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, please take a moment to enjoy these images, taken on a summer afternoon in Regent’s Park. Designed by Paul Bracq – who later shaped the first-generation BMW 3 Series and 5 Series, along with France’s high-speed TGV trains – the ‘W113’ (1963-1971) SL truly is a thing of beauty.
This particular car began life in 1968 as an entry-level 230 SL and has been meticulously restored by Hilton & Moss, a renowned Mercedes-Benz specialist that also rebuilt the 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ I drove in 2022. Its paint is a lustrous shade of Le Mans Blue, a Ferrari colour reflected by its delicate chrome bumpers and gleaming grille. Only the absence of an exhaust tailpipe hints at the electric hardware beneath.
As for the ‘Pagoda’ nickname, it relates to the W113’s bolt-on hard-top, which has convex curves not unlike the tiered towers seen throughout China and Japan (you’ll find one in Kew Gardens, too). The SL has a folding fabric roof as well, but I decide to enjoy the July sunshine and fresh(ish) central London air. Carpe diem and all that.
Batteries included
Everrati’s standard SL conversion comes with a 54kWh battery and can whisk to 60mph in 8.0 seconds, with a fully charged range of 160 miles. However, this car is the upgraded ‘Touring’ specification. It uses the same Helix electric motor – also seen in the Lotus Evija and Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercars – but with a 68kWh battery for 0-60mph in less than 7.0 seconds and a range of 200 miles.
Both versions develop 300hp: exactly twice what the factory-fitted 3.2-litre engine could muster. Everrati has resisted the urge to offer a Tesla-baiting power output, though. “We could give it more performance,” explained CEO Justin Lunny, “but that wouldn’t be in keeping with the character of the car.”
Weighing around 100kg more than when it left Stuttgart, the SL also has a single-speed transmission driving the rear wheels, KW coilover suspension and uprated brakes (albeit still the original 230 SL rear drums). Lunny hands me the dainty key and – in front of an appreciative audience of camera-toting tourists – I climb behind the wheel.
Electric but analogue
Inside, the first production Pagoda is retrimmed to replicate the original car, with chunky box-weave carpets and swathes of MB-Tex imitation leather. Prefer real cow? Everrati also offers super-supple Bridge of Weir leather, which is produced sustainably in Scotland.
Sinking into the soft seat, the enormous bakelite steering wheel forces you into a broad-shouldered stance. The beautifully crisp, white-on-black dials – the rev counter now showing the car’s output in kilowatts – frame a neatly integrated digital display. You’ll discover air conditioning and a retro-look radio with Bluetooth connectivity, but there’s not a glaring, fingerprint-smudged touchscreen in sight. Thank heavens for that.
This car has the rare option of a single, sideways-facing rear seat, which probably wouldn’t (OK, definitely wouldn’t) pass modern safety tests, but it provides a useful extra perch for jaunts to and from the pub. A deep boot makes the SL usefully practical for a sports car, too
Driving the Everrati SL
In truth – and unlike its Gullwing predecessor – the W113 SL is more of a long-legged GT than a corner-carving sports car. And the electric conversion plays to those strengths, with plentiful torque and quiet, seamless acceleration. It has what Rolls-Royce likes to call ‘waftability’.
The Pagoda isn’t eerily quiet like many modern EVs; its differential whines and air blusters around the cabin at speed. For better or worse, it never lets you forget you’re driving a classic car, either. The brake pedal demands a firm shove, there’s a fair degree of body-roll and the skinny whitewall tyres aren’t the last word (or even the first word) in grip.
Take it easy, though, and the electric SL is a joy. Its steering is fingertip-light, throttle response is calmly calibrated and the modest proportions make it easy to slice through London traffic. Besides, everyone lets you out of junctions in something this beautiful – if only for a closer look.
Oh Lord won’t you buy me…
While the Porsche 911 is, to a large extent, inseparable from the flat-six engine, the straight-six in a Pagoda is more a means of propulsion – and less a defining characteristic of the car.
So, while Everrati’s 911 always felt like something was missing, the SL doesn’t inspire those same nagging doubts. Indeed, the electric drivetrain enhances its qualities as an effortless and oh-so-elegant boulevardier. Only the limited range dents its abilities as a genuine grand tourer.
Like all such restomods, the Pagoda is fiercely expensive – close to £400,000 before you even factor in the cost of a donor car (which Everrati can source for you). Nonetheless, for the privileged few who can afford it, this is an elegant and rather wonderful way to travel.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
Everrati Mercedes-Benz SL ‘Pagoda’
PRICE: £396,000 + donor car
POWER: 300hp
0-62MPH: 7.0sec
TOP SPEED: N/A
BATTERY SIZE: 68kWh
ELECTRIC RANGE: 200 miles
