Three Companies Built These Cars, This Company Electrifies Them

"The number of vomit emojis has definitely gone down," laughs Marc Davis, founder of Moment Motor Co., about the business's social media attention. I guess you have to learn to laugh at stuff like that, especially when you're doing something as drastic (and new) as putting electric motors into old cars. Plus, car people on the internet are quick to judge no matter what you do. The response Davis gets now, though, is a lot more positive, and it's indicative of the changes in public perception since he started swapping EV powertrains into classic cars in 2017.

Indeed, those changes came big and they came quick. On the new car market, EVs have gone totally mainstream, and electric's performance and maintenance advantages have become clearer. On the old car scene, the arguments for electrifying classics made by Davis and people like him, mainly that these conversions keep classics on the road long-term and help bring new people into the hobby, have gained more traction and acceptance. As for the electric powertrains themselves, they've improved and have become more readily available, while the process of converting a car is now easier. To see how all this happened as well as what the steps are for "de-ICEing" and electrifying a classic, I visited Moment's shop on South Congress Ave. in Austin, Texas.

Then, to find out if EV swaps are really "soulless" like the skeptics say, I drove three of Moment's finished builds: A Mercedes-Benz 280SL, a 1966 Jaguar E-Type, and a G-body Porsche 911 Carrera.

Moment Motor Co.

Davis' first career was in the tech industry, but he's a lifelong car guy who spent weekends tinkering in his garage and building relationships in the classic and hot rod communities. He still love cars of all types, but saw electrification as something new, exciting, and part of the future. Experience from his professional life combined with the passion in his personal life in 2017 when he formed Moment, and there's a clear overlap between tech and cars. "Our team is mostly made up of either engineers from the tech industry who are passionate about cars or performance cars builders who are excited to work with these new drivetrains," says Davis. "Everything we do is tracked in modern project management software…Progress is tracked with pictures, hours, descriptions, and detailed updates to the client the whole way through."

While plenty of shops specialize in a fairly narrow range of makes and models, the goal with Moment from the beginning was being able to convert any classic car the customer to electric power. So far, Moment has completed about four dozen builds, ranging from Porsche 356s and Alfa Romeo Spiders to Chevy Blazers and Toyota pickups. Being versatile was key since Davis knew the market for what they were doing was relatively small.

The technology, even less than a decade ago, was also limited. The first builds were, "and I hate saying this, mostly repurposed golf cart and forklift kind of stuff. It worked but was low-power and simplistic." There were of course new EVs on the road in 2017, namely Teslas and Nissan Leafs, but the manufacturers wouldn't sell their powertrains to anybody. The workaround was that as those Teslas and Nissans hit salvage yards, their drivetrains could be removed and repurposed. Even from wrecked cars, these were better than anything else that was available and became Moment's preferred source of powertrains from later in 2017 until 2021. Then, more recently, as the rest of the new car industry has caught up, there are EV powertrains and components that are functionally equivalent, warrantied, and widely available. That's what goes into Moment's builds today.

Andrew Newton

The facility is located near the end of Austin's trendy South Congress Ave., and one thing is striking from the moment you arrive there: Despite the '60s and '70s vehicles outside and all the cars in various states of assembly inside, the place is quiet. The floors are clean. All the tools you'd expect to find in a place that takes apart cars and puts them back together again are there, but so are wiring, diagrams, a humming 3D printer, electric motors, and batteries lining the workbenches. As for the cars, the sights and smells you expect from a jacked-up Austin-Healey 3000 with its hood wide open simply aren't there. Neither is this Healey's tall 6-cylinder engine, nor any drips of oil. In its place is a compact electric motor nestled under the tunnel where the four-speed gearbox used to be.

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On the other side of the shop, a 1963 Corvette Split Window rests alongside a '68 Mustang fastback. Both look like they just got back from a Pro Touring meet, but they're electric, too. There are also a couple of 911s and an Alfa GTV, as well as several W113-generation (1963-71) Mercedes-Benz SLs. Moment has converted enough of these W113 builds that their process for converting them has gotten both quicker and cheaper. Which isn't to say that any of their builds are quick or cheap. Each takes months, and the cost ranges from $50K-$150K, not including the donor car. Even so, Moment currently has a nine-month wait list.

The wide range of cars in the shop suggests that Moment has a wide range of customers, and they do. Many are traditional car collectors who "see what we do as a way to rejuvenate and enjoy one of their classics in a different way." They also see clients who have long had an affinity for classic cars but for one reason or another "never had the confidence or desire to keep up with the maintenance," Davis says. These could be people who inherited a classic car from an enthusiast relative and see electrification as a way to enjoy and preserve a car that's been in the family, or it could simply be someone who fell in love with a classic and sees electrification the only way to realistically use and enjoy owning it. Other clients are simply very new to classic cars altogether. "They drive new cars and like the simplicity of them; they're primarily EV owners. Then, they see a perfect old Mercedes or vintage pickup and literally fall in love, but then find out they can own one with a modern electric drivetrain."

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Builds like these, then, bring new people into the old car world. What's more, they keep old cars out and about in regular use. Many of them might ordinarily sit and suffer neglect if they were left stock. Despite the massive changes and updates under the skin, Davis says "ultimately we're about preserving these things. We want these cars to be driven, not sitting in the garage. We want to give someone the ability to just go out and go whenever they want." There's simply far less to worry about and check for than with a '60s-era, carbureted gas engine. "In the end we're putting cars back on the road, driving." It's hard to argue with that.

When someone brings a car in for conversion, Moment fully inspects everything and addresses any necessary fixes. "We aren't a restoration shop, so if the car needs metal work, paint, or repair, we partner with other shops to handle that stage of the process." Then, they de-ICE the car, removing the drivetrain and fuel systems.

What happens to the old engines? Many owners want to keep them. Many don't. "We can try to sell them, but you'd be surprised how hard it is. I have a storage unit with far more of them than I expected."

Moment Motor Co.

Next they 3D scan the car, mainly the engine bay, transmission tunnel and trunk to determine where all the new components and drivetrain will have to fit. One challenge is weight distribution, as they want to keep the balance and driving dynamics as close to the original design as possible. Another is simply where to fit everything, as the space under the lines of a '60s sports car was never meant for things like rectilinear battery boxes. This effort often requires designing and test-fitting brackets, platforms, and mounts to hold everything in place. Meanwhile, the team figures out where to route the high voltage cabling and coolant lines. Understandably, when they've converted the same type of car a few times, like Mercedes/230/250/280SLs, the process gets quicker and easier.

After final assembly, Moment tests and tunes the car, sorting out everything from throttle response curves and thermal systems to squeaks, creaks, and rattles-these are still old cars, after all. After enough test miles and tweaking, the finished product goes to the customer, while any new parts created through the process go into a library of chassis-specific components to make future builds easier.

Moment Motor Company

So, how does the finished product actually drive? Of the three electrified classics I'm driving during this visit, the Mercedes-Benz 280SL makes the most sense as a candidate for EV conversion. It's not surprising to learn that more W113-generation (1963-71) SLs have gotten the Moment treatment than any other car.

The 2.8-liter, 180-hp, fuel-injected, single-cam six that powered this car out of Stuttgart in the '60s is a fine engine. It's smooth, stout, well-built. But it was never the star of the show. It doesn't make a memorable noise. Nobody ever bought a 230/250/280SL for what was under the hood, and most U.S. buyers ordered theirs with an automatic, anyway. Instead, they bought it for the looks-arguably designer Paul Bracq's magnum opus-as well as the clever "pagoda" hardtop, and the classy, comfortable interior. This was a car for leisurely cruising at moderate to high speed and looking good while doing it, and that's still the main appeal of the W113 for classic car buyers today. What does an EV swap take away from that experience? Nothing, really. It arguably makes it better.

"I think if you went back to the Mercedes folks in 1967 and said you had this silent, smooth, powerful drivetrain, they'd probably think it was perfect for a car like this," Marc says as we slide into the SL's springy seats. And, from the driver's side, the W113 platform and the electric motor complement each other well. It rides like a normal SL, and it steers like one. In fact, everything feels like the original, except, of course, for the much deeper reserves of power and torque, which push you forward no matter how fast you're going. The way this example is geared makes low speed acceleration swift but not savage, while speeding up from 60-80 mph is accomplished surprisingly quickly. If any "soul" or "character" has left this SL, I'm not really missing it.

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The E-Type, I think, is a tougher sell as an EV. Yes, there was an electric E at the royal wedding, and a U.K. company even makes a drop-in EV kit for Jag's most famous sports car, but the original XK six-cylinder engine is one of the all-time greats. It powered beautiful cars and won major races for decades. It looks great. It sounds great. Its length and heft dictated the E-Type's long, lithe, forward-hinged hood, and the twin exhaust pipes tucked under its tail are one of the E's more distinguishing features. To take all that away, then, removes much of the car's character, right? Well, yes, but not as much as you might expect.

Getting in, there's no doubt you're in an old Jag. The leather smells right. The signature toggle switches on the dash are all there. So are the gauges, except that some offer different read-outs. For the dial to the right of the speedo, which measures kilowatts but has been cleverly designed in the style of the original Smiths tachometer. The only obvious clue to the car's alternative drivetrain on the inside are the simple up arrow, down arrow and P (Park) buttons where the shifter boot used to be. Some of the batteries reside under the luggage area, but you'd have to lift a panel to find them. On the outside, the only obvious clue is the lack of those exhaust pipes. Somewhat surprisingly, their absence doesn't take anything away from the XKE's famous good looks.

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A bigger surprise is just how much this car feels like a good-old-fashioned gas-guzzling E-Type on the road. I was afraid it might drive like a twenty-first century roller skate cosplaying as old English sports car, but that's not the case at all. The tail still squats and the nose still lifts slightly under hard acceleration. Under cornering, you still feel stiffening and flexing through the wood-rimmed steering wheel.

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Despite the extra heft and all the batteries distributed throughout the platform, the rear brakes are still inboard as they were in period. Because this example is geared more for highway driving and passing, acceleration from a standstill isn't startling, but it is immediate and, especially in the '60s setting of the cabin, feels very quick. The package delivers about 300hp and 375 lb-ft to the Jaguar rear end via a carbon-fiber driveshaft. At higher speeds, rolling into the left lane for a quick squirt of acceleration to pass someone is completely effortless. It's almost intoxicating, in that over-too-quickly, want-to-do-it-again kind of way. This would be a fantastic car on a short road trip. I did miss that legendary twin-cam six up front, but not as much as I thought I would. A couple of times I forgot about it completely.

Andrew Newton

Finally, of the three, the 911 Carrera gives the most uneasy first impression as an electrified classic. For 60 years now, the weight of a flat-six mounted in the back has been the most consistent part of a 911's makeup. But not in this one. This car presents the heft of its batteries more noticeably than the other conversions, and it's not the traditional distribution as the tail-heavy original. As a result of packaging requirements, Moment had to locate some of the batteries out up front, occupying much of the front trunk between the headlights.

The driving experience, then, doesn't hew to classic 911 dynamics. This car feels heavy, particularly in the steering. Even at high speed, working the steering wheel through twisty bits fires up your shoulder muscles. It's a contrast to the normally light-on-their-feet, stock 911s of this period.

Notice I said heavy, not slow. Indeed the acceleration feels very quick, and the car very planted. Throwing it into a bend requires less bravery than tail-snappy 911s of yore. Traction and power are very easy to come by. And while it's not as good as the music from an air-cooled six, the electric motor's noise coming up the transmission tunnel from behind and between the seats is not unpleasant, and emits more of a growing mechanical whir than the high-pitched electric whine I was expecting.

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Speaking of the transmission tunnel, what's hiding underneath it is this EV Porsche's party piece. The G50 five-speed that originally came in this car is fantastic gearbox, so Moment kept it right where it was and adapted it to the new motor. It does take some getting used to-you only really need to accelerate from a stop in second gear (doing so in first is borderline violent and correspondingly brief) and around town or on country roads you can have almost all the fun you want in third or fourth, but it remains fun and satisfying to shift. Also, while you do have to use the clutch pedal to go from gear to gear, you don't have to do anything with your left foot when you come to a stop because the gearbox isn't hooked up to a constantly rotating ICE engine. No stalling uphill from a stoplight here.

Like the Jag, the Porsche sacrifices plenty through losing its ICE engine. But it gains plenty, too, and it certainly put a smile on this skeptic's face.

EV swaps certainly are not for everybody, but I can see why this type of conversion is getting more popular, and Davis sees the future in its as well. "At this point the only downside is cost and perhaps range, but both of these things will only get better over time." Davis also foresees greater standardization across this corner of the industry, and even complete EV-conversion kits for certain vehicles in the near future, like components specifically designed for electrifying a Tri-Five Chevy or VW Beetle, to name a couple.

No matter what kind of emojis you're posting when an EV conversion hits your feed, it's hard to deny that the classic car industry is going through big, quick, interesting changes. Shops like Moment are not only driving those changes, but also keeping the hobby going, and even growing it.

Andrew Newton

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