Will this British company secure the future of classic cars?
Everrati, a specialized British engineering company from the rolling hills of the Cotswolds in Great Britain, believes they hold the key to electrifying classic cars
The steep value curve of vintage cars – even the seemingly most mundane example – suggests that most machines that are still running will be almost too valuable for everyday use when gasoline becomes seriously scarce.
Justin Lunny heads Everrati, formerly Ionic, a specialized UK engineering company based in the Cotswolds. After selling his fintech company, Lunny started looking for a company that combined automobiles and technology. “When I saw Jaguar’s electric E-Type being used at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, I realized there was something,” he says. “Very few companies do this the right way.”
The Everrati-Porsche has been converted to an electric drive
The future is electric
And so Everatti was born, a company that aims to transform popular classics into sporty electric vehicles for everyday use far, far into the future. Lunny and his team knew from the start that this was a high-end offering. Instead of simply ‘splicing’ existing EV parts into a vintage car with ‘dubious technology’, an Everrati is developed from scratch. “Our intention is to subtly convert a vehicle from an internal combustion engine to an electric vehicle,” he says. “We are essentially redesigning it from scratch. We scan the vehicle in 3D to assess where the weight of the batteries should be placed. Then we design the new parts to fit in the areas where the engine, fuel tank, etc. would have been. ‘
Everrati not only revised the 964 version of the Porsche 911 for electric drive, but also carried out a complete restoration of your car
Everrati’s flagship is currently a complete transformation of the 964 series Porsche 911, a car that was originally built between 1989 and 1994. Over 63,000 have been built and there are plenty of owners, old and new, who like the idea of giving their car a new life of life. “With the Porsche, we can put a lot of power into it because we know that the car can withstand it,” explains Lunny, “the performance of our Land Rover and Mercedes models is very poor.” Every electric vehicle, whether new or retrofitted, has to balance weight, range and performance, and Everrati is no different.
The interior of the fully electric 911 from Everrati
In fact, the company offers a slightly different restoration service. “It’s about keeping the original feel of the car as much as possible,” says Lunny. “The interior is just as important as the rest of the car. We dismantle everything except for the chassis and overhaul it. In the end, the Porsche is even lighter than the original because we use carbon fiber panels. ”The process also includes upgrading the suspension if necessary, as well as adding regenerative braking to kinetically charge the battery. “Our customers determine whether a car has a seal of approval or value, and these judgments depend on their age. In some ways, it’s easier to make these changes on an older car, but we’re also geared towards more modern vehicles. ”
The interior of the fully electric 911 from Everrati
While Everrati emphasizes that he can handle practically anything, the systems for adapting Porsche and Land-Rover are completely in series. “Then it depends on the customer specification and whether they want certain changes to the fairing, for example.” When asked whether his company would convert a particularly rare car, Lunny evades. “If it was an important car with very low mileage, we probably wouldn’t take the job. You have to ask, does the end result justify the price? ‘ Some customers have asked to keep the oily interior of the original car as an object of art, as this technique is often very beautiful.
The Superformance GT40 is the next model to be electrified
The company also announced a new partnership with Superformance, a maker of serial production of Ford’s GT40 supercar from the 1960s. Development of an electrified version of this iconic model is underway, which both companies recognize as a nod to the Anglo-American partnership that developed the original GT40 in the 1960s.
Everrati’s electric Porsche 911 next to the Superformance GT40
The move to electromobility has many advantages, but a vocal minority of enthusiasts find the inevitable slow death of the internal combustion engine difficult to endure. With well over a century of automotive history seemingly doomed to a long and persistent extinction, is there still hope for the traditional classic car? Outside of museums, concours events, and auto shows, companies like Everatti are giving a second life to totemic designs that all too often could vanish from our streets. While Lunny insists that the whole process is reversible, he believes his approach is to keep older cars relevant, used, and popular. “It appeals to those who may have never owned a classic and who do not want any breakdowns or maintenance,” he says. “Countries like France are exploring the benefits this will bring to older cars for the mass market, so I think the cost of the process will definitely go down.” For the time being, Everrati’s Porsche, Land-Rover and Mercedes Cabrio are a fascinating alternative to the mainstream. §
