The Bentley S2 Continental goes electric thanks to Lunaz Design

Lunaz Design is an English company whose commissions are very special, since its work focuses on classic luxury vehicles whose original powertrain is removed to convert them to electric, something it has already done with vehicles from illustrious brands such as Aston Martin, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce or Range Rover. You may or may not agree with this kind of work; for my part, I would never do that to a classic, but many customers do require the services of Lunaz Design.

In this case, the British company presents its latest work, also carried out on a British vehicle, specifically a beautiful Bentley S2 Continental from 1961. This particular model was built at a time when independent coachbuilders produced a small number of bodies for luxury cars, all according to the customer’s specifications, on a chassis supplied by the manufacturer, in this case Bentley. The body of this particular model was created by the prestigious English coachbuilder James Young, who was commissioned to build it to a four-door specification but, at the last minute, changed his mind and made it a two-door.

In 1967 this Bentley S2 Continental was sold for the first time and subsequently changed owners several times, living in places in England as well as Germany and even Japan, the last country it visited before returning to England. It is worth noting that the standard and long-wheelbase variants accounted for 80% of Continental sales, so this specific S2 variant is practically unique, being one of the few that still survive in the world. At the time, all variants of the Bentley S2 fitted the 6,200 cc V8 engine from the “L” series, made of aluminium to improve the power-to-weight ratio, which has now given way to an electric motor.

This Bentley S2 Continental has thus received an electric motor that, according to its owners’ requirements, produces 400 CV and 718 Nm, enough to accelerate to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. Naturally, it is not the only mechanical component that has been modernised; for example, it now features a coil spring suspension fully adjustable from the interior and a braking system with energy regeneration for the battery, in addition to discs with six-piston calipers on the front axle and four-piston calipers on the rear.

Apart from all the changes made to the mechanical side, Lunaz Design has put this Bentley S2 Continental through its “upcycling” process, in which the body is completely dismantled, cleaned and restored to be left completely new using traditional restoration and construction techniques. Taking advantage of the fact that it is stripped bare, once all internal and external components are reassembled they are repaired and, if they are not reused, recycled; even the nylon of the seatbelt is recycled if it is no longer valid, and new, more sustainable materials than the originals are incorporated. In this way, we find seats upholstered in leather tanned with naturally fallen olive leaves, floor mats made entirely of nylon, or surfaces made from recycled plastic bottles, or inserts from sustainable sources, certified even by the Forest Stewardship Council.