The Incredible Work of Everrati and their Electrified Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda

The small but very interesting industry for high-end restored and bespoke vehicles doesn’t seem to be slowing down. We’re regularly treated to new and exciting projects where a small but extremely skilful workshop or engineering firm aims to build an enhanced version of a prolific vintage car. Often referred to as a restomod, a combination of restoration and modification, we’ve seen modernized and improved iterations of the Alfa Romeo 105 Series by Alfaholics, a Ford Bronco by Gateway and even a restomod Lamborghini Diablo by Eccentrica. This time around we take a look at Everrati and its ultra-stylish Mercedes-Benz W113 280SL Pagoda restomod. Oh, and be warned, it has been electrified in the process but I think that’s a smart move with this one!

Everrati Automotive Ltd is based in Bicester, England, but also has a US-based production and sales facility. The firm started out as Ionic Cars in 2019 but switched to the name Everrati in 2021 and has been making the headlines in the restomod industry ever since. The company’s aim is to capture and enhance the spirit of iconic classic cars that it considers worthy to be conserved by electrifying them. It might sound like blasphemy to some, and I admit I do prefer the emotions of an internal combustion engine over electric motors and a battery pack, but there’s a method to the madness at Everrati. The most important one is to future-proof some of the industry’s most revered classics. Cars such as the Land Rover Series IIa or the Porsche 911 get a second lease on life courtesy of Everrati.

And Everrati does not cut corners in any sense! Just like Singer, Spectre, The Land Rovers or KAMM, all work is done to perfection, or as close to it as the Everrati team can get. With lots and lots of options to personalize your desired car, of course, let’s not forget about that! During a build, each car is torn down to the tiniest components and repaired, restored and improved where needed. Depending on the client’s wishes, a balance is struck between handling and performance through high-performance chassis components and an electric drivetrain. So yes, that does mean that the legendary flat-six of a 964-generation Porsche 911, for instance, will be swapped out for volts and amps. But in the end, Everrati will have preserved a classic that otherwise would one day potentially be sidelined or, even worse, scrapped.

Everrati cars

Everatti’s portfolio shows quite a wide interest in cars, and the company does state that they’re open to exploring every type of project a client might be thinking of but does so on a case-by-case basis. And this makes perfect sense, as some cars are more worthwhile to preserve and overhaul than others as you can imagine, but also Everrati’s own brand consistency comes into play if needed. Step up to the plate with a 911, the easiest example perhaps, and you’re all good, but, oh, I don’t know, a Morris Marina might be politely declined.

In just a couple of years, people have found their way to Everrati with the aforementioned Porsche 911 (mostly the 964-generation) but also the Land Rover Series IIa and even the Superformance GT40, which was unexpected, to say the least! The Superformance GT40 in itself is a licensed and basically one-to-one replica of the Le Mans winning legend, and you would imagine an owner would prefer a thunderous V8 engine in the back to keep its American spirit alive, but someone thought otherwise, apparently. So far, only one Superformance GT40 conversion has been completed, but it’s the only electric GT40 listed in the official Shelby Registry, as well as the GT40 register and the World Shelby register, which says a lot about the level of build quality Everrati strives for.

Every build is treated like a bespoke assignment with a personalized spec sheet determined in correspondence with the client. All the elements in the newly installed electric drivetrain are compliant with EU regulations and ISO 9001 and 14001 standards, so you’re assured the work is done in the safest possible way. Performance-wise, it comes down to the selected components and the available space for the installation in the donor car. Take the Superformance GT40 as an example again, and you end with an 800bhp electric missile that shoots from zero to 100kph in under 4 seconds! That makes it a fair bit quicker than the original GT40 MKII it is based on!

The 280SL Pagoda

Now, one of Everrati’s latest creations, presented about a year ago, is based on one of the most beautiful Mercedes-Benz cars ever made: the W113 280SL Pagoda. This two-seat roadster/convertible was introduced at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show and was in production until 1971, when it was replaced by the R107 300SL and SLC. The W113, which came in 230SL, 250SL and 280SL configurations, had the daunting task of replacing the truly iconic Mercedes-Benz W198 300SL, better known as the Gullwing. Not an easy job, but over time, the W113 SL series has managed to secure the status of icon for itself, although to a lesser extent than its illustrious predecessor.

The styling was dramatically different between the W198 300SL and the W113 280SL (or the 230SL and 250SL, for that matter). The simple and straight lines of the W113 are a drastic break from the curvaceous sports car that came before it. Nevertheless, there is real beauty and elegance in its simplicity and at the time, it was a proper luxury performance machine. Several body panels, including the bonnet and trunk, were crafted from aluminium to keep the weight down, which aided its driving experience. The 150bhp to 170bhp output, depending on the size of the engine, along with an excellent chassis and braking system, gave the W113 SL series superb handling characteristics. The name Pagoda or Pagode came from the removable hardtop that came with the car, a distinct styling element penned by lead designers Paul Bracq and Béla Barényi.

With just under 50,000 cars produced, it’s not exactly the rarest of cars, but it is regarded as one of Mercedes’ very best. Each Everrati conversion starts by tearing down a doner car to bare metal before it’s rebuilt from the ground up again. The specialists of Everrati repair and restore every component to beyond factory fresh specifications whilst maintaining the structural integrity of the car as much as possible. Everrati retouches the design of the car slightly, using computer-aided design software or CAD. On its own, the changes might not be that easy to spot, but put it next to a non-Everrati 280SL Pagoda and you can see where it differs. It looks a touch leaner and, dare I say it, meaner than it did when it rolled out of the factory. Even the interior is pure class, using the finest materials around and new yet period-styled gauges and dials.

The new drivetrain that’s installed, fully electric, of course, consists of OEM-grade 3-phase AC motors and a 68kWh battery pack. This gives the restomod 280SL Pagoda an output of 300 horsepower and a range of 200 miles per charge (helped by regenerative braking, mind you). With roughly double the power that the original inline-six engine gave it and a weight that’s kept close to the original as well, it’s quite a bit quicker, too. Everrati does not specify how much exactly but claims a zero-to-100kph of well below seven seconds. Not that it matters, though, as this is not built to be a scorching performance restomod, but one to enjoy in style, comfort, and silence.

Such work never comes cheap as there are a ton of new components, fabrication and manual labour involved. Not including the donor car or things like VAT, an Everrati-built Mercedes-Benz W113 280SL Pagoda starts at GBP 330,000. And as always, that number can only go up depending on your shopping list!

Editorial Note: The images in this article are provided by and used with permission of Everrati Automotive Ltd unless stated otherwise.