Classic car enthusiasts are turning to modern automotive technology to guarantee their gems from the past have a place in the future. Governments are pushing to lower the emissions from the transport on the roads, causing a significant increase in owners choosing to convert their classics from petrol engines to electric motors.
The Silver Porsche
Ian Corlett, who lives near Los Angeles, turned his silver 1966 Porsche 912 into an electric-powered vehicle. The Porsche barely makes a sound because its ‘boxer’ petrol engine was removed and replaced with a small electric pack and batteries.
Corlett said:
If you love vintage cars but don’t want to deal with the mechanics, this is bullet-proof. It is kind of like a vintage car for people who like brand new cars. It ticks all the boxes.
However, he does admit that he misses the classic throaty Porsche roar when he drives, but the 100-mile range and low maintenance makes up for it.
Petrol Classics To Electric
In the near future, petrol power will be pushed to phase out; this is a growing concern in the classic car world about how the vehicles will remain sustainable.
Some companies are already transforming these classic gems into electric-powered vehicles. North of San Diego, Micheal Bream manages EV West, which is one of the leaders in turning petrol classics into electric ones. Initially, they aimed to save the classics and improve their performance, not to save the planet, but they ended up doing both at the same time. The majority of electric motors at EV West come from written-off Teslas.
Bream said:
Being environmentally and socially responsible, we’re putting out a product with high recyclable content and a very low carbon footprint. We’re essentially taking motors and batteries out of cars that didn’t previously have a purpose. By mating those to the classic cars, we’re fixing two problems in one.
Critics
Some people don’t agree with meddling with classic cars; they think it loses its authenticity. A curator at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A., Leslie Kendall, is one of those people.
Kendall said:
When you start tampering with the essence of a gasoline-powered vehicle, essentially its heartbeat, its engine, its motive power, then it diminishes the car. I just personally hope that the people who decide to do that to their vehicles do it with cars that are not of surpassing importance as original authentic vehicles. You’re going to want to leave that originality and authenticity intact.
However, Bream disagrees with Kendall. He said museums are already full of classics, and they don’t want another Volkswagen. “Let’s take care of the guys that really want to enjoy driving,” Bream said.
Do you think meddling with classic cars, makes them lose some of their authenticity? Or, do you think it saves cars and improves their performance?
