Silence for the Lambs – Electric Land Rover
June 12, 2023
Love them or hate them, classic cars converted to run on electricity are a thing and they’re here to stay. We know this gets some of you all hot and bothered, we have the emails to prove it (for the record, stop that, we’re not the ones building them) and that’s fine. To each their own and all that. However, while we still believe that yanking the mechanical heart from something soulful like an E-Type or a Testarossa should be a jailable offense, the fact remains that some classic cars actually benefit from the change to silent running. Cars like, ooh, this electric Land Rover, for example, are a proof of that.
The engines fitted to the Series IIA, or in fact any Series Land Rover were not good. They did enginey things as an engine should, but they were not refined, smooth, quiet or in the case of the petrol offerings, all that reliable. They were noisy and smelly and slow. They were. You cannot deny it. You also can’t deny that despite the engines, the Land Rover is, and always will be an icon of automotive and industrial design. It’s also a car we owe so much to. From farm yards to mountains to – according to television adverts – dams, the Land Rover has mastered them all. This electric Land Rover promises to carry on that legacy, albeit silently.
Built by Everrati, this recently unveiled Series IIA electric Land Rover is a cut above the rest. Rebuilt from the ground up to excruciatingly exacting standards, it’s a rolling work of art. New parts throughout, an interior full of Bridge of Weir leather, wood, deep carpet and more, it’s enough to make a Range Rover blush. And with a 60kWh battery and 150bhp and 300Nm from its electric motors, it offers both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive modes and a range of up to 150 miles, almost identical to its combustion-engined past, combined with regenerative braking, AC and DC fast charging capability.
Unveiled at last week’s London Concours, the Everrati electric Land Rover was a welcome part of the ‘The Cars That Built Land Rover’ display – a homage running over the course of the three-day event of classic models that have shaped the brand into what it is today.
Justin Lunny, Co-Founder and CEO of Everrati said: “London Concours brings together the best in automotive craftmanship and luxury. We are extremely proud to have our redefined Land Rover Series IIA on show as it perfectly aligns with the event’s celebration of motoring prestige and the homage to Maurice Wilkes’ game-changing creation. We look forward to showing visitors how we have redefined this piece of automotive history to the highest standards in the bid to preserve its legacy and be enjoyed by generations to come.”
It’s not going to be for everyone, we know that. Plus, in 2023, it seems people want to be offended by everything. But we’d encourage you to welcome this particular EV conversion into the fold, because rather than rob the Land Rover of anything, the work done here by Everatti has been done so with respect, sympathy and a genuine desire to build on what the car is and make it better. And really, is anyone going to miss the clattery combustion engine that came out of it? Exactly. Plus, more fuel for that Testarossa.
