A few people have asked my why did I bother using a nearly 20 year old car as the basis for a relatively expensive conversion. A good question with several answers.
Even if tomorrow every new car for sale was electric, there would still be about 100 million gas cars out there with years of useful life left in them. It wouldn’t make much sense to trash perfectly good machinery, even if it is gas powered.
That’s where the beauty of a conversion shines through. A good, rust-free body is kept in service but cleaned up with a battery electric drivetrain, saving the pollution and expense that comes with building an all-new electric car.
Applied to the MR2, with its fatal rod knock and age this car would likely have been sent to the crusher or rusted away unused in a field without the new lease on life the electric powertrain gave it. It would have been a shame if one more example of one of the all-time great sports cars for the commoner were destroyed, a fate that has befallen many a Fiat X1/9, Mazda RX-7, or any British car.
Putting an electric powertrain in an old sports car is a great way to enjoy their simplicity and fun without the maintenance difficulties and pollution that old gassers inevitably produce.
That’s the big picture. The other factors in the MR2’s favor are the fact that it’s already a small and efficient vehicle so it would make the most of the batteries, I’ve liked this model for years and tis particular example came up for sale at just the right time, price and condition.
