Phoenix AZ → Vancouver BC → Palm Springs CA
ElectroPorsche
The journey of a humble 1966 Porsche 912 from backyard beater to a 100% electric vehicle.
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Phoenix AZ → Vancouver BC → Palm Springs CA
The journey of a humble 1966 Porsche 912 from backyard beater to a 100% electric vehicle.
It started with a scooter. And too many Porsches.
It all started with a scooter. And too many Porsches.
Years ago, in a moment of reverse-almost-midlife-crisis, Ian bought a 1962 Vespa — beautifully restored, poetically the same age as him. A Quadrophenia-style Italian scooter he'd wanted since youth.
After a few years, a Seattle company offered a retrofit kit to convert the drivetrain fully electric. Once he did, he fell in love with it.
"After years of buying way too many new Porsche 911s, I needed to get off the treadmill. If I was going to convert a classic and keep it forever, why not the car I really loved — the Porsche."
He'd originally planned a classic VW Beetle — then changed his mind. The EV kit bolted onto the same transmission geometry. A Porsche 912 would work perfectly.
They travelled to Phoenix, Arizona to find the right car. The criteria:
A 1966 Porsche 912 — the classic 911 body, without the guilt of gutting a true 911. A desert car, hopefully rust-free. And a qualified EV builder close by.
What they found was registered as a 1967, but was actually a '66. A Euro-spec car — speedometer in KMH. A bonus.
Less of a bonus: evidence a large rodent had been living in it for quite some time. The original engine was pulled and sold to a buyer in Germany — for two-thirds of what the car cost to buy.
After a trip to the media blasters, it turned out the car was very holy. Not in the nice, Father Francis way.
The first Phoenix bodywork contractor meant well — but the job was simply too big for him. He messed it up. Questionable welds. Questionable choices.
"It took me waaaaaay too long to show him the door. I'm a softie."
The car needed rescuing. New floors, chrome needing replating, welded-in chicken wire where the floorboards should have been. So Ian rescued it.
Enter Martin — pronounced Marteen — the pony-tailed, rapid-fire-talking Argentinian owner of AZ Street Customs.
"We can do anything you want... Eeets just METAL."
Eight months of real work: every piece of chrome re-plated, all new rubber, the car straightened, complete new floorboard metal replacing the chicken wire that had been welded in by the previous contractor.
The result: a beautiful paint job. The body, finally ready.
The car was trucked to Todd Barlow at Green Motors — the EV engineer who had patiently waited months for it to arrive.
Ian had pre-purchased ~$15,000 of lead-acid batteries from China. They died in the delays. Lithium-ion it was.
Todd engineered everything: coil-over Boxster suspension, custom battery racks fore and aft (near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution), and a 210 hp, 200 lb-ft electric motor. The original dogleg five-speed was kept.
The J1772 charging plug sits exactly where the fuel filler used to be. A laser-cut aluminium dash panel and custom EV gauges — all by Hollywood Speedo.
Time for Chaz at Streetwerx to work on the interior. The brief: red leather. Full stop.
Custom EV gauges — one above where the gas gauge was, a laser-cut aluminium panel where the radio used to live (gauge work by Hollywood Speedo).
The original wooden steering wheel was fully restored. Custom wooden shift knob made to match. Jason from Ralph's Radio installed a large sound system — all components hidden away.
Michelin low rolling resistance tires fitted to maximise range. Personalized plate chosen by fan vote online.
A gorgeous, silent classic Porsche — ready for the car shows.
~120 km range. Lithium-ion batteries fore and aft. 210 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque — available almost instantaneously. Near-perfect 50/50 weight balance. Coil-over Boxster suspension. Upgraded 911 Carrera brakes.
J1772 where the fuel filler was. Speedometer in KMH — Euro-spec, always. Plate chosen by the fans.
Three years in the making. Worth every moment.
"...stripping a highly collectible Porsche 912 of its flat-four and replacing it with a battery pack and electric motor. But that's what owner Ian Corlett did — no regrets."
Read Article"In twenty seconds this car garners kudos from a BMW test driver, a Porsche 911 cabriolet owner, and a grandmotherly woman in a battered Subaru Legacy. Such is the universal appeal."
Read Article"It may appear to be no more than a beautifully restored vintage Porsche — but as you'll soon discover, there's more than meets the eye."
Read ArticleFeatured in the Canada-West edition of Timberline — the official publication of the Porsche Club of America.
Porsche Club of AmericaVoice actor, director, producer, author & musician. Based in Vancouver, BC. The man behind the madness.
ijcmedia.comGreen Motors, Phoenix, AZ. Engineered the drivetrain, suspension, battery racks and gauges. The hero of the build.
greenmotorsinc.comAZ Street Customs, Phoenix. The pony-tailed Argentinian who made the bodywork right. "Eeets just METAL."
azstreetcustom.comCustom EV instrumentation — the dash gauge and the laser-cut aluminum radio panel.
Installed the large sound system, all components concealed out of sight.