Volt Face
It’s not just Fiats being converted to battery power – this Ferrari
308 has 450hp of Tesla electrickery
Story & images by Shane O' DonoghueL
et’s leave the philosophical discussion about
replacing the sonorous naturally aspirated V8
of a 1980s Ferrari with an electric motor to
one side and instead focus on what electric
power can do for a classic. The car you see
before you started life as a 308 GTSi with a steel body
and power by a fuel-injected 2.9-litre V8 with 214hp,
weighing approximately 1200kg.
Its owner fancied a bit of a change, so got in touch
with Electric Classic Cars in Wales to discuss a full
conversion to electric power. The company has already
produced dozens of electric classics, but this was its
first Ferrari 308, and it took nigh-on nine months to
produce. The owner wanted to preserve the character
of the car while enhancing its performance, reliability
and the ability to use it in the future no matter what
legislation comes into place governing internal
combustion engines.
Approach the converted Ferrari for the first time and
you’ll possibly be too distracted by the seductivecurves, penned by Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, to
notice that there are no exhaust pipes sticking out the
back. The only other external clue that this is not a
standard 308 is the cheeky replacement of the ‘GTSi’
badge at the back with ‘GTE’.
Sit inside and there are some clues, despite the
interior being almost untouched. It smells and looks
well-used and the odometer shows over 46,000 miles.
In front of you is the expected spindly three-spoke
steering wheel and Veglia Borletti instruments, along
with the original flimsy air vents and column stalks. But
while the centre console holds the traditional open-
gate manual gear shifter, to its left is the first
indication as to what this car is all about. There’s a
neatly integrated touchscreen that allows the owner
to check on the electric powertrain.
In the back, in place of the V8, is an electric motor
from Tesla. In this installation, it produces a
maximum output of about 450hp, though with an
upgraded inverter and other tweaks, it can be good