From Mud Plugs to Charging Plugs - This Old Landie's Gone Electric
Image Credit: Inverted.
Imagine, if you will, a vehicle that looks like it's escaped from a black and white photograph, all rugged charm and agricultural underpinnings, but underneath? Underneath, it's got the silent, whirring heart of the future. We're talking about the classic Land Rover, the sort your granddad probably used to tow a small country, now reimagined for the electric age by a bunch of clever chaps over in the UK called Inverted.
We all have seen a few electric conversions before. Some are brilliant, some are… about as appealing as a soggy biscuit. But this? This has a certain je ne sais quoi. Inverted took the Series I, II, and III, the ones built when people still wore tweed and thought seatbelts were for wimps – and they've yanked out the wheezing petrol and clattering diesel engines. In their place, they've slotted in a 62 kWh battery. Cleverly split, mind you, front to back, to keep things nicely balanced. Apparently, this helps it handle a bit better than the originals. That's actually a low bar since the originals were about as agile as a wardrobe on ice skates.
Image Credit: Inverted.
This newfound electric heart pumps out a respectable 160 horsepower. But the real party trick is a stonking 664 pound-feet of torque. That's enough grunt to pull the tarmac off the road, I reckon. And it means this old timer can now sprint to 60 mph in a rather un-Land Rover-like 8 seconds. Back in its day, you'd need a calendar to time that sort of acceleration.
The really ingenious bit, though, is that they've kept the original transfer box. Yup - high and low range gears, still working perfectly with the electric motor. And a locking differential too! So, this electrified fossil can still clamber over muddy fields and rutted tracks just like it used to, only now it does it in near silence. You could probably sneak up on a flock of sheep. Though why you'd want to is another question entirely.
Image Credit: Inverted.
Inverted claims the resurrected Landie manages around 120 miles on a full charge. That's not going to set any records, and you're not going to be crossing continents in this thing. But then again, who buys a classic Land Rover for long-distance commuting? It's more for pottering around, a jaunt to the local pub, maybe a gentle green-laning adventure on a weekend. For that sort of thing, 120 miles is probably plenty. You wouldn't want to spend too long in the original seats anyway; they're about as comfortable as sitting on a park bench made of granite.
Charging-wise, it's got a 6.6 kW Type 2 socket for your leisurely top-ups, and a 60 kW DC fast-charging option. That means you can juice it up from 20 to 80 percent in under 40 minutes. Not bad at all. They've even thrown in driving modes – Eco, Traffic, and Off-Road. Because apparently, you need different ways to deploy 160 electric horses in a vehicle shaped like a garden shed. And they've fitted electric power steering, which I imagine is a vast improvement over the original system, which likely required the strength of a small rhinoceros to operate.
Image Credit: Inverted.
The chap behind this madness, Mr. Harry Millington, says these old Land Rovers are "beautiful, iconic machines." And he's right, they are. But he also rightly points out that wrestling with a choke on a frosty morning and inhaling exhaust fumes isn't everyone's idea of a good time. This electric conversion, he reckons, keeps all the charm but makes them "more fun, more reliable, and infinitely more usable."
Now for the bit that might make your wallet weep. These electrified relics start at £150,000. That's roughly $199,000 in proper American dollars. Thankfully, that price includes the donor vehicle. So no, it's not cheap. Not by a long shot. You could buy a fleet of perfectly capable modern electric SUVs for that kind of money. But then, none of those would have the presence, the sheer nostalgic appeal of this old-timer with a secret electric heart.
Image Credit: Inverted.
It's a curious proposition, isn't it? Paying a king's ransom for something that, on paper, doesn't really stack up against modern EVs in terms of range or practicality. But this isn't about practicality. It's about emotion. It's about taking a slice of history and giving it a gentle taste of the future. It's about silent, guilt-free rumbling through the countryside in something that looks like it should be delivering milk and eggs.
Is it worth it? For the well-heeled enthusiast who wants a unique blend of classic looks and modern electric power, and who doesn't mind the rather substantial price tag, then perhaps it is. It's certainly a conversation starter. Imagine pulling up to the country club in one of these. The golf club snobs would probably choke on their cucumber sandwiches. That alone might just be worth the price of admission. It's a wonderfully eccentric idea, beautifully executed. A proper blend of old-school cool and new-age tech. I rather like it.
