After putting thousands of hours into restoring and modernizing one of Ferrari’s luxury sports car, Californian Eric Hutchinson has built the very first electric 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS. And the biggest, and maybe best, news is it is faster than the original. Hutchinson told CNN that he timed his 308 and a stock 308 drive on the same track — about a mile and a half — and the electric car “absolutely decimated the gas car.” The so-called 308 GTE finished the track 10 seconds faster than the stock Ferrari.
“The Ferrari makes a great candidate for conversion because when you’re converting the car to electric you’re adding power, you’re doubling the power, you’re doubling the torque,” Hutchinson told CNN. He found the 1978 Ferrari in terrible shape after a catastrophic engine fire. The motor and all electronics were irreparable, but Hutchinson bought the shell for $10,000. It took two years to restore the vintage car and Hutchinson says he quit four times, but in the end, he restored its frame and recycled the parts the team no longer needed. Many people disagree with the idea of an electric Ferrari — Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne said an electric Ferrari would be “obscene” back in 2016. And Hutchinson’s car, which has three batteries, is a whole different experience, but he doesn’t think it’s a bad one. “It’s fast, it’s way better than any other electric car that you’re going to drive on the market today, and it’s a Ferrari. What else do you want out of a car?” he asked, according to CNN.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
