There are certain things about electric cars we don’t like – their price and weight, for example. But there are also other aspects of the electric mobility we find quite attractive – and conversions of classic cars into vintage-looking zero-emissions machines are certainly among them. We’ve already seen plenty of beautifully restored and modified Jaguar E-Types and there’s a new player on the market. Because, you know, the more, the better.
The lovely opalescent silver blue E-Type you can see in the gallery below is the first customer car from the UK-based Electrogenic. The classic Jag retains its original exterior design but underneath the sleek skin, there’s a fully electric powertrain developed by Electrogenic. It’s a drop-in kit – one of several different available – that has been fitted inside the 1962 Series 1 Roadster future-proofing it and giving the driver a completely new driving experience.
Gallery: Electric Jaguar E-Type by Electrogenic
The aftermarket company has installed what it calls the E43 package, which comes with a 43-kilowatt-hour battery pack for a real-world range of more than 150 miles between two charges. The peak output of the electric motor is 160 horsepower (120 kilowatts) and 460 pound-feet (620 Newton-meters) of instant torque, making it less powerful but more torquey than the original inline-six combustion engines. The 0-60 miles per hour acceleration takes less than six seconds.
Electrogenic seems to be especially proud of the fact that it has managed to install almost all components of the electric drive system into the existing engine compartment and transmission tunnel. The company says it has also managed to keep the weight balance of the vehicle and even optimize it for better handling. There are also larger 48- and 64-kWh battery packages available, in which the batteries are tucked away in the space behind the rear seat. Impressively, even when equipped with the largest battery option, the restomoded E-Type weighs no more than a conventionally powered example.