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EV speed record broken by British city car from the ‘70s

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Josée Paquet

An old car built in England during the 1970s, and blessed with a number of upgrades, has just set a new speed record for EVs.

The Enfield 8000 was a city car produced during the first oil crisis, yet it recently managed to complete a quarter-mile run in just 9.86 seconds. Its average speed was 194.7 km/h.

If you’re familiar with this model, you’re probably wondering how the heck it could pull off such a feat. Jonny Smith, a renowned auto journalist and serial car tuner, literally saved the car ― dubbed the “Flux Capacitor” ― from floods about four years ago. He fully restored it and replaced the gas engine with a pair of DC electric motor, plus a 188-cell lithium-ion battery generating 2,000 amps and 400 volts. 

The result? From the original 8 horsepower, output has climbed to a whopping 800 horsepower along with 1,200 lb-ft of torque!

Outpacing supercars like the Lamborghini Aventador and high-performance electric cars such as the Tesla Model S P90D, the modified Enfield 8000 remains street-legal, tax exempt, and London congestion charge exempt.

 

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Josée Paquet
Josée Paquet
Automotive expert