Tucked away in the green and pleasant land that surrounds Silverstone, nestled among titans of motorsport, sits an unassuming but remarkable little start-up: Lunaz. Established in 2018, the company specialises in the painstaking electrification and re-engineering of classics. No, not another butcher carving up heritage motor vehicles for EV fodder. In Lunaz's own words, ‘It's not a restoration, it's a remaster.’
Range Rover Classic LZ018 remastered by Lunaz
The firm’s raison d'être is nut-and-bolt remasters of only the most deserving classics, which, naturally, to date have all been British icons: Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Range Rover. Akin to museum conservators restoring the likes of Raphael and Rembrandt, Lunaz takes masterpieces like a tired Rolls-Royce Phantom V or a worn-out Range Rover circa 1980 and rebuilds them better than new, with the power of Zeus running through their veins.
Range Rover Classic by Lunaz
Classic EV conversions get a bad rap, people liken them to some sort of Frankenstein's monster-esque abomination. Poor deceased classics hacked up, innards ripped out, a synthetic heart dropped in and reanimated with soulless electricity. I prefer to think of them in a less macabre manner, more along the lines of the six-million-dollar man. ‘We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better… stronger… faster…’
Range Rover Classic by Lunaz
There’s no more fitting a candidate than a classic Range Rover. Nostalgia and looks aside, the cars were really were pretty awful. The arthritis-inducing ride, mystery liquids leaking from every orifice and mpg that could be measured in yards.
So how does it work? Every conversion is a custom commission. Lunaz sources the car, strips it down to its underwear, and rebuilds it with a sympathetic design ethos, no 60-inch spaceship displays cut into the dash with a Sawzall. The intention is a period-respectful glow-up, while applying the subtle practicality of modern technology, such as electric windows, a reversing camera and USB ports in abundance.
The Range Rover Classic from Lunaz
The typical Lunaz customer realises that a Tesla represents the cutting edge of technology yet considers it to be as ugly as sin. Lunaz understands what modern car manufacturers fail to grasp. We want the reliability, safety, speed, functionality and everything else that modern EVs offer but in a shell that harks back to a time before CAD and wind tunnels dictated design. Since homologation has become a tight sphincter of safety, the only option is to Lee-Majors classics into bionic hybrids.
The Range Rover Classic from Lunaz
Merely removing the engine and throwing in a chunky battery would do the Range Rover a disservice. Along with the powertrain overhaul, Lunaz updates the suspension, brakes and steering to subdue the rough agricultural edges of the original. Make no mistake, it’s no sports car and nor should it be. When you demand power, the electric motor purrs, but for the most part it’s the strong silent type.
The Range Rover Classic from Lunaz
As you can imagine, ditching the original 3.5-litre V8 engine does a lot for sound reduction; Lunaz also puts down some serious insulation to quiet the cabin even further. You can have a conversation with the person next to you in hushed tones and never once strain to hear them, it’s almost eerily quiet.
Range Rover Classic by Lunaz
I’ll be the first to admit, it is disconcerting to jump into an old car expecting suck-squeeze-bang-blow and be greeted with nothing. Some call it sacrilege, but just as you don’t have to snort a line of salt and squirt lime in your eye every time you drink tequila (it’s also acceptable to just mix it with orange juice and grenadine to watch the sunrise in silence), not everything has to be raucous and hardcore.
Just one of thousands of interior configurations of the Lunaz Range Rover Classic
Depending on the specification, electrification adds between 100 and 300kg to the overall weight of Lunaz’s models. This only translates to a modest 130 miles of range, but Lunaz reckons these cars will live in the city, where time in a vehicle is measured in hours, not miles. Its off-road capabilities have been maintained, in case owners happen to find themselves in a muddy field, or a high curb near Sloane Square, although given the price tag, you’d be forgiven for sticking to the beaten path.
In the Range Rover, Lunaz has added its own flair with a new 3D-printed centre console, veneered in a wood or material of your choosing. The company’s signature five-fluted seat trim also allows owners to inject their personality into the interior. Lunaz’s USP is personalisation. Hayley Hunter, the firm's make-dreams-happen czar, explains, ‘Sometimes we get clients that are really interested in the technology side of things, and they need a helping hand on the design side.
A bespoke configuration for the Range Rover Classic
‘We had one client that wanted every material in the vehicle to have a sustainable story. He sent us some wood from his own farm from a tree that had fallen down’
Hayley Hunter, Lunaz CMF consultant
‘We dive into what their house looks like, what their other cars look like, where they holiday, to inform how we bring the materials together. Where the car is going to live is also a massive one. We have a lot of clients at the moment in Florida, so we’re aware of using lighter colours and not wanting leather to get too hot. That’s where we can bring through more textual materials onto the seats and walls.’
Alongside a core profile of colours, leathers and just about every type of fabric you can imagine, Lunaz customises to an extent that just isn’t possible elsewhere in the automotive industry. Hunter says, ‘We had one client that wanted every material in the vehicle to have a sustainable story. He actually sent us some wood from his own farm from a tree that had fallen down. He wanted us to use every part of the tree in the car.
Range Rover Classic by Lunaz
‘We're so lucky to be in this position where we can take things which are sentimental, like this tree that fell on his property where his father is buried, and be able to turn it into something special which is hopefully going to sit in the car for the next 50 to 60 years and make it feel that bit more personal.’
Unless you live in a Gulf state the US is trying to liberate with democracy or your last name is Cavendish-Grosvenor-Rothschild, then a Range Rover by Lunaz might not be the first priority in your dream three-car garage.
But in a four-, five-, six- or more car garage, the right amount of money will buy you a level of customisation that McLaren wouldn’t be able to execute, and Ferrari would just outright refuse. To quote the great philosopher, Ariana Grande, ‘Whoever said money can't solve your problems … must not have had enough money to solve them.’ Lunaz is here to help.
For more information visit ByLunaz.com, @LunazDesign