Apple has reportedly recruited Tesla's former VP of Vehicle Engineering, Chris Porritt, to work on "special projects" at the company — possibly to replace Steve Zadesky, the one-time head of Apple's electric car project, codenamed Titan.

"Special projects" is the banner under which Project Titan operates, Electrek noted on Tuesday. It's also a skunkworks label under which other Apple projects have been developed — Apple Watch hires were assigned the same way. Porritt, however, is deeply rooted in the automotive world, having once been a chief engineer with Aston Martin.

With Zadesky gone, Porritt would be the one of the most senior car experts at Apple, and hence a candidate for taking over Project Titan. While at Tesla, he's said to have worked on the Model S, X, and 3. Some of his Aston Martin credits include the One-77 and the iconic DB9.

The executive reportedly didn't make the leap directly from Tesla to Apple, as there were a few months in between. His new title is "Special Projects Group PD Administrator," said to be a deliberately obscure title.

At least some high-level Apple engineers will be working under Porritt. One of these is Emery Sanford, a person who allegedly worked directly with Zadesky, and who has dozens of Apple patents to his credit.

Apple and Tesla have been engaged in a job poaching war for some time. Typically, though, Apple has only been able to recruit engineers, not top executives.