feels wonderfully alive (the owner declined to add
power assistance) and while the brake pedal isn’t
the most confidence-inspiring in feel, the stopping
power is fine. Thanks to the regenerative braking
effect of the motor, little other than better pads
were deemed necessary.
Aftermarket adjustable coilover suspension has been
fitted, and a considerable amount of work on the
spring rates front and rear and the alignment of all four
wheels has been carried out. That’s necessary because
of a 30kg weight reduction overall and, more
importantly, a significant altering of the weight
balance. The original car had a 40/60 front/rear
balance, but the electric one is 50/50, to the benefit of
how the car changes direction and responds to inputs
mid-corner. This may look like an old car and at first
feel like one, but dig deeper and it drives like
something far more modern. Maybe this electric car
thing will catch on after all...IIIfor over 600hp. It drives the rear wheels through a
single-speed reduction gearbox and, unlike Tesla’s
cars, there’s a mechanical limited slip differential.
That, explains Richard Morgan (Founder and CEO of
Electric Classic Cars), helps get all the power down in
a more useful fashion.
In our road test, it’s sharp off the line and easy to
modulate the accelerator. The addition of electronic
traction control and bigger tyres enables a 0-60mph
time of 3.5 seconds (the original did it in 7.3 seconds).
Oh, and this car will apparently do 165mph.
Not that we’re going to have the opportunity to
verify that claim today, but slot that tall lever into
place (you’ve only got one forward and one reverse
gear, despite the multi-position shifting gate) and
the 308 certainly feels perky, especially as the
considerable forward thrust is accompanied by
nothing more than a whirr from the motor (and a few
creaks and groans from the interior). The steering
Tesla-sourced power pack
has 450hp, but can go as
high as 600hp. 0-62mph
takes just 3.5 secondsENGINE: Tesla electric motor and 45kWh battery
POWER: 450hp
TORQUE: 450Nm
TRANSMISSION: Single-speed reduction gear with
mechanical limited slip differential
WEIGHT: 1170kg
RANGE: Up to 150 miles
CO2: 0g/km
TOP SPEED: 165mph
0-62MPH: 3.5sec
PRICE: Approx £60,000 for the conversionTECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
FERRARI 308 ‘GTE’CONTACT
Electric Classic Cars,
http://www.electricclassiccars.co.uk