Lunaz Launches Remastered And Electrified Aston Martin DB6

As early as 2018, Lunaz Design has announced their plan to improve on the legacies of the most beautiful and celebrated cars in history not simply through restoration, but also by re-engineering and electrification.

Recently, Lunaz Design announced an addition to its family of the most celebrated cars in British history, with the limited production run of restored, re-engineered, and electrified Aston Martin DB6 cars. They will be added to the growing list of the world’s first and only electric Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, and Range Rover sportscar models.

Those who fell in love with the No Time to Die Aston Martin DB5 are in luck, as Lunaz Design also announced that they will have a very limited build-slots available for the Aston Martin DB4 and DB5 cars.

The selection process of the new marque and model that will be given a Lunaz restoration, re-engineering, and electrification is taken very seriously by the company. They pick only the rarest, most beautiful, and most significant examples of their specific groups. Nothing embodies or represents the British Gran Turismo than the Aston Martin DB6. It wasn’t simply the striking beauty or the rarity of the DB6 that made Lunaz pick it for their project.

Lunaz Group Founder and CEO David Lorenz shared, “The introduction of electric Aston Martin DB6 cars has been driven by sustained demand from our existing clients. It also reflects the desires of an entirely new classic car buyer. These women and men have been drawn to Lunaz because for the first time they are presented with the powertrain and modern conveniences of today, clothed in a design that speaks of an era when aesthetic purity was the only requirement.”

After the orders of the first cars have been confirmed, Lunaz will then offer the limited production run of the Aston Martin DB6 to clients all around the globe. The Aston Martin DB6 will be offered on both left-hand and right-hand drive configuration. There is still no confirmed price, but it is said to cost more than $1million plus taxes. The first cars will be delivered starting the third quarter of 2023.The DB4 and DB5 prices will be given to respective buyers strictly on application.

Every single Aston Martin DB6 will have to go through an exhaustive bare-metal restoration and re-engineering process. This simply means that clients will be acquiring concourse-level vehicle that answers the requirements for usability, sustainability, and reliability, and this enables Lunaz to lead the electric classic car market.

To ensure drivability, they up-rate the brakes, steering, and suspension. To provide interior comfort and convenience, they provide air conditioning, and they carefully integrate the latest infotainment and navigation systems, with full Wi-Fi connectivity.

Lunaz’ proprietary modular electric powertrain will be used to power the car. It was completely developed in-house and used the best European -sourced Tier 1 OEM battery cells and motors. Currently, all the battery capacity of Lunaz vehicles ranges from 90-120 kWh. It has a range of 255 miles. All Lunaz cars are equipped with CCS fast-charging capability.

All Lunaz electrified vehicles are designed, engineered, and crafted in Silverstone, England, the company’s homebase. Recently, the company announced that leading institutional investors have injected some hefty growth capital for the company. The names include Reuben and Dallal families, Barclay, and David Beckham. The announcement was done with the launch of the expanded Lunaz Group as well as the wider application of its modular electric powertrain that would be used to convert and remanufacture industrial vehicles.

Lunaz Group Investor David Backham shared, “As an investor in Lunaz and a huge car enthusiast I’m delighted to see this new development which completes the company’s line up of British auto icons. I’m proud to be involved with a talented team that is leading the field in creating sustainable solutions.”

“The rapid growth of Lunaz reflects the growing role that remanufacturing and electrification plays in plotting a sustainable course to a clean-air powertrain future. By furthering the legacies of these beautiful Aston Martins we create many more highly skilled jobs and expand our clean-technology production presence at our home in Silverstone, England. We are proud to take vehicles of all types that already exist and extend their use for many generations to come,” stated Lorenz.

The Re-engineered Aston Martin DB6

Every Aston Martin DB6 going through the Lunaz process begins with a bare metal restoration. Aside from ensuring that the car is a perfect model of an electrified classic, this would also allow the customer a lot of freedom for personalization. Each of the cars is a one-of-a-kind example, remastered completely to embody the client’s vision.

Over 100 engineers, craftspeople, and restoration specialists work on the vision at the 62,000 sq/ft Lunaz HQ at Silverstone Technology Park. They are created from companies that include Aston Martin, F1, Ferrari, Bentley, Jaguar, McLaren, Land Rover, and Rolls-Royce. As a group, they are the largest technical team in the world that is working on restoration, re-engineering, and electrification of the best examples of classic cars.

Managing Director and Technical Lead Jon Hilton leads the engineering process. He brings together experience at one of the most challenging motorsports, winning 3 F1 World Championships, and he has also had a history of pioneering the use of alternative powertrains in mainstream automotive. He brought together a team which includes senior technical experts that have themselves led specialist engineering projects to customize heritage models that were used in James Bond films. To be able to give an unparalleled electric driver’s expression of the DB6, he manages a conversion process that re-engineers the car from the ground up.

Every car goes through an exhaustive inspection. Each nook and cranny weight to understand the original weight distribution of the car up to the last gram. The data collected will help the decisions that will have to be made regarding the chassis setup, powertrain packaging, and suspension. The internal combustion system and other connected systems are then very carefully removed and stored for the client. The chassis will then be prepped for the re-engineering and electrification.

The example is 3D scanned so that the engineers can create a detailed CAD model so that technical perfection is achieved in every step of the process. Under Hilton’s technical leadership, the electric powertrain is engineered completely in-house.

The company used a modular technical approach so that the powertrain can be adapted and used to the exact requirements and characteristics that is required by different marques and applications. Lunaz has kept the details rightfully under lock and key ensuring their lead in the classic car electrification niche by procuring their cells, inverters, and motors from European Tier 1 Suppliers.

The powertrains are then programmed by the software engineers to produce the ultimate driver’s Aston Martin. For the Aston Martin DB6, the car will bring together brisk initial acceleration with the classic car requirements that is built in the Grand Tourer mode. The instant torque and quiet delivery of the electric powertrain matches perfectly with the intended use of long continental journeys in mixed road conditions.

They use traditional coachbuilding and restoration skills to strip the car down to a bare metal shell. Imperceptible body defects are also addressed during this process and are processed by hand before they work on the surface finish process.

In every step of the way, quality is ensured because all the craft, restoration, and technical department are in one roof in Lunaz. The company’s rapid expansion that needs a number of highly skilled jobs to create the production footprint has made Lunaz the largest production space with the most employees at Silverstone, which is already a globally recognized space for advanced automotive engineering excellence.

Remastering a Legend

All Lunaz electrified Aston Martin DB6 is an authentic remastering of the original. Customers are also given an unmatched level of personalization. Lunaz has in their arsenal a styling team from some of the most respected and renowned names in automotive and industrial design.

Design Director Jen Holloway leads the team. She previously lead the Aston Martin’s Q-Branch giving her an affinity to the heritage and aesthetic sensibility that has kept the DB6 as one of the highly revered model in British automotive design.

Clients are assisted by Jen and her team, allowing them to re-imagine every interior and exterior surface, material, and even function. At the Lunaz HQ in Silverstone, they have a purpose-built design and commissioning space just for this. The whole process starts with a consultative exploration of the requirements and taste of the client. Using 2D sketch work and advanced 3D modeling, material and color palettes are explored and visualized.

Decisions on the materials are also made at this stage of the design. Lunaz has an option of either a more modern style or a more traditional, restoration-focused approach with original build-sheets consulted. Those opting for a more contemporary version of the classic style, the Design Team allows the client to explore new material palettes that also has an option to have an interior that is free from animal-derived materials.

The overall ‘upcycling’ philosophy that Lunaz values is seen in the variety of materials that are repurposed. This is seen in different parts of the car, like specifying carpets to be woven from recovered fishing nets recreating them to match the more traditional lambswool that is used for comfort and tactile quality. In the cabin environment, clients can opt for 100% recycled textiles,

The whole process is committed to reducing waste and impact whenever possible. A good example of this is the substrates that are carefully and painstakingly restored in-house in their specialist fabrication department. Highly skilled trim specialists will then enhance the work done resulting in an entirely renewed interior. They are made following the requirements of contemporary use but done with respect for each vehicle’s heritage.

The minute attention to detail is seen even in the position of the switches and dials. Read-outs for battery status and other modern functions are added seamlessly to work well with the original aesthetic. The weight, form, and functional of the original switches and buttons are also duplicated to ensure authenticity at every step of the driving experience.

“The Aston Martin DB6 delivered on the promise of truly indulgent continental touring. Its lines marry dynamic purpose with generous proportions. This is a legacy we could not resist furthering by creating the most alluring electric car in the world. We are proud to introduce the quintessential British GT, remastered for a new generation,” shared Jen Holloway, the Design Director at Lunaz Design.