Excellent Jonny - the irony of this piece is not lost on me. Love the fact the sun disappeared and you were left having to wear a big warm jacket for the experience! On a more applicable note, it's very encouraging to see Aston Martin embracing these classic conversions as you saw with Jaguar last year. I hold high hopes that you'll see a growing community of UK based enthusiasts who almost take the lead in specialising on custom EV conversions. A lovely piece - thanks - Bernie
A conversation has a much lower environmental impact than a brand new sports car. Especially if that sportscar gets low annual mileage and a big battery.
@@JasonSmith-ti1wf It's unlikely to be real fur. Real fur on clothing is pretty rare these days. Then again he's sitting in a car with leather seats, and is probably wearing leather boots. Kinda absurd to argue about a bit of (probably fake) fur.
It still boggles my mind that companies haven't rolled out direct drop-in bolt-in replacements for ICE engines and transmissions. Considering how much easier it is to create an electric crate motor than a petrol one, I'm surprised they aren't widely available. I love older vehicles, they have so much personality and style compared to modern wind tunnel designed cars.
@sweinberger Vibrations! That was my first thought. My second thought a good electric engine will still give POWER, but if you have fake sound then you could have a inferior engine while making sound good. No to fake sound.
Agreed. From an aesthetic perspective, a fake acceleration recording to mimic the real sound will always sound contrived. The only positive is that episode Robert did with the blind guy. He was driving around central London at about 25mph, and the blind guy was really struggling to hear that a car was there. When the majority of cars are EV's, granted they can detect the person, the blind are really going to struggle trying to navigate a major city.
In certain markets, like the US, EVs are required to make some kind of noise at low speeds for parking lots, so I could see a nice piston rumble being preferrable to some kind of obnoxious beeping. Although I would much prefer the Jetson's whirring space car noise.
You spoke about legal limits for driving classic cars, but I think the bigger reason would be the lack of stuffing around you have to do to keep cars like this running. A friend's dad has an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and you can hardly ever take it out because it's so fragile and expensive to fix. It breaks down every other day. If you had one of these and actually wanted to drive it with any regularity an electric conversion would actually make that possible.
VicMorrowsGhost people don’t drive these cars to sit in them while getting from A to B in a beautiful chassis. People buy them for the engine. And for the engine only
@@clausmadsen6754 I think there's a few reasons people like classic cars, and the engine experience is definitely one of them. The reality of driving one of these though is like an egg and spoon race. You want to let rip but at the slightest bump something is going to break and it's going to be hecking expensive to fix. If you just love the style and want something you can drive more than once a month, this type of conversion makes a lot of sense.
VicMorrowsGhost For me classic cars are about technique, design and craftsmanship. Technique: for instance that inline 6 Design doesn’t need explaining Craftsmanship: the way the restoration is done.
@@walterk8602 Nice, I want to do the same one day, I'd like to get up to 40-50kw/h though. Will cost a few bob so it'll be a good few years before I can afford to do it. The plan in the meantime is to retire the MX5 to be a weekend runabout and daily drive a leased EV :)
@@walterk8602 Does that all fit in the engine bay or did you need to place some batteries elsewhere? Did you need to make a lot of mods to the original frame/body?
If I had a couple of million pounds to spare for buying a car, I'd have one of these, but with a hard top. No engine sounds necessary; the peace of the electric drive is far better than the sound of dinosaurs screaming. Thanks Johnny, you lucky man!
julesdingle To do it properly you’d need some very very beefy amplifiers and speakers. Luckily electric power won’t be a problem at all. ;) Budget won’t be much of a problem either so yes it should be feasible.
Classic cars are often too unreliable to use as daily drivers, and something like an old Citroen just isn't feasible somewhere as harsh as here in Australia. Electric conversions will make these classic cars viable in ways they have not been previously, and re-using old cars instead of making new ones is surely the ultimate in sustainability. Thanks for not making the usual Bond puns.
The ultimate in Sustainability indeed. And here in Africa this could really help transition to clean transportation by converting alot of the old cars around Africa
You don't buy a classic car to be reliable, you buy it because you love it's character, the way it looks, the way it sounds etc, breaking down is almost part of it. It almost wouldn't be fun without it. they're like art really, its a shame to see them being converted to electric in my opinion.
@@Olivergoodchild2 You might buy a classic car with those things in mind, not everyone. I like cars that work. I don't know about an Aston Martin - really not sure - but I'd convert something like a Citroen DS in heartbeat.
@@johnknight9150 Classic cars are not necessarily unreliable. They can be but that's mainly because of aged components such as wires, connectors, hoses, etc. But, as you stated, they offer a new view on how to use classic cars, reusing the chassis and body etc and just put a motor and battery in it. :D
Flaming: The present design is probably a hack and looks terrible, if you have seen some of the EV conversions done by others to look good you know a EV system can be made into a work of art too. Aston Martin does not want you to see under the hood until they have a design that make you go "Oh and Ah" as you trace power lines, battery cooling systems, etc. The final design should wow you if it is made right.
Such a wonderful show. Wonderful wonderful wonderful. Amazing editing. Amazing presenting. And all shown at a really nice pace. Well done!! Thank you for making and sharing these videos Fully Charged. (And Bring back the battery logo ;) )
once again another episode that makes me chuckle while watching and leaves me with a big grin on my face. Johnny, you are right. "The future is bright" and you are an awesome presenter!
Love this! I'm purist enough that I would be upset if it wasn't reversible, but if everything can be put back then there's no reason not to make it more usable.
@@iareid8255 Because it’ll be many times more reliable, and cheaper & cleaner to run, so you just don’t have as many reasons not to drive it. Charging is much more convenient than fueling, although it might not be for touring (depends if it can DC fast charge), but I doubt many people would choose to drive great distances in this car in the 21st century anyway.
@@Jer_Schmidt Not more reliable, I ran a 5 for about ten years. It probably is cheaper at current electricity cost but fuel revenue will have to be recouped in the not too distant future. It still is sacrilidge to spoil a nice motor car. If it were a building it would be listed where you cannot deviate from originality. Fine, if you want to run an electric car, just buy a new one but leave the classics alone.
@@iareid8255 Have you ever driven an EV? I’m guessing no, or I think you’d understand what makes it so desirable. My grandfather used to restore classic cars, and I always thought it was a shame that he put so much work into them and they still had to burn gas, and were too unreliable, underpowered and inefficient to really use. He only got them out of the garage about once a year. I’m absolutely not saying we should convert all the classics to EV; some of them need to be preserved as original. But it’s just ridiculous to let them rot in a garage because they’re too obsolete to use. Now that’s all just my opinion, and I am a twenty-something from the US so I’m sure others will have a significantly different opinion, and that’s fine. But someday if I have the money I’ll probably do my own EV conversion (reversible of course).
Interesting. I am not sure about augmented sound though because for me one of the appeals of electric drive is the silence (especially around town where I'd really appreciate all the engine noise disappearing, hopefully this will change the character of cities in the future).
Me too! But now that they pay Tesla to pool their respective vehicle fleets to meet EU emission requirements we might someday get an actual Fiat EV, not just that 125 (centoventicinque) concept.
@@TonGi018 Difficult to find it on my phone but they did a lovely electric speed boat as well. They used to be associated with EVTV but they had a falling out about money and stuff.
Absolutely brilliant!! Once again Jonny has given us a great review. Watching this has made me very happy even though it was a bit of a tease. Although, I can understand Aston Martin's reasons as the car is still in development. Love the idea of marrying classic cars with EV, if done sympathetically. Would really like to see more conversion reviews on FC.
As I think about it, Im kind of falling in love with the idea of old beautiful luxury mixed with the reliability and usability of today. Along with the possibility of fantastic performance with no fuss or worry. I like this a lot.
Just as I was watching and wondering what effect the electric torque would have on the gearbox and rear end the Aston Martin engineer explains they kept the specs to preform as the L6 did even down to curb weight. It very refreshing to find truly brilliant people still devoted to their craft. Way to man up there Jonny and leave the top down.
Whilst not a fan of old cars, a Bond car is always a Bond car - now with 'stealth mode' under the hood :) Always an enjoyable time seeing a car lover like Jonny showing us an electric conversion. Keep it up!
What a wonderful episode! It's a shame about the weather... wouldn't it have been fantastic to drive this revamped classic on a sunny day in the south of France or in Spain. Still, I am envious of you, Jonny. You certainly have one of the coolest jobs (particularly on that day).
Even though i like cars, i'd love to see more content about other electric transport, batteries and the energy transition rather than just an (e-)auto show.
There's an episode coming later this week about solar trains, so yes, I agree with you, we have been a bit car heavy of late, but that's partly because there are now so many electric cars hitting the market. We are also doing electric ships, planes, bikes and an update on solar and powerwall developments in the next 2 months.
Some people may call this sacrilege. But there will come a time when the ICE will be illegal on the road and those original cars will sit in private museums, never to turn a wheel again. This should help overcome that.
I think it varies, and if I were an Aston fan I might care more about this, but it's a grand tourer - it was always meant to look nice and take you long distances in comfort and style, while showing everyone how rich you are. Cars like the Lamborghini Miura, with its classic NA V12, or the Lancia Delta S4 with its supercharged-turbocharged monster I4, those kinds of cars are iconic for their engines - they represent major engineering achievements, and they're also very much performance cars, and of course those iconic sounds represent that also. I think with cars like that it truly would be a waste for someone to replace the ICE. Of course, by the same token it's a shame to ban ICE cars, but it's a necessary step. Would be nice if they could grandfather in classics, though. If we're all going to be stuck with hideous electric SUVs (since those three characteristics seem to be the future of the automobile) it'd be nice to pass the odd (proper) Beetle or Triumph or 911 or whatever, like spotting a steam loco on a modern railway.
These episodes on conversions always remind me of that ad you can see in Back to the Future 2 for converting classic cars into flying cars. Well, we didn't get to flying cars, but EV conversions are the next best thing. Possible controversial opinion: I would perhaps consider *some* design revisions in the name of safety. Just as they've done with the engine, you could keep the original components set aside, but I think it would be prudent to add headrests and modern shoulder belts to the seats.
Thanks for another awesome video Jonny! You are like a rock star, driving a prototype of this rarity and value. Personally, I love the idea, it would be great to see classic and modern exotic sports cars with this conversion available. That way they could be driven daily in regular traffic without the high maintenance and fuel costs, pollution free and with even higher performance available. How about a 1961 Ferrari GT 250 California EV (Ferris anniversary edition)?
Now thats a great way to conserve as well as use the old classics ... Im really optimistic to see more & more these kind of convertion where the originality is kept intact and its upon the customer how they want to use ... Lovely 👏
Really superb they care for their customers enough to offer this service. Most companies wouldn’t. And the augmented sound some in the comments aren’t fond of, they could make it optional/switchable.
Disagree that they should make it feel and sound like the original petrol that is false heritage. The key is keeping the original drive train in good working order so it can be put back in when needed / wanted.
I agree totally that conversions can save many classic cars. I wasn’t arguing that the conversion should not be done. Only that it should be honest. With such a valuable car such as this it should be viable to maintain spares and tooling.
@@8agpuss Indeed, keep the drive train stored away, and just let the electric wine enter your eardrums. Embrace it fully, or don't do it at all. Like the BMW I8, my god that sound is horrendous.
I'd love to see a piece on the new ULEZ legislation and what this means for the future of EV's. Possibly a piece surrounding the conversion of vehicles for that purpose.
"Patreons, (...) I couldn't stand out here, in the rain, in Silverstone, with a windchill of about minus five, without you. So thank you so much." 😄😅😂🤣
I agree so much with what the Aston Martin man said about having the sound of a petrol engine in a classic car but just give it a heart transplant. That's the way to go. I saw loads of classic cars converted respectfully like that at last years' Fully Charged Live, very cool stuff.
The service history for a DB5 in 100 years is going to be pretty fantastic:1964. DB5 is shipped from factory.1964. DB5 received upgrades, including but not limited to: bullet proof glass, oil slick propellant, ejector seat, smoke screen.2021. DB5 converted by Aston Marten to EV.2049. DB5 wheels upgraded to retractable anti gravity flying models.
Well. Very british. Aiming to make heritage cars drivable on streets is reasonable and it is okay if people want to expose themselves to the lack of all the safety features. But augmented sound is as annoying as real exhaustion sound. I look forward sitting in a cafe near the street on sundays and not having to listen to the engine sounds of "car enthusiasts" who want to show the world the size of their engine.
Degrees of improvement are possible. Many old cars can have later upgraded parts added without changing the structure, in particular suspension, brakes and electrics to make them an every day driver.
John Michael this is truly a ship (or car) of Theseus. If an old car has its brakes, suspension and engine upgraded is it really the old car or just a memory of it ? It’s not driving the same way, it might superficially look the same but the driver will not experience what the car was like when it was new.. All that really remains the same is the original passive safety or lack thereof.
Just when I thought I've seen everything. This is genius in that it can be driven in a parade or whatever with silence and no guilt, then return it to original for the next weekend car show. Brilliant! Chevy should totally do this for classic Corvettes! Then they can finally complete a Mardi Gras parade without overheating (been there, seen that).
Brilliant video Jonny, loved every second of it. Particularly like the the statement "we will mimick the performance characteristics of the original piston-engined car" - that means acceleration? Top speed? Range? If they achieve those specs with 'the heart transplant' it opens the doors so wide for other transformations. Fantastic project.
It's like the episode of the Grand Tour displayed painfully; these old cars are eyecandy, but can be a real hassle to deal with on a daily basis. An EV conversion solves a lot of these problems instantly.
Fantastic - peoples reactions show that it's not necessarily about the engine but the look and beauty of the car. If it means we see these iconic beauties back on the road what can be wrong with that?
Nice one Jonny. I’m just finishing my 1970 Lotus Europa conversion. Great to see more and more of this type of conversion. Too true about the generational shift regarding internal combustion engines. Choke? Oil level? Battery fluid levels? No car is ever maintenance free but EVs certainly reduce the effort. I constantly get asked about battery fires. Petrol has never caught fire, right?
What a shame that they couldn't tell where they got the motor and controller from. Also the current battery size would help to get an idea of it's approx range.
Excellent Jonny - the irony of this piece is not lost on me. Love the fact the sun disappeared and you were left having to wear a big warm jacket for the experience!
On a more applicable note, it's very encouraging to see Aston Martin embracing these classic conversions as you saw with Jaguar last year. I hold high hopes that you'll see a growing community of UK based enthusiasts who almost take the lead in specialising on custom EV conversions.
A lovely piece - thanks - Bernie
A conversation has a much lower environmental impact than a brand new sports car. Especially if that sportscar gets low annual mileage and a big battery.
i'm thinking jonny should have been wearing a donkey jacket to go with his jumper...
I think he should leave out the fur collars.
@@JasonSmith-ti1wf It's unlikely to be real fur. Real fur on clothing is pretty rare these days.
Then again he's sitting in a car with leather seats, and is probably wearing leather boots.
Kinda absurd to argue about a bit of (probably fake) fur.
It still boggles my mind that companies haven't rolled out direct drop-in bolt-in replacements for ICE engines and transmissions. Considering how much easier it is to create an electric crate motor than a petrol one, I'm surprised they aren't widely available. I love older vehicles, they have so much personality and style compared to modern wind tunnel designed cars.
Can't say I really agree with him on adding augmented sound, these types of cars especially should be authentic and not be faked.
Absolutely right, when questioned whether the electric engine will resemble the ICE engine, he even responds with the same argument!
@sweinberger perhaps they could incorporate a child coughing...
@sweinberger Vibrations! That was my first thought. My second thought a good electric engine will still give POWER, but if you have fake sound then you could have a inferior engine while making sound good. No to fake sound.
Agreed. From an aesthetic perspective, a fake acceleration recording to mimic the real sound will always sound contrived. The only positive is that episode Robert did with the blind guy. He was driving around central London at about 25mph, and the blind guy was really struggling to hear that a car was there. When the majority of cars are EV's, granted they can detect the person, the blind are really going to struggle trying to navigate a major city.
In certain markets, like the US, EVs are required to make some kind of noise at low speeds for parking lots, so I could see a nice piston rumble being preferrable to some kind of obnoxious beeping. Although I would much prefer the Jetson's whirring space car noise.
You spoke about legal limits for driving classic cars, but I think the bigger reason would be the lack of stuffing around you have to do to keep cars like this running. A friend's dad has an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and you can hardly ever take it out because it's so fragile and expensive to fix. It breaks down every other day. If you had one of these and actually wanted to drive it with any regularity an electric conversion would actually make that possible.
VicMorrowsGhost people don’t drive these cars to sit in them while getting from A to B in a beautiful chassis. People buy them for the engine. And for the engine only
@@clausmadsen6754 Not really, speaking at car shows most people seem buy them for the looks.
David Knowles ok. Just me then. I even think it’s ugly and the least successful classic Aston design. To me these cars are ALL about that inline 6
@@clausmadsen6754 I think there's a few reasons people like classic cars, and the engine experience is definitely one of them. The reality of driving one of these though is like an egg and spoon race. You want to let rip but at the slightest bump something is going to break and it's going to be hecking expensive to fix. If you just love the style and want something you can drive more than once a month, this type of conversion makes a lot of sense.
VicMorrowsGhost
For me classic cars are about technique, design and craftsmanship.
Technique: for instance that inline 6
Design doesn’t need explaining
Craftsmanship: the way the restoration is done.
Aston are being very intelligent, particularly if they can get range and performance alignment.
This show just keeps getting better and better with every episode. Brilliant presenting by carpervert and wonderfully shot and edited! Great stuff
Beautiful. I did the same thing with my 1999 Mazda Mx5 back in 2008, and have driven 110000 quiet kilometers since.
What type of battery are you running in it? :)
@@NewmanAutomotive at present I have 60amphr CALB lithium ion phosphate batteries. (approx 22kwhr)
Do you have more info on that conversion? I have a 99 and want to do the same.
@@walterk8602 Nice, I want to do the same one day, I'd like to get up to 40-50kw/h though. Will cost a few bob so it'll be a good few years before I can afford to do it. The plan in the meantime is to retire the MX5 to be a weekend runabout and daily drive a leased EV :)
@@walterk8602 Does that all fit in the engine bay or did you need to place some batteries elsewhere? Did you need to make a lot of mods to the original frame/body?
If I had a couple of million pounds to spare for buying a car, I'd have one of these, but with a hard top. No engine sounds necessary; the peace of the electric drive is far better than the sound of dinosaurs screaming.
Thanks Johnny, you lucky man!
'The sound of dinosaurs screaming' has me screaming, good one!
Couldn't agree more.
Look, I'm an EV enthusiast through and through, but goddamn, that L6 sounds sublime.
you could always slap a stereo and sound card and big speakers.
julesdingle
To do it properly you’d need some very very beefy amplifiers and speakers. Luckily electric power won’t be a problem at all. ;)
Budget won’t be much of a problem either so yes it should be feasible.
@@julesdingle not exactly
L6 or I6.. 🤔
L6 are my favorite engines next to a cammed v8...best sounds in the world
Just amazing, I hope it all going well for Aston Martin,
I love that the conversion is reversible as to not destroy the car
Why would anyone convert it back though?
Classic cars are often too unreliable to use as daily drivers, and something like an old Citroen just isn't feasible somewhere as harsh as here in Australia. Electric conversions will make these classic cars viable in ways they have not been previously, and re-using old cars instead of making new ones is surely the ultimate in sustainability.
Thanks for not making the usual Bond puns.
The ultimate in Sustainability indeed. And here in Africa this could really help transition to clean transportation by converting alot of the old cars around Africa
You don't buy a classic car to be reliable, you buy it because you love it's character, the way it looks, the way it sounds etc, breaking down is almost part of it. It almost wouldn't be fun without it. they're like art really, its a shame to see them being converted to electric in my opinion.
@@Olivergoodchild2 You might buy a classic car with those things in mind, not everyone. I like cars that work. I don't know about an Aston Martin - really not sure - but I'd convert something like a Citroen DS in heartbeat.
@Plazmatron I didn't say it would make it better.
@@johnknight9150 Classic cars are not necessarily unreliable. They can be but that's mainly because of aged components such as wires, connectors, hoses, etc.
But, as you stated, they offer a new view on how to use classic cars, reusing the chassis and body etc and just put a motor and battery in it. :D
I'm gutted we didn't get to see under the hood of this magnificent beauty.
Flaming: The present design is probably a hack and looks terrible, if you have seen some of the EV conversions done by others to look good you know a EV system can be made into a work of art too. Aston Martin does not want you to see under the hood until they have a design that make you go "Oh and Ah" as you trace power lines, battery cooling systems, etc. The final design should wow you if it is made right.
We saw it but were not able to publish the footage.
Well done Jonny, what a great idea.
Such a wonderful show. Wonderful wonderful wonderful. Amazing editing. Amazing presenting. And all shown at a really nice pace.
Well done!! Thank you for making and sharing these videos Fully Charged.
(And Bring back the battery logo ;) )
Good to see that British companies can still lead the way in innovation. Like it!
Great show. Love Jonny's obvious reverence for the vehicle and enthusiasm for the electric conversion.
once again another episode that makes me chuckle while watching and leaves me with a big grin on my face. Johnny, you are right. "The future is bright" and you are an awesome presenter!
True vision and commitment to keeping the brand alive, developing a reversible EV conversion.
And fully reversable, magic
Love this! I'm purist enough that I would be upset if it wasn't reversible, but if everything can be put back then there's no reason not to make it more usable.
Jeremy,
how does it make it more useable, particularly if you use it for its intended grand touring role?
@@iareid8255
Because it’ll be many times more reliable, and cheaper & cleaner to run, so you just don’t have as many reasons not to drive it. Charging is much more convenient than fueling, although it might not be for touring (depends if it can DC fast charge), but I doubt many people would choose to drive great distances in this car in the 21st century anyway.
@@Jer_Schmidt
Not more reliable, I ran a 5 for about ten years. It probably is cheaper at current electricity cost but fuel revenue will have to be recouped in the not too distant future.
It still is sacrilidge to spoil a nice motor car. If it were a building it would be listed where you cannot deviate from originality.
Fine, if you want to run an electric car, just buy a new one but leave the classics alone.
I cannot agree, I just see no point at all. It cannot make the car any more desirable, it really is pointless.
@@iareid8255
Have you ever driven an EV? I’m guessing no, or I think you’d understand what makes it so desirable.
My grandfather used to restore classic cars, and I always thought it was a shame that he put so much work into them and they still had to burn gas, and were too unreliable, underpowered and inefficient to really use. He only got them out of the garage about once a year.
I’m absolutely not saying we should convert all the classics to EV; some of them need to be preserved as original. But it’s just ridiculous to let them rot in a garage because they’re too obsolete to use.
Now that’s all just my opinion, and I am a twenty-something from the US so I’m sure others will have a significantly different opinion, and that’s fine. But someday if I have the money I’ll probably do my own EV conversion (reversible of course).
Interesting. I am not sure about augmented sound though because for me one of the appeals of electric drive is the silence (especially around town where I'd really appreciate all the engine noise disappearing, hopefully this will change the character of cities in the future).
turn it off then :)
i'd much rather have an unbaffled generator to make the sound and make it hybrid.
I can't wait for General Motors to recreate the Electrovair. It was the best idea the ever had. I will buy two. Go Fully Charged, your the best.
Hi guys! Greetings from germany and a very thank you for another fantastic clip! Best show on EVs i know! Cheers!
I like this show a lot.
Great interview and very well edited.
Great vid Jonny and team, in fact great all round show, awesome to see how we are future proofing these iconic cars
I'm waiting for Fiat to offer a conversion of my Panda...😉
Me too! But now that they pay Tesla to pool their respective vehicle fleets to meet EU emission requirements we might someday get an actual Fiat EV, not just that 125 (centoventicinque) concept.
That's pretty much done with what the latest electric Fiat 500e's look like. Modular, cute stuff, removable roof, etc..
Already available from a Dutch company shown on Fully charged a few months ago.
@@jimporter7418 Don't remember seeing that video, do you know the title or release date? Would love to learn more.
@@TonGi018 Difficult to find it on my phone but they did a lovely electric speed boat as well. They used to be associated with EVTV but they had a falling out about money and stuff.
An aged thing of beauty being kept alive with electricity, I'm all for it :-)
But Robert wasn't in this episode ;)
This is like putting a jet engine in a Spitfire and just as ridiculous
22:01 The abominable rainman. - nice production, well done!
Good video with a beautiful car and interesting philosophical discussion. Got to give AM credit for this gesture of faith in the future.
Absolutely brilliant!! Once again Jonny has given us a great review. Watching this has made me very happy even though it was a bit of a tease. Although, I can understand Aston Martin's reasons as the car is still in development. Love the idea of marrying classic cars with EV, if done sympathetically. Would really like to see more conversion reviews on FC.
Even if you don't love cars, you have to admit it is a beautiful design...
As I think about it, Im kind of falling in love with the idea of old beautiful luxury mixed with the reliability and usability of today. Along with the possibility of fantastic performance with no fuss or worry. I like this a lot.
Just as I was watching and wondering what effect the electric torque would have on the gearbox and rear end the Aston Martin engineer explains they kept the specs to preform as the L6 did even down to curb weight. It very refreshing to find truly brilliant people still devoted to their craft. Way to man up there Jonny and leave the top down.
Whilst not a fan of old cars, a Bond car is always a Bond car - now with 'stealth mode' under the hood :)
Always an enjoyable time seeing a car lover like Jonny showing us an electric conversion. Keep it up!
What a wonderful episode! It's a shame about the weather... wouldn't it have been fantastic to drive this revamped classic on a sunny day in the south of France or in Spain. Still, I am envious of you, Jonny. You certainly have one of the coolest jobs (particularly on that day).
WHAT IS THAT FANTASTIC MUSIC !! Please, could someone help me out? I LOVE it!! All trumpity and go go boots...
Absolutely fantastic video!
Yes Jonny. Brilliant stuff!
Even though i like cars, i'd love to see more content about other electric transport, batteries and the energy transition rather than just an (e-)auto show.
Go back through FC episodes and you'll find very varied content. Not just EV transport.
There's an episode coming later this week about solar trains, so yes, I agree with you, we have been a bit car heavy of late, but that's partly because there are now so many electric cars hitting the market. We are also doing electric ships, planes, bikes and an update on solar and powerwall developments in the next 2 months.
@@fullychargedshow thats great to hear. Thank you for the update, looking forward to it!
Some people may call this sacrilege. But there will come a time when the ICE will be illegal on the road and those original cars will sit in private museums, never to turn a wheel again. This should help overcome that.
I think it varies, and if I were an Aston fan I might care more about this, but it's a grand tourer - it was always meant to look nice and take you long distances in comfort and style, while showing everyone how rich you are.
Cars like the Lamborghini Miura, with its classic NA V12, or the Lancia Delta S4 with its supercharged-turbocharged monster I4, those kinds of cars are iconic for their engines - they represent major engineering achievements, and they're also very much performance cars, and of course those iconic sounds represent that also. I think with cars like that it truly would be a waste for someone to replace the ICE.
Of course, by the same token it's a shame to ban ICE cars, but it's a necessary step. Would be nice if they could grandfather in classics, though. If we're all going to be stuck with hideous electric SUVs (since those three characteristics seem to be the future of the automobile) it'd be nice to pass the odd (proper) Beetle or Triumph or 911 or whatever, like spotting a steam loco on a modern railway.
i doubt they will ever be illegal
Cutting the music as he drives away was brilliant.
Even with the original tailpipe. That’s still a grand looking car.
The show just gets better and better. Hats off to Aston as well, the sad thing is I’ll never ever get close to one
Go to fully charged live. I bet it will be there.
The most inspirational and positive tech video I've seen in years!
I like the idea of an iconic engine in a presentation case to fire up only for New Year's in stead of obnoxious fireworks.
No muffler, lots of noise.
Wonderful machine, you're such a lucky git, Jonny.
Thanks Aston! Thanks FC! Someone give Jonny a hat for the cold days...
Exactly he wouldn't have felt the cold with a woolly hat on,most of the bodies heat is lost through the head.
Great video, Johnny! Love the idea to preserve and improve!😎🚗
These episodes on conversions always remind me of that ad you can see in Back to the Future 2 for converting classic cars into flying cars. Well, we didn't get to flying cars, but EV conversions are the next best thing. Possible controversial opinion: I would perhaps consider *some* design revisions in the name of safety. Just as they've done with the engine, you could keep the original components set aside, but I think it would be prudent to add headrests and modern shoulder belts to the seats.
Said like a man grinning around a massive slice of cake.
Superb Jonny, looking forward to your next feature 👍
Thanks for another awesome video Jonny! You are like a rock star, driving a prototype of this rarity and value. Personally, I love the idea, it would be great to see classic and modern exotic sports cars with this conversion available. That way they could be driven daily in regular traffic without the high maintenance and fuel costs, pollution free and with even higher performance available. How about a 1961 Ferrari GT 250 California EV (Ferris anniversary edition)?
This was so good. I love this!
This! Is! So! Beautiful!
Oh lord so jealous Jonny a classic Aston my dream ride
Without the gargle of the webbers there really is no piont. But this does open up a big opportunity to the replica manufacturers
Great band name! Jonny and the Engine Fiddlers
I would love a classic mini cooper full ev with good range
I'd take one with bad range.
SuperFuzzmonkey My wife has been trying to find exactly what you’ve described for years, and she works for an major oil company in the US!
Sensational episode 👌👌👌👌👌
Now thats a great way to conserve as well as use the old classics ... Im really optimistic to see more & more these kind of convertion where the originality is kept intact and its upon the customer how they want to use ... Lovely 👏
That is NOT preserving a classic.
It is however destroying one for ever.
Right at the end, you are a lucky dawg !!!!!
Really superb they care for their customers enough to offer this service. Most companies wouldn’t. And the augmented sound some in the comments aren’t fond of, they could make it optional/switchable.
Are there electric wheels that could convert any car to electric....plus battery controller pack.?
Love the 60’s movie theme music!
Got to love Aston's philosophy. Just perfect.
Disagree that they should make it feel and sound like the original petrol that is false heritage. The key is keeping the original drive train in good working order so it can be put back in when needed / wanted.
Easier said than done! Available original parts only getting smaller and smaller each year. EV conversion in a way can save many cars from a junkyard.
This is what classic car ownership is about, people actually want to keep all the oddities of the original, even if they made them horrid to drive.
I agree totally that conversions can save many classic cars. I wasn’t arguing that the conversion should not be done. Only that it should be honest. With such a valuable car such as this it should be viable to maintain spares and tooling.
@@8agpuss Indeed, keep the drive train stored away, and just let the electric wine enter your eardrums. Embrace it fully, or don't do it at all. Like the BMW I8, my god that sound is horrendous.
Totally bloody brilliant
I'd love to see a piece on the new ULEZ legislation and what this means for the future of EV's. Possibly a piece surrounding the conversion of vehicles for that purpose.
Everything about this is awesome
Thanks for that wisdom on the thought process behind this still hurts me to not hear from them carbs
"Patreons, (...) I couldn't stand out here, in the rain, in Silverstone, with a windchill of about minus five, without you. So thank you so much." 😄😅😂🤣
I agree so much with what the Aston Martin man said about having the sound of a petrol engine in a classic car but just give it a heart transplant. That's the way to go. I saw loads of classic cars converted respectfully like that at last years' Fully Charged Live, very cool stuff.
The service history for a DB5 in 100 years is going to be pretty fantastic:1964. DB5 is shipped from factory.1964. DB5 received upgrades, including but not limited to:
bullet proof glass, oil slick propellant, ejector seat, smoke screen.2021. DB5 converted by Aston Marten to EV.2049. DB5 wheels upgraded to retractable anti gravity flying models.
Excellent job. I myself would love a 1960's Mk3 Ford Zodiac electrified with a set of modern wheels and tyres.
Well. Very british. Aiming to make heritage cars drivable on streets is reasonable and it is okay if people want to expose themselves to the lack of all the safety features. But augmented sound is as annoying as real exhaustion sound.
I look forward sitting in a cafe near the street on sundays and not having to listen to the engine sounds of "car enthusiasts" who want to show the world the size of their engine.
Degrees of improvement are possible. Many old cars can have later upgraded parts added without changing the structure, in particular suspension, brakes and electrics to make them an every day driver.
What if you plug headphones into the car, and listen to the fake engine sound that way? Or, its quietly played through the speaker in the cabin.
John Michael this is truly a ship (or car) of Theseus. If an old car has its brakes, suspension and engine upgraded is it really the old car or just a memory of it ? It’s not driving the same way, it might superficially look the same but the driver will not experience what the car was like when it was new.. All that really remains the same is the original passive safety or lack thereof.
Francesco Nicoletti True, but way safer to drive in modern traffic and better than keeping the old car in a museum or scrapping it
You never looked better Johnny!
Agreed Charles would definitely convert his DB5 to EV.
People need to calm down. We need EV cars. For the climate. It’s still historic
I love it! This is my retirement project. Getting an old classic car and convert it to an EV. If I could afford it, I'd get this, no doubt! :)
If this is at fully charged live I'm all over it!! First dibbs on a test drive!!! 😁😁
Geezer J Hold that thought
*punches air* YESSSSSSSSSS!!!! *Thinks about buying a suit for the test drive, then decides against it*
Just when I thought I've seen everything. This is genius in that it can be driven in a parade or whatever with silence and no guilt, then return it to original for the next weekend car show. Brilliant! Chevy should totally do this for classic Corvettes! Then they can finally complete a Mardi Gras parade without overheating (been there, seen that).
Gorgeous vehicle!! And doing it reversible is amazing. But a bit out of my affordability X2 (the car, the transformation). Still drop dead beautiful.
Brilliant video Jonny, loved every second of it. Particularly like the the statement "we will mimick the performance characteristics of the original piston-engined car" - that means acceleration? Top speed? Range? If they achieve those specs with 'the heart transplant' it opens the doors so wide for other transformations. Fantastic project.
It's like the episode of the Grand Tour displayed painfully; these old cars are eyecandy, but can be a real hassle to deal with on a daily basis. An EV conversion solves a lot of these problems instantly.
As long as the conversion doesn’t destroy the fabric or the potential of converting it back!
My favourite episode so far! Excellent production value and strong story. I would double thumbs up if I could! 👍👍
Exceptional !
// Sweet ...
Fantastic - peoples reactions show that it's not necessarily about the engine but the look and beauty of the car. If it means we see these iconic beauties back on the road what can be wrong with that?
Great conversion
I remember back when Jaguar did a fully reversible Electric E-Type conversion too. Hope to see more and more of this with other classic cars.
Ahh yes, this one. ua-cam.com/video/610Amyhpzzk/v-deo.html
Nice one Jonny. I’m just finishing my 1970 Lotus Europa conversion. Great to see more and more of this type of conversion. Too true about the generational shift regarding internal combustion engines. Choke? Oil level? Battery fluid levels? No car is ever maintenance free but EVs certainly reduce the effort. I constantly get asked about battery fires. Petrol has never caught fire, right?
Great like always a litte look at the future to bad u stoped the video just short (love the sounds of that a v petrol car).
This is a great idea. You don't want to see all these classic cars not just sitting in the garage because there is no petrol
A step in the right direction! 👍
What a shame that they couldn't tell where they got the motor and controller from. Also the current battery size would help to get an idea of it's approx range.
Range will be the same as the original at the same weight, they claim.
Absolutely criminal.
Anyone who "electrifies" these cars should be thrown in prison.
Very nice video, thank You 🙏🏼!
I like that music too. What/Who is it? Especially the last jazzy track with horns while driving.
Heart transplant, good analogy :-)
So we are not seeing the engine and battery then?