Engine swaps are life's blood for some of us here at autoevolution. We get more enjoyment from looking at unique and supremely skillfully built restomods than we do out of nearly all earthly pleasures. But we don't discriminate based on engine fuel sources around these parts.
Here, EV-swaps will always have a place here among the V8s and V12s. And we have a small selection of classic cars we desperately want to see with their guts removed and replaced with the motor out of a Tesla, a Rivian, or whatever electric drivetrain the builder can get their hands on. These are the classic hunks of iron we think deserve to be driven at least 100 more years, emission-free.
Volkswagen T2 Westfalia Camper: Classic Camping Without the Fumes
Little power, no air conditioning, maybe won't run on modern fuel without a cylinder head modification and a compression ratio reduction. Then there's the dodgy suspension and the shaky drum braking system. These are just the highlights of the issues you're bound to face owning a second-generation Volkswagen T2 Westfalia camper.
But just look at how gosh-darn cute the thing is! At least to some sets of eyes, it's even better looking than the more iconic first-gen T2. It's not like you need a camper van to have the same top speed as a Bugatti Chiron. If low-end torque to get you up to highway speed is what you're after, a plucky, modest battery-EV drivetrain will do you better than just about anything else.
Photo: BaT User axlerod23
Take this all into account, and there's every reason to throw away the frankly pathetic (even in its day) drivetrain and find a DIY EV kit to make the dream happen. Especially if you can't stand the lingering odor of burnt oil, uncombusted fuel, and dripping transmission fluid. For some people, the aestetic of a mid 70s beach junky is worth the extra hassle, clearly.
Third-Gen Chevrolet Caprice: Electrify the Box Chevy
The third-generation GM B-body Chevy Caprice, lovingly referred to as the Box Chevy by its owners, is a car intertwined with hip-hop culture thanks to name drops in the music videos Box Chevy V by Yelawolf and Box Chevy by Rick Ross.
Though critically panned in its day for being ugly, the honest, boxy aesthetic has grown on people enough to become a phenomenon. People routinely engine swap everything from 350-cubic inch Chevy crate motors to every variety of LS engines under the hood of this iconic jaloppy.
Although the Box Chevy has a reputation as an unrefined dinosaur, how amazing would it be to see a direct injection of sophistication with something like the drivetrain out of a Tesla Model Y or Model X? As absurd as something that crazy may have sounded even five years ago.
Photo: Box Chevy Pee
But we ask you, is it really any more ridiculous than the same actions being done to Range Rovers, 911s, Mk2 Golf GTIs, and anything else in a similar age bracket as the Box Chevy? Is it an apples-to-apples comparison? Hell no, but each of them earned the right to life eternal as an EV swap in their own way.
Triumph Stag: Better Than Two I-4s Welded Together
As Jeremy Clarkson so eloquently said of the Triumph, "Staaaaaaag." The decision by British Leyland of welding two four-cylinder engines from a Dolomite Sprint together to form a single 3,000 cc engine block was a bad idea. This hurts doubly so, knowing they had a brilliant 3.5-liter V8 licensed from GM's Buick division sitting under the same corporate umbrella, possibly even in the same factory.
British Leyland definitely dropped the ball through the floor on the Triumph Stag. Therefore, we think it's time for us to make things right. Just imagine the fun you'd have with all that low-end power and torque on a twisty country road with a battery-powered EV drivetrain swap in a Stag. Apart from its engine, the rest of the car was everything great about the classic British sports car.
From that perspective cutting out the parasitic organism that was the stock Stag engine sounds like a not-so-silly idea. Replacing it with a modest EV conversion kit doesn't sound like a bad idea either. In the end, the whole package would likely be so so much more wonderful than it was at the start.
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