RE: Electrogenic takes DMC-12 back to the future
Discussion
C5_Steve said:
Yeah I'm not mad at this at all, the engine was woeful and there's really no point keeping the original one in place if you can have other options. Let's be honest most people aren't driving these cars huge distances anymore anyway so an electric conversion can make sense.
I still think my favourite conversion for one of these was the one with the Kia Stinger drivetrain. Some serious work went into that.
https://www.carthrottle.com/news/meet-dmc-delorean...
That is epic, I love DeLoreans, they are great as an icon but they are a bit lame as a car, based on everythign I have read and seen, never driven one but that looks like a properly enjoyable car with some added attitude, but hasnt lost anything, bit lower, the bigger wheels on the front, very subtle.I still think my favourite conversion for one of these was the one with the Kia Stinger drivetrain. Some serious work went into that.
https://www.carthrottle.com/news/meet-dmc-delorean...
And the electric one that is about, well why not, the engine was 130 bhp and was never really well regarded, usually seen in things like a seventies Volvo saloon, plenty of original ones still out there, plenty of BTTF replicas so sure the world can spare a few for EV conversions, just seems so right on a DMC where say on most other cars of that ilk I could see the objection. Like old Rolls Royces, some cars just seem to lend themselves to EV conversions and others less so.
Wonder what we would be saying/thinking about the DeLorean nowadays without the BTTF connection, what would be a similar model, Bricklyn, Saab Sonnet ?
Bet Ecto 1 would be better with a Tesla Plaid Drivetrain as well, wouldnt suit the General Lee though.
Iamnotkloot said:
I agree with other posters; this is an obvious candidate to do a electric motor swap into. (I’d have thought others like old Citroens, Rolls Royce’s etc would also make good candidates)
My thoughts too. I wouldn't be opposed to an up-to-date internal combustion engine either, it's more that it's liberating a potentially good car from a lacklustre or problematic drivetrain.For those commenting on the lacklustre PRV V6, it's worth remembering that Ford's similarly-sized Cologne V6 of the time was only pushing 128bhp in carb form, and as little as 90bhp in US-spec (which was probably a large target market for DeLorean).
The PRV went on to be developed for racing applications, peaking at 850bhp in highly developed form, and powering the WM P88 prototype to the all-time speed record on the original, un-chicaned Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans in 1988. The engine eventually blew up, due to sacrifices made to cooling air intakes to the benefit of aerodynamics, but the point was made and the bar was left at 405kph (251mph) as the highest speed recorded during the race. It went even faster than that, on the new A26 motorway in the stretch from Saint-Quentin to Laon, François Migault reaching 416 km/h (258 mph) but hampered by poor fuel quality.
All of which is great, but I agree that a DeLorean is probably the best car ever to be considered for an EV conversion.
The PRV went on to be developed for racing applications, peaking at 850bhp in highly developed form, and powering the WM P88 prototype to the all-time speed record on the original, un-chicaned Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans in 1988. The engine eventually blew up, due to sacrifices made to cooling air intakes to the benefit of aerodynamics, but the point was made and the bar was left at 405kph (251mph) as the highest speed recorded during the race. It went even faster than that, on the new A26 motorway in the stretch from Saint-Quentin to Laon, François Migault reaching 416 km/h (258 mph) but hampered by poor fuel quality.
All of which is great, but I agree that a DeLorean is probably the best car ever to be considered for an EV conversion.
Gary C said:
Engine was crap so why not
Electric whine would suit this car like no other.
Absolutely!Electric whine would suit this car like no other.
The engine / gearbox in the DeLorean weren't great new, and they're fairly hopeless now. Much better to be replaced with an electric drivetrain - particularly as the process is reversible.
Doing the same thing to a flat 12 Ferrari (the Testarossa) is, however, sacrilege as the engine is a huge part of the car's character.
As a long-time Delorean owner, and not a particular fan of EVs (nor a hater, just... meh), the D is a great candidate. I love mine, even the crappy old PRV (which isn't that crap if you give it a bit of love).
I've seen, probably, 4 or 5 EV conversions and spoken to one at Goodwood FoS last year. The issue is, the conversion (a year ago) was around £50k (+- £10k) which is great if you have a complete heap and are investing in it, and terrible if you have a concours car worth... £60k+. So I'm not really sure what you're achieving.
That all said, the PRV is getting hard to get (aluminium block, suffers rot over time) and short of an LS1/Rover v8 (and some quite interesting 4 and 6 pot conversions), what's going to be as long lasting as that beautiful bodywork?
I've seen, probably, 4 or 5 EV conversions and spoken to one at Goodwood FoS last year. The issue is, the conversion (a year ago) was around £50k (+- £10k) which is great if you have a complete heap and are investing in it, and terrible if you have a concours car worth... £60k+. So I'm not really sure what you're achieving.
That all said, the PRV is getting hard to get (aluminium block, suffers rot over time) and short of an LS1/Rover v8 (and some quite interesting 4 and 6 pot conversions), what's going to be as long lasting as that beautiful bodywork?
Fetchez la vache said:
No issues with this at all, other than not really wanting to do sub 5 seconds in what I believe is basically an old ford cortina...
Except it was Lotus Espirt sourced front, rear and steel backbone with a fiberglass underbody wrapped in stainless steel panels fixed to itSo more like an old Opel Ascona
Edited by Gary C on Thursday 27th June 11:41
evojam said:
In almost all of these types of articles be it on PH's or YouTube etc the cost of these professional EV conversions to classic cars is hardly ever mentioned,the single most important bit of info us classic car owners want to know is often kept quiet,I suspect for a reason!
In this instance, I very much suspect it's because the kit is supplied to different companies in different locations and therefore the price will vary. They do a very small amount of installs themselves. Electrogenic lists the price of the Mini conversion on their website as it's a self-install kit (£16k).
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