A MODERN CLASSIC
Retro prototype is all-electric
Not sure if such a title exists, but if it does we have a new, undisputed Official Car of Vancouver.
It’s open-top styling is the stuff of quintessential West Coast cruising; it’s 100 per cent electric-powered; and it’s built by a company that has been on the Lower Mainland since the late-1970s.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the 356 Intermeccanica eRoadster.
Granted, there’s just one in existence, but once prospective buyers take a silent spin in the baby blue prototype, master car builder Henry Reisner and his crew of talented artisans are poised to be cranking out plenty in their New Westminster shop. (Full disclosure and shameless plug: I’m the author of a book chronicling the incredible story of the company founded by Reisner’s parents Frank and Paula, titled Intermeccanica: The Story of the Prancing Bull, just released as a second edition by Veloce Publishing in the U.K.).
Based on the very same gaspowered Roadsters the company has been making, and perfecting, since moving from Italy to Southern California in 1976 then on to Vancouver a half-dozen years later, the eRoadster epitomizes the evolution of the company. For the past few years the company had joined forces with electric vehicle startup Electra Meccanica in the development and production of the singleseat Solo EV, and earlier this year moved under the ownership umbrella of a new company called simply Meccanica.
With all those lithium-ion battery packs and electric motors lying around, it was inevitable Reisner would figure out a way to create an all-electric Roadster.
The result needs to be seen to be believed. Strike that. Driven to be believed. That’s because just looking at the eRoadster gives no indication whatsoever that it is an EV. The charge port — always a giveaway — is hidden behind the hinged rear licence plate, and the dashboard gauges are period perfect, meaning the battery charge indicator is the gasoline fuel gauge. OK, not exactly precise, but still pretty cool.
Further inspection of the meticulously finished cabin reveals a traditional gearshift and a clutch pedal, anathema to the EV crowd. Only both are functional, as clever Reisner has outfitted the eRoadster with a low and high gear; the former for city driving, the latter for all-out highway running.
Jump into the driver’s seat, turn the key to “on” and the transmission knob to “D,” release the parking brake and push the right pedal and the otherworldly experience begins. Having driven a number of gas-powered Roadsters and Speedsters built by Intermeccanica, I can’t describe the feeling of the lightning-quick acceleration of the eRoadster, with the only sound the wind in your hair and the faint whirr of electric motors.
Whereas the gas-powered cars — typically outfitted with VW air-cooled engines, though some with Porsche power plants — sort of chug up to speed, the eRoadster sprints with a zero-to-100km/ h time in the six-seconds-flat neighbourhood,
True, that’s the case with even the most mundane EVs, be they the Chevy Bolt or the Nissan Leaf. But this is a 356 replica, so the contrast between old-world charm and new-world tech is simply stunning. Driving around Metro Vancouver, the car gets lots of looks, but few if any of those giving the enthusiastic thumbs-up have any inkling this thing is powered by electricity alone. The idea of incorporating cutting-edge mechanical bits and pieces into a classic car is certainly not new, with the socalled “restomod” craze seeing all manner of Big Three muscle cars getting their original drum brakes, old-school gearboxes and steering systems swapped out with new stuff that is more reliable and comfortable.
There is also the precedent of EV conversions of older models, but those are one-offs done by backyard tinkerers rather than bona fide and experienced carbuilders like Intermeccanica. That said, the eRoadster won’t come cheap. Henry estimates if you ordered one to the prototype’s specs it will be in the US$125,000 range. Each will be custom-built to order, so if you want creature comforts like heated seats (which the prototype has), Bluetooth connectivity and a NAV system, Henry is more than happy to accommodate. Likewise, if you want an ostrich interior and gold-flaked paint, giddy up.
The one thing that isn’t in the offing is a power retractable roof.
With gas in Metro Vancouver cresting $1.60 per litre earlier this week and the continued sabre-rattling coming from across the Rockies in Alberta, an eRoadster might just make financial sense in the future.
It certainly makes for emotional sense today.