Engines are the stone tablets on which Rolls-Royce’s legacy was carved. So what happens when you replace it with a battery?
The Rolls-Royce Phantom V by Lunaz might be the purest ever vision of Charles Rolls's electric prophecy. Trinity Francis finds out what makes it buzz.
If you’re a spiritual person, you might believe the soul leaves the body after death. If you're not, you would still likely agree that there is something intangible about every one of us; an essence that makes us unique. The same can be said of dogs and cars; none more so than classics. Most attribute the soul of a car to its engine, but what happens when you re-engineer a 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V and replace its ‘soul’ with an electric one?
It’s easy to understand why Lunaz would transplant a classic Range Rover engine with an electric motor (or anything else for that matter), but I must admit I did wince at the idea of separating a Phantom from its Spirit of Ecstasy.
Engines are the stone tablets on which Rolls-Royce’s legacy was carved. Its engines were the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic, they won two World Wars, still hold multiple land speed records and made Concorde possible. So, pitching an engine swap of a Phantom V frankly sounds like hubris, especially when the replacement is an electric motor — but context is everything.
When you think about a Rolls-Royce, and more specifically a Phantom V, it puts you in mind of 1960s Piccadilly: clubland tales, Savile Row suits, luxury hotels, heads of state and quiet opulence. The operative word is quiet. Despite its 6.2-litre V8, the Phantom V was not a loud car, it turned heads without making a noise. Its sheer size was enough to make a lasting impression. It had presence. Today, Gen Z would call that ‘aura’.
'It feels like sitting in a Phantom from an alternate reality, where Rolls realised his electric dreams'
Attempting to redefine that image is a bold move, but it’s a responsibility that Lunaz doesn’t take lightly. Each car is the result of more than 5,500 hours of craftsmanship that touches at least 11,000 components. An engine bay-shaped 80kWh battery is nestled under the bonnet and since the Phantom V was hefty in the first place, it has minimal impact on the car’s weight distribution.
Most people, when handed the keys to a seven-figure car, would take the easy road, literally and figuratively. A saunter through Holland Park perhaps, or a meander along The Mall. But if you get past the price tag and historic implications, on paper, this Phantom V by Lunaz is a hill-climb sleeper in the making. So, naturally, I took it to the Chiltern Hills to test its mettle.
There’s no getting away from the fact that it weighs as much as a large white rhino, but at the base of Kop Hill, pressing down on the accelerator, it starts organising all 280bhp and 445Nm of torque in the most expedient fashion.
Usually, the whine of an electric motor draws comparison with milk floats and Stannah stairlifts, but the Swiss-made three-phase radial flux AC motor sounds more like a Harrier jet spooling for take off (which feels historically appropriate given Rolls-Royce’s aviation roots). Think Adam West’s Batmobile, but in the guise of something the Penguin would prowl the streets of Gotham in.
Something that remains period accurate (rightly or wrongly) is the steering rack. Hill climbing at pace was never the operational design domain for the Phantom V, but once it starts knocking on the door of 50mph, the steering gets squirrelly, not too dissimilar to a Venetian motoscafi weaving up the grand canal. As the Phantom V builds speed, any movement in the steering turns into a fight against its own momentum, liable to wash you up against the bank.
'Everyone from toddlers to OAPs stare, wave, and grin at the copious chrome trim, sweeping bodylines and unfathomable scale with wonder'
Thankfully, Lunaz has maintained the Phantom’s adjustable dampers, which allow you to firm up the ride accordingly and help bring the steering under control. As the incline grows steeper, more pedal pressure pulls it up the hill with an effortless grace that would look supernatural to the unassuming spectator.
At slower speeds, it’s much easier to tame, but don’t expect it to perform complex manoeuvres or make it round tight corners. As we crest the hill and begin our descent, my truck driver instincts kick in and I start looking for a banksman to negotiate the narrow left hand bend.
Much like driving an 18-tonne rigid, the lengthy wheelbase and precious cargo make you think twice about where it can fit. It’s an arm workout every time you try and do a three-point turn (which inevitably turns into a 30-point fiasco), but it’s never embarrassing, because everyone from toddlers to OAPs stare, wave, and grin at the copious chrome trim, sweeping bodylines and unfathomable scale with wonder.
While the exterior styling is untouched from the original James Young coachwork, inside, Lunaz introduces tastefully redesigned dials, electric windows and a privacy partition, as well as a sneakily hidden touchscreen display and a reversing camera.
More than a century ago, Charles Rolls said, “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged. But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable — at least for many years to come.”
Seeing the word ‘regen’ above the original chrome twist switches, debossed in period-accurate Gills Sans typeface is the kind of thing that demonstrates Lunaz’s neurotic attention to detail. It feels like sitting in a Phantom from an alternate reality where Rolls realised his electric dreams.
Although the new powertrain has injected some extra potency and delicious smoothness, fundamentally, the Phantom was never created with the driver in mind. The real charm is in the back seats, which are now heated and face an impressive walnut burl wet bar. Three compartments house whisk(e)y decanters (or your poison of choice) and matching glassware.
Unsurprisingly, Lunaz plans to make this a private hire car in London, where it will chauffeur VIPs to and from top hotels in the Big Smoke. With a range of just 160 miles, city life is where the Phantom V will excel, but those who venture out of town will no doubt be enamoured by its guts.
Astonishingly, the electrified Phantom V hasn’t lost its soul. Instead, it’s gained a new personality where the old is augmented by the new. It’s not what it was. But, dare I say, it’s something more.
