Rattle and Hum
Do you want your smokin’ old Land Rover transformed into a smooth-running off-roader? Not really? O.K., you’re a purist, but hear us out...
There’s much debate in the world of old Land Rovers about which ones had the best diesel engine. Some swear by the ‘Td5’, which was used from 1997 to 2007; some prefer the 200 and 300 ‘Tdi’ units that came before it; and a few oddballs, me included, will always choose the ancient and agricultural 2.5 ‘N/A’ (for ‘normally aspirated) diesel — no turbos, no electronics, virtually no power, plenty of noise and smoke, but very little to go wrong.
These filthy, clattering motors are in both of my old Landys — one from 1964, the other a military job from 1987 — but, while they don’t leave local rice puddings fearful of losing their skins (and provide the sort of stately progress that promotes rural tailbacks), they do, in the words of the Spencer Davis Group’s No.1 hit, keep on running.
But doubt has been cast on my appreciation of the 2.5 N/A, not by another combustion engine but, of all unspeakable things, a Land Rover powered by electricity.
Electrogenic is a small firm based in north Oxfordshire that, in exchange for around £25,000, will send any owner of a conventional Land Rover Defender or ‘Series’ model a large wooden crate containing everything required to replace its petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor and battery bank.
The firm’s mantra is ‘no drilling, no cutting’, a reference to the fact the kits have been designed to be reversible, so a car can easily be returned to its original condition if and when required. At this stage, the Land Rover kits are not designed for D.I.Y. types, and need to be installed by an approved Electrogenic agent in what the firm describes as “a few weeks” — after which your rattling, vibrating, smokin’ old Landy will be transformed into a smooth-running off- roader that announces its arrival with a low-level, sci-fi hum.
Reluctant to believe an electric Land Rover could be any good, I took to the road in a long-wheelbase, canvas-topped version being developed for army use.
The most immediate benefit was an aural one. There was none of the usual noise from the engine, gearbox and transmission that, amplified by the Land Rover’s thin, aluminium panels, soon becomes tediously deafening.
The other revelation was in performance: a regular military Land Rover with a 2.5-litre, non-turbo engine produces around 80 horsepower (on an exceptional day), and, with a brave driver at the wheel, can push the car up to a heady 65mph. But the Electrogenic kit puts 150 kilowatts on tap, the equivalent of more than 200 mechanical horsepower. It also ups the all-important torque figure (or pulling power) from 180 Newton metres at 2,000 revs to a stump-pulling 900 Newton metres — which, since electric motors make instant drive, remains more or less constant regardless of speed.
Talking of speed, that held surprises, too. Not only is acceleration far brisker than most old Land Rover owners would believe possible, but rapid forward momentum continues up to 90mph.
Off-roading, meanwhile, was even more of a revelation. The Electrogenic conversion retains the Land Rover’s four- wheel drive, differential lock and transfer gearbox (the one that reduces the transmission ratio, making for lower speeds but greater control), enabling its battery-powered Landy to breeze through mud-filled ruts and up slippery inclines, all the while making the most of that celebrated electric torque.
The other revelation was in performance: the Electrogenic kit puts 150kW on tap, or 200 mechanical horsepower.
A dashboard switch invokes an electronically controlled off- road mode, to further reduce the likelihood of losing traction, while a descent setting uses a high level of braking regeneration to automatically control the car on stomach-churning downhill inclines. And, despite being electric, the conversion doesn’t affect a Land Rover’s ability to ‘wade’ and gives it a range of up to 150 miles, which is more time than most people want to spend in a Landy without a break to recuperate.
As a dyed-in-the-wool fan of combustion engines, it’s painful to admit that a well-sorted electric conversion such as this really could be the way forward for off-roaders — a belief borne out by the fact that Land Rover are due (after a years-long wait) to release their electric Range Rover this summer.
But if you fancy a classic, electrically powered Range Rover before that, the property consultant Harry Millington will happily oblige. In 2021 his company Inverted completed its first conversion of a 1980s two-door model, chucking out the venerable V8 petrol engine and replacing it with an 80-kilowatt battery pack and a large electric motor, all harvested from crashed Teslas.
Inverted’s cars are rebuilt from the ground up, with upgraded suspension and brakes and, in the example I drove, a sumptuous interior trimmed in mocha leather and tweed. Millington claims a range of up to 200 miles between charges and a top speed of around 100mph, with four-door versions starting at £225,000 and two doors at £245,00 (both plus VAT). Much of the cost is down to the meticulous restoration of the ‘donor’ cars (the Electrogenic conversion, don’t forget, is simply a kit that is supplied for the buyer to use as he or she wishes).
There are plenty of other options, too, if you fancy having an old Land Rover that’s powered by electricity and looks as good as new.
Everrati, another Oxfordshire-based firm, specialises in converting Series IIA models (ie. those originally built from 1961-1971). Each one is bespoke, made with a re-engineered chassis, improved brakes and modern creature comforts discreetly incorporated into the interior.
For maximum Landy electric luxury, however, few firms beat the Silverstone-based Lunaz, who claim to produce one battery- powered classic Range Rover a month.
Recent builds have been equipped with gun cabinets, cigar humidors and even wine racks, while one rare long-wheelbase version was rebuilt as a mobile office, complete with Starlink wifi connectivity. But while there’s no doubting the integrity of the cars’ electrical systems, the price tags might cause a bit of a shock: they start at £450,000 and rise to £1.7m.
Excuse me, I’m just off to get some diesel...
