50 YEARS OF HERITAGE
Our History

A STORIED LEGACY, DRIVEN BY INNOVATION

JE MotorWorks has been at the heart of the Land Rover story for more than 50 years, and is written into the hearts and history of Land Rover enthusiasts worldwide.

Our commitment to engineering excellence is absolute, driving our ability to turn heritage vehicles into powerful Defenders designed for the modern driver.

JE MotorWorks enables you to future-proof your cherished Land Rover Defender, with cutting edge technology built in, while retaining the iconic features and character that we all know and love.

JE MOTORWORKS
COMPANY HISTORY

1975

JE MOTORS

JE MotorWorks was formed as JE Motors in 1975, servicing and tuning a variety of vehicles. The original VAT registration, which is still the same today, was incorporated on 1st December 1975.

1978

THE ROVER V8

To this day, JE is perhaps best known for its work on the Rover V8 engine. The first record of work on the Rover V8 dates back to 1978, when the company fitted a 3.5 litre engine to a Triumph Stag, increasing the engine output significantly.

THE ROVER V8

1980

DEVELOPMENT FOR LAND ROVER

By 1980, JE Motors had become the first company to produce a 3.9 litre (1980) and subsequently 4.2 litre (1982) versions of the Rover V8. Ten years later, the rights to this engine were sold to Land Rover in 1990 for use in the Range Rover 4.2 LSE model.

1985

DAKAR RALLY VICTORIES

JE Motors was commissioned to develop and build engines for the Land Rover team in the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1985, 1986 and 1987, during which time they won the team prize in all three years with commendation to the success of the JE Motors Rover V8. JE also supplied 4.0L V8 competition engines and restrictors to Rallye-Raid competitions from 2003-2007.

1987

The JE Range Rover Conversion

In 1987, JE Motors completed development on the 4.5 litres version of the Rover V8, becoming the first company to develop and offer ventilated disc brakes and anti-roll bars to the Range Rover specification, as these were not standard fitment at the time.

1988

The JE Dakar Range Rover

With these upgrades and a more luxurious interior trim, JE launched the ‘Dakar’ model of Range Rover, initially powered by the 4.2 litre V8 but later with the 4.5. The combination of …

1991

JE Engineering

JE Motors (Coventry Ltd) is rebranded as J.E. Engineering Ltd.

1992

Charles Spencer King

Charles Spencer King CBE , known to us as ‘Spen’, became a director of JE Engineering in 1992. He is perhaps best remembered as the chief engineer and innovator of the original Range Rover and the Rover P6. Spen was…

1994

JE become only Land Rover approved specialist

When Land Rover introduced the 300 Tdi engine in 1994, JE became the only company offering Land Rover-approved tuning upgrades. The mechanical diesel…

2008

JE Defender Zulu

The JE Defender Zulu launched in 2008 with a 4.2 Litre supercharged engine based on the (Jaguar-designed) engine of the 1st series Range Rover Sport and contemporary models. JE re-developed and re-built this powertrain from…

2011

JE Evoque Dakar

Land Rover launched their smaller Range Rover Evoque, swiftly followed by JE’s own Evoque Dakar model, the specification of which added 30% more power to the engine through tuning and…

2015

JE Defender Zulu 2.0

The Zulu was upgraded to the Zulu 2 specification in 2015. The engine was now 4.7 litres, making 475 bhp and 640 Nm, fitted with…

2022

JE MotorWorks is born

JE Engineering is acquired by McDermott Group and rebranded to JE MotorWorks, both as a tip of the hat to the origins of JE Motors and to signify the move away from JE as a provider of development work and engineering services for other automotive manufacturers. JE Motorworks is once again proudly developing, building, and delivering the best Land Rover restomod vehicles in the industry.