A no-expense-spared restoration is part of the package, and it won’t be cheap.
- Classic car EV conversion specialist Everrati announces programs for Range Rover Classic and Defender.
- The UK-based company will also carry out complete restoration of the donor vehicles, and offers new, upgraded systems and components.
- The electric restomods are not inexpensive, with the non-powertrain restoration costs being a part of the equation, but less pricey EV conversion programs for classic Land Rover vehicles are coming stateside.
After UK-based EV conversion specialist Everrati revealed their Series III Land Rover EV earlier this year, we knew it wouldn’t be long before they tackled the original Range Rover and the Defender.
Everrati obliged this month, revealing electric conversions of the Range Rover Classic and the later Defender models. In fact, a whole cottage industry is developing for such conversions.
The 1970 Range Rover, being the British luxury SUV of the second half of the 20th century and still used as a daily driver by many, was an obvious choice for futureproofing, with Everrati also offering complete restorations of the donor vehicles—not an insubstantial part of the final price—with more than a few modern updates, if desired.
“These vehicles set new standards at launch. We will do the same again with our advanced technology, as we transform these icons, enabling them to live on in the age of electrification,” said Everrati founder and CEO, Justin Lunny.
We’ve already seen what Everrati has done with a Series II Land Rover earlier this year, giving the 4×4 a full restoration in addition to the powertrain swap that adds three battery packs totaling 60 kWh, all added to the engine bay to maintain the proper distribution of mass.
A charging port was added to where the original fuel cap used to be, but aside from LED headlights the model is not something you’d immediately spot as an EV on a quiet street, unless you heard it move. That Series III demo also received a far more lavish interior than factory spec, including leather bench seats out back, air conditioning, and even electrically heated seats, but these are all options that buyers can skip if they want to keep their cars as close to original as possible on the inside.
“Perfectly at home in London, Cornwall, Monterey, or The Hamptons, these vehicles are right in the current zeitgeist—rolling pieces of art that will give their owners, who are mavens of sustainability and responsibility, a clean and distinctive and luxurious way of travelling,” Lully adds.
Of course, a complete restoration for a Range Rover Classic is not cheap, and neither are EV drivetrains. Everrati’s Range Rover Classic will be priced at £230,000, which translates to an even more eye-watering $280,000 plus the donor vehicle, while the Land Rover Defender will set owners back £185,000 plus the donor vehicle, which comes out to about $225,000.
Far more affordable conversions are hitting the market as well, as we’ve seen with Electrogenic’s approach, which skips the full restoration but makes the powertrain swap itself simple enough for a qualified mechanic of your choice, rather than the company, to perform.
In short, EV conversions of classic Land Rover vehicles for every wallet are about to become quite common.
Jay Ramey Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum.
Keyword: Classic Range Rovers Can Now Get EV Conversions