Ford Model AAA battery-power
The fad for electrifying ancient metal seemed to explode into life about 15 minutes after the phrase “lithium-ion battery pack” fell into common parlance.
Even before the likes of Skoda or Mazda could announce EV concepts of their own, many mainstream manufacturers were beaten to the fast charger by skunkworks shed builders doing whole engine transplants on things like original Minis and Volkswagen Kombis.
It apparently reached a crescendo of sorts when premium manufacturers such as Aston Martin and Jaguar started offering their well-heeled clientele the opportunity to swap out the boring internal combustion engines in their DB5s and E-Types with full battery electric powerplants; they will even reinstall the old oily option should said well-heeled owner decide to sell their car.
Here though, we think we’ve found the oldest car yet to be given a new lease on life thanks to battery power (well, aside from all the electric cars that were around at the turn of the 20th Century of course: rather amazingly electric power was the big thing for a nanosecond back in the 1900s).
YouTuber Rich Rebuilds has revived something from the dawn of mass-production motoring: a stripped back Model A Ford, and given it an electric heart.
The car is actually powered by the electric motor from a crashed Zero; a rather neat electric motorcycle that has been doing big things in small ways in the U.S for the better part of a decade now.
Yes, you’re right: the ‘leccy bike motor isn’t the biggest and baddest option with which to power a rat rod like the Model A, but Rich Rebuilds decided to take a ‘salvaged parts’ approach to this build, relying on what could be scavenged from the bike wreck, rather than bringing in expensive components and bigger or better electric motors to give the vintage roadster maximum power. Still, good enough voltage for a big fat burnout…
So, there you go: an electric vintage hot rod. Well, it really was only a matter of time. If you search out Rich Rebuilds on the YouTubes, the entire build process is pretty thoroughly documented too.
Hip to be square: just ask Bollinger
It’s great to see that, with the newly revealed Land Rover Defender having lost its angular edge in favour of slightly more rounded modernistic lines, one (admittedly niche) carmaker is still waving its set square in the air like it just don’t care…
That’d be the unapologetically boxy Bollinger Motors; low-volume manufacturers of the squarest (in a good way) vehicles in existence today.
The Bollinger B1 SUV and B2 pick-up truck will be leading the company’s production efforts, four years after this curious mix of military grade off-roader and child’s truck drawing rendered in crayon first surfaced.
Both 90 degree-friendly vehicles have finally been shown off to American journos; the first chance for motoring media to have an up-close look at these capable curiosities.
But, judging by both reports and extended gallery images, the Bolly twins mean business.
That they are electric vehicles is almost the fourth sub-heading down the list. These are seriously quirky machines, featuring removable doors and roof panels, load beds that go all the way through the cabin and out the front, and door handles featuring wood inlays salvaged from old church pews. The air vents in the dashboard are long, thin, perforated strips that resemble cartoon machine gun barrels.
Is company founder Robert Bollinger having a laugh? No, he’s absolutely serious. Thank goodness for that then. So too are some of the stats for the B1 and B2.
Claimed peak power is a whopping 458kW, with no less than 900Nm of torque on tap, making these seriously powerful EVs. Zero to 100km/h will allegedly take 4.5 seconds; faster than a fair few other trucks and SUVs of their ilk, even slippery aerodynamic ones. The 120kWh battery stowed behind the wheels will deliver approximately 320km worth of juice, with a fast charge estimated to take around 75 minutes.
Thanks to self-levelling suspension, the B2 truck will ride flat even if you’re pushing the upper limits of the stated 2.2-ton payload capacity. The truck also features removable rear seats to stretch the load bed from 1.8m (six feet) to just over 2.4m (eight feet).
There is still no talk of when these marvels of material shifting will be manufactured for real, but we can’t wait. We’ve included a photo of one of the vehicles here, naturally. But The Good Oil encourages you to seek out more; these are seriously strange, but strangely beautiful machines.
Next Mini to generate a smaller buzz
The fact that the next Mini (or MINI if you’re keen on pleasing the marketing department) will offer full-electric variants right from the start isn’t at all surprising. Or, even the best news about what BMW has planned for its popular compact car brand.
The really interesting news is that Mini brand boss Bernd Koerber has revealed that, in addition to EV options being a firm part of the 2022 range update, he also wants the next Mini to be… well, mini. He has called for a size reduction that’ll see the next-gen cars match the original 2001 model footprint (or thereabouts).
That’s not to say there won’t continue to be oversized offshoots in the family, such as the Countryman and Clubman. But for the core three-door hatchback, Koerber has told UK motoring outlet Auto Express that a smaller Mini will be achievable with new EV platform packaging options.
“I would love to see Mini move back to the essence of clever use of space. That means the outer proportions on the core Mini Hatch could be reduced. I can see that happening,” he said.
“The benefit of electrification is that you don’t have to compromise on function. If you fit the battery wisely, you can go smaller but still offer functionality.”
That’s music to our ears here at The Good Oil. While there is no denying the practical application of the maxi Minis with larger footprints and crowd-pleasing crossover capabilities, the true essence of the brand – even under steady-as-you-go BMW stewardship – is to be compact, nimble and thoroughly absorbing to drive.
And speaking of thoroughly absorbing drives, Koerber also stated that, regardless of the form the powertrain takes in the next-generation Mini, or the size of the bodyshell enveloping it, the high-po John Cooper Works (JCW) iteration will definitely survive. Good show, BMW.