Classical Fiat 124 Sport Spider goes electric

Roadster Salon has announced pre-orders for the Spider America EV – an electric conversion of the Fiat 124 Sport Spider from the 1970s.

The car loses its original gasoline engine (up to 135 hp / 100 kW), but gains one or two Electric GT motors (up to 203 hp / 152 kW total). The torque amounts to 270 Nm (200 lb-ft). Curiously enough, the original five-speed gear shifter remains in place and can be used to switch between gears manually, although this usually happens automatically.

The car needs six seconds to hit 60 km/h (97 km/h), which makes it twice as agile as the original Fiat. The top speed is capped at 210 km/h (130 mph). The driving range is unannounced, although Roadster Salon claims it is greater than that of the Fiat 500e. The latter has 200 km (124 miles) of WLTP-rated range.

The project goes beyond the engine transplantation, though. The tuner also reinforces the car body, improves the brakes, the handling and the chassis, and wraps the interior in opulent soft leather found in classical Ferrari and Maserati cars.

Prices start from U.S. $139,995. You can save a lot by opting for a slightly different, single-motor EV based on the Lusso S2 ($89,995+).

Numerous companies have been turning vintage cars into electric vehicles lately. Jaguar has built an electric E-Type, and Lunaz, which was founded by ex-Technical Director of Renault F1 racing team John Hilton, offers to convert a number of British sports cars to electric power.