Keeping a classic vehicle on the road can be a never-ending spiral of mechanical upsets, expensive repair bills and disappointments when it refuses to start on the one sunny day you choose to take it out of the garage.
Replacing the often unreliable mechanical parts with batteries and electric motors might sound like an automotive sin (and it is for anyone wanting a faithful representation of the original vehicle) but it’s also a brilliantly modern way to preserve a classic, yet make it reliable enough to use every day.
UK-based outfit Lunaz is a specialist in bringing old British classic up to date with tis latest battery and electric motor technology, with its Rolls-Royce Phantom V spearheading a line-up that includes the Jaguar XK120, Bentley S2 Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Cloud.
“At Lunaz we are engaged in vital and urgent engineering. These are the most beautiful and celebrated cars in history. Our proprietary electric powertrain gives them a bright future,” says Jon Hilton, Managing Director and Technical Lead, Lunaz.
Customers first secure a build slot with the team, who then set about meticulously 3D scanning the vehicle and crating a CAD model for the in-house engineers to work from. Each Phantom is stripped down and any imperfections removed or repaired, while inside, the team make subtle adaptations to integrate modern conveniences such as satellite telecommunications, WiFi, audiovisual entertainment and navigation aids.
Modern air conditioning and heating are added, plus the team ensures charging slots for the massive 120kWh battery pack are sensitively ingratiated into the existing fuel filler cap. Lunaz says its battery system is the largest in the automotive world, but keeps details of its electric propulsion system a closely guarded secret, only going so far to say that range anxiety won’t be an issue.
But like a modern Rolls-Royce, if you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can’t afford one.
Keyword: The Lunaz Rolls-Royce Phantom V modernises a classic with cutting-edge electric tech