1973 Porsche 914 Becomes Electric Supercar

Ridiculous Rides

A CLASSIC 1973 Porsche 914 has been given a “new life” after its owner ditched the fuel tank to go electric. Despite being one of the manufacturer’s least popular models, Mark Bush spent two years converting his Porsche, swapping out its engine and fuel tank for a HPEVS motor and 126v battery.

Transcript

00:00Including the restoration of the car itself, it took about two years.

00:08It's a long beautiful process.

00:11I've had this car up to 117 miles an hour.

00:15As soon as you press the accelerator, you have full torque.

00:18I think everybody should have an electric vehicle.

00:30Kailua in Hawaii is home to an incredible modified Porsche.

00:35Classic, sleek, electric.

00:39My name is Mark Bush.

00:42I have a Porsche 914.

00:45It's a 1973 E model.

00:48That's right.

00:50Mark took one of Porsche's least popular models, did away with the engine and fuel tank, then

00:56fitted a HP EVS motor and a 126 volt battery.

01:01This car, it's new life as an electric vehicle is about five years old now.

01:06This is a daily driver, so it's not completely spick and span like a show car.

01:13While that may be the case, this is still a mighty impressive conversion.

01:17I was working full time as a nurse when I started this car.

01:21Including the restoration of the car itself.

01:24It took about two years.

01:26I'd take vacations and just work on the car.

01:31Okay, how to build an electric car.

01:33You find a car that's suitable.

01:35You pull out the internal combustion engine, radiator, the cooling system, the exhaust system.

01:41Then get my rest for the next shift.

01:45I had to design battery boxes.

01:47I ordered a motor.

01:48It's a long, beautiful process.

01:52We opted to put the charging port over here on this side.

01:58And for a while, I was opening the hood to charge it.

02:01So I put in a cap so I can keep the hood closed and still charge it.

02:05These are the battery packs.

02:07And this car originally came with a mid-engine, big old Volkswagen motor back here.

02:13I decided I want to have the weight ratios the exact same.

02:16And I wanted a five-speed transmission.

02:19I wanted to use the original Porsche transmission.

02:22I like to shift and it gives you a little bit more maneuverability and choices for power.

02:32This is an incredible conversion with a performance to match.

02:35Here in Hawaii, I looked down at the speedometer.

02:38I was going 80 miles an hour one time.

02:41I slowed down because you're not supposed to do that here.

02:44As soon as you press the accelerator, you have full torque.

02:53The torque is instant.

02:55That gives you a faster acceleration rate.

02:59Zero to 60 in probably approximately six, six and a half minutes.

03:04Somewhere around there.

03:05Zero to 60 in six minutes?

03:07Yeah.

03:08Seconds.

03:09Okay.

03:11Six days.

03:12That's funny.

03:16I hope that gets edited out.

03:18I've had this car up to 117 miles an hour, but that was in California.

03:26And for Mark, this two-year labor of love has certainly paid off.

03:33I'm a pilot.

03:35Driving this car is a lot like flying an airplane.

03:38Well, other than the fact that it doesn't take off and go into the air.

03:42When you go down a hill, it feels like you're gliding.

03:47I know every sound, every little nuance of it because I had it completely apart and put it all back together again.

03:59This car has been just an amazing friend almost.

04:04I think everybody should have an electric vehicle.

04:07And I think they should drop in price because people should be able to afford these things.

04:14They're really fun to drive and you can have any kind of car you want.

04:19Any car you've ever dreamed of for just the cost of putting some time and effort and elbow grease into making an electric vehicle for yourself.

04:29And that's why, we're so glad that they're the start.

04:31This car has a very vibrant truck.

04:32And, we got a little bit smaller.

04:33Let's watch this car for the next car.

04:34This car has a very good truck.

04:35This car has a very good food truck.

04:37It's the car had a different car.

04:38And it's the car has a great truck.

04:39We're not even gonna be able to do it.

04:40We have a new car.

04:41I think you wait for it.

04:42We're talking about this.

04:43We're talking about this car for this car.

04:44We're talking about this car.

04:46We're talking about this car.

Category

Transcript

Recommended