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1953 Jaguar XK120 Revived as Electric Car, More to Follow

Restoring decades-old classic cars is a very time and money consuming process. It also poses significant challenges when it comes to finding the right replacement parts for the engine, transmission, and so on. Luckily, the advent of the electric powertrain has simplified things greatly.
Lunaz 1953 Jaguar XK120 16 photos
Photo: Lunaz
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Taking out a car’s internal combustion engine and related components and replacing them with a battery and electric motors is much easier than tinkering with every original moving part to repair and restore it. That is why in the past few years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of companies planning to bring back classics of old with electric hearts.

None of these companies seem as determined as a group by the name of Lunaz.

Lunaz is a British-based company formed by the congregation of people who used to work for Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar, Volkswagen and McLaren. And their goal is to give classic cars another chance at stardom by transplanting them electric drives.

This week, Lunaz broke cover and announced it is working on bringing back the eight-seat 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V, the 1953 Jaguar XK120, and the 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.

They’ll start with the Jag, which has been fitted with an 80-kWH electric battery pack and twin electric motors that produce 375 bhp and 700 Nm of torque. This car is currently in the final testing stages, and Lunaz expects to see it on the market soon.

The Jag will be followed by the Phantom, which uses a 120-kWH battery, and the Cloud, which is still on the drawing table. Regardless of the battery packs they’ll use, each will have fast-charging capability, regenerative braking systems, and even things that were not even dreamt of decades ago, like traction and cruise control.

Lunaz promises each of the restored models will be unique. As such, prices have been set to match the cars’ status, and will start at £350,000 ($428,000). Order books open in November.

You can find out more about the Lunaz plan in the document attached below.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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