Electric Classic Cars

I’m in a classic Volkswagen Beetle and it’s raining… in Wales.

- Jonathan Musk

Surprisingly, the Beetle is powered by an electric motor and is at least twice as powerful as the original car, has a range of 100-miles and has been beautifully restored. I’m driving a classic car, but the experience is strangely modern. There are no fumes, no angry exhaust note and brakes that actually work. It’s definitely classic, but without the usual sensations.

Driving through the Welsh mountains is a joy to behold in most cars. It’s not about going fast, it’s about travelling well. To enhance the experience, I’m in a classic 1965 Volkswagen Beetle. It’s electric, literally.

In mid-Wales, Richard Morgan and Graham Swann have started something special. They converts classic cars to electric power and do so with such passion and skill, it’s hard not to be moved by the beauty of their work. I’m paying a visit to Richard, who’s intriguing past is in the world of Rally, where trees and metal meet with the sound of flying gravel and revving engines. Rally is loud, brash and a petrol head’s idea of heaven. It’s the rugby of the motoring world and, like rugby, rally is a thug’s sport played by gentlemen so it’s perhaps a surprise that Richard has turned his attention to electric vehicles at all. More surprising is that the cars start out as classics.

Understandably, the key is not to lose the original vehicle’s credibility, sense of nostalgia and classic charm. Electric Classic Cars are not trying to reinvent the original, but rather enhance it with modern tech and for the thrill of creating something new from something old. It’s a careful balance that if done correctly can work astoundingly well, like sweet and sour sauce.