Following the 2021 announcement that Lunaz Design was taking orders for its first group of electric conversions of Range Rover Classics, demand for the off-road vehicles has spiked and now accounts for 45% of the marque’s total production. Commissions of the two configurations offered–Town, which focuses on rear-seat and driver comfort, and Country, which incorporates engineering features that enable better-than-new off-roading capability–are balanced 70/30, respectively.

“The dramatic surge in demand for clean-air classic Range Rovers is significant proof of concept for Lunaz Design,” said David Lorenz, CEO, of Lunaz. “The market has confirmed that re-engineering, electrifying, and upcycling the most significant cars in the world will secure their relevance for generations to come. To satisfy this demand, we have recruited 250 experts to join us at Lunaz headquarters in Silverstone, England—the largest upcycling campus in the world.”

Range Rovers by Lunaz specified in Town configuration received significant custom treatments. Alongside simpler requests for personalized exterior and interior colors, features requested by customers include integrating vintage clothing into the vehicle’s fabric palette, Starlink WiFi connectivity, and switchgear and seat fabrics made from upcycled ocean plastics.

Nearly all Country vehicles have been commissioned based on owner estates. From ranches in Wyoming, vineyards on the Cote d’Azur, and shooting estates in Scotland, each Range Rover by Lunaz is meticulously tailored to the specific climate, terrain, and lifestyle demands of their owners. While upgrading the off-road capability of the car is often prioritized, customers have integrated field sports equipment stowage and even ski equipment racks with “warm boxes” for hats and gloves in preparation for cold weather.

 

Complex commissions

The two most complex Range Rover builds ever undertaken by Lunaz Design have commenced. The first is a long-wheelbase variant in Town configuration, which will be 80% chauffeur driven and kept in Monaco. The second is a fully open Safari model—the same type featured in the James Bond film, Octopussy—in Country specification that will be used as a sailing yacht tender in Southampton, New York.

Town configuration: The utility of the original interior was significantly elevated, balancing the iconic Range Rover aesthetic with the integration of the latest technology such as Apple CarPlay-enabled infotainment with a six-inch screen and modern audio upgrades powered by a 1300-W amplifier.

The interior of one long-wheelbase model uses a color palette inspired by the customer’s second home in Scotland. Greens, oranges, and mineral tones are rendered in both leather and durable box-woven wool on the seats, which are electrically operated, heated and cooled, with massage functions.

The customer requested walnut wood, which flows from the dashboard into the center console. The console itself features wireless device charging facilities, warming and cooling cupholders, a water cooler, and a watch winder for four timepieces. The exterior is finished in a coral color designed by the customer, with a contrasting jet-black roof.

On average, an electric Range Rover by Lunaz conversion requires 30,000 h collectively to complete. However, this commission will require experts across the Lunaz design, engineering, and craft functions to invest more than 50,000 h.

Country configuration: Another open Safari model was given a significantly different treatment in preparation for its use as a sailing yacht tender in Long Island, NY. The fully open car was subject to significant body and chassis reinforcements using a triangular steel section to brace the car in preparation for its uprated powertrain and remain stable without a roof. The exterior is in Maya Blue, acknowledging its oceanside use.

While its primary use is intended as a shuttle between the customer’s property and yacht, the interior was a considerable focus. Rendered in Mocca walnut, each veneer leaf is individually book-matched to create a chevron pattern. In a Lunaz first, Mocca walnut flooring is fitted to the rear six-seat passenger deck and flows into a custom center console that incorporates device-charging and cool-box functions. The wood is applied in machined, linear strips before being given a hardwearing satin weatherproofing lacquer finish. This process alone will take more than 1000 h.

Prices for classic electric Range Rovers by Lunaz start at £245,000 ($281,427 at Oct 31st exchange rates) excluding local taxes. The second group of vehicles is currently being allocated, with first customer deliveries anticipated during the second quarter of 2023.

 

Job creation and growth

Lunaz has enjoyed extraordinary growth since 2020, reflecting the shifting global attitudes towards consumption and a rebalancing of car collections for a clean-air future. This has led to a doubling in the number of highly skilled jobs at the firm’s manufacturing base in Silverstone. Anticipated future demand will lead to a further doubling of the number of engineers, designers, and technicians at an expanded manufacturing base adjacent to the current technical HQ.

“By 2030, when the UK ban on internal combustion engine car sales will come into effect, there will be two billion internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles on the planet,” said Lorenz. “Without conversion to electric, this will represent mass redundancy of finite resources that could otherwise be re-used. Our approach answers the urgent need to extend the life of these vehicles for future generations.”

Lunaz says its approach is in line with the principles of the circular economy. Its mission is to deliver “pinnacle cars” while exhausting significantly fewer resources than what goes into the production and lifecycle of a new vehicle. Furthering the legacies of classic cars through electrification will preserve their life and make them a relevant and usable proposition for a new generation.

“We designed inherent flexibility within our approach to upcycling the world’s most celebrated cars,” said Jon Hilton, Managing Director and Technical Lead, Lunaz. “Our electric classic Range Rovers demonstrate the scope of vehicles that can be re-engineered and given an entirely new life through conversion to our proprietary electric powertrain.”

 

Restoration and electrification process 

Refining the process from its inception in early 2018, the restoration and conversion process represents re-engineering from the ground up. It starts with an inspection, each vehicle corner weighed to understand the original weight distribution to the gram. This information informs decisions on chassis setup, powertrain packaging, and suspension. The internal combustion engine and associated systems are then removed and the chassis is prepared for electrification.

The car is then 3D scanned, allowing engineers to create detailed CAD (computer-aided design) models to ensure process accuracy. The specifics of Lunaz electric propulsion technology are closely guarded, but each classic is said to be designed, developed, engineered, and tested in-house using the highest specification modules available for automotive applications.

Traditional coachbuilding and restoration skills are employed in stripping down a vehicle to its bare metal shell. Body defects are addressed by hand before the surface finish process begins. For the interior, the in-house design team makes subtle adaptations to integrate modern conveniences such as satellite telecommunications, WiFi, audio-visual entertainment, and navigation aids.

After being stripped to bare metal, each base car is reinforced with box-section steel in preparation for its significantly uprated all-wheel-drive powertrain delivering roughly 360 bhp (268 kW) and 450 lb·ft (610 N·m). The former is about 177% more power than the original V8 engine, which has an estimated 368 g/km CO2 emissions. Six- and four-piston disc brakes are fitted to the front and rear, respectively, but the brakes also feature a regenerative function to charge the battery as the Range Rover slows. The suspension gets a complete overhaul, with all bushings and linkages replaced, then adjustable, long-travel coil-overs are fitted.

The subsystems associated with electric powertrains including battery chargers and DC converters are sensitively integrated into the existing design of the car. For instance, the fuel filler cap is used for charging and dials are adapted to an appropriate read-out for the electrical powertrain. New air conditioning and electric heating systems are installed and the accelerator is converted to a throttle-by-wire system.