Is this £350k electric Bentley S1 the future of classic cars?
This classic 1961 Bentley Continental Flying Spur by HJ Mulliner has been converted into an EV by Lunaz Design, a Silverstone-based EV restomodders.
After the full electric heart transplant, this luxury road-boat Bentley S1 still maintains its beautiful old shape but has also been modernized and reengineered to drive and offer the same features as a new car.
Tucked away where the sun doesn't shine is a pair of front-mounted e-motors sandwiched together, producing around 350bhp and delivering drive to all four wheels. Thanks to an 80kWh lithium-ion battery it has a real-world range of 250 miles, can rapid charge up to 150kW, has regen braking, luxuries like cruise control and traction control and the batteries are split so there’s some at the back, some at the front, to keep weight distribution and handling just so.
It keeps the original's charm while subtly incorporating the technology. Allow your manservant to open the rear door to reveal a USB socket beneath a chrome button for the heated rear seats. The beautiful Smiths dials on the front look period correct but tell you strange things like battery charge, battery temperature, and instantaneous power consumption or regeneration. On the dash, there's so much veneer and heavy-set switchgear that you almost miss the cruise control's twist switch or the toggle to unlock the charging port. But once you've stepped into the cabin, slid your thighs under the massive thin-rimmed wheel, and sat perched on your leathery throne, there's nothing new or futuristic about it; it's just a classic car.
Turn the key, shift into D, and take-off is double cream smooth - no coaxing an old engine into life or waiting for your fluids to warm up, though the systems do take their time. The torque curve has yet to be finalized, and the default map could use a little more oomph off the line - apparently a laptop fix that beats a full engine rebuild - but performance is perfectly adequate. The ride is pillowy soft, the brakes work perfectly, even though we barely hit 40mph on the estate's narrow roads, and the refinement is impeccable. Especially if you're sitting in the back with your nose buried in the Financial Times.
Who's the target customer for a classic Bentley EV conversion that starts at £350k, rising sharply once you have fun with different paints, lightweight bodies and interior trims?
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Key moments
Intro
0:51 - What is it
2:13 - Prices
3:07 - Process
3:41 - Flying Spur
5:17 - Interior
6:48 - Driving
9:42 - Conclusion