Electric Pagoda Wins ‘Resto-Mod of the Year’ at GQ Car Awards
CARDIFF, WALES, UK, February 23, 2023 – GQ Magazine has named the Hemmels Electric Pagoda “Restomod of The Year” at the prestigious GQ Car Awards 2023 ceremony held at the Savoy Hotel, London.
GQ said “Hemmels has been getting hot in its Cardiff-based body shop doing things supposedly “unholy”. But falling in love with an Electric Pagoda should be seen as nothing short of awesome, progressive and seriously sexy. Sustainable and stunningly beautiful, this isn’t blasphemy – it’s an automotive piece of art.”
The theme for the GQ Car Awards 2023 was “together in electric dreams” as the event embraced innovative EV design. Other winners included the Ferrari 296 GTB which won the Hybrid Supercar of the Year, the Mercedes-AMG ONE which took the Hybrid Hypercar of the Year award and Jaguar’s Jaguar TCS Racing Gen3 Formula E which was awarded eRacing Car of the Year.
Hemmels, a leader in the restoration of vintage Mercedes-Benz SL motorcars, launched the first Electric Pagoda in 2021, preserving the elegance and beauty of the original model while adding 21st century sustainable motoring technology.
The Electric Pagoda is equally suited for commuting or touring with 340L of trunk/boot space for stowage. The electric powertrain, created by Hemmels specifically for the Pagoda, is capable of a 170 mile range and can be rapid charged to 70% in less than an hour, or fully charged overnight from a standard home socket. The new powertrain exceeds the brake horsepower of the car’s internal combustion engine, with a top speed of 148 mph and 0-60mph being reached in 7.2 seconds. With a removable hardtop and built-in soft-top, the Hemmels Mercedes-Benz Electric Pagoda is a 4 season driver.
The company offers an exclusive new car buying experience to clients who crave the ability to uniquely design and personalise an electric classic car exactly as they desire. Clients can order any colour combination imaginable or choose to have the original factory ensemble. Each car is fitted with a new leather interior that is hand sewn in a choice of matching or complementary stitching while finer details such as accent colours, name embossing and bespoke seat comfort specification are each explored during part of the design consultation. Further options include matching leather luggage, bluetooth in-car entertainment system, air-conditioning, central locking and alarm tracker.
The ‘Pagoda’, nicknamed due to its unusual concave hardtop roof, became the choice of Hollywood stars and world legends when it was first introduced in 1963. Celebrities such as singer Harry Styles, F1 champion Lewis Hamilton and supermodel Kate Moss are some of the well-known owners.
Hemmels restores cars according to the exacting standards of its trademarked Neugeboren (“newborn”) Process where every car is fully dismantled and reborn from its bare metal beginnings over a 52 week period. Each project takes approximately 4,000 hours to restore with the result being a like-new car that includes new chrome, glass, tyres, brakes, suspension and interior. Like a new car, the Hemmels Mercedes-Benz Electric Pagoda comes with a full 12 month warranty.
The company specialises in restoring the three pioneering Mercedes-Benz SL models (300SL, 190SL and 280SL) for clients around the globe. In 2020 Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands featured two Hemmels restorations for display at its facility in Weybridge, UK including a 190SL Roadster and 280SL Pagoda, both of which are prominently featured in the main reception area.
Further information about commissioning a car and reserving a production slot can be obtained by contacting Hemmels directly.
A full feature on all the winners of the 2023 GQ Car Awards in association with Michelin will appear in the March issue of British GQ. GQ has published a list of the winners here.
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/cars/article/gq-car-awards-2023
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