The Tiny Electric Dragster That Could

The Enfield 8000 was an electric car built from 1973 until 1977 with less than 120 made by Enfield Automotive in the UK. The car featured an aluminum body, tubular chassis and was powered by an 8 bhp electric motor and 8 12v lead-acid batteries. This gave the car a top speed of 40-48 mph and a range of around 35-55 miles.

Automotive journalist Johnny Smith decided he wanted an electric vehicle he could race at the drag strip and daily drive when he wanted. Johnny decided to look for an Enfield because of its small stature, great underpinnings, and electric history. After finding a good deal on a flood damaged Enfield 8000 he decided to upgrade the car with modern EV technology. Johnny calls his creation the Flux Capacitor.

Johnny had his car’s drivetrain upgraded to twin 9-inch DC Racing motors rated for 2,000 amps at 170 volts with a max rpm of 5,500 rpm. The motors will be directly connected to the Ford 9″ rear end without a transmission. The motors are capable of producing 500 horsepower (373 kW) and 1,000 lb-ft (1,356 Nm) of torque.

The battery pack is a custom military grade Lithium-ion cells originally developed as starter and min-gun batteries for the Bell SupraCobra helicopter. In a ten second pulse, the batteries discharge at 378 volts/1,600 amps.

The car has a top speed of 120 mph, 0-60 mph in under four seconds, and a best quarter-mile time of 12.6 seconds at 101 mph. Johnny is hoping to get the car under 12 seconds.

Source: Flux Capacitor via Arstechnica

Original: Engine Swap Depot