Electric Rolls-Royce Phantom II shown at Salon Privé

A British EV technology company has revealed a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with coachwork by HJ Mulliner & Co converted to all-electric power. Commissioned by a private collector, the Phantom is making its public debut at Salon Privé, the UK Concours event running from Thursday to Saturday.

Originally powered by a 7.7l straight-six engine producing between 29kW and 40kW and mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, this is one of just 1,681 Phantom IIs crafted between 1920 and 1935 with a top speed of about 130km/h.

Said to be the most complex classic car EV conversion yet completed, a computer aided design of the 94-year old Roller was used for optimal installation of the bespoke 93kWh rack of batteries housed beneath a gleaming and hand-riveted aluminium cowling.

The electric motor, single-speed direct drive transmission and tailor-made electronics and software developed in-house by Electrogenic are also in there, and the master crafters say no modifications were made to the original structure.

The Grand old lady now packs 150kW and 310Nm, of which a fixed reduction gear delivers a whisper-quiet 1,000Nm to the prop shaft. Electrogenic have also engineered in-driving modes of ‘Drive’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Sport’ with capability for 241km of real-world driving.

“It’s been a technically challenging, immensely complicated and rewarding project carried out over the course of 18 months by our team of engineers, programmers and fabricators,” said Steve Drummond, a director of Electrogenic.

Key challenges included devising a way to preserve and update the Phantom’s mechanical chassis lubrication system crucial to the Rolls’ trademark silken drive, and redesigning the original cable-operated braking system to work with the updated EV architecture, both disrupted by the removal of the straight-six engine.

Electrogenic supplemented the lubrication system, and repositioned the original brake levers and cables in a new configuration, and in a blend of old and new engineering, they updated the system to work in tandem with the electric motor’s regenerative-braking function.

Inside, the original features and patinated leather and wood-lined cabin are retained. The original controls and gauges have been repurposed, though. The fuel gauge now shows a digital state of charge, the amp meter shows the rate of power draw when accelerating, and power harvesting under regen while the oil temperature gauge shows charger temperature and the water temperature gauge shows the temperature of the electric motor.

Further modernisation includes a high-end multi-speaker hi-fi system with a subwoofer and full Bluetooth connectivity

“We’re honoured to have been asked to build this special car for such a delightful private collector, someone who loves their cars and is deeply passionate about the environment. It’s been an immensely rewarding collaborative process with the owner, bringing our shared vision to life,” said Drummond.