A Range Rover Classic EV is Lighter Than a Tesla

From Road & Track

Most of us have a soft spot for the early Range Rovers, but while the design couldn't be more fashionable after almost fifty years, the same can not be said about the Buick-delivered 3.5 liter Rover V8, which in 1972 produced 135 horsepower at 4750rpm, and 185 lb.-ft. of torque at 2500rpm. That's right, all that from 3.5 liters.

You wouldn't write home about that engine, except if you want to ask your elders which vacuum line goes where. But the fact remains that when your lazy, yet rather hungry V8 starts acting up, suddenly, electric conversion seems like a salvation.

Using 15 of the Tesla Model S P85's 16 battery packs, the UK's Electric Classic Cars turned this 1972 Range Rover into a twin-motor regeneration champ with 130 horsepower and 213 ft.-lbs. of torque on tap, thanks to a twin motor setup and an 80 kWh battery pack.

With a range of 175 – 200 miles and a built in regen-mode that maximizes motor braking during hill descent, the result is the perfect example of what recycled Tesla bits can do with your classic. Quiet, clean, more powerful, equally functional. That's a 1972 Range Rover EV, ready for another fifty years.

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