In case you’ve been living under a rock, electric vehicles are all the rage right now. And while most of the attention is on Tesla, Ford, and other EVs on the way, another huge aspect is classic car restomods. A prime example is Hyundai’s recently unveiled 1986 Grandeur luxury sedan EV.
Lately, we’ve seen everything from a 1972 Ford Bronco EV conversion costing over $300k to concepts like Hyundai’s fully restored 1986 Grandeur sedan. The company took its first luxury sedan, which was actually a rebadged Mitsubishi car, and brought it back to the future as a “new” luxury sedan.
To celebrate its 35th anniversary, Hyundai’s design teams ditched the internal combustion engine for an all-electric powertrain, added LED grid lighting on the inside for a modern-retro look, and even updated the headlights. They were essentially taking an old, square, boxy vehicle and making it a capable electric vehicle.
Hyundai’s concept restomod comes complete with modern luxuries that weren’t possible in 1986 and is just one more example of what classic car fans can look forward to with EVs. Inside, the interior sports large digital touchscreen displays, tons of ambient lighting, and all the modern luxuries one wants, yet is finished with old-school upholstered velvet and leather seats. As a result, it looks old, yet also new. I’m hopeful that there’s an 8-track player somewhere inside, too.
And while Hyundai’s concept is fantastic in its own right, the bigger picture here is the possibility of regular folks doing the same thing to their own classic car. Like turning that old El Camino into a modern marvel, adding insane power to a classic 1966 Ford Mustang, or turning old trucks into capable machines.
Another example is Ford’s latest restomod — a 1978 F-100 pickup truck powered by the company’s new e-crate engine from the Mustang Mach-E. The difference here, though, is that Ford is now selling that complete electric engine for $3,900, allowing anyone and everyone to revitalize their classic car or truck similar to what we see here from Hyundai.
While electric vehicles are certainly the future and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon, classic car fans like myself can be equally excited about what EVs offer to older vehicles at the same time.
via FoxNews
