Opinion: Should You Convert Your Classic Cars to EV?

The answer is obvious, isn’t it? OF COURSE BLOODY NOT! The sounds and smells of internal combustion are an integral part of the classic car ownership experience and replacing that with a box of volts should be actionable by law.

At least, that’s the initial reaction. As with most things, once the red-hot wave of emotion recedes to reveal the cool sands of logic, you realise there’s more nuance to the question. In truth, the answer is – it depends.

Electric Porsche 964 by Everrati

The catalyst for this piece was a friend attending Monterey Car Week who sent a picture of a vivid blue Porsche 964 proudly displaying ‘964 EV’ number plates. This I cannot comprehend.

Likewise, the companies that tear the incredible flat-12 out of a Ferrari Testarossa and replace it with a Tesla drive unit. “Quicker, quieter and more reliable!” they proclaim.

Electric Ferrari Testarossa by Electric Classic Cars

Undoubtedly true, and if you took the cheese and sauce out of your favourite pasta dish, it would no doubt be much healthier, but that’s not really the point. Putting the Testarossa’s flat-12 in the Tesla Model S that donated its drive unit would be a laugh, though.

Classic cars have long since paid the carbon tax associated with their production and are driven so infrequently their nationwide combined annual CO2 emissions wouldn’t even amount to a rounding error.

So where, then, is the case for the classic electric vehicle? In my opinion, the line in the sand is whether the engine was an integral part of the original car’s appeal. 

Electric Defender by Jaunt Motors Australia

The engine is the heart and soul of any driver-focused machine and the fact that converting one to electric power makes it faster or handle better is irrelevant. If a classic Porsche 911 owner wanted a faster, better handling 911, they’d buy a newer 911. 

Electric Porsche 911 by Jaunt Motors Australia

Where classic EV conversions make perfect sense to me is where the engine was, if anything, a hindrance. Would any Morris Minor owner miss the 22kW/54Nm of fury provided by the A-Series? 

An EV Kombi would no longer be a dak-dak, but it would at least make it up a hill with no problems and never be at risk of overheating. Dare I say it, an electric Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow would be quieter and infinitely less hassle (well, the powertrain bit, anyway).

Electric Kombi by Electric Classic Cars

I suspect most people reading this will be anti EV conversions, but I do think there are examples where it makes sense. That said, anyone sticking batteries in a ’67 Mustang deserves a 302ci Windsor at 8000rpm alarm call every day for the rest of their life.