In their pursuit of luxury, Bentley and Rolls Royce have long sought to make their cars quieter, their drivelines smoother, and their torque waftier. So why hasn’t there been something like the Lunaz Bentley S1 before?

The car is one of Lunaz’s range of classic British cars that have been converted to run on electric power. The company doesn’t just take a drivetrain from a crashed EV and slip into an old car, though, it really works to make its conversions feel better than factory.

And that’s good because these conversions can cost nearly $500,000, so quality is a must. To ensure that, the company strips these cars down to their bare chassis and scans them to make sure that the batteries and motors are going into the best spots possible.

Read Also: Lunaz Adds $490k Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur To Its Classic EV Range

In the case of this S1, the batteries are split between the front and the rear to make sure it still feels vaguely like a ’60 Bentley. Lunaz is also obsessive about quality. The company adds features like USB cables, air conditioning, and even heated seats. Better yet, attention to detail is apparently Singer-like.

Lunaz doesn’t take the charm out of its cars either. Although filled with new luxuries, the look remains old-fashioned, as does the drive.

“Going around corners is—yeah—quite interesting. Let’s call it period correct,” says host Jack Rix. “Turn the wheel and you stare down this enormous bonnet at the flying B all the way over there and you wait a bit and then bit more and then the prow comes around. It’s a lot more like sailing a ship than it is like driving a car. But it is so, so much fun.”

Better yet, you aren’t dealing with a dirty, spluttering, old-school engine that refuses to run properly.

“Electric powertrains just suit cars like this absolutely down to the ground,” says Rix. “And I know what you’re thinking. ‘Yes, Jack. But batteries are expensive and batteries are heavy.’ Well, Bentleys are expensive and Bentleys are heavy and that weight is one of the reasons they ride so well and they feel so solid and so planted.”

Similar Posts