Rolls-Royce gets shock revival

A classic vehicle engineering and restoration company in England is set to deliver revived examples of the 1960s Rolls-Royce Phantom and Silver Cloud.

Not only will they be rebuilt from the ground up, but they’ll run on zero-emissions battery-electric power, thanks to a retrofitted EV powertrain.

The English company responsible, Lunaz, say it’s had to double staff at its Silverstone headquarters in order to meet demand for the upcoming models.

Orders are already being taken for the electrified Rolls-Royce Phantom and Silver Cloud from its existing client base, with build slots strictly limited to just 30.

Lunaz says those include a range of body styles, such as four-door limousines, two-door coupes and drop head coupes (read: convertible).

Electric Phantom pricing is set to begin at £500,000 ($A918,000), while Silver Clouds are a little more affordable at £350,000 ($A642,550) – both excluding local taxes and on-road costs.

Each Rolls is taken back to bare metal, 3D-scanned, weighed and fully restored before the conversion and re-engineering process begins, says Lunaz.

The fitment of a large 120kWh battery pack for the Phantom is claimed to provide a range of more than 300 miles (482km).

Lunaz founder David Lorenz says no car in the world matches a Phantom for presence, style and significance.

“Through electrification we proudly further the legacy of the ‘best car in the world’, making Rolls-Royce ownership a relevant choice for a new generation,” he said.

Revived Phantom models will come with almost every feature offered when it first arrived in the 1960s, including two-tone paint, a pink bakelite telephone (updated to work like a modern cellular phone) and refreshed original woodwork.

It’ll also get new features such as an infotainment unit with navigation, audio that can be split between the front and rear (so rear passengers can listen to music while the driver listens to sat-nav instructions, for example) and climate control.

Rolls-Royce Silver Clouds will come with a slightly smaller 80kWh battery that Lunaz says is still good for more than 300 miles of range and “long continental journeys for which it was intended”.

Customers can then work with Lunaz’s design director, Jen Holloway, to “inject their own design and technology desires”.

Each Lunaz Roller will also have the ability to be charged from home or at a fast-charging station.

The classic car restorer says the electrified Rolls-Royce models will be available in every global market, but can only be secured directly with the UK factory.