Upcycling: Turns out it’s not just limited to fishing old toilet-paper tubes out of the trash, brushing off the coffee grounds, and turning them into a baby mobile for friends not quite close enough to warrant spending money on a real present. Lunaz is a UK-based firm that upcycles classic British vehicles by re-imaging and rebuilding them as bespoke electric vehicles. The company’s latest offering is the Range Rover Classic, electrified and ready to bash through your favorite jungle without fouling the air.
Lunaz plans to build 50 electric Range Rovers, each reborn from classic Rangies built between 1970 and 1994. Each Lunaz Range Rover is a bespoke build and buyers have the opportunity to work directly with the design team, choosing from textile-like interiors as seen on the original Range Rovers or more contemporary upholstery choices. The Range Rover was originally offered in both two- and four-door body styles, short or long wheelbase; Lunaz will offer all variants, and buyers can even choose a re-creation of the convertible “safari top” fitted to “Series” Land Rovers.
Four-door long-wheelbase is the way to go for the comfort-tuned Town model, a rear-drive variant (something Range Rover never made) aimed at those who wish to have their driving done for them while they relax with a beverage from the custom-built rear-seat bar. The Country model is aimed at the type of hard-core off-roading for which Range Rovers were originally designed. Lunaz has engineered a single-motor powertrain that uses the Range Rover’s original four-wheel-drive system, as well as a dual-motor setup that powers each axle.
All Lunaz EVs feature suspension and braking upgrades, a simple statement that really sells the process short. According to Lunaz, each type of vehicle they convert is weighed at each corner, then the powertrain is removed and the vehicle is 3D-scanned to enable CAD modeling of the new components. Along with the chassis upgrades and electric powertrain, the cars are fitted with air conditioning and modern infotainment and navigation systems. Lunaz is tight-lipped about their powertrain design, but we do know that the Range Rover will be offered with either a 60- or 90-kWh battery pack.
Pricing for the Lunaz Range Rover Classic starts at £245,000 (about $327,500 at today’s exchange rate), quite the bargain compared to their other offerings, particularly the £350,000 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and £500,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Lunaz was established in 2018 and is located in Silverstone, home to the famous Formula 1 racetrack, about 65 miles north-northwest of London (M1 to the Silverstone Bypass, left on Dartford Road, right at the first roundabout, follow the signs, can’t miss it). And while the idea of stripping gas—er, petrol—engines out of classic cars may sound heretic to us, bear in mind that the UK plans to ban the sale of new combustion-engine-powered cars by 2030 and hybrids by 2035. While there are no plans to take classic cars off the road, there is a growing interest in electrified classics, and Lunaz’s upcycling of these beautiful old British SUVs is part of a growing trend.
The post British Company Turns Classic Range Rovers Into $300K-Plus EVs appeared first on MotorTrend.
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