The rise of the electric restomod

An electric restomod is a car that has been restored and modified. Classics cars fitted with electric motors, lithium batteries, bluetooth, subwoofers, air conditioning, power steering and whatever the heart desires. To some classic car lovers it's absolute sacrilege but to other people it's the ultimate seamless driving experience.

The appeal of restomods

The restored and modified car scene has been thriving in the last few years. Being the best of both worlds - classic and modern, with reliability, extra comfort and improved safety. The appeal is real for those who want to drive their car every day rather than keeping it safely tucked away in storage.

Singer Vehicle Design’s Porsche 911 is one of the first in the restomod scene, but now there are new electric restomods appearing every year as popularity and demand grows. One of Converto Cars’ favourite electric restomods is Totem Automobili’s Electric GT. Simply to die for!

Making classic cars more accessible

Typically (but not always) it’s the old guard from classic car clubs that aren’t into electric restomods. ‘Aren’t into’ is a tame description. Loud claims of butchering classics and taking the soul out of the car, killing the sound, the feel, the thrill of driving. Obviously this is not our point of view at Converto. We believe converting cars to electric lengthens the driving life of the classic car as parts become harder to find and the skills to maintain classic cars start to die out. We take our inspiration from the drag racing scene. Restmodding has creativity and a focus on high performance when it comes to motorsports. It’s refreshing and innovative.

There is also a new market of millenials including women that would never buy a classic car because of the lack of reliability and inherent riskiness, not to mention the pollution. Issues like expensive and unquotable repairs, awkward oil leaks, trouble getting a roadworthy certificate. Speaking from experience, this is exactly what happened to me, the founder of Converto. As a woman, my experience buying the Triumph GT6 was fascinating. The man I bought the Triumph GT6 from, an older man in his 70s, was not even going to sell it to me because he thought I couldn’t handle it and that I would be a disappointed with the car after dealing with it’s numerous temperamental issues. Things like overheating, oil leaks, complex starting protocols, and consequently, he predicted, I would want to sell three months later. It wasn’t until I mentioned I was going to convert it to electric and eliminate those issues completely was he happy to sell it to me.

So the question really is why shouldn’t women and non-car-tinkerers buy and enjoy driving a beautifully designed classic car and also want reliability and zero emissions? Who says classic cars can only be owned and driven by a certain type of person? Fortunately with electric restomods the maintenance issues disappear — and the design and driving experience can shine. Removing the vulnerability and making it possible for anyone to enjoy, car maintenance skills or not. It really is really a wonderful thing from an accessibility perspective.

Modern features of electric restomods

With mod-cons like seat heaters, air conditioning, power steering, and Apple carplay, driving is a pretty smooth experience. The biggest difference in going electric is the torque. Instant power as any Tesla driver knows is mindblowing. Regenerative braking you really have to experience to understand.

Electrical systems can upgraded to be 100% CAN based, operating electronically speaking, like a brand new car.

Good electric conversions require very little maintenance and are cheap to run particularly if you have solar power at home. Beautiful, fast, reliable, and full of character, what’s not to like!

Our future needs zero emissions

EV conversions could be the key to the survival of classic car culture in a world where zero emissions are increasingly important for our planet.

We believe it’s entirely within our reach to honour the past and improve the future.

If you like the idea of an electric restomod contact us about the Converto Cars Electric Triumph GT6.