Controversial conversion
Almost no classic car seems to be able to escape handy people who install an electric drivetrain in it. This time it is the turn of the second generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL, known as the ‘Pagoda’.
The second Mercedes-Benz SL, the W113, is almost as iconic as the first. It is a classic example of understated beauty, with its (compared to its predecessor) simple but effective lines. The SL, popularly known as the Pagoda because of the shape of the hardtop, is really a car that you should ‘keep your fingers off’. Yet Everrati has made a significant change.
Enthusiasts can breathe easy, because the carriage remains untouched. The big change is subcutaneous: the inline six has been removed from the SL. Instead, the classic roadster now has an electric motor that unleashes more than 300 hp and 300 Nm on the rear wheels. The SL converted by Everrati is therefore considerably stronger than the original. It’s enough to get it from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7 seconds and it reaches a top speed of roughly 200 km/h. The top speed has remained more or less the same, but the sprint is over faster than before. Undoubtedly the intermediate sprints go a lot faster.
The most important difference is of course that the SL now drives emissions-free. For this purpose, it carries a large battery pack with a capacity of no less than 68 kWh. According to Everrati, this is good for a driving range of about 290 km. With that package on board, you would expect the SL to have gained a lot of weight, but according to the British company, its weight and distribution have remained quite close to the original values. The conversion is also reversible, which is a nice thought for those who consider this the purest form of sacrilege. It is not known how much the whole story costs.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl