With Xi'an engines in the Defender, how do you think the Defender would fare as a racer?

I think it would be able to put up a good fight, but it's not a true racer. And while it's quite light, it's never going to match the maneuverability and the speeds of the M50 and the 350r and even the racing-prep Mustangs. But of the non-racing ships, it'll definitely put up good times.

It'll be interesting to see once we get the modding and part switching that comes with Item 2.0.

Exactly, you're speaking of a stock Defender.

Yes.