Is it blasphemy or genius? Removing the heart and soul of a Porsche, its iconic flat-six engine, is something of a nightmare. Replacing that wonderfully characterful internal combustion engine with an EV powertrain sounds even worse. But what if I told you it actually really works? I’ll be brutally honest, I hate that I like this, but Everrati has executed so well on a seemingly impossible task, that I can’t help but applaud it for what it has accomplished.
The 964 is a legend. Back in the day, it turned over a new chapter in the Porsche story. With its 3.8-liter flat-six dancing at around 7,000 RPM, through a five-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels, you might think removing the most tactile elements to it would ruin the experience. The problem with that logic is that engineers have become so clever that now there are ways to emulate elements of the past while still embracing the future. Everrati was born out of a passion project to preserve classic car shapes. Justin Lunny, Everrati founder and CEO, tells me his most significant inspiration for both the company and the 964 project stemmed from seeing his own child become more aware of climate change. This, coupled with his love of vintage Porsches, led him to want to hold onto his old Porsche, but in a more mindful way. “It’s about preserving the cars we love for as long as we can, rather than just changing the drivetrain.”
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and an exclusive one-on-one press drive with Everrati CEO, Justin Lunny.
It Makes A Great First Impression
The first thing that hits you is the stunning paint. The car is almost completely made of carbon fiber, so the brilliance of a painted carbon body is nearly unmatched. This particular example is finished in “Oak Green” with super-wide bronze HRE wheels. It’s wildly beautiful any way you look at it. The combination of that, plus the unbelievable fit and finish, visually scrambles your brain. Everything has a place, and there are no loose wires or equipment that look out of place. It’s all exactly how it should look, neatly put together. What scrambles your brain even more is witnessing a Porsche 964 hooked up to a ChargePoint EV charger. Never in my life would I ever expect to see that, but here we are, brave new world.
But, How Does It Drive?
Setting off in the Everrati 964 is uncanny. Being behind the wheel of what is supposed to be an air-cooled, rambunctious Porsche is now a completely silent experience. I expected a completely different experience, but was very pleasantly surprised to see that the old-school heavy steering remained. It’s so wonderfully heavy, but so critically a part of the Porsche experience, I loved every moment of slightly wrestling with the wheel. The brakes were very Porsche, too, just with upgraded rotors and pads for performance. The feel of the pedal was sublime and, just as a 964 would be, just more powerful. Then there’s the EV powertrain. It’s smooth, powerful, linear, like you’d expect a Porsche to be. The only ingredients missing are the vibrations and noises from the internal combustion engine. Besides that, it’s very 964, and very impressive.
This Never Gets Old
The Everrati weighs slightly less than the original car, but has far more power. “Zippy” would be an understatement. We’re working with around 500 horsepower here, and it gives the 964 incredible power off the line and pretty much at any speed. It feels like the quickest automatic 964 ever. The gauge cluster was even modeled after the original, and seeing that center tachometer needle sweep as you dig into the accelerator is so satisfying to watch, only now it’s showing kilowatts rather than revolutions per minute. You can hear some motor whine, and drivetrain whirring, which I’m told is allowed to come through to the cabin on purpose, and an aspect I personally appreciate. It is, however, quiet and pleasant enough that on more than one occasion during my 2+ hour drive, I completely forgot I was in a vintage Porsche. It’s that soft around the edges (if you want it to be).
Shockingly Good Suspension
The real star of the show, though, is Everrati’s adaptive suspension system. Oh my god, it’s so good. Just like in Porsche’s latest 911 GT3 RS, you can not only toggle through levels of stiffness, but also acutely control each axle’s stiffness. Porsche does it by travel and rebound via a steering wheel-mounted rotary. Everrati does both in one convenient switchable screen just below the shift lever with toggle wheels indicating levels of stiffness. In the softest mode, the car has wonderful compliance, allowing the suspension to soak up both sharp and dull bumps perfectly. The body exhibits some roll, but again, it feels appropriately vintage Porsche. Dial things up to level five, and it’s far less roly-poly, but the bumps seem to jolt through the chassis a fair bit. I much prefer the softer modes, as they allow the suspension to do its job, but still keep the car planted, instilling a high level of confidence. Finding a good “flow” while driving the Everrati is ridiculously easy. Much of that has to do with how dynamic the suspension allows the chassis to be.
The Everrati 964’s Impressive Performance
Accelerate
It’s brisk! This thing is quick, make no mistake. With 500 horsepower and a lower curb weight than the original 964, the Everrati is more aligned with some of today’s sports cars than those of the past. From a dig, you can feel the rear-wheel-driven EV powertrain push smoothly but firmly off the line. The best part of experiencing this is the EV calibration. The hysteresis of the accelerator, aka the way the power is delivered as compared to the amount of throttle level, is set to such a small tolerance, it leaves no ambiguity as to where or when the power will come on and fade away. I’ve driven big-name brands who have had more time and money to develop EVs that can’t match this level. I do miss the theater of the flat-six significantly, but there’s no denying the effectiveness of instant EV torque.
Everrati Didn’t Ignore The Details In Deceleration
The ever-so-slight regeneration of the motor mimics, you guessed it, an internal combustion engine. When you lift off the accelerator in the Everrati, it acts very similarly to the way an internal combustion engine does when starved for fuel off throttle. It’s wonderfully thought-out, and barely noticeable, but it’s those many small details that all add up to a superior EV experience.
Interior Design And Comfort
This car is very nearly a Singer. As stated before, the fit and finish are truly top-notch. Besides that, the material and color choices are equally impressive. It looks like one of the best-restored 964s on the road, and from afar you’d never know it was an EV. The Recaro carbon bucket seats are aggressive, but something I’d absolutely want in a car like this. The mechanical grip is there, and the feeling of “race car” they provide is unmatched. There are soft-grain leathers all over the place, and quality metals are used throughout. It’s as good to look at and sit in as it is to drive.
Everrati’s Tech Blends Old And New
The tech in this car comes not from infotainment, but rather from the genius of its engineers. The folks who put together the Everrati 964 deserve praise. The adjustable suspension and fine-tuning of the EV motor is all the tech you’d need in a classic like this. That being said, the Everrati is equipped with Porsche’s trick retrofit infotainment unit. This allows for Apple CarPlay and a more modern sound system, but with a look that utilizes more period-correct knobs and buttons, with a tiny screen for basic info.
Cargo Space Is A Compromise
Cargo capacity isn’t the Everrati’s strong suit, but that’s OK, as this car really is a toy. Most of the front trunk and all the rear accessible space is taken up by the EV powertrain. The battery system is split into two sections. This allows for a weight distribution that just about matches the original car, yet another key aspect of the vintage Porsche experience.
Range Anxiety? Not So Much
The Everrati 964 delivers around 200 miles of range, which is more than enough for a sporty toy car. I drove the car in mixed driving situations and never once felt range anxiety. Truthfully, the way it drives is raw enough to where you’d most likely become tired before the car does, if you were consistently hustling it. Realistically, around 200 miles is plenty for a platform like this, which can easily transport you from cruising the coast to carving up the mountains in no time. I’d know, because that’s exactly what I did.
Should You Buy It?
That depends on what your idea of the perfect vintage Porsche is. Starting at $450,000, the price tag isn’t for the faint of heart, but then again, it might be one of the most niche vehicles out on the road today. For some, the Porsche 964 driving experience is centered around its flat-six engine. The promise of preserving the Porsche experience in all aspects other than powertrain simply isn’t enough. I’m not personally a die-hard 964 fanatic, so the ease of use, reliability factor, and power are all things I could see myself enjoying about the Everrati 964 on a daily basis. That could be a key differentiator here; while a restored 964 could make for a fantastic weekend car, the Everrati is something you could easily enjoy seven days a week, with minimal maintenance. Everrati has created an astoundingly consistent product out of its EV 964, and I can’t argue with the sheer balance of how well everything has been engineered into the car. Coming from one of the world’s biggest EV naysayers, I give the Everrati 964 RSR the seal of approval.
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