Beaky Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Probably not needed in our, well my lifetime perhaps, but if the only way to drive your IB was to convert it to electric, would you? Both here in the UK and in the US there are a growing number of small specialist firms that are converting classic car to electric. From E-types to Fiat 500, everything seems possible but the costs are astronomic. Putting aside the recharging time and infrastructure issue, if costs fell to that of a full engine and gearbox rebuild (let’s say £30k) would you do it? You could retain or even better the performance, weight distribution could be improved handling, but no sound, or smell etc. etc., could you live with it ………………. ar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick93 Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 The only classic I could conceive of converting to EV would be a DeLorean. As for IBs it's not how fast they go but how they go fast, so no I wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 31 minutes ago, Beaky said: , if costs fell to that of a full engine and gearbox rebuild (let’s say £30k) a sensible engine and gearbox rebuild does not cost 30k!! But in answer to your question, no I wouldn't. You lose most of what an air cooled Porsche is about, the noise, interaction with the gears, the smell etc. Electric cars have their place but in real world driving they are very unengaging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy M Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 No from me as well - I can't think of another car which is so defined by it's engine. Covin replica may be ok with electric power but the prime candidate for me would be a Citroen DS which has previously been discussed on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurlySurdi Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Never, and if the only place I could drive her would be on private land or a race track then so be it. Flat 6 at full chat = heaven! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jehatwhitland Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Totally, agree, what's the point of a 911 without its flat six, a Ducati or Harley without its V-twin, a Subaru without its flat four, or a BMW bike without its boxer? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Hart Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 I wouldn’t EV a 911 but only because the layout is all wrong for the packaging. The 914, however, is perfect for conversion so you’ll be seeing mine soon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajd Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 I could see me doing it perhaps before 2030, who knows. The sound is important but reckon they’ll be a solution for that too. You can already buy good noises for teslas. Could be totally wrong by 2030 the tech could cost under £10k, 0-60 easily under 5 and 300 miles on a wireless under car charger in your garage, quickly too. Petrol & tax could be astronomical, forcing a change. The conversions on youtube that keep the 5 speed box and mount to it don’t even look that difficult/complex. I won’t be an earlier adopter though, it’ll have to be a well trodden path with reasonable costs before I consider it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnersp Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Nope. I’m fine with converting heinous rattletraps like 500s, 2CVs and Beetles, but I’ll keep mine as is as long as I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaky Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 I thought this would be the reaction, but like all quantum shifts and technology advances attitudes may change over time. At the moment the idea is quiet alien, if someone offered it to me today I'd say NO, but in the future I’d never say never as I’d rather drive around in my converted IB that a Prius! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurlySurdi Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Another thing we need to consider is value. It may one day be cheap(er) to do the conversion but what if that wipes off a large chunk of what the car is worth. This may not matter to some but we can’t ignore how much these cars cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carreracat Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 A hard no from me. I get it for pretty classics that aren't fun to drive or listen to (Citreon DS, delorean etc) but for those cars where the engine is the soul of the experience I can't see me ever being interested. The great mechanical engines are pure poetry, and I count the Porsche flat 6 amongst those engines, without that poetry might as well drive a Prius. Some of those greats are truly glorious and a world without them leaves me cold - even though we may all beheaded in that direction eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Comerford Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 On 21/06/2020 at 09:48, Beaky said: I thought this would be the reaction, but like all quantum shifts and technology advances attitudes may change over time. At the moment the idea is quiet alien, if someone offered it to me today I'd say NO, but in the future I’d never say never as I’d rather drive around in my converted IB that a Prius! The attitudes of those who have lived with these great cars for years may not change, for the reasons already identified, as once you have lived with the sounds and tactile treats that are an old 911 you can’t easily change. Take a younger person in a couple of years time (who hasn’t experienced what we have) and offer the the shape with the EV benefits and they may say yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bernau Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 No, but for different reasons than most. When we are forced to drive electric appliances (maybe if), I will move on from petrol and pursue other interests. I won't be trying to hold on to that ICE experience or be one of the "you will have to pry the keys from my dead hands" or "I will be buried in my XYZ" types. One of the things I have learned is that change seems hard and unpleasant before you actually do it, but not so bad on the other side of it. I bet we will all look back from the other side of this change and wonder what a lot of the fuss was about. We will have some great memories of our IBs, but life goes on. I also remain sceptical about the pace and extent of change, though not so much the direction. I wonder if societal changes that are accelerating now - like diverse working (ie., WFH), and trends towards local - will dramatically reduce emissions in ways previously unanticipated - even unimagined. And whether these directions and associated policy will overtake the current blunt policy initiatives? Example, since lockdown began, our household has used about one tank of fuel in aggregate, being something like <20% of the previous run rate. Logically, why would/should we buy an EV and its cradle to grave carbon footprint rather than carefully/sparingly use/maintain our existing ICE vehicles? Fundamentally, our consumption based economy ("more, more, more" shiny new things) is far worse for the environment than any ICE based transportation. 2020 may prove to be the year to remember rather than the year to forget in terms of radical change and not entirely in the directions we may think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carreracat Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 there's a great harrys garage video on the actual energy cost of running an EV. once you factor all of the power production emissions, the environmental impact of the shipping miles clocked up on getting the parts to construct together, and the human and environmental impact of battery component mining and disposal it doesn't look so green after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaky Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 These are all very valid points, lets hope we never have to make such changes to enjoy are cars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njpcarrera32 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Definitely not. To Mr Bernau's point, if I am forced by legislation or unavailability of fuel, then I will sadly move on to other things (probably my stamp collection, or golf, or whatever). I've had the sounds and smells of ICE's coursing through my veins for the last 57 years, and I have nothing else that engages me in the same way. 2 hours ago, Ian Comerford said: Take a younger person in a couple of years time (who hasn’t experienced what we have) and offer the the shape with the EV benefits and they may say yes My 17 year old can't wait for the day when he can experience the thrill from the drivers seat, rather than the passenger seat, and he sees cars primarily as a form of transport, not a passion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tea boy Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 No don’t do it. If you want an electric car just buy one. You wouldn’t repaint the Mona Lisa so she was wearing a tracksuit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70sThrowback Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 If the choice was to change to EV, or scrap the car due to legislation or it being cost prohibitive to run, what then? The car would likely be worthless as you can no longer use it......... just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaky Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 18 minutes ago, 70sThrowback said: If the choice was to change to EV, or scrap the car due to legislation or it being cost prohibitive to run, what then? The car would likely be worthless as you can no longer use it......... just a thought. This is the exact point, I would not convert out of choice (we love them for the noise, smell, rawness, etc.) but if at some point hopefully in the distant future it was the only way to use the car otherwise it would be scrapped, and there are too many of them to all become show pieces in museums, etc. then and it's only a maybe not a definite its worth considering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_911 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) Personally I don't think I would. I doubt that an electric conversion would replicate the feel of the driving experience - ignoring noise, vibration. Instant-on max torque might be amusing but I feel the driving experience would be a very poor relation. So, assuming the car is effectively worthless, I'd keep it as it is and enjoy the visual appeal and the memories that will spark. In terms of current propulsion developments I am much more interested in hydrogen that electric batteries, which feel too much like the emperor's new clothes and too little like the way forward. Edited June 23, 2020 by Chris_911 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesworth Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 22 hours ago, Richard Bernau said: No, but for different reasons than most. When we are forced to drive electric appliances (maybe if), I will move on from petrol and pursue other interests. I won't be trying to hold on to that ICE experience or be one of the "you will have to pry the keys from my dead hands" or "I will be buried in my XYZ" types. One of the things I have learned is that change seems hard and unpleasant before you actually do it, but not so bad on the other side of it. I bet we will all look back from the other side of this change and wonder what a lot of the fuss was about. We will have some great memories of our IBs, but life goes on. No from me (bit of a foregone conclusion asking a question like this on this forum) and my view is as above. Life goes on and I will move with it. Life has plenty of things to enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamTompkins Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 My thoughts are that EVs are OK and getting better and they or alternative hydrogen or whatever will be the future.We've got a hybrid which does 80mpg and the only thing that stopped Pat getting the full EV was the range, but it’s alright to drive about in. Petrol will still be available, there are too many cars including classics , not to ention race cars ,so whilst it may be expensive you will still be able to buy it.Possibly some sort of restriction may be applied to the use of ICE vehicles, who knows, but unless you want to, I doubt there will ever be the need to EV your IB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndglynn Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 Wow, count me in the minority then as I would totally EV an IB when the tech allows for better battery packaging. I drove the Ruf electric 997 when Jonny and I visited Alois for the first time and it was excellent - would be all over a decent electric IB but I would probably want to do the conversion myself. I am thinking of EVing my 944 as part of the resto down the road. Excited to drive Jonny's 914 sometime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaky Posted June 27, 2020 Author Share Posted June 27, 2020 I know the guys at Specialist Components are working on converting a classic Mini to EV. Engine will be in the back (rear wheel drive) with battery pack low and up front to help weight distribution with Ally body panel to save more weight. Once its finished they said I'm welcome to go visit and have a look at it, etc, said I can bring a few friend if interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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