Lunaz rebuilds classic cars from the metal frame up to add charging ports, batteries, and Wi-Fi.
The auto engineering company Lunaz rebuilt this Jaguar XK120 from the frame up to add an electric powertrain, charging ports, and Wi-Fi.
Image: Lunaz
An English company is making classic cars green by replacing gas engines with electric ones. The auto engineering company Lunaz rebuilds and restores the Rolls-Royce Phantom V, the Rolls-Royce Cloud, the Jaguar XK120 and Jaguar XK140.
The cars are hand-built in limited production runs. In addition to installing an electric powertrain, each car is reengineered and restored from the metal frame up. First, the car is 3D scanned so that engineers can create detailed CAD models. Battery chargers and DC converters are integrated into the existing design and the fuel filler cap is replaced with a charging connection. The air conditioning and electronic heating systems are installed and the accelerator is converted to a throttle-by-wire system.
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Then, the in-house design team integrates modern conveniences including satellite telecommunications, Wi-Fi, audiovisual entertainment, and navigation aids.
“An entirely new breed of customer requires a clean-air powertrain, who until now have been limited to functional and utilitarian designs,” said company founder David Lorenz in a press release. “We are delighted to breathe new life and usability into these timeless designs.”
In addition to converting cars owned by customers, Lunaz also acquires classic cars to be converted to an electric powertrain. The price tag for an electrified and reengineered classic car is $350,000 British pounds ($436,170 US).
The electric Jaguar XK120 gets a 80kWH battery and can go from 0-60 mph in five seconds. Real-world range is 250+ miles.
A customer asked the company to electrify a Bentley Continental S2 Flying Spur so he could use the car as his daily driver. This motivated Lunaz to offer a limited production run of cars from the 1955-1965 Bentley Continental family.
Lorenz said he wants his daughter’s generation to be able to enjoy these classic cars well into the future.
“We are engaged in the preservation of some of the most significant objects in history,” he said.
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