Simon de Burton takes a look at the new Land Rover Defender converted for emission-free tender excursions…
Last year I was invited to a windswept airfield in Oxfordshire to see and drive a car that, as a long-standing Porsche 911 owner, I was prepared to dislike – a classic 1980s model by Everrati that had been adapted to run on battery power.
But during the event I couldn’t help falling in love with Everrati’s electric Porsche, both for the elegant way the conversion had been resolved and for the overall fit and finish. And as for the performance – well, it knocked spots off my dinosaur of a petrol-engined car.
Everrati was founded in 2019 by classic fan and former fintech entrepreneur Justin Lunny, who was inspired to set up the business after seeing the electrified Jaguar E-Type Zero, in which the newly-wed Duke and Duchess of Sussex had driven away from Windsor Castle the previous year. Although already harbouring a belief that something technically better could be achieved, Lunny was finally moved to give it a go himself by his young daughter’s worries about the future of the planet.
But as impressed as I was by the inaugural 911 model, while looking around Everrati’s headquarters (a vast hangar at the former Upper Heyford RAF base) my eye was drawn to something even more interesting: a brace of Land Rover Defenders that were also getting the electric treatment – a project that has evolved into what you see here: the Everrati Shore Tender.
Unveiled as a concept just ahead of the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show, this particular idea for an electrified Defender emerged from the firm’s collaboration with yacht designers Bannenberg & Rowell and leading brokerage Edmiston.
Ideal for carrying aboard an explorer superyacht, the Shore Tender promises silent and emission-free driving, making it ideal for those on-land adventures in far-off places. Capable of being recharged aboard the boat, it should (theoretically, at least) make for properly “sustainable” transport, both because of its clean electric power train and the fact that it will start its life as a used vehicle that is restored to perfection, thereby giving it an entirely new lease of life.
The fact that Everrati strips its donor vehicles to the bare bones means the battery pack and motors can be properly integrated into the design during the rebuild, and also allows owners to create a bespoke version of each vehicle to their personal specification.
The Shore Tender design is replete with a wealth of maritime-styled features, such as a sailcloth roof awning, floor panels made from recycled ocean plastics and a set of sailcloth duffel bags embroidered with the name of the vehicle’s mothership. More whimsically (but likely to prove no less welcome), the design renderings depict a custom champagne chiller built in to the Defender’s bonnet bulge and storage lockers beneath the rear bench seats for carrying everything from picnic supplies to diving kit.
Owners will, of course, be able to specify a paint job and interior trim to match their yachts and add any particular extras that they think might suit their specific plans for using the Shore Tender.
Order yours now, and it could be all aboard by the start of next year’s Mediterranean season.
Source: Boat International
