SELF BILD
Electromobility in cars is no longer a thing of tomorrow, but is pushing hard today and at a forced pace. So the AUTO BILD.ES test team has pitted an original DeLorean against two electrified ones. A ‘frikada’ without more? Or a realistic alternative to classic cars in a restricted future? We explain how our ‘temporary’ experiment went. do you go up
They say that in the future we will all drive electric cars. And although we do not have a time machine to know what will happen to gasoline -if it will only be within the reach of a few or will it disappear altogether-, the truth is that it seems that it is not a very hopeful future for classic vehicles. Or maybe yes?
Many have been considering it for years and have even got down to work, converting their veteran vehicles into electric ones, to somehow anticipate tomorrow. cool solution? Sacrilege? One thing we are going to tell you, dear reader: what you will not find in these pages is a report to make you feel guilty for continuing to work with your old gasoline or diesel engine.
Nor is it a veiled invitation for you to switch to electromobility. And much less do you think that our intention is to make a practical on how to do the brico, if it is worth the investment or how to save with a certain eco-driving. Simply, (although doing this has not been easy at all), we want to bring you to the present three stories from a very recent past.
The objective is to see how its protagonists face the future. Their visions are different, although they all share their passion for sheet metal -or, rather here, for stainless steel- and, specifically, for a legendary model whose body panels were made of this material: the DMC-12 that the DeLorean Motor Company marketed between 81 and 1983.
The ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy (written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale) would forever become a cult object from 1985. In fact, from AUTO BILD Spain we remember that considerable hybridization already occurs in films: in the first delivery, with the own dubbing of the peninsular Spanish.
Specifically, when Marty McFly asks if the transformation into a time machine “runs on normal gasoline” (although in the third it is discovered that the thermal part does), Doc tells him that time travel is what he has to do. to do with electrification: “This clunker is electric but it needs a nuclear reaction to generate 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.”
In fiction he achieves it first, with plutonium and then with garbage. So, what better way to return to our originality vs. conversion debate than with the three DeLorean DMC-12s located by our German colleagues to travel to the future of the automotive industry? Do not miss details of each of them…
The e-Lorean: Armin Pole’s DeLorean
The first of them is that of Armin Pohl, founder of the company Wunderkind Invest. His idea was to fully preserve the purity of the DMC-12 (by Giugiaro) design, but break new ground. The project, called e-Lorean (e-lorean.com), was developed through the joint efforts of several specialized companies.
The conversion experts at E-Works Mobility designed the running gear after that of the Tesla Model S; Incari developed a digital instrumentation; Ameria built a touch screen for the center console, with gesture control. And Uwe Hanov and Florian Franzke (from Oldtimer-Service) built this impressive vehicle without its characteristic exhaust pipes.
During our tests in Parchim, Germany, the e-Lorean’s performance predictably outperformed the original. It completes the sprint from zero to 100km/h in half the time (5.4s), albeit with a turbine-like whine when accelerating that fits well in such a retro-futuristic concept. Connected to direct current, a charge of up to 80 kW is possible.
So after 30 minutes, the empty batteries are fully charged again. Thanks to the 55-kilogram battery located at the front of the car, it is possible to achieve a more balanced weight distribution than in the classic, which makes it a bit more agile and neutral in our slalom tests.
Kutscher’s electric DeLorean
Tinkerer Jörg Kutscher, however, chose a different path. He restored a dilapidated DMC-12 and with the conversion specialists at E-Car-Tech they also got it roadworthy. Specifically, with a double electric motor from Schwarz, which is charged at a domestic socket with a maximum of 3.7 kW and after ten hours, the empty 35 kWh battery returns to 100%.
One of its curiosities is that it retains the original manual transmission. However, since the electric motor -unlike the combustion engine- offers enough torque in all speed ranges, driving is different from what one is used to with a petrol block: when you are stationary, you engage third gear, which is very suitable for everyday use, and you start driving.
You do not need to be changing all the time or pressing the clutch continuously. What’s more, in that same gear, you can go out at a traffic light or get up to highway speed. If you want more acceleration, you can do the same thing in second,” Kutscher explains. According to our measurements, acceleration in third gear on this 136bhp conversion is closer to stock than the 300bhp e-Lorean, of course.
The original DeLorean DMC-12
And the classic DeLorean? DMC specialist Michael Wagner, who offers all brand services from oil changes to full restoration in his workshop (autotechnik-wagner.de), drives a vintage unit that is absolutely perfect. His car impresses with its originality, since his little right eye has only had a current oil cooler installed.
Admittedly, compared to the two electric variants, its performance is unspectacular. For Wagner, however, the PRV6 engine is as much a defining feature of the DeLorean’s character as its design: “I’m excited about the acceleration of the electric variants, but the original spirit is lost. of the DMC experience,” he explains.
And ultimately, which DMC-12 of the three is the best? In this we are not going to give notes or scores to the use: on the one hand, the three copies are too similar in bodywork, chassis…; on the other hand, they are too different in terms of propulsion, so it would not make sense. However, we will try to give a somewhat more concrete answer.
Perhaps, as the best product, we would stay with the e-Lorean, because it was built with more effort and marks a huge distance from the private conversion and, of course, from the original: optimized and reinforced structure with side impact protection, Tesla unit, digitized instrumentation…
The bad news is that the e-Lorean is not yet street legal and you can’t buy it right now, even if it is a unique, unrestricted, fully functional car. However, if there are enough interested parties, Wunderkind Invest will consider producing it in small and equally exclusive series.
Otherwise, one thing speaks in favor of electric drive in classic cars: the acceptance of vintage vehicles by future generations. In the not too distant future, what impression might an old car make on a teenager growing up between hybrids and electrics? And that, assuming that you are still allowed to drive any combustion vehicle in urban areas.
Even having the historic license plate! So this type of conversion can be a sensible way to justify keeping what for many are nothing more than antiques. So as much as the thought of electrified classics (also called e-oldies) turns stomach for purists and petrolheads, beware of this possibility.
Because these types of conversions are likely to be the only way for young people to enjoy them in the future. In short, they represent an opportunity for their use to be viable and the fun they bring does not vanish when coming across each low emission zone (ZBE) that one finds around the world.
Our colleague Lars Busemann is quite clear, after this experiment: “Let’s stop demonizing electrification as the enemy of car culture! Regarding the future viability and social acceptance of the classics, the electric conversion is an opportunity to keep them operational and continue enjoying them. What do you think?
