Lunaz, a company specialising in the restoration and electrification of classic cars, has announced it will double its workforce. Currently, 35 engineers, craftspeople, designers and electric powertrain specialists are employed at the company’s base in Silverstone.
By the end of the year, Lunaz will have twice the number of staff as it responds to a ‘shift towards a requirement for zero-emissions luxury cars’.
Established in 2018, Lunaz has become known for its electric classics, most notably a 1953 Jaguar XK120. Its debut car is now ready for production following a period of testing and proving. The company says the electric XK120 is ‘comparable against the latest electric cars in all conditions’.
The Lunaz XK120 is fitted with an 80kWh battery, generating 375hp and 516lb ft of torque. The twin motors help to propel the Jaguar to 60mph in less than five seconds. Lunaz hasn’t supplied a range figure, but says it is ‘expected to match a new electric car’. It costs £350,000, plus local taxes and import duties.
Meanwhile, a 1961 eight-seat Rolls-Royce Phantom V and a 1956 Rolls-Royce Cloud are nearing completion, while a 1961 Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur has also joined the Lunaz collection.
Founder David Lorenz said: “Legislation to reduce carbon emissions through bans on petrol, diesel and hybrid engines is an urgent reality. Lunaz is electrifying the most beautiful classic cars in the world so that they can be driven and enjoyed by future generations.”
‘Vital and urgent engineering’
Managing director and technical lead Jon Hilton added: “At Lunaz we are engaged in vital and urgent engineering. These are the most beautiful and celebrated cars in history. As a collective we are proud to make classics a relevant proposition for the future.”
Last year, the Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens (FIVA) said it is unable to promote or support the conversion of classic cars to electric power. Tiddo Bresters, FIVA’s vice president, legislation, said: “It is not, in our opinion, the shape or body style of a vehicle that makes it ‘historic’, but the way in which the entire vehicle has been constructed and manufactured in its original form.
“Hence if any owner, motor engineer or manufacturer chooses to make such conversions to a historic vehicle, FIVA would strongly recommend that any changes are reversible, with all the original components marked and safely stored.
“In this way, the vehicle may – if so desired in the future – be returned to its original state and may once again become a historic vehicle.”
This is unlikely to deter Lunaz or other specialist firms from pressing ahead with electric car conversions, especially given the government’s stance on the future of petrol and diesel in the UK. The ban on new petrol and diesel cars has been brought forward from 2040 to 2035.