaired identified leaks, and straightened bent fins. The main chassis coolant pipes were cleaned, inspected, and pressure-tested. We then remounted the radiator, AC condenser, and cooling fans with custom plumbing tailored specifically to the layout of the new 7.0L LS7.

Programming the new dash

5. Pre-Commissioning & Next Stop: Salon Privé

Before the Mosler could turn a wheel, our pre-commissioning checks had to be flawless. With refurbished wheels and new tyres fitted, we completed the fluid fills and pressure tests:

• Primed the new dry sump engine oil system, confirming vital oil pressure and checking all custom lines for leaks.

• Test-filled the fuel tank and pressure-tested the completely bespoke fuel system.

• Filled, pressure-tested, and fully bled the new cooling loop.

• Pressure-tested and bled the entire hydraulic brake system.

After hundreds of hours of painstaking fabrication, wiring, and mechanical overhauls, the Mosler MT900 is ready for the world stage. We are proud to share that this completed restoration will be on display at Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace in early September. If you are attending, make sure to take a closer look at the chassis and fabrication details in person.

Show ready

Supercar Standards for Your Land Rover Defender

So, why feature a rare British built, American supercar on the Landroid Motors blog?

Because taking on a bespoke, low-volume vehicle where no parts catalogue exists pushes a workshop’s technical capabilities to the absolute limit. The obsessive attention to detail, the complex custom metal fabrication, the intricate wiring, and the precision engineering required to rebuild a 200mph supercar are the exact same standards we bring to every classic Land Rover that enters our facility in Exeter.

Whether we are executing a high-performance LS V8 conversion for your Defender, fitting a galvanised chassis, or carrying out a full nut-and-bolt restoration, our engineering standards never drop.

Planning a bespoke Land Rover build, V8 engine swap, or full restoration? Contact the Landroid Motors team today to discuss bringing supercar-level precision to your classic 4x4.

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