TV presenter converting unloved 1970s EV into Europe’s fastest

British motoring writer/ TV presenter Jonny Smith is hot-rodding a 1974 Enfield 8000, an oil-crisis special built in small numbers on the Isle of Wight – and he’s aiming to turn it into Europe’s fastest street-legal EV.

The Flux Capacitor project isn’t quite as crazy as it sounds, however; after all, as he points out in this short film, the car is constructed – like many a race car – around a tubular spaceframe with lightweight body panels. It’s also fun that the final car should be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, ready to embarrass just about anything it lines up next to at the lights.

You can follow his progress at the Flux Capacitor website, where you’ll also find a full history of the Enfield 8000, tales of early experiments by the likes of Seeboard into e-mobility, and a timely reminder that electric vehicle usage is really nothing new.