Halcyon Cars is one of those companies that doesn’t restomod cars. It doesn’t re-imagine them, or even re-engineer them. According to Halcyon Cars, it remasters classic Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles. Halcyon emerged in 2023 putting its 800V electric powertrain into classic luxury vehicles as part of a bare-metal restoration, imbibing it with modern technology and craftsmanship on the way.
The results are spectacular, and the word “remaster” is entirely appropriate. Now, in an interesting turn for the British company, it has turned to the iconic Rolls-Royce and Bentley 6.75-Liter V8 to create what it calls the Great Eight Series. That’s right… and EV upfitter is going combustion.
Rolling Back The Years
Halcyon Remastered Rolls-Royce Drop head CoupeHalcyon Cars
The first car revealed with Halcyon’s restored and modern engineered take on the 6.75-Liter V8 is through its Rose and Scroll design study. The result is a remastered Rolls-Royce Corniche Fixed Head Coupe, finished in Arboretum Green over Tan with gorgeous open-pore wood trim, and the engine delivering more power and responsiveness “while preserving the effortlessness and composure that define it.” Indeed, the 6.75-Liter V8’s effortless power delivery and smoothness was a defining feature of the engine through its six decades of development and production.
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The Rolls-Royce Corniche was a distinctive Grand Tourer that was made available as a coupe, convertible, and drop-top. Essentially, a drop-head coupe differs from a folding-roof convertible by sliding back and dropping into a well behind the rear seats. That design meant that, with the roof up, the roofline remained the same as the hard roof version. Rolls-Royce made a lot of Corniche convertibles and coupes, but only around 1,000 of the drop-top configuration it introduced in 1966.
Halcyon Remastered Rolls-Royce Drop head CoupeHalcyon Cars
Rolls-Royce and Bentley models from those halcyon days of motoring in the 1960s and 1970s, moving into the 1980s, are perfect for restomodding as they were, barring niche versions like the Drop-Head Coupe, plentiful, and simple in terms of technology. They can be picked up inexpensively as non-running models, and brought back from the dead to create something exquisite. While some enthusiasts dislike the idea of putting electric drivetrains in classics, the reality is that many of the engines aren’t recoverable, and if they are, they don’t make modern power.
“The 6.75-litre V8 delivers performance with a rich and distinctive character, and that is something we approach with a great deal of respect. Our focus was on applying the right engineering discipline to refine and elevate it for modern use, improving response, smoothness and overall composure while preserving the very essence that makes it so special. The result is an engine that feels entirely authentic, but capable in a way it never was before.”
– Charlie Metcalfe, Co-Founder and COO of Halcyon
Two Distinct Powertrains, One All-Encompassing Company
Halcyon moving to resurrect old engines and give them a whole new life with modern power alongside the company’s 800-volt electric system seems contrary to the electric-restomod movement. But the beauty of restomods is that you can take an old car and modify it in the way that suits the owner. If that means a quiet, powerful, and efficient electric drivetrain, then that car is back on the road and being used and loved again. Or, if it’s a rebuilt and re-engineered iconic engine that would otherwise end up as scrap, that’s good too.
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With so much division between electric and combustion enthusiasts, it’s just nice to see one company bridging the gap by catering to both.
Source: Halcyon
