Everrati teams up with Hemmels for new Pagoda EV
SL restoration specialists will strip and rebuild electric W113s, plus offer snazzy tailored options
Everrati is slowly replacing the fuel-swigging engines from classic favourites with electric powertrains, one car at a time. Like many restomodders, the firm cut its teeth on old Porsche 911s before turning its attention to Land Rover Series cars, silent Ford GT40 recreations and the achingly beautiful Mercedes SL ‘Pagoda’. It’s the latter that’s been given a spruce up for 2024, as the company has announced a new, more luxurious W113 built in collaboration with SL restoration gurus Hemmels.
At a glance, it doesn’t appear as though much has changed. The original Pagoda is as sumptuous as a 1960s roadster gets, and while Everrati’s take clearly removes a key component of the original, the interior, paintwork and glitzy chrome were left untouched. But while the Hemmels influence may be subtle, it’s in no way insignificant. Going forward, each Everrati 280 SL will be subjected to Hemmels’ ‘Neugeboren’ (German for ‘newborn’) restoration process, where donor cars are stripped to the bare metal and brought up to contemporary standards by preparing the chassis, fitting new glass, replacing the chrome elements and re-upholstering the interior by hand.
Of course, that’s just the starting point. Those with wallets the size of bricks can request a bespoke interior that, while in keeping with the original, can be enhanced with ‘features from the 21st century.’ Think more Bluetooth and less lane keep assist. And because Everrati’s has an eye on making classic car ownership more green, each interior makes use of environmentally-friendly materials such as hide from Bridge of Weir, a carbon-neutral leather manufacturer, though the company states that materials that were used ‘in-period’ can also be specced.
Except for the motor, obviously. The Everrati Pagoda employs a single, 304hp Helix electric motor, which it claims is ‘one of the world’s most power dense’, which is paired up with a limited-slip differential and a 68kWh battery that’s good for a claimed range of up to 200 miles. The EV powertrain offers nearly double the poke of the original, but a 0-62mph time of ‘sub’ seven seconds means it should still feel as delightfully wafty as an old SL should, albeit without the sound of an old Mercedes inline six purring away.
Everatti founder Justin Lunny said: “Hemmels is the world’s leading restoration specialist for classic Mercedes-Benz SL models. I am delighted we have joined forces to create the ultimate electric W113 SL ‘Pagoda’, further raising a benchmark we set last year. The alliance of Everrati and Hemmels is exemplary, combining our market-leading EV powertrains with Hemmels’ Neugeboren (Newborn) Process and unparalleled marque expertise. We look forward to working side-by-side as demand for our zero-emission ‘Pagoda’ accelerates globally.”
Finally, Hemmels will be in charge with distributing the electric SL to international markets. The company doesn’t say how much the new Pagoda’s will go for, though all the extra work carried out by Hemmels suggest it’ll be quite a bit more than the £330,000 plus tax the Everrati’s previous electric SL restomod. Perhaps we’ll get more details when prospective buyers get their orders in during Monterey Car Week. If you prefer your SL pre-Pagoda’d and with more engine, this gorgeous 190 SL is going under the hammer this Sunday…
It's about cruising at the end of the day, which an EV powertrain still does well.
But I agree that these things need to be preserved. Thankfully, I can't see many people forking out hundreds of thousands to convert their already-very-nice Pagoda.
It's about cruising at the end of the day, which an EV powertrain still does well.
But I agree that these things need to be preserved. Thankfully, I can't see many people forking out hundreds of thousands to convert their already-very-nice Pagoda.
I like this conversion a lot, it would be great to cruise around in near silence, particularly down some quiet country lanes. Lots with engines, some without, more choice more better, no?
It's about cruising at the end of the day, which an EV powertrain still does well.
But I agree that these things need to be preserved. Thankfully, I can't see many people forking out hundreds of thousands to convert their already-very-nice Pagoda.
I like this conversion a lot, it would be great to cruise around in near silence, particularly down some quiet country lanes. Lots with engines, some without, more choice more better, no?
There are very few buyers for radically modified classics costing well into six figures, and the most successful way to exploit a small market with a particular balance of nostalgia and virtually unlimited disposable income appears to be the more conventional restomod approach of Singer and Alfaholics.
Once the generational link is broken and there is nobody left who remembers e.g. a Fiat 500 from back in the day, it's unlikely that a "secondhand" converted classic will have much appeal at any price. People who want an electric car will have plenty of choice of amorphous blobs that they can plug their phones into and which have the safety standards expected by the next generation of car buyers. And classic car enthusiasts will continue with their originality fetishes, which show no sign of abating - hence, for example, the Ferrari Classiche scheme, which nobody would have paid for thirty years ago, but is doing very well now. It's not surprising that there is a novelty value for hacked up plug-in classics at the moment, but this will only ever be a niche within an already niche sector.
But I don’t know if these will ever follow normal logic. They’re toys for the ultra wealthy, and when one ultra wealthy person sells to another, does the depreciation really come into effect in the same way? Especially as these will always be ultra exclusive.
They won’t go up like a Singer does, but I doubt they’ll go down much either.
But I don’t know if these will ever follow normal logic. They’re toys for the ultra wealthy, and when one ultra wealthy person sells to another, does the depreciation really come into effect in the same way? Especially as these will always be ultra exclusive.
They won’t go up like a Singer does, but I doubt they’ll go down much either.
I really think the "used" values will sink. People fork out megabucks for Singer and Alfaholics stuff because they offer modern supercar performance linked to classic handling and sounds. If practicality and usability drove classic and supercar values, people wouldn't pay the premiums they do for lightweight and manual Porsches and Ferraris.
To add: Given the lengths of criminality and deception that people go to give the impression of originality, I see no reason that making a relatively high value classic car into an electric hot rod would do anything but crater the value. Particularly when there is an infinite supply of electric motors, but you can't go to your local Ferrari dealer and buy a replacement engine for your 250GTO.
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