The Americans know no mercy: Whether monster trucks, stretch limos or low riders - nothing seems sacred in the land of unlimited possibilities. Latest escalation level: the conversion of an old one Ferrari 308 for ecologically correct zero-emission vehicles.
Ferrari 308? Fans of the 80-era crime series Magnum will surely remember the red flounder with which private detective Thomas Magnum drove through sunny Hawaii. V8 sound included. Today the 308 is a collector's item, for which high five-figure sums are required. This is probably one of the reasons why Electric GT, a California-based company, used a badly damaged model for its conversion. Thanks to a fire in the engine compartment, among other things, the total loss 308 literally offered itself for such an action.
The obsolete V8 engine was replaced by three electric machines that, like the petrol engine, could be located directly behind the passenger compartment without changing the original shape of the body. The engines connected by two belts transfer their powerful torque to the rear wheels via a five-stage transaxle transmission from Porsche.
Electric GT promises 306 PS and 450 Newtonmeter. This is significantly more than the 227 PS and 284 Newton meters in the original V8. Despite an 30 kWh battery pack, the weight was also kept low. According to Electric GT, the unladen weight increased by 8 compared to the original V45 to only 1.520 kilograms.
The Americans do not call driving performance, but the acceleration should be very short, at least from a standstill to 100 km / h. The range is initially short: For the time being it is a maximum of 160 kilometers before a charging station needs to be visited.
Ferrari and charging station? Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne has described such a request as breaking the taboo. Electric GT believes that the electric drive is the better alternative. (Mario Hommen / SP-X)