In recent days, brand-spanking-new electric vehicle prototypes have taken their combustion-reliant counterparts to school on the racetrack.
Now, an older model that doesn’t want the whippersnappers to have all the fun is joining the party.
Built on the Isle of Wight during the the oil crisis in the ’70s, the eight-HP Enfield 8000 (affectionately nicknamed the Flux Capacitor) was limited to a run of around 100 units before production was scrapped.
Somehow, Fifth Gear presenter and gearhead extraordinaire Jonny Smith managed to get his hands on one of the surviving models after it was damaged during a flood. He then spent four years modifying it with an eye toward the electric car speed record.
Smith took his shot at Santa Pod Raceway over the weekend, and he connected, blazing through a quarter mile sprint with a record-breaking time of 9.86 seconds (the old record was 10.25 seconds).
The jacked-up Enfield — which now boasts 800 HP and can silently fly to 113 MPH in six seconds — had an average speed of 121 MPH during Smith’s run, triple its original top speed. With specs like that, the lithium-ion-battery-powered car now outclasses supercars like the Lamborghini Aventador, McLaren’s 650S, Porsche 911 Turbo S and Nissan GT-R.
Guess you can teach an old Flux Capacitor new tricks.
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