An Interview With Everrati About It's Unique EV Vision
Justin Lunny, founder and CEO of Everrati, is a friendly, easy-to-talk-to car guy with a stunning vision for what an EV can be. I spoke with him over the phone recently about what he’s up to, where he’s been, and where Everrati is headed.
At a glance, it may seem like Everrati is following in the footsteps of high-end restomodders like Singer and simply dropping in a battery-based powertrain. I mean, the finished Everrati Porsche 964s being turned out certainly look the part. However, that isn’t even close to reality.
World Class Engineering
Justin notes the crew of engineers working at Everrati come from the likes of McLaren, Lotus, Rimac, Jaguar Land Rover, and Bentley. A single new vehicle program - like the 964 - requires an estimated 6,000 hours of development time, 500 hours of simulation, some 1,900 components, and more than 2,000 drawings. In other words, Everrati treats each new model in its portfolio as an OEM would. Converting ICE cars to EVs via a quick swap this is not.
As you might imagine, it is an expensive proposition, and yes, a commissioned Everrati requires deep pockets. I’ll get to that, but first, it’s worth delving into the details behind what happens during this process. Currently, Everrati offers their creations in Porsche 964, Mercedes-Benz SL W113 SL Pagoda, or Land Rover Series IIA flavors. The Superperformance GT40 is coming soon, but it’s not quite ready yet.
Preserving Automotive Masterpieces
The idea of removing the ICE guts of a classic Porsche 911 or Mercedes SL Pagoda may seem like blasphemy to the automotive purists out there. Fortunately, Everrati leaves the chassis entirely untouched. As Justin said, they don't cut the chassis or destroy what they consider rolling art. From there, however, it’s a top-to-bottom concours-level restoration of these iconic cars. Dampers, brakes, steering, new or refurbished components, and of course, the powertrain.
“We don’t cut the chassis or destroy what we consider rolling art.” Justin Lunny, Everrati Founder and CEO
With the Porsche, Everrati keeps output at 500 horsepower. It’ll deliver plenty of smiles, but won’t be drag-racing any Lucid Airs for quarter-mile bragging rights. That’s not the point of these bespoke EVs. The point is to bring a new generation of enthusiasts into the fold and craft cars that are future-proof. Just look at the name of the company, “Ever” as in forever, and “Rati” as in the goddess of passion, love, and desire. Which brings me to something that I found somewhat shocking as it relates to Everrati’s customers.
Everrati’s Typical Client Persona
In my mind, the passion, love, and desire around the likes of a classic 911 or Pagoda SL are tightly focused on the combustion engine, the sounds, and the feel of all the mechanical systems working in harmony. So, I would’ve thought the folks commissioning Everrati builds would feel the same. But this is not the case. In fact, Justin estimates that some 80% of his clients have never even driven the ICE versions of these icons.
I said I’d get to pricing and here goes. The Everrati Porsche 964 starts at $450,000, excluding the donor car. With the Pagoda, that figure is $525,000 and a recent project came in around $700,000. These are big numbers, so to learn that the owners typically have never driven the original seems crazy to me. However, as Justin explained, these are often people who have a deep-seated love of design and technology, but zero interest in driving combustion-powered cars.
A New Generation Of Car Enthusiasts
One interesting exception was a recent client that did have the ICE version and was a fan of its mechanical workings. However, his plan was to one day pass the car on to his daughter, knowing she would never drive it were it still powered by dinosaur fuel. Which is an interesting parallel to how Justin got started down the Everrati path.
You may recall a certain British royal wedding back in 2018 that involved a one-off Jaguar E-Type running on electric power. Justin’s 7-year-old daughter had previously expressed her concern with climate change and in this unique E-Type EV, he recognized an opportunity to keep cool cars relevant for the next generation.
To be clear, Justin is qualified to comment on what constitutes a cool car as he is a (former) diehard petrolhead with a list of previously owned cars that would make any enthusiast salivate with envy. Ferrari 812 Superfast and Porsche 991.2 GT3 RS, for example. Proving my point is that even after years of owning epic exotica, when I asked Justin what his favorite car of all time was, he told me it was the Renault 5 Gordini circa 1979.
Now, I’m a car guy and I’ve heard of many vehicles, the more obscure the better. However, this is one I was wholly unaware of. A quick search revealed it to be a super neat little hot hatch that screams enthusiast. When Justin was a kid, his dad wanted to teach him about cars and typically that involved tinkering with a Renault 5 of some variety. The Gordini stood out. Love this.
Everrati Is On An EV Mission
Everrati’s stated mission is not to convert cars to electric power, but to redefine them into “the ultimate expression of sustainable, exhilarating, quiet luxury”. They want to preserve these four-wheeled masterpieces into the future and have pulled out all the stops in the process. The running gear is either OEM-grade, like the Lotus-sourced motors, or in-house developed, like the vehicle control software. To launch its bespoke Artisan program, Everrati brought in the former head of colors, materials, and finishes on the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
It’s impressive, the work that Everrati is doing, and it offers an aspirational avenue into EV adoption that some - myself included - struggle with. Who wants to drive a bland, noiseless transportation pod when you can drive a car with three pedals, a riotous ICE, and loads of mechanical personality? As it turns out, a lot of people, and in fact, Everrati is currently working to blend the two.
The EV Future Looks Bright
It’s Superperformance GT40 is still being finalized, but one interesting aspect are the twin helix electric motors hooked up to a straight-cut single speed gearbox. It’s noisy alright, and as one client has already stipulated, they want the sound deadening removed to better enjoy the sound of the electric motor spooling up. I could get behind that idea, not to mention the next Everrati in the pipeline. Hint: it comes after 964 in the 911 alphabet. Everrati is working hard to make the electrified car future a little brighter and I, for one, am excited about it.