Electric restomods never fail to ignite the comments on social media. Some say they are a means to future-proof classic cars, making them more sustainable, reliable and socially acceptable. Others accuse them of tearing out a car’s heart and neutering its soul, while riding roughshod over our automotive heritage.
As with most online debates, there seems precious little middle-ground. Oxfordshire-based Everrati is one of the more established names in the business of ‘electrifying icons’. Founded five years ago, its first project was a battery-powered take on the 964-era (1989-1994) Porsche 911 .
I drove it for Total 911 magazine in 2021, concluding: ‘I won’t pretend I didn’t miss the howl of a flat-six, but many virtues fill that void, such as instant torque and effortless speed, plus near-silent refinement and one-pedal convenience when you’re not in the mood’. Whatever the Porsche purists said (much of it unprintable here), the electric 911 clearly found a niche and its success led to several spin-offs, such as electric ST and RSR replicas. Before long, Everrati had established a second production base in Irvine, California and was turning its attention to other classic cars.
They include the Land Rover Series IIa and Defender, original Range Rover and Ford GT40. The Mercedes-Benz SL is the latest car to get the Everrati treatment and, for reasons we’ll get to, also the company’s most convincing conversion yet. Before we delve into the details, though, pl.