Project Cars: 1992 Range Rover Vogue

This one is more than just a project car, it's a journey of a man ticking things off his bucket list.

Here at Drive we love our Project Cars, but this time around we've become involved in something that's so much more. This project isn't one of ours, but rather a journey of a car lover who is currently battling a terminal illness.

His build was shared with us by the team at EVolution, the Melbourne-based company that specialises in turning your old classic car into a fully electric vehicle.

We popped down recently for our first visit. The man who owns the Range Rover has asked to remain anonymous but is more than happy for us to share his story – we are humbled to be a part of it.

The client is taking a new drug which has stabilised his condition. In the event that something was to happen, he's requested that they finish the project and assist his wife with the sale.

The car is a 1992 Range Rover Vogue. Like most project cars, this one has a beautiful story beneath the surface. He chose this car in particular as it reminds him of his childhood – a car his dad owned, and one which sparks many fond memories as a youngster on their farm learning how to drive.

He'd been searching for his blue Range Rover for quite some time and just as luck would have it there was one parked right outside the EVolution garage ready to be restored, and in fairly good condition. Sold.

And so the project to convert it to an electric vehicle began. The car needed some restoration to the bodywork to rid it of any dints and the roof has also been painted black to give it more of a modern feel. The blue paint has been re-done and is now glistening in that Aegean blue which is why you'll see it wrapped for protection.

The car is currently going through an uplift process to bring it up to standard. This includes renewing the brakes and suspension. The seats have been stripped out and have been sent off to be repaired and have heated seat elements installed. What's more the gearbox has been sent off to be reconditioned.

EVolution recommends heated seats in every one of its electric vehicles it converts, as the process of heating a cabin consumes a lot of energy from the battery which can then degrade the range, but heating the seats is a much more efficient option.

At this stage of the project the team has also removed auto transmission, drive shafts, LPG tank and the engine, which will be recycled into another Range Rover to make it roadworthy before it’s also converted.

They've also mocked up the battery box for the engine bay, which the fabricator is measuring up, fitting, remeasuring and designing. This will sit on specially constructed engine mounts.

Next the team will finalise the design which includes woking out where components will sit and how everything will integrate.

The new seats will be fitted, then motor mounts will be fabricated. The final phase of this stage will be to test the position of the electric motor. We look forward to visiting EVolution at this step to show you what it all looks like.

The client and all customers are able to stay up to date with their project via a WhatsApp group created by EVolution. Here, it sends continuous updates so they feel a part of the entire process.

In this case the process has been fast-tracked by the team at EVolution. At this stage the project is set to take around 30 days.

The client has asked to also keep all costs private – and we respect his wishes and wish him well.

We look forward to being a part of the rest of this project and thank him and the EVolution team for having us.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of this project. Is there anything else you'd like to know?

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