Lunaz set to grow its global manufacturing headquarters by 500 per cent as it reveals world’s first electric classic Bentley

The Silverstone-based re-engineering and electrification specialist is set to grow the size of its facilities by 500 per cent this spring, upping the available design, engineering and manufacturing space from 8000sq/ft to 40,000sq/ft. This move to a bigger facility will give Lunaz the title of having the largest facility at the Silverstone Technology Cluster.

It’s not just in physical space that Lunaz is expanding. It has made a number of high-level appointments in the past 12 months in engineering and manufacturing, bringing in experience from the likes of McLaren Automotive Motorsport and Prodrive. With growth continuing at its current rate, Lunaz will have doubled the size of its workforce by the end of the year to 100 highly-skilled individuals.

Expansion is being driven by global demand for fully restored and electrified classic cars – a process whereby the essence of the vehicle is kept faithful to the original, but the powertrain is swapped for a modern, usable and sustainable electric drive system.

Lunaz seems to have perfected this recipe and despite a challenging year in 2020, defied market conditions and enjoyed a successful year, launching an EV conversion for the Classic Range Rover along the way. Demand for luxury goods from the international market as well as an increasing realisation of the need for clean transportation – alongside legislation – has driven demand.

The company isn’t just planning to continue doing what it has been doing. As part of the expansion, it is establishing a global home for Lunaz design, including R&D. This element of the company will deal with things like surface finish, battery engineering and body restoration – and Lunaz is also planning on enabling customers to be more engaged in the restoration and build process of their cars.

When it comes to powertrains, Lunaz reckons it can expand beyond the classic restoration and electrification market into the electrification of existing fleets. How this will look is yet to be revealed, however.

Bentley added to the range

In conjunction with its expansion news, Lunaz has just completed its first restoration and conversion on a Bentley – a 1961 Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur by Mulliner. It was created for “one of the UK’s most eminent car collectors” and has been engineered for everyday practicality, including uprated brakes and chassis, infotainment including navigation and Apple CarPlay and even child seats in the rear.

Thanks to this project, Lunaz can now offer the same treatment to S1, S2 and S3 Bentley Continentals in two or four-door configurations.