From the pictures on eBay, these are not “custom” cars, but instead, regular old Defenders that this guy’s shop gave a fancy respray, maybe an engine or bulkhead/dash upgrade, and a bunch of the same bolt-on aftermarket parts that any other shop could use.
As for the VIN, maybe there is some kind of exception for *actual* extremely low-volume new custom kit car production, but these are just old ROW Defenders with a bunch of bling-lipstick, which is to say, a lawsuit/prosecution waiting to happen, and the VIN change seems to be intentionally designed to deceive potential customers. I’m sure the US Custom Department is warming up their car-crushers again.
What is it with Wilmington, NC and shady/legally questionable Defenders?!
Here is the Osprey blurb from the eBay listing:
“Osprey Custom Cars are the visionaries and crafters behind the world's most cutting-edge and timeless overland vehicles. The Osprey Custom Cars Team has been doing the LS3 engine conversion into the Land Rover Defender since 2013. We pride ourselves on being custom build and restoration specialists. We offer the finest custom quality overland vehicles and are proud to offer them for sale in the USA. As a low-volume vehicle manufacturer registered with the NHTSA since 2019, we now offer NEW vehicles — not "restored" or "rebuilt" — with VINs that are unique to the Osprey Custom brand as well as full restoration services!”