What a man!

[GrumpyGranddad]

For me it's not even really about originality, it's about soul. I'd rather own this guy's (replica) car for one day, than any original 1950s Ferrari with a washing machine motor shoved up its jumper.

How about this Aston Martin. My cousin is selling it as he’s finally hanging up his driving gloves.

 

[sidepod]

Hmmm, I wonder if Frank Kelly will be swapping his Millington for a e version

 

[Velma's Dad]

How about this Aston Martin. My cousin is selling it as he’s finally hanging up his driving gloves.

View attachment 85280

Ah, a very very nice replica DP214. Glorious.

 

[dripster]

I agree with all this. I used to love an old Triumph, ending up with a Stag which had a glorious sound to it. But one day there won't be any petrol on sale (oh hang, that was earlier this week) and if I have to drive around in something with a washing machine motor I'd rather it looked beautiful than something designed by a computer.

 

[WelshGas]

I agree with all this. I used to love an old Triumph, ending up with a Stag which had a glorious sound to it. But one day there won't be any petrol on sale (oh hang, that was earlier this week) and if I have to drive around in something with a washing machine motor I'd rather it looked beautiful than something designed by a computer.

I think you have hit it on the head , " drive around ".
Many of the vehicles mentioned have their character maintained by being original, but rarely driven and certainly not all are suited to modern driving etc.
A friend with a whole stable of various marks of e-types he has collected and re-built wishes he could drive them more but they are just not suited for modern driving on a daily basis but an e-version could be, and that's what he is planning to do with one of them .

 

[briwy]

I’m not sure I understand what the point is of e-classics?
Volumes are minuscule so they’re not saving the planet.
There is no supply problems with existing power trains, they’re repairable and available so they’re not filling a hole there.
Anyone converting such a vehicle is also converting its value to virtually nothing which is insane.

Enlighten me?

And from what I have seen it costs a fortune. If you want an electric car buy a new one.

 

[blondebier]

I quite like the 308 GTE conversion.

The original is slow (by modern standards) and pretty unreliable.

By replacing the unreliable bits with electric components you've got a faster and more reliable car.

What's not to like?

One for the retirement TODO list I think.

 

[sidepod]

Why is he wearing his pyjamas?

 

[larrylamb]

Why is he wearing his pyjamas?

It's an interesting look for sure.

 

[Velma's Dad]

A friend with a whole stable of various marks of e-types he has collected and re-built wishes he could drive them more but they are just not suited for modern driving on a daily basis but an e-version could be, and that's what he is planning to do with one of them .

I don't really get where your friend is coming from, although they're his cars so he can do what he likes with them of course. But surely an un-butchered E-Type, with 250+ bhp on tap even in the Series 1, is no less suited to modern driving than any modern petrol engined sports car...? Genuinely puzzled.

If he means it's less easy to drive than a modern equivalent (ie fewer driver aids, no power steering, 1960s suspension and handling etc) then that's certainly generally correct. But I can't see that they're less suited to driving on modern roads than than they would have been on 1960s (or whatever) roads. Any series E-type certainly won't have any problem 'keeping up with the traffic' whether on an A road or a motorway. My 1963 Alfa regularly finds itself in Lane 3.

I do accept that some pre-war cars can be less suited to modern traffic speeds, but I don't think many post-war cars fit into that bracket - okay maybe a 2CV going uphill.

 

[WelshGas]

I don't really get where your friend is coming from, although they're his cars so he can do what he likes with them of course. But surely an un-butchered E-Type, with 250+ bhp on tap even in the Series 1, is no less suited to modern driving than any modern petrol engined sports car...? Genuinely puzzled.

If he means it's less easy to drive than a modern equivalent (ie fewer driver aids, no power steering, 1960s suspension and handling etc) then that's certainly generally correct. But I can't see that they're less suited to driving on modern roads than than they would have been on 1960s (or whatever) roads. Any series E-type certainly won't have any problem 'keeping up with the traffic' whether on an A road or a motorway. My 1963 Alfa regularly finds itself in Lane 3.

I do accept that some pre-war cars can be less suited to modern traffic speeds, but I don't think many post-war cars fit into that bracket - okay maybe a 2CV going uphill.

Well, I'm afraid he would disagree with you on that reasoning, and its not about speed.
Seeing as he has a number of them and one requires a lot of work on the engine/drivetrain, and is already duplicated in his collection, he hopes to make that a daily driver.

 

[andyinluton]

I don't really get where your friend is coming from, although they're his cars so he can do what he likes with them of course. But surely an un-butchered E-Type, with 250+ bhp on tap even in the Series 1, is no less suited to modern driving than any modern petrol engined sports car...? Genuinely puzzled.

If he means it's less easy to drive than a modern equivalent (ie fewer driver aids, no power steering, 1960s suspension and handling etc) then that's certainly generally correct. But I can't see that they're less suited to driving on modern roads than than they would have been on 1960s (or whatever) roads. Any series E-type certainly won't have any problem 'keeping up with the traffic' whether on an A road or a motorway. My 1963 Alfa regularly finds itself in Lane 3.

Having driven my Morgan to work today in London & previously owning an E-type I can empathise with anyone not wanting to drive a classic.

While an E type will keep up speed wise, the brakes are not up to modern standards, the mirrors are crap, the steering is hard work, noise insulation is poor, there's no music on the mono AM radio, Headlamps are awful & just hope you don't need to use the wipers.
The Morgan despite only being 3 years old is exactly the same with the exception of no radio at all.

Its not so much that they cant be used but more that there are far more comfortable & economic ways of getting to the same destination. However, give me a destination of my choice, a sunny day & an empty A road & it would be classic every time. Save the classic for when it can be savoured rather than becoming a chore to use it.

In 1991 I was using a Triumph Stag to commute from Luton to Nottingham daily, it took just six months for a near show condition car to deteriorate into a "normal" condition car. I spent almost every weekend fixing something. After 6 months I gave up & bought a new Mk1 MX5 it felt to me like a brand new classic car, I had the looks and the reliability that I needed.
If sticking an electric motor in an old car achieves the same & means its used then the owner is to be applauded.

 

[larrylamb]

If sticking an electric motor in an old car achieves the same & means its used then the owner is to be applauded.

Perhaps it won't if you still have the same poor brakes, steering, mirrors, wipers, headlights etc. If you change all that as well there's not much of the classic car left.
I used to admire kit cars, i wonder if building one now with an electric motor would be quite easy and fruitful?

 

[andyinluton]

Perhaps it won't if you still have the same poor brakes, steering, mirrors, wipers, headlights etc. If you change all that as well there's not much of the classic car left.
I used to admire kit cars, i wonder if building one now with an electric motor would be quite easy and fruitful?

Replace those as well & reshell it to get rid of the rust problem & you could end up with a decent car, you would also be left with enough bits left over to rebuild a classic!

 

[clarinetbcn]

I never would have considered electrifying my TR6. It was all about the sound, which as a musician I would miss too much, and playing with the changing torque of its 2500cc straight six. It was incredibly fun to drive.

The motor of my T5.1 however is the most antiquated thing about an otherwise modern car. It's efficient, which is why I bought it, but the motor's not fun. Every time I start it up I miss my 1973 Rx2, whose dual rotor Wankel engine had no more noise or vibration at 70mph than when it was turned off, much like electrics today. The van is all about using the space, which is why 30 and 40 year old vans are still in use. I don't have high hopes for the long term durability of the complicated electronics of the engine controls, and pollution rules are only going to get stricter. I'm sure T5/6 Californias will be prime candidates for conversion to electric about 10 years from now when range issues will already have been resolved, to keep them going as long as their ancestors.

 

[sidepod]

Just been out for a blast in my Mini.
Can’t hear a thing at the moment, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a compressed spine. I nearly blacked out on a couple of corners (pretty sure it was 3G lateral). I almost dislocated a shoulder climbing out over the door bars of the cage. I burned through about three gallons of Super unleaded and half a set of front boots. The neighbour gets arsy with me because it’s too loud for her and it scares her cat.
Same time tomorrow I think.

Try that in an EV.

 

[Velma's Dad]

I used to admire kit cars, i wonder if building one now with an electric motor would be quite easy and fruitful?

If we're talking 'Seven' type cars, the core essence of them is (IMO) light weight and agility. I had a Westfield and the charm of that was its 'skateboard-ness'. A Caterham weighs about half a tonne. To achieve that as an EV you'd need battery weight low, but that might be okay if you could live with quite limited range.

 

[RodCouncil]

Just been out for a blast in my Mini.
Can’t hear a thing at the moment, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a compressed spine. I nearly blacked out on a couple of corners (pretty sure it was 3G lateral). I almost dislocated a shoulder climbing out over the door bars of the cage. I burned through about three gallons of Super unleaded and half a set of front boots. The neighbour gets arsy with me because it’s too loud for her and it scares her cat.
Same time tomorrow I think.

Try that in an EV.

Sounds like a jaunt out in my Honda'd Elise S1, induction bark alone terrified every pax rider

The performance of fast EV's are on another level though (not for the decrepit on here), the pace is just absurd to the point that it hurts, for me it's just another level of experience and the sooner it becomes the norm and more autonomous the better.