Mopar’s crown jewel at the 2024 SEMA Show, an EV conversion kit for B-body and E-body Chrysler vehicles, is likely to be a controversial one (Image: Mopar)
This week marks the 2024 edition of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, and the latest Mopar retromod concept to go on display there might be a controversial one.
Stellantis’ performance parts arm has turned to this 1967 Plymouth GTX as its basis for what it calls an ‘Electromod’. As you can likely gather from the name, it’s not a V8 powering this muscle car, but rather an electric motor.
The GTX itself has been given the usual retromod treatment when it comes to its looks. Widened rear wheel arches, a carbon fibre front lip and rear spoiler, shaved and body-coloured bumpers, and satin black exterior trim helps deliver a more modern look.
This GTX ‘Electromod’ has been given all the usual retromod styling updates to help bridge the 57-year gap between then and now (Image: Mopar)
Its new 18-inch BTG Vintage Bronze forged magnesium wheels shod in Pirelli P-Zero rubber, complete with a set of Wilwood disc brakes tucked behind them, certainly helps in that department as well.
But it’s the Mopar ‘e-Crate’ propulsion system which is what this concept really aims to show. Given the success Mopar has enjoyed selling crate engines, such as the supercharged Hellcat V8, the aim here is for a similar drop-in solution for EV muscle car conversions.
The ‘e-Crate’ electric power module has been designed to look like it still has a supercharger sat atop it (Image: Mopar)
Slotted under this GTX’s carbon fibre bonnet is a 250kW (335hp) ‘electric drive module’ which fits in with a set of custom engine mounts designed to be easy to manufacture at scale. To help it look the part, the module that handles regenerative braking has been designed to look like a supercharger atop it.
As for the batteries, there are four lithium-ion packs mounted in the boot of the GTX totalling 73kWh – enough to deliver a claimed 402km (250mi) of range.
The ‘e-Crate’ system previewed in this concept has been designed to be compatible with both B-body and E-body Chrysler vehicles, although there’s little stopping Mopar from offering EV-conversion systems for other vehicles in the back catalogue.
A 73kWh battery pack has been retrofitted to the boot of the GTX to deliver just over 400km of driving range (Image: Mopar)
This Electromod concept from Mopar follows the latest eighth-generation Dodge Charger launching as a pure-EV, while even the eventual petrol version will only be a straight-six, indicating the clock is close to midnight for Mopar V8s.
The GTX Electromod concept will be on display at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas from November 5-8, 2024.
While ditching its V8 might be a controversial move, EV conversions like this could be a viable way of keeping classic muscle cars like this on the road (Image: Mopar)
