lunaz brings out james bond’s octopussy range rover as an electric open-air safari vehicle

Lunaz reveals its recent electrified classic car, the dubbed world’s first open-air Range Rover Safari, the same open-top model that James Bond drove in the 1983 movie Octopussy. It’s not the first time that Lunaz adopted and transformed the Range Rover into a fully electric open-top with a Maya Blue exterior. It’s the first time, however, that the client-commissioned electric car’s body and chassis have been reinforced.

The reinforcement aims to make the vehicle so stable and strong enough to support itself without a roof and to provide a sturdy platform for the upgraded fully electric powertrain. Lunaz also applied a dark blue mohair convertible hood as per the client’s request, and other than these, the design team stayed true to the original exterior coachwork of the Range Rover Safari.

images courtesy of Lunaz

Dubbed world’s first electric open-air range rover safari

If there are features that can steer Lunaz’s open-air Range Rover Safari à la James Bond away from the original variant, it may be the use of ergonomic and technological additives. Take the original spartan dashboard and interior inside the modified electric Range Rover Safari, which has been replaced with a new and extended 3D-printed console. It was designed, developed, and manufactured by Lunaz’s design team over two years, and this design is set to be adopted as a key feature in all future electric Range Rovers elevated and modified by Lunaz.

rear view of the comissioned Range Rover Safari by Lunaz

Client-specific interior design by lunaz

The client specified their needs for the interior design and appointment of the James Bond Range Rover Safari, and Lunaz thoroughly considered them, including the installation of the composite center console that integrates an Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-enabled infotainment screen. The display is also the platform for the reversing camera, digital controls for the air conditioning and heating system, and USB-C ports for charging devices. The expansive piece is finished in Mocca Walnut wood and with a weatherproof satin lacquer. These are some of the features too that Lunaz is expected to install in each of the 50 build slots of electric Range Rover Classics they now have in hand for elevation or modification.

the electric, open-air vehicle modernizes the one James Bond drove in the Octopussy movie

Even the seats in the electric, open-top Range Rover Safari had been redesigned by Lunaz in hopes of bringing in improved aesthetics and comfort that James Bond may have felt when he drove the vehicle in the movie. The driver and passengers’ seats are heated and employ padding materials developed for Lunaz’s upcycled Rolls-Royce and Bentley models. Soft leather has been retrimmed for the seating, incorporating Lunaz’s signature fluting. For the commissioned James-Bond Range Rover Safari, Lunaz introduces a second material type which is a waterproof and chlorine-resistant textile. The knitted composition recalls the hardwearing jackets used on sporting estates, which may explain why the interior alone took more than 1,000 collective hours to be developed and produced.

the original spartan dashboard and interior has been replaced with a new and extended 3D-printed console

Specs buffs may appreciate that Lunaz places a 280kW powertrain that has been configured to the owner’s preference for the electric, open-air Range Rover Safari. The James Bond modified vehicle can produce 375 bhp, while the electric powertrain is believed to emit zero emissions, a major improvement on the original V8 engine’s 360g/km carbon emissions. Lunaz upgrades the torque of the Range Rover Safari using adjustable dampers and bespoke springs, six- and four-piston disc brakes fitted to the front and rear respectively, as well as regenerative braking. It retains the original vehicle’s segment-defining wading depth of 500mm and all original approach, breakover, and departure angles for a true James Bond-feel cruising.

the client specified their needs for the interior design and appointment of the James Bond Range Rover Safari

rear view of Lunaz’s James Bond-inspired Range Rover Safari